s.-.-  .    'v"-^-": 


'S; 


T 


7 


14 


MICROFILMED  1992 
COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES/NEW  YORK 


as  part  of  the  ^ 

ToiinJainns  of  Western  Civilization  Preservation  Project 


NA 


Funded  by  the 
ENDOWMENT  FOR  THE  HUMANITIES 


^3 


productions  may  not  be  made  without  permission  from 

Columbia  University  Library 


COPYRIGHT  STATEMENT 

The  copynght  law  of  the  United  States  -  Title  17,  United 
States  Code  -  concerns  the  making  of  photocopies  or  other 

reproductions  of  copyrighted  material... 

Columbia  University  Library  reserves  the  right  to  refuse  to 
accept  a  copy  order  if,  in  its  judgement,  fulfillment  of  the  order 
would  involve  violation  of  the  copyright  law. 


AUTHOR: 


SWEDENBORG, 

EMANUEL 


TITLE: 


TRUE  CHRISTIAN 
RELIGION  ... 

PLA  CE : 

PHILADELPHIA 

DA  TE : 

1909 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 
PRESERVATION  DEPARTMENT 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC  MICROFORM  TARGET 


Master  Negative  # 


Original  Material  as  Filmed  -  Existing  Bibliographic  Record 


938.94 


[  Sw3771lSwodenborg,  Enanuol ,  1688-1772 • 
I         Tho  true  ChriGtian  religion,  containing  the  uni^ 
I        versal  theology  of  the  Not?  Church...  by  Emanuel 
^        S\7edGnboro.  ,  .  Tr .  from  the  original  Latin  ed., 

printed  at  Amntordam,  in  the  yeor   1771. 

Philadelphia;  Lippincctt ,  1909. 
xxii,  1098  p.   19?;-  cm. 


Ix 


u 


Restrictions  on  Use: 


TECHNICAL  MICROFORM  DATA 

FILM     SIZE:____>^^_^'5_^^_  REDUCTION     RATIO: _//_^. 

IMAGE  PLACEMENT:    lAQIA^  IB     IIB 

DATE      FILMED: ^JIaZ.2-J^ INITIALS__r7vL 

niMED  BY:    RESEARCH  PUmCATIONS.  INC  WOODBRIDGE.  CT 


n 


Association  for  Information  and  image  lAanagement 

1100  Wayne  Avenue,  Suite  1100 
Silver  Spring,  Maryland  20910 

301/587-8202 


Centimeter 

12         3        4 


Llli 


iiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiii|imjii 


Tl      I 


7        8 

liiiiliiiiliiiil'iiilimliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliinlin 


1 


Inches 


6 

iiliin 


TTT 


1.0 


LI 


1.25 


9        10 

iiiiliiiiliiiilm 


11        12       13       14 


11^ 
Ilia 

1 6.3 
17,1 


2.8 

3.2 
3.6 

4,0 


1.4 


2.5 


2.2 


2.0 


1.8 


1.6 


TTT 


IT  I 


15    mm 


iliiii 


ffl 


MPNUFnCTURED   TO   RUM   STFINDflRDS 
BY   fiPPLIED   IMflG^t     INC. 


O 


% 


IS 


'^' 


V 


ai^^mm-  '■-■'•^-' •--•-^-- '-••"'  -i.y:fa.v-^&f-r**«<:».-'--.Aj-.^»-     .<jiiB)a>MiT.-^<'^"'^-^'-^-«'i^-i»-«aB^^ 


4.1 


Columbia  Winiotviitp 

intljeCitpofieetogorfe 


LIBRARY 


GIVEN  BY 


0^5^^^^       W»     \    AA-A 


i>!!>1 


I 

!9 


i; 


! 


Si* 


i<2 


] 


THE 


TRUE  CHRISTIAN   RELIGION 


CONTAINING 


C^e  aniberiSal  Cljcologp 


OF 


THE    NEW    CHURCH 


(,'     . 


THE 


True  Christian  Religion 


CONTAINING 


THE  UNIYEESAL  THEOLOGY 


OF 


THE  NEW  CHURCH 

FORETOLD  BY  THE    LORD    IN   DANIEL  VIL    13,    14;   AND   IN 

REVELATION  XXI.  1,  2 


i 


BY 

EMAKTJEL  SWEDEFBOEG 

.      .    .     _  ,  ,      >   ., 

SrJRVAN'*'  (*F  Trt»2    CORD  JESUS  CHRIST 


J     I-      .  ».    V 


Translated  fp9M  the  .0*iiGiwAL.L\'iiw  El^ition,  Printed  at  Amster- 
dam, IN  TiHE  Yelar  J.771 


I    I  I 


TFIIS  HOOK   18  l^KESENTP]]) 

BY 

L.  CIUNGERICH. 

PHILADELPHIA 


n 


PHILADELPHIA : 

J.     B.     LIPPINCOTT    COMPANY. 

1909. 


5 


t  . 


•  •  •   »  t  • 

•  •    •      • 


i  ,ib'A'^ 


•  •    i    • « • 


COI^TEIvrTS. 

FAITH  OF  THE  NEW  HEAVEN  AND  THE  NEW  CHURCH  IN  ITS  UNI- 
VERSAL FORM  AND  IN  ITS  PARTICULAR  FORM  (n.  1-3). 

CHAPTER  I. 
GOD    THE    CREATOR. 
The  Unity  of  God. 

(i.)  The  entire  Holy  Scripture,  and  all  the  doctrines  therefrom  of 
the  churches  in  the  Christian  world,  teach  that  there  is  a 
God  and  that  He  is  one (n-  5-7). 

(ii.)  There  is  a  universal  influx  from  God  into  the  souls  of  men  of 
the  truth  that  there  is  a  God  and  that  He  is  one (n.  8). 

(iii.)  For  this  reason  in  all  the  world  there  is  no  nation  possessing 
religion  and  sound  reason,  that  does  not  acknowledge  a  God 
and  that  God  is  one (i^-  9»  1^)- 

(iv.)  Respecting  what  the  one  God  is  nations  and  peoples  have  dif- 
fered and  still  differ  from  many  causes (n.  11). 

(V.)  Human  reason  can,  if  it  will,  perceive  and  be  convinced  from 
many  things  in  the  world,  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  He 
is  one <"•  ^^)- 

(vi.)  If  God  were  not  one,  the  universe  could  not  have  been  created 
and  preserved \^'  ^^i- 

(vii. )  Whoever  does  not  acknowledge  a  God  is  excommunicated  from 
the  church  and  condemned (n.  14). 

(viii.)  With  men  who  acknowledge  several  gods  instead  of  one,  there 
is  no  coherence  in  the  things  relating  to  the  church. . .  (n.  15). 

The  Divine  Being,  Which  is  Jehovah. 

(i.)  The  One  God  is  called  Jehovah  from  Esse,  that  is,  because  He 
alone  Is,  [Was],  and  is  To  Be,  and  because  He  is  the  First 
and  the  Last,  the  Beginning  and  the  End,  the  Alpha  and 

the  Omega (^-  1^)' 

(11.)  The  One  God  is  Substance  itself  and  Form  itself  ;  and  angels 
and  men  are  substances  and  forms  from  Him  ;  and  so  far 
as  they  are  in  Him  and  He  is  in  them,  are  images  and 

likenesses  of  Him (^-  ^0)- 

(iii.)    The  Divine  Esse  is  at  once  Esse  \Bemg\  in  itself  and  Existere 

\^Ouigo\  in  itself (n.  21,  22). 

(iv.)  It  is  impossible  for  the  Divine  Esse  and  Existere  in  itself  to 
produce  another  Divine,  which  is  Esse  and  Existere  in  it- 

•  •  • 

111 


IV 


CONTENTS 


self ;  therefore  another  God  of  the  same  Essence  is  impos- 
sible   (n.  23). 

(v.)  The  doctrine  of  a  plurality  of  gods,  both  in  past  ages  and  at 
the  present  day,  sprang  solely  from  a  failure  to  understand 
the  Divine  Esse (n.  24). 

The  Infinity  of  God,  or  His  Immensity  and  Eternity. 

(i.)  God  is  Infinite  because  He  is  Being  and  Existence  in  Himself, 
and  because  all  things  in  the  universe  have  their  being  and 
existence  from  Him (n.  28). 

(ii.)     God  is  Infinite  because  He  was  before  the  world  was,  that  is, 
before  times  and  spaces  arose (n.  29). 

(iii.)  Since  the  creation  of  the  world,  God  is  in  space  without  space 
and  in  time  without  time (n.  30). 

(iv.)  In  relation  to  spaces  God's  infinity  is  called  Immensity,  while 
in  relation  to  times  it  is  called  Eternity  ;  but  although  it  is  so 
related,  there  is  nothing  of  space  in  His  Immensity,  and 
nothing  of  time  in  His  Eternity (n.  31). 

(v.)  The  Infinity  of  God  may  be  seen  by  enlightened  reason  from 
very  many  things  in  the  world (n.  32). 

(vi.)  Every  created  thing  is  finite,  and  the  Infinite  is  in  the  finite, 
as  in  its  receptacles,  and  is  in  men  as  in  its  images  (n.  33,34). 

The  Divine  Essence,  Which  is  Divine  Love   and   Divine    Wisdom. 

(i. )  God  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  and  these  two  constitute 
His  Essence (n.  37). 

(ii.)  God  is  good  itself  and  truth  itself,  because  good  is  of  love  and 
truth  is  of  wisdom (n.  38). 

(iii.)  God,  because  He  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  is  Life  itself, 
which  is  life  in  itself (n.  39,  40). 

(iv.)     Love  and  wisdom  in  God  make  one (n.  41,  42). 

(v.)  It  is  the  essence  of  love  to  love  others  outside  of  oneself,  to 
desire  to  be  one  with  them,  and  to  render  them  blessed  from 
oneself (n.  43-46). 

(vi.)  These  essentials  of  the  Divine  love  were  the  cause  of  the  crea- 
tion of  the  universe,  and  are  the  cause  of  its  preservation 

(n.  40,  47). 

The  Omnipotence,  Omniscience,  and  Omnipresence  of  God. 

(i.)  Omnipotence,  omniscience,  and  omnipresence  pertain  to  the 
Divine  wisdom  from  the  Divine  love (n.  50,  61). 

(ii.)  The  omnipotence,  omniscience,  and  omnipresence  of  God  can 
be  clearly  understood  only  when  it  is  known  what  order 


CONTENTS  y 

is,  and  when  it  is  known  that  God  is  order,  and  that  He  in- 
troduced order  both  into  the  universe  and  into  each  and  all 
things  of  it  at  the  time  of  their  creation (n.  62-55). 

(iii.)  God's  omnipotence  in  the  whole  universe,  with  each  and  all 
things  of  it  proceeds  and  operates  in  accordance  with  the 
laws  of  His  order (n.  56-58). 

(iv.)  God  is  omniscient,  that  is.  He  perceives,  sees,  and  knows  each 
thing  and  all  things,  even  to  the  most  minute,  that  take 
place  according  to  order,  and  from  these  the  things  also 
that  take  place  contrary  to  order (n.  59-62) 

(v.)     God  is  omnipresent  from  the  firsts  to  the  lasts  of  His  order 

(n.  63,  64). 
(vi.)     Man  was  created  a  form  of  Divine  order (n.  65-67). 

(vii.)  From  the  Divine  omnipotence  man  has  power  over  evil  and 
falsity  ;  and  from  the  Divine  omniscience  has  wisdom  re- 
specting what  is  good  and  true  ;  and  from  the  Divine  omni- 
presence is  in  God,  just  to  the  extent  that  he  lives  in  ac- 
cordance with  Divine  order (n.  68-70). 

The  Creation  of  the  Universe. 

No  one  can  gain  a  right  idea  of  the  creation  of  the  universe, 
until  his  understanding  is  brought  into  a  state  of  perception 
by  some  universal  knowledges  previously  recognized  (n.  75). 

The  creation  of  the  universe  described  in  five  Memorable  Re- 
lations  (n.  76-80). 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER. 

(i.)    Jehovah  God  descended  and  assumed  a  Human  that  He  might 
redeem  men  and  save  them (n.  82-^4). 

(ii.)  Jehovah  God  descended  as  the  Divine  truth,  which  is  the 
Word,  although  He  did  not  separate  from  it  the  Divine 
good (n.  85-88). 

(iii.)    God  assumed  the  Human  in  accordance  with  His  Divine  or- 
der  (n.  89-91). 

(iv.)    The  Human  whereby  God  sent  Himself  mto  the  world  is  the 
Son  of  God (n.  92-94). 

(v.)  Through  the  acts  of  redemption  the  Lord  made  Himself 
righteousness (n.  95,  96). 

(vi.)     Through  the  same  acts  the  Lord  united  Himself  to  the  Father 
and  the  Father  united  Himself  to  Him (n.  97-100). 


VI 


CONTENTS 


(vii.)  Thus  Grod  became  Man,  and  Man  became  Grod,  in  one  Per- 
son  (n.  101-103). 

(viii.)  The  progress  towards  union  was  His  state  of  Exinanition 
[emptying  Himself],  and  the  union  itself  is  His  state  of 
glorification (n.  104-106). 

(ix.)  Hereafter  no  one  from  among  Christians  enters  heaven  unless 
he  believes  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour  [and  approaches 
Him  alone] (n.  107,  108). 

(x.)  Corollary  on  the  state  of  the  church  before  the  Lord's  coming, 
and  its  state  after  that (n.  109). 

Redemption. 

(i.)  Redemption  itself  was  a  subjugation  of  the  hells,  a  restoration 
of  order  in  the  heavens,  and  by  means  of  these  a  preparation 
for  a  new  spiritual  church (n.  115-117). 

(ii.)  Without  that  Redemption  no  man  could  have  been  saved,  nor 
could  the   angels  have  continued  in  a  state   of  integrity 

(n.  118-120). 

(iii.)  In  this  wise  not  only  man  but  the  angels  also  were  redeemed 
by  the  Loid (n.  121,122). 

(iv.)     Redemption  was  a  work  purely  Divine (n.  123). 

(v.)  This  Redemption  itself  could  not  have  been  accomplished  ex- 
cept by  God  incarnated (n.  124,  125). 

(vi.)  The  Passion  of  the  cross  was  the  last  temptation  which  the 
Lord  as  the  greatest  prophet  endured ;  and  was  the  means 
whereby  His  Human  was  glorified,  but  it  was  not  Redemp- 
tion   (n.  126-131). 

(vii.)  The  belief  that  the  Passion  of  the  cross  was  Redemption  itself 
is  a  fundamental  error  of  the  church  ;  and  this  error,  with 
the  error  respecting  three  Divine  persons  from  eternity,  has 
perverted  the  whole  church  to  such  an  extent  that  there  is 
nothing  spiritual  left  in  it (n.  132,  133). 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  HOLY   SPIRIT  AND  THE  DIVINE  OPERATION. 

(i.)  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Divine  Truth,  and  also  the  Divine  En- 
ei^  and  Operation,  proceeding  from  the  one  God  in  whom 
is  the  Divine  Trinity — that  is,  from  the  Lord  God  the 
Saviour (n.  139-141). 

(ii.)  The  Divine  Energy  and  Operation,  which  are  meant  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  are  in  general  reformation  and  regeneration ; 
and  in  accordance  with  these,  renovation,  vivification,  sanc- 


CONTENTS 


Vll 


tification,  and  justification ;  and  in  accordance  with  these 
latter,  purification  from  evils,  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  finally 
salvation (n.  142-145). 

(iii.)  The  Divine  Energy  and  Operation,  which  are  meant  by  the 
sending  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  are,  with  the  clergy  specifically, 
enlightenment  and  instruction (n.  146-148). 

(iv.)  The  Lord  makes  these  energies  operative  in  those  who  believe 
in  Him (n.  149-151). 

(v.)  The  Lord  operates  of  Himself  from  the  Father,  and  not  the 
reverse (n.  153-155). 

(vi.)  The  spirit  of  man  is  his  mind  and  whatever  proceeds  from 
it (n.  156,  157). 

A  Corollary  : — Nowhere  in  the  Old  Testament  is  it  said  that 
the  Prophets  spoke  from  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  from  Jehovah 
God  ;  it  is  otherwise,  however,  in  the  New (n.  158). 

The  Divine  Trinity. 

(i.)  There  is  a  Divine  Trinity,  which  is  Father,  Son  and  Holy 
Spirit (n.  164,  165). 

(ii.)  These  three.  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  are  the  three  essen- 
tials of  the  one  God,  and  they  make  one,  as  the  soul,  body, 
and  operation  make  one  in  man (n.  166-169). 

(iii.)  Before  the  world  was  created  this  Trinity  was  not ;  but  after 
creation,  when  God  became  incarnate,  it  was  provided  and 
brought  about,  and  then  in  the  Lord  God  the  Redeemer  and 
Saviour,  Jesus  Christ (n.  170,  171). 

(iv.)  In  the  ideas  of  thought  a  Trinity  of  Divine  persons  from 
eternity,  thus  before  the  world  was  created,  is  a  Trinity  of 
Gods  ;  and  these  ideas  cannot  be  effaced  by  a  lip-confession 
of  one  God (n.  172,  173). 

(v.)  A  Trinity  of  persons  was  unknown  in  the  Apostolic  church, 
but  was  hatched  by  the  Nicene  Council,  and  from  that  was 
introduced  into  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and  from  that 
again  into  churches  separated  from  it (n.  174-176). 

(vi.)  From  the  Nicene  Trinity  and  the  Athanasian  Trinity  together 
a  faith  in  three  Gods  arose  by  which  the  whole  Christian 
church  has  been  perverted (n.  177,  178). 

(vii.)    This  is  the  source  of  that  abomination  of  desolation,  and  that 

tribulation  such  as  has  not  been  nor  ever  shall  be,  which 

,  the  Lord  foretold  in  Daniel,  and  in  the  Gospels  and  in  the 

Apocalypse (n.  179-181). 

(viii.)     So,  too,  unless  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  church  were  estab- 
lished by  the  Lord  there  could  no  flesh  be  saved. . . . (n.  182). 


Vlll 


CONTENTS 


CONTENTS 


IX 


(ix.)  From  a  Trinity  of  persons,  each  one  of  whom  singly  is  God, 
according  to  the  Athanasian  Creed,  many  discordant  and 
heterogeneous  ideas  respecting  God  have  arisen,  which  are 
fantasies  and  abortions (n.  183,  184). 


CHAPTER   IV. 
THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE  OR  WORD  OF  THE   LORD. 

I.     The   Sacred  Scripture  or   the    Word  is  Divine  Truth   It- 
self  (n.  189-192). 

n.     In    the    Word   There  is   a  Spiritual   Sense   Hitherto   Un- 
known  (n.  193). 

(i.)     What  the  spiritual  sense  is (n.  194). 

From  the  Lord  the  Divine  Celestial,  the  Divine  Spiritual,  and 
the  Divine  Natural  go  forth  one  after  the  other (n.  195). 

(ii.)    The  spiritual  sense  is  in  each  and  every  part  of  the  Wc  rd 

(n.  196-198). 

The  Lord  when  in  the  world  spoke  by  correspondences ;  that 
is,  when  He  spoke  naturally  He  also  spoke  spiritually 

(n.  199). 

(iii.)  It  is  because  of  the  spiritual  sense  that  the  Word  is  Divinely 
inspired  and  holy  in  every  word (n.  200). 

(iv.)  Hitherto  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  has  been  unknown  ; 
although  it  was  known  to  the  ancients.  Of  correspondence 
among  them (n.  201-207). 

(v.)  Henceforth  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  will  be  given  only 
to  such  as  are  in  genuine  truths  from  the  Lord. . .  .(n.  208). 

(vi.)  Some  wonderful  things  respecting  the  Word  from  its  spiritual 
sense (n.  209). 

ni.     The  Sense  of  the  Letter   of  the    Word  is  the  Basis,  the 

CONTAINANT,  AND  THE   SuPPORT  OF  ITS  SPIRITUAL  AND  CELES- 
TIAL Senses (n.  210-213). 

IV.     In  the  Sense  of  the   Letter  of  the  Word  Divine  Truth  is 
IN  ITS  Fulness,  its  Holiness,  and  its  Power  (n.  214-216). 

(i.)  The  truths  of  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  are  meant  by 
the  precious  stones  of  which  the  foundations  of  the  New 
Jerusalem  consisted  (which  is  described  in  the  Apocalypse)  ; 
and  this  on  account  of  the  correspondence (n.  217). 

(ii.)  The  goods  and  truths  of  the  sense  of  the  letter  correspond  to 
the  Urim  and  Thummim  on  the  ephod  of  Aaron. . . (n.  218), 


\ 


(iii.)  Goods  and  truths  in  outmosts,  such  as  are  in  the  sense  of  the 
letter  of  the  Word,  are  signified  by  the  precious  stones  in 
the  garden  of  Eden  where  the  king  of  Tyre  is  said  to  have 
been  (in  Ezekiel) ip^-  219). 

(iv.)  The  same  were  represented  by  the  curtains,  veils,  and  pillars 
of  the  tabernacle (n.  220). 

(v.)     Likewise  by  the  externals  of  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  (n.  221). 

(vi.)  The  Word  in  its  glory  was  represented  in  the  Lord  when  He 
was  transfigured i^-  222). 

(vii.)     The  power  of  the  Word  in  its  outmosts  was  represented  by 

the  Nazarites {j^-  223). 

(viii.)     The  inexpressible  power  of  the  Word (n.  224). 

V.  The  Doctrine  of  the  Church  Should  be  Drawn  from  the 
Sense  of  the  Letter  of  the  Word  and  Confirmed  There- 
by   (n.  226,  229,  230). 

(i.)     Without  doctrine  the  Word  is  not  understood. .  .(n.  226-228). 

(ii.)     Doctrine  should  be  drawn  from  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the 
Word  and  confirmed  by  it (n.  229-230). 

(iii.)  The  genuine  truth  of  which  doctrine  must  consist  can  be  seen 
in  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  only  by  those  who  are 
in  enlightenment  from  the  Lord (n.  231-233). 

VI.  By  Means  of  This  Sense  of  the  Letter  of  the  Word  There 
IS  Conjunction  with  the  Lord  and  Affiliation  with 
the  Angels (n.  234-239). 

Vll      The  Word  is  in  All  the  Heavens  and  Angelic  Wisdom  is 
from  It (n.  240-242). 

Vlll.     The  Church  is  from   the    Word,  and   with   Man  it  is  Such 
AS  His  Understanding  of  the  Word  is (n.  243-247). 

IX.  In  Every  Particular  of  the  Word  There  is  a  Marriage  of 
the  Lord  and  the  Church,  and  in  Consequence  a  Mar- 
riage OF  Good  and  Truth (n.  248-263). 

X     Heresies  may  be  Drawn  from  the  Sense  of  the  Letter  of 
the  Word,  but  to  Confirm  Them  is  Hurtful  (n.  264-260). 

Many  things  in  the  Word  are  appearances  of  truth,  which 
conceal  within  them  genuine  truths (n.  257). 

Fallacies  arise  through  the  confirmation  of  appearances  of 
truth (n.  268). 

The  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  is  a  guard  for  the  genuine 
truths  concealed  within  it (n.  260). 

The  sense  of  the  letter  was  represented  by  cherubs  and  is  sig- 
nified by  cherubs  in  the  Word, ....,,,., (n.  260), 


XI. 


XII. 


XIII. 


XIV. 


CONTENTS 

The  Lord  When  in  the  World  Fulfilled  All  Things  op 
THE  Word,  and  Thereby  Became  the  Word,  that  is, 
Divine  Truth,  Even  in  Things  Last (n.  261-268). 

Before  the  Word  that  is  Now  in  the  World,  There  was  a 
Word  That  was  Lost («•  264-266). 

Through  the  Word  There  is  Light  also  to  Those  who  are 
Outside  of  the  Church  and  do  not  Possess  the  Word 

(n.  267-272). 

If  There  Were  no  Word  There  Would  be  no  Knowledge 
OF  God,  of  Heaven  and  Hell,  or  of  a  Life  After 
Death,  Still  Less  of  the  Lord (n.  273-276). 


CHAPTER  Y. 

THE  CATECHISM   OR  DECALOGUE   EXPLAINED  IN  ITS  EX- 
TERNAL  AND  ITS  INTERNAL   SENSE. 

L  In  the  Israelitish  Church  the  Decalogue  was  Holiness  It- 
self The  Holiness  of  the  Ark  which  Contained  the 
L^w' (n.  283-286). 

11.  In  the  Sense  of  the  Letter  the  Decalogue  Contains  the 
General  Precepts  of  Faith  and  Life  ;  but  in  the  Spirit- 
ual AND  Celestial  Senses  it  Contains  all  Precepts 
Universally (n.  287-290). 

m.  The  First  Commandment  :  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  Gods  be- 
fore My  Faces'' i^-  291-296). 

IV.  The  Second  Commandment  :  "  Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of 
Jehovah  thy  God  in  vain ;  for  Jehovah   will  not  hold  him 

guiltless  that  taketh  His  name  in  vain" (n.  297-300). 

V.  The  Third  Commandment:  "Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to 
keep  it  holy  ;  six  days  shalt  thou  labor  and  do  all  thy  work  ; 
but  the  seventh  day  is   the  Sabbath  of  Jehovah  thy  God" 

(n.  301-304). 

VI.  The  Fourth  Commandment  :  "  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother ; 
that  thy  days  may  be  prolonged,  and  that  it  may  be  well  with 

thee  upon  the  earth" (n.  303-308). 

VII.     The  Fifth  Commandment  :  "  Thou  shalt  not  kill" . .  (n.  309-312). 

VIII      The  Sixth  Commandment  :  "  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery" 

(n.  313-316). 

IX     The  Seventh  Commandment:  "Thou  shalt  not  steal" 

(n.  317-320). 

X.    The  Eighth   Commandment  :  "  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  wit- 
ness against  thy  neighbor" (n.  321-324). 


CONTENTS 


XI 


XL 


xn. 


The  Ninth  and  Tenth  Commandments  :  "  Thou  shalt  not  covet 
thy  neighbor's  house ;  thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's 
wife,  nor  his  manservant,  nor  his  maidservant,  nor  his  ox, 
nor  his  ass,  nor  anything  that  is  thy  neighbor's"  (n.  325-328). 

The  Ten  Commandments  of  the  Decalogue  Contain  All 
Things  that  Belong  to  Love  to  God,  and  All  Things 
that  Belong  to  Love  Toward  the  Neighbor"  (n.  329-331). 


CHAPTER    VI. 

FAITH. 

Preface  :  Faith  is  first  in  time,  but  charity  is  first  in  end  (n.  336). 

I.     Saving  Faith  is  Falth  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ (n.  337-539). 

Because  He  is  a  visible  God  in  whom  is  the  invisible  (n.  339). 

II.     The  Sum   of  Faith   is,  that  He  who  Lives  Well   and  Be- 
lieves Rightly  is  Saved  by  the  Lord (n.  340-342). 

The  first  principle  of  Faith  in  Him  is  an  acknowledgment 
that  He  is  the  Son  of  God (n.  342). 

III.  Man  Acquires  Faith  by  Going  to  the  Lord,  Learning  Truths 

from  the  Word,  and  Living  According  to  Them 

(n.  343-348). 

(i.)     The  Being  of  faith  ;  the  Essence  of  faith  ;  the  Existence  of 
faith ;  the  State  of  faith ;  and  the  Form  of  faith 

(n.  344,  seq.). 

(ii.)     Merely  natural  faith,  that  it  is  a  persuasion  counterfeiting 
faith (n.  34^>-348). 

IV.  An  Abundance  of  Truths  Cohering  as  if  in  a  Bundle,  Ex- 

alts AND  Perfects  Faith (n.  349-354). 

(i.)    The  truths  of  faith  may  be  multiplied  to  infinity (n.  350). 

(ii.)  The  truths  of  faith  are  disposed  into  series,  thus,  as  it  were, 
into  bundles (n.  361). 

(iii.)  According  to  the  abundance  and  coherence  of  truths,  faith  is 
perfected (n.  352,  353). 

(iv.)  However  numerous  the  truths  of  faith  are,  and  however  di- 
verse they  appear,  they  make  one  from  the  Lord.  .(n.  364). 

(v.)  The  Lord  is  the  Word,  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  the  God 
of  all  flesh,  the  God  of  the  vineyard  or  church,  the  God  of 
faith.  Light  itself,  the  Truth,  and  Life  eternal (n.  364). 


xii  *  CONTENTS 

V.  Faith  Without  Charity  is  not  Faith,  and  Charity  With- 

out  Faith  is  Not   Charity,  and    Neither   has   Life  Ex- 
cept FROM  THE  Lord 0^-  35&-361). 

(i.)     Man  can  acquire  for  himself  faith (n.  356). 

(ii.)     Man  can  acquire  for  himself  charity (n.  357). 

(iii.)     Man  may  also  acquire  for  himself  the  life  of  faith  and  charity 

(n.  358). 

(iv.)      Yet  nothing  of  faith,  or  of  charity,  or  of  the  life  of  either,  is 

from  man,  but  from  the  Lord  alone (n.  359). 

(v  )  The  distinction  between  natural  faith  and  spiritual  faith,  the 
latter  being  inwardly  within  the  former,  from  the  Lord 

(n.  300,  361). 

VI.  The  Lord,  Charity,  and  Faith  Make  One,  Like  Life,  Will, 

AND  Understanding  in  Man  ;  and  if  They  are  Divided, 
Each  Perishes  Like  a  Pearl  Reduced  to  Powder 

(n.  362-367). 

(i )  The  Lord  with  all  of  His  Divine  love,  with  all  of  His  Divine 
wisdom,  thus  with  all  of  His  Divine  life,  flows  into  every 
man 0^-3^4). 

(ii.)  Consequently  the  Lord,  with  the  whole  essence  of  faith  and 
charity  flows  into  every  man (»•  36o). 

(iii.)  What  flows  in  from  the  Lord  is  received  by  man  according  to 
his  state  and  form (i^-  ^^^)- 

(iv.)  But  the  man  who  divides  the  Lord,  charity,  and  faith,  is  not  a 
form  that  receives,  but  a  form  that  destroys  them.  .  (n.  367). 

VII.     The  Lord  is  Charity  and  Faith  in  Man,  and  Man  is  Char- 
ity AND  Faith  in  the  Lord (n.  368-372). 

(i.)     It  is  by  conjunction  with  God  that  man  has  salvation  and 

eternal  life (i^-  ^^^)- 

(ii )  Conjunction  with  God  the  Father  is  not  possible,  but  only  con- 
iunction  with  the  Lord,  and  through  Him  with  the  Father 
"*  (n.  370). 

(iii.)  Conjunction  with  the  Lord  is  a  reciprocal  conjunction,  that  is, 
that  man  is  in  the  Lord  and  the  Lord  in  man (n.  371). 

(iv.)  This  reciprocal  conjunction  of  the  Lord  and  man  is  effected 
by  means  of  charity  and  faith (n.  372). 

VIIL      Charity  and  Faith  x-re  Together  in  Good  Works  (n.  373-377). 
(i.)     Charity  is  willing  well,  and  good  works  are  doing  well  from 

willing  well (^-  ^'^^)- 

(ii.)  Charity  and  faith  are  only  mental  and  perishable  things,  un- 
less they  are  determined  to  acts  and  coexist  in  them  when  it 
is  possible (^-  375,  376). 


I 


CONTENTS 


Xlll 


1 


(iii.)     Grood  works  are  not  produced  by  charity  alone,  still  less  by 
faith  alone,  but  by  charity  and  faith  together (n.  377). 

IX.     There    is    a    True   Faith,  a  Spurious   Faith,  and  a  Hypo- 
critical Faith (n.  378-381). 

From  its  cradle  the  Christian  church  began  to  be  infested  and 
divided  by  schisms  and  heresies. .  (respecting  which  n.  378). 

(i.)  True  faith  is  the  one  only  faith,  which  is  a  faith  in  the  Lord 
God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  and  this  is  held  by  those  who 
believe  Him  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  the  God  of  heaven  and 
earth,  and  one  with  the  Father (n.  379). 

(ii.)  Spurious  faith  is  all  faith  that  departs  from  the  true  faith, 
which  is  the  only  one  faith ;  and  this  is  the  faith  that  is 
held  by  those  who  climb  up  some  other  way,  and  regard 
the  Lord  not  as  God  but  as  a  mere  man (n.  380). 

(iii.)     Hypocritical  faith  is  no  faith (n.  381). 

X.    With  the  Evil  There  is  No  Faith (n.  382-384). 

(i.)  The  evil  have  no  faith,  since  evil  belongs  to  hell  and  faith  to 
heaven (n.  383). 

(ii.)  Those  in  Christendom  who  reject  the  Lord  and  the  Word 
have  no  faith  although  they  live  morally,  and  even  speak, 
teach,  and  write  rationally  about  truth (n.  384). 


CHAPTEK   YII. 

CHARITY  OR  LOVE  TO  THE  NEIGHBOR,  AND  GOOD  WORKS. 

I.     There  are  Three  Universal  Loves — the  Love  of  Heaven, 
the  Love  of  the  World,  and  the  Love  of  Self 

(n.  394-396). 
(i.)    The  will  and  understanding (n.  397). 

(ii.)     Good  and  truth (n.  398). 

(iii.)    Love  in  general (n.  399). 

(iv.)     Love  of  self  and  love  of  the  world  in  particular (n.  400). 

(v.)    The  external  and  internal  man (n.  401). 

(vi.)     The  merely  natural  and  sensual  man (n.  402). 

n.  These  Three  Loves,  When  Rightly  Subordinated,  Perfect 
Man  ;  but  When  Not  Rightly  Subordinated  They  Per- 
vert AND  Invert  Him (n.  403-405). 

in.     Every    Mvn   Individually  is  the    Neighbor   who   is   to  be 
Loved,  but  According  to  the   Quality  of  His  Good 

(n.  406-411). 


XIV 


CONTENTS 


IV.  The  Collective  Man,  that  is,  a  Community  Smaller  or 
Greater,  and  the  Composite  Man  Formed  of  Communi- 
ties, THAT  IS,  One's  Country,  is  the  Neighbor  that  is  to 

BE  Loved (n.  412-414). 

V.  The  Church  is  the  Neighbor  that  is  to  be  Loved  in  a 
Still  Higher  Degree,  and  the  Lord's  Kingdom  in  the 
Highest  Degree (n.  415,  416). 

VI.  To  Love  the  Neighbor,  Viewed  in  Itself,  is  Not  to  Love 
the    Person,   but  the    Good   that    is  in  the  Person 

(n.  417-419). 

VII.  Charity  and  Good  Works  are  Two  Distinct  Things,  Like 
Willing  Well  and  Doing  Well (n.  420,  421). 

VIII.  Charity  Itself  is  Acting  Justly  and  Faithfully  in  the 
Office,  Business,  and  Employment  in  Which  a  Man  is 
Engaged,  and  with  Those  with  Whom  He  has  any  Deal- 
ings  (n.  422-424). 

IX.  The  Benefactions  of  Charity  are  Giving  to  the  Poor 
AND  Relieving  the  Needy,  but  with  Prudence 

(n.  425-428). 

X.  There  are  Duties  op  Charity,  Some  Public,  Some  Domes- 
tic, AND   Some  Private (n.  429-432). 

XI.  The  Diversions  of  Charity  are  Dinners,  Suppers,  and  So- 
cial Gatherings i^-  433,  434). 

XIL  The  First  Thing  of  Charity  is  to  Put  Aw^ay  Evils,  and 
the  Second  is  to  do  Good  Works  That  are  of  Use  to 
the  Neighbor (»•  435-438). 

Xni.  In  the  Exercise  of  Charity  Man  Does  Not  Place  Merit 
IN  Works  so  Long  as  He  Believes  that  All  Good  is 
from  the  Lord i^-  439-442). 

XIV     When  \  Moral   Life   is   also   Spiritual  it  is   Charity 

(n.  443-445). 

XV.  A  Friendship  of  Love,  Contracted  with  a  Man  Without 
Regard  TO  His  Spiritual  Quality  is  Detrimental  After 

Death (n.  446-449). 

XVI.    There    is    Spurious    Charity,  Hypocritical    Charity,  and 

Dead  Charity (n.  450-453). 

XVII.    The    Friendship   of    Love    Among   the   Evil   is    Intestine 

Hatred  op  Each  Other (n.  454,  455). 

XVIII.    The  Conjunction  of  Love  to  God  and  Love  Towards  the 
Neighbor i^-  466-458). 


i' 


I 


CONTENTS 


P  A  ET     II 


XV 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FREEDOM    OF    CHOICE. 

I.     The  Precepts  and  Dogmas  of  the  Present  Church  Respect- 
ing Freedom  of  Choice (n.  463-465). 

■  II.  The  Placing  of  Two  Trees  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  One  of 
Life,  and  the  Other  of  the  Knowledge  of  Good  and  Evil 
Signifies  that  Freedom  of  Choice  in  Things  Spiritual 
has  been  Given  to  Man (n.  466^69). 

Ill      Man  is  Not  Life,  but  a  Receptacle  of  Life  from  God 

(n.  470-474). 

IV.  So  Long  as  Man  Lives  in  the  World  He  is  Kept  Midway 
Between  Heaven  and  Hell,  and  is  there  in  Spiritual 
Equilibrium,  which  is  Freedom  of  Choice.  . .  .(n.  475-478). 

V.  It  is  Clearly  Manifest  from  that  Permission  of  Evil  in 
which  Every  One's  Internal  Man  is,  that  Man  has  Free- 
dom OF  Choice  in  Spiritual  Things (n.  479-482). 

VI.  Without  Freedom  of  Choice  in  Spiritual  Things  the  Word 
avould  be  of  No  Use,  and  Consequently  the  Church 
WOULD  be  Nothing i^-  483,  484). 

VII.  Without  Freedom  of  Choice  in  Spiritual  Things  there 
WOULD  be  Nothing  in  Man  Whereby  He  could  in  Turn 
Conjoin  Himself  with  the  Lord,  Consequently  there 
WOULD  BE  No  -Imputation,  but  Mere  Predestination, 
which  is  Detestable {^'  485). 

Detestable  things  concerniiig  predestination  divulged 

(n.  486-488) 

VIII.  If  there  were  No  Freedom  of  Choice  in  Spiritual  Things 
God  would  be  the  Cause  of  Evil,  and  thus  there  would 
BE  No  Imputation  of  Charity  or  Faith (n.  489-492). 

IX.  Everything  Spiritual  of  the  Church  that  Enters  Man  in 
Freedom,  and  is  Received  with  Freedom,  Remains  ;  but 
Not  the  Reverse (ii*  493-496). 

X.  Man's  Will  and  Understanding  are  in  this  Freedom  of 
Choice  ;  Nevertheless  in  Both  Worlds,  the  Spiritual 
AND  THE  Natural,  the  Doing  of  Evil  is  Restrained  by 
Laws,  Because  Otherwise  Society  in  Both  Worlds  would 
Perish (»•  497-499). 


XVI 


CONTENTS 


CONTENTS 


xvii 


XI.  If  Man  had  not  Freedom  op  Choice  in  Spiritual  Things  All 
THE  Inhabitants  of  the  World  Might  in  one  Day  be  Led 
TO  Believe  in  the  Lord  ;  but  this  Cannot  be  Done,  Be- 
cause that  which  is  Not  Received  by  Man  from  Freedom 

of  Choice  Does  Not  Remain (n.  500-502). 

Miracles  are  not  wrought  at  the  present  day,  because  they 
take  away  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  thhigs,  and 
compel (n-  ^^1). 


X.  Actual  Repentance  is  Easy  for  Those  who  Have  Now  and 
Then  Practised  It,  but  is  a  Difficult  Task  for  Those  who 
Have  Not (n.  561-563). 

XI.  He  who  has  Never  Repented  or  has  Never  Looked  into  and 
Searched  Himself,  Finally  Ceases  to  Know  what  Damn- 
ing Evil  or  Saving  Good  is (n.  564-666). 


CHAPTER    IX. 

REPENTANCE. 

I      Repentance  is  the  First  Thing  of  the  Church  in  Man 

(n.  510,  511). 

IL  The  Contrition  which  at  the  Present  Day  is  said  to  Pre- 
cede Faith,  and  to  be  followed  bv  the  Consolation  of 
the  Gospel  is  Not  Repentance (n.  512-515). 

Ill  The  Mere  Lip-confession  that  One  is  a  Sinner  is  Not  Re- 
pentance   (n.  516-519). 

IV.  Man  is  Born  [with  an  Inclination]  to  Evils  of  Every  kind  ; 
AND  Unless  He,  to  Some  Extent,  Removes  His  Evils  by 
Repentance,  He  Remains  in  Them  ;  and  He  who  Remains 

IN  Evils  Cannot  be  Saved (n.  520-524). 

The  fulfilling  of  the  law (n.  523,  624). 

V.  Recognition  of  Sin,  and  the  Discovery  of  Some  Sin  in 
Oneself,  is  the  Beginning  of  Rebentance (n.  525-527). 

VI.  Actual  Repentance  is  Examining  Oneself,  Recognizing  and 
Acknowledging  One's  Sins,  Praying  to  the  Lord  and 
Beginning  a  New  Life (n-  528-531). 

VII.     True  Repentance   is  Examining  Not   only  the   Actions  of 
One's  Life,  but  also  the  Intentions  of  One's  Will 

(n.  532-534). 

VIII.  Those  also  Repent,  who,  Although  They  do  not  Examine 
Themselves,  yet  Refrain  from  Evils  Because  They  are 
Sins;  and  Those  who  from  Religion  do  the  Works  of 
Charity  Exercise  such  Repentance (n.  535-537). 

IX.  Confession  Ought  to  be  Made  Before  the  Lord  God  the 
Saviour,  Followed  by  Supplication  for  Help  and  the 
Power  to  Resist  Evils {^'  538-660). 


CHAPTEE    X. 

REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION". 

L     Unless   a   Man   is  Born   Again    and,   as   it   were.    Created 
Anew,  He  Cannot  Enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God 

(n.  572-575). 

II.  The  New  Birth  or  Creation  is  Effected  by  the  Lord  Alone 
Through  Charity  and  Faith  as  the  Two  Means,  Man  Co- 
operating  (^-  576-578). 

III.  Since  All  Have  Been  Redeemed,  All  May  be  Regenerated. 

Each  According  to  His  State (n.  579-582). 

IV.  Regeneration  is  effected  in  a  Manner  Analogous  to  that 

in  which  Man  is  Conceived,  Carried  in  the  Womb,  Born 

and  Educated {^-  583-586). 

Something  about  the  masculine  and  feminine  sex  in  the 
vegetable  kingdom (n.  585). 

V.  The  First  Act  in  the  New  Birth  is  Called  Reformation, 
which  Pertains  to  the  Understanding  ;  and  the  Second  is 
Called  Regeneration,  which  Pertains  to  the  Will  and 
Therefrom  to  the  Understanding (n.  587-590). 

VI.     The  Internal  Man  Must  First  be  Reformed,  and  by  Means 
OF  It  the  External  ;  and  thus  is  Man  Regenerated 

(n.  691-595). 

VIL  When  this  Takes  Place  a  Conflict  Arises  Between  the  In- 
ternal AND  the  External  Man,  and  then  the  One  that 
Conquers  Rules  the  Other (n.  696-600). 

VIII.     The  Regenerated  Man  has  a  New  Will  and  a  New  Under- 
standing  (n.  601-606). 

IX.  A  Regenerate  Man  is  in  Communion  with  Angels  of  Heav- 
en, and  an  Unregenerate  Man  with  Spirits  of  Hell 

(n.  607-^10). 


XVlll 


CONTENTS 


X.     So  FAR  AS  Man  is  Regenerated  Sins  are  Removed,  and  this 
Removal  is  the  Forgiveness  of  Sins (n.  611-614). 

XL     Without  Freedom  of  Choice  in  Spiritual  Things  Regenera- 
tion IS  Impossible (n.  616-617). 

XII.     Regeneration    is    Impossible    Without    Truths,    by    which 
Faith  is  Formed  and  with  which  Charity  Conjoins  Itself 

(n.  618-620). 


CHAPTER    XI. 


IMPUTATION. 


I.     Imputation  and  the  Faith  of  the  Present  Church  (which  is 
Held  to  be  the  Sole  Ground  of  Justification),  make  One 

(n.  626,  627). 

II.  The  Imputation  that  Belongs  to  the  Faith  of  the  Present 
Day  is  a  Double  Imputation,  an  Imputation  of  Christ's 
Merit  and  an  Imputation  of  Salvation  Thereby 

(n.  628-631). 

III.  The  Faith  Imputative  of  the  Merit  and  Righteousness  of 

Christ  the  Redeemer,  First  Arose  from  the  Decrees  of 
the  Council  of  Nice  Respecting  Three  Divine  Persons 
FROM  Eternity,  which  Faith  has  been  Accepted  by  the 
whole  Christian  World  from  that  Time  to  the  Present 

(n.  632-635). 

IV.  The  Faith  Imputative  of  Christ's  Merit  was  Unknown  in 

THE  Preceding  Apostolic  Church,  and  is  Nowhere  Taught 
IN  THE  Word (n.  636-639). 

V.  The  Imputation  of  Christ's  Merit  and  Righteousness  is  Im- 
possible   (n.   640-642). 

VI.     There  is  an  Imputation,  but  it  is  an  Imputation  of  Good  and 
Evil (n.  643-646). 

Vll.  The  Faith  and  Imputation  of  the  New  Church  can  by  no 
Means  Exist  Together  with  the  Faith  and  Imputation  of 
the  Former  Church,  and  if  They  are  Together,  such  a 
Collision  and  Conflict  Result  that  Everything  Pertain- 
ing TO  the  Church  in  Man  Perishes (n.  647-649). 


CONTENTS 


XIX 


VIII.     The  Lord  Imputes  Good  to  Every  Man  and  Hell  Imputes 
Evil (n.  650-653). 

IX.  Faith,  with  That  to  Which  It  is  Conjoined,  is  what  Deter- 
mines THE  Verdict  ;  if  a  True  Faith  is  Conjoined  to  Good, 
the  Verdict  is  for  Eternal  Life,  but  if  Faith  is  Con- 
joined TO  Evil  the  Verdict  is  for  Eternal  Death 

(n.  654-657). 

X.     Thought  is  not  Imputed  to  any  One,  but  Will  Only 

(n.  658-660), 


CHAPTER   XII. 


BAPTISM. 


I.  Without  a  Knowledge  of  the  Spiritual  Sense  op  the  Word 
NO  One  can  Know  what  the  Two  Sacraments,  Baptism  and 
THE  Holy  Supper,  Involve  and  Effect (n.  667-669). 

II.  The  Washing  that  is  Called  Baptism  Means  Spiritual 
Washing,  which  is  Purification  from  Evils,  and  thus  Re- 
generation   (n.  670-673). 

III.  Because   Circumcision    of   the  Foreskin   Represented   Cir- 

cumcision OF  THE  Heart,  in  the  Place  of  Circumcision, 
Baptism  was  Instituted,  in  Order  that  an  Internal 
Church  Might  Succeed  the  External,  which  in  Each  and 
All  Things  Prefigured  the  Internal  Church 

(n.  674-676). 

IV.  The  First  Use  op  Baptism  is  Introduction  into  the  Chris- 

tian Church,  and  at  the  Same  Time  Insertion  Among 
Christians  in  the   Spiritual  World (n.  677-680). 

V.  The  Second  Use  of  Baptism  is  that  the»Christian  may  Know 
and  Acknowledge  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  the  Redeemer 
AND  Saviour,  and  Follow  Him (n.  681-683). 

VT.     The  Third  Use  of  Baptism,  which  is  the  Final  Use,  is  that 
THE  Man  may  be  Regenerated (n.  684-687). 

VII.  By  THE  Baptism  of  John  a  Way  was  Prepared,  that  Jehovah 
God  Might  Descend  into  the  World  and  Accomplish  Re- 
demption   (n.  688-691). 


XX 


CONTENTS 


CONTENTS 


XXI 


CHAPTER     XIII 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER. 

L  Without  Some  Knowledge  op  the  Correspondences  of  Nat- 
ural WITH  Spiritual  Things,  it  is  Impossible  to  Know 
WHAT  THE  Uses  and  Benefits  of  the  Holy  Supper  are 

(n.  698-701). 
n.  With  a  Knowledge  of  Correspondences  what  is  Meant  by 
THE  Lord's  Flesh  and  Blood  can  be  Known,  also  that 
Bread  and  Wine  Have  a  Like  Meaning  ;  namely,  that  the 
Lord's  Flesh  and  the  Bread  Mean  the  Divine  Good  of 
His  Love,  also  All  Good  of  Charity  ;  and  the  Lord's 
Blood  and  the  Wine  Mean  the  Divine  Truth  of  His 
Wisdom,  also  All  Truth  of  Faith,  and  Eating  Means 
Appropriation (n.  702-710). 

Shown  from  the  Word  what  is  meant  by  "flesh" 

(n.  704,  706). 

What  is  meant  by  "  blood" (n.  706). 

What  is  meant  by  "  bread" (n.  707). 

What  is  meant  by  "  wine" (n.  708). 

HL  When  all  this  is  Understood  any  One  can  Comprehend  that 
the  Holy  Supper  Contains  All  Things  of  the  Church  and 
All  Things  of  Heaven  both  in  General  and  in  Particular 

(n.  711-715). 

IV.  In  the  Holy  Supper  the  Lord  is  Wholly  Present  with  the 
Whole  of  His  Redemption (n.  716-718). 

V.  The  Lord  is  Present  and  Opens  Heaven  to  Those  who  Come 
TO  the  Holy  Supper  Worthily  ;  and  is  also  Present  with 
Those  m  ho  Come  to  it  Unworthily,  but  to  Them  He  Does 
not  Open  Heaven  ;  Consequently,  as  Baptism  is  Intro- 
duction into  the  Church,  so  is  the  Holy  Supper  Intro- 
duction INTO  Heaven (n.  719-721) 

VI.  Those  Come  to  the  Holy  Supper  Worthily  who  Have  Faith 
IN  THE  Lord  and  Charity  Toward  the  Neighbor  that  is, 
WHO  ARE  Regenerate (n.  722-724). 

VII.  Those  who  Come  to  the  Holy  Supper  Worthily  are  in  the 
Lord  and  the  Lord  is  in  Them  ;  Consequently  Conjunction 
with  the  Lord  is  Effected  by  the  Holy  Supper 

(n.  725-727). 

VIII.     To  Those  who  Worthily  Come  to  the   Holy  Supper  it  is 
Like  a  Signature  and  Seal  that  They  are  Sons  of  God 

(n.  728-730). 


1 


THE  CONSUMMATION  OF  THE  AGE ;  THE  COMING  OF  THE 
LORD ;  AND  THE  NEW  HEAVEN  AND  NEW  CHURCH. 

I.  The  Consummation  of  the  Age  is  the  Last  Time  of  the 
Church  or  Its  End (n.  753-756). 

n.  The  Present  is  the  Last  Time  of  the  Christian  Church, 
Which  was  Foretold  and  Described  by  the  Lord  in  the 
Gospels  and  in  the  Apocalypse (n.  757-759). 

III.  This  Last  Time  of  the  Christian  Church  is  the  Very  Night 

in  which  Former  Churches  Have  Come  to  an  End 

(n.  760-763). 

IV.  This  Night  is  Followed  by  a  Morning,  which  is  the  Coming 

OF  the  Lord (n.  764-767). 

V.  The  Lord's  Coming  is  Not  His  Coming  to  Destroy  the  Visi- 
ble Heaven  and  the  Habitable  Earth,  and  to  Create  a 
New  Heaven  and  a  New  Earth,  as  Many,  from  Not  Un- 
derstanding THE  Spiritual  Sense  of  the  Word,  have 
Hitherto   Supposed (n.  768-771). 

VI.  This  Coming  of  the  Lord,  which  is  His  Second  Coming,  is 
Taking  Place  in  Order  that  the  Evil  may  be  Separated 
FROM  the  Good,  and  that  Those  who  have  Believed  and 
do  Believe  in  Him  may  be  Saved,  and  that  from  Them 
A  New  Angelic  Heaven  and  a  New  Church  on  Earth  may 
BE  Formed,  and  Without  This,  no  Flesh  Could  be  Saved 
{Matt.  xxiv.  22) (n.  772-775). 

VII.     This  Second  Coming  of  the  Lord  is  Not  a  Coming  in  Person, 
BUT  in  the  Word,  which  is  from  Him  and  is  Himself 

(n.  776-778). 

VIII.  This  Second  Coming  of  the  Lord  is  Effected  by  Means  of  a 
Man,  to  w^hom  the  Lord  has  Manifested  Himself  in  Per- 
son, and  whom  He  has  Filled  with  His  Spirit,  that  He 
MAY  Teach  the  Doctrines  of  the  New  Church  from  the 
Lord  Through  the  Word (n.  779-780). 

IX.  This  is  what  is  Meant  in  the  Apocalypse  by  "the  New 
Heaven,"  and  "the  New  Jerusalem  Descending  There- 
from"   (n.  781-785). 

X.  This  New  Church  is  the  Crown  of  All  the  Churches  that 
HAVE  Hitherto  Existed  on  the  Earth (u.  786-791). 


siiaiHMii&riHMi 


XXll 


CONTENTS 


SUPPLEMENT.' 

The  Nature  of  the  Spiritual  World ^n.  792-795 1 

Luther,  Melancthon,  and  Calvin  in  the  Spiritual  World 

(n.  796-799). 

The  Dutch  in  the  Spiritual  World (n.  800-805). 

The  English  in  the  Spiritual  World (n.  806-812). 

The  Germans  in  the  Spiritual  World (n.  813-816). 

The  Papists  in  the  Spiritual  World /n.  817-821). 

The  Popish  Saints  in  the  Spiritual  World (n.  822-827). 

The  Mohammedans  in  the  Spiritual  World (n.  828-834). 

The  Africans  in  the  Spiritual  World  ;  also  Something 

IN  Regard  to  the  Gentiles ^n.  835-840). 

The  Jews  in  the  Spiritual  World,  , , , , (n.  841-843) 


I 


THE 


TRUE  OHRISTIAN  RELIGION: 


containing 


THE  UNIVERSAL  THEOLOGY  OF  THE  NEW  HEAVEN 
AND  OF  THE  NEW  CHURCH. 


THE  FAITH  OF  THE  NEW  HEAVEN  AND  OF  THE  NEW  CHURCH. 

1.  This  faitb  is  first  set  forth  in  a  universal  and  in  a  par- 
ticular form,  that  it  may  serve  as  a  preface  set  before  the  work 
that  follows,  also  as  a  gate  giving  entrance  to  a  temple,  and  as 
a  summary,  containing  in  their  own  mode  the  particulars  that 
succeed.  It  is  called  the  faith  of  the  New  Heaven  and  of  the 
New  Church  because  heaven  which  is  the  abode  of  angels,  and 
the  church  which  is  made  up  of  men,  act  as  a  one,  like  the  inter- 
nal and  the  external  man ;  consequently  the  man  of  the  church 
who  is  in  the  good  of  love  from  the  truths  of  faith  and  in  the 
truths  of  faith  from  the  good  of  love,  is,  in  respect  to  the  in- 
teriors of  his  mind,  an  angel  of  heaven ;  and  being  such  he 
after  death  enters  heaven  and  there  enjoys  happiness  in  pro- 
portion to  the  state  of  conjunction  of  his  love  and  faith.  Let 
it  be  known  that  in  the  New  Heaven,  which  the  Lord  is  now 
establishing,  this  faith  is  its  preface,  gate,  and  summary. 

2.  Thk  Faith  of  the  New  Heaven  and  of  the  New 
Church  in  its  universal  Form  is  as  follows: — 

The  Lord  from  eternity,  who  is  Jehovah,  came  into  the  world 
to  subjugate  the  hells  and  to  glorify  His  Human ;  and  without 
this  no  mortal  could  have  been  saved ;  and  those  are  saved  who 
believe  in  Him. 

[2]  This  is  called  the  faith  in  its  universal  form,  because 
this  is  the  universal  principle  of  faith  ^  and  the  universal  prin- 


2  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 

ciple  of  faith  must  be  in  each  thing  and  in  all  things  of  it.  It 
is  a  universal  principle  of  faith  that  God  is  one  in  essence  and 
in  person,  in  whom  is  a  Divine  trinity,  and  that  He  is  the  Lord 
God  the  Saviour  Jesus  Chiist.  It  is  a  universal  principle  of 
faith  that  no  mortal  could  have  been  saved  unless  the  Lord 
had  come  into  the  world.  It  is  a  universal  principle  of  faith 
that  He  came  into  the  world  to  remove  hell  from  man,  and 
that  He  did  remove  it  by  means  of  contests  with  it  and  vic- 
tories over  it,  and  thereby  He  subdued  it  and  reduced  it  to 
order  and  made  it  obedient  to  Himself.  It  is  a  universal  prin- 
ciple of  faith  that  He  came  into  the  world  to  glorify  His  Hu- 
man which  He  took  on  in  the  world,  that  is,  to  unite  it  with 
the  Divine  from  which  [are  all  things],  and  thereby  He  eter- 
nally holds  hell  in  order  and  under  obedience  to  Himself.  As 
this  could  be  accomplished  only  by  means  of  temfjtations  ad- 
mitted into  His  Human,  even  to  the  last  of  them,  which  was 
the  passion  of  the  cross.  He  endured  even  that.  These  are 
the  universal  principles  of  faith  relating  to  the  Lord. 

[3]  The  universal  principle  of  faith  on  man's  part  is  that 
he  should  believe  in  the  Lord ;  for  by  believing  in  Him  there 
is  conjunction  with  Him  and  thereby  salvation.  To  believe  in 
the  Lord  is  to  have  confidence  that  He  saves ;  and  as  only  those 
who  live  rightly  can  have  this  confidence,  this,  too,  is  meant 
by  believing  in  Him.     And  this  the  Lord  teaches  in  John : — 

This  is  the  Father's  will,  that  every  one  that  beiieveth  in  the  Son  may 
have  eternal  life  (vi.  40) ; 

and  again : — 

He  that  beiieveth  in  the  Son  hath  eternal  life  ;  bnt  he  that  beiieveth 
not  in  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him 
(iii.  36). 

3.  The  Eaith  of  the  New  Heaven  and  of  the  New 
Church  in  a  tarticular  Form  is  as  follows : — 

Jehovah  God  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  or  is  good 
itself  and  truth  itself ;  and  in  respect  to  Divine  truth,  which 
is  the  Word,  and  which  was  God  with  God,  He  came  down  and 
took  on  the  Human  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  to  order  all 
things  that  were  in  heaven,  and  all  things  in  hell,  and  all 
things  in  the  church ;  because  at  that  time  the  power  of  hell 


THE  FAITH  OF  THE  NEW  HEAVEN,  ETC.  3 

prevailed  over  the  power  of.  heaven,  and  upon  the  earth  the 
power  of  evil  over  the  power  of  good,  and  in  consequence  a 
total  damnation  stood  threatening  at  the  door.  This  impend- 
ing damnation  Jehovah  God  removed  by  means  of  His  Human, 
which  was  Divine  truth,  and  thus  He  redeemed  angels  and 
men,  and  thereupon  He  united,  in  His  Human,  Divine  truth 
with  Divine  good  or  Divine  wisdom  with  Divine  love ;  and  so, 
with  and  in  His  glorified  Human,  He  returned  into  His  Divine 
in  which  He  was  from  eternity.  All  this  is  meant  by  these 
words  in  John : — 

The  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the  Word.  And  the  Word  be- 
came flesh  (i.  1,  14) ; 

and  in  the  same  : — 

I  came  out  from  the  Father  and  am  come  into  the  world  ;  again  I  leave 
the  world  and  go  unto  the  Father  (xvi.  28} ; 

and  also  by  these  words : — 

We  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is  come,  and  has  given  tls  understand- 
ing that  we  may  know  the  True  ;  and  we  are  in  the  True,  in  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ.     He  is  the  true  God  and  life  eternal  (1  John  v.  20). 


From  these  words  it  is  clen.r  thn.t  withn^]|-,  f.hp.  Lnrrrpj  f^oip^'r.j-r 
into  the  world  no  one  could  have  been  saved.  It  is  the  same 
to-day ;  and  therefore  without  the  Lord's  coming  again  into  the 
world  in  Divine  truth,  which  is  the  Word,  no  one  can  be  saved. 

[2]  The  particulars  of  Faith  ox  Man's  part  are : 

(1)  God  is  one,  in  whom  is  a  Divine  trinity,  and  the  Lord 
God  the  Saviour  Jqsus  Christ  is  that  one. 

(2)  Saving  faith  is  to  believe  in  Him. 

(3)  Evils  should  not  be  done,  because  they  are  of  the  devil 
and  from  the  devil. 

(4)  Goods  should  be  done,  because  they  are  of  God  and  from 
God. 

(5)  These  should  be  done  by  man  as  if  by  himself ;  but  it 
should  be  believed  that  they  are  done  by  the  Lord  in  man  and 
through  man. 

The  first  two  are  matters  of  faith,  the  next  two  of  charity, 
and  the  fifth  of  the  conjunction  of  charity  and  faith,  thus  of 
the  conjunction  of  the  Lord  and  man. 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 


N.  4] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


CHAPTER   I. 


GOD  THE  CREATOR. 


4.  Since  the  LorcVs  time  the  Christian  Church  has  passed 
through  the  several  stages  from  infancy  to  extreme  old  age. 
Its  infancy  was  in  the  lifetime  of  the  apostles,  when  they 
preached  throughout  the  world  repentance  and  faith  in  the 
Lord  God  the  Saviour.  That  this  is  what  they  preached  is 
evident  from  these  words  in  the  Acfs  of  the  Apostles:— 

Paul  testified,  both  to  the  Jews  and  to  the  Greeks,  repentance  toward 
God  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  (xx.  21). 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  some  months  ago  the  Lord  called 
together  His  twelve  disciples,  now  angels,  and  sent  them  forth 
throughout  the  spiritual  world,  with  the  command  to  preach 
the  gospel  there  anew,  since  the  church  that  was  established 
by  the  Lord  through  them  has  at  this  day  become  so  far  con- 
summated that  scarcely  a  remnant  of  it  survives ;  and  this 
has  come  to  pass,  because  the  Divine  trinity  has  been  divided 
into  three  persons,  each  one  of  whom  is  God  and  Lord.     [2] 
l^>ecause  of  this  a  sort  of  frenzy  has  invaded  tiot  only  all  the- 
ology, but  also  the  church  that  from  the  Lord's  name  is  called 
Christian.     It  is  called  a  frenzy  because  men's  minds  have 
been  made  so  demented  by  it  as  not  to  know  whether  there  is 
one  God  or  three.     On  the  lips  there  is  one  God ;  but  m  the 
thought  of  the  mind  there  are  three  ;  consequently  the  mind 
and  lips,  that  is,  the  thought  and  speech,  are  at  variance ;  and 
the  result  of  this  variance  is  that  there  is  no  God  at  all.     The 
naturalism  that  prevails  at  this  day  is  from  no  other  source. 
Consider,  if  you  will,  with  the  lips  speaking  of  one  and  the 
mind  thinking  of  three,  whether  one  of  these  statements  does 
not,  when  they  meet  within,  cancel  the  other.     Consecpiently 
when  a  man  thinks  about  God,  if  he  thinks  at  all  it  is  noth- 
ing more  than  thought  from  the  mere  name  God,  unaccom- 
panied   by   any    sense    of    the   meaning    of  the   name   that 
mvolves  any  knowledge  of  God.     [3]  The  idea  of  God,  with 
all  conception  of  Him,  having  been  thus  rent  asunder,  it  is 


i 


% 


my  purpose  to  treat,  in  their  order,  of  God  the  Creator,  of  the 
Lord  the  Eedeemer,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Operator,  and 
lastly  of  the  Divine  trinity,  to  the  end  that  what  has  been 
rent  asunder  may  be  again  made  whole ;  which  is  done  when 
the  reason  of  man  is  convinced  by  the  Woixl  and  by  light 
therefrom  that  there  is  a  Divine  trinity,  and  that  the  trinity 
is  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  like  the  soul, 
the  body,  and  what  goes  forth  from  these,  in  man ;  and  that 
thus  this  article  in  the  Athanasian  Creed  is  true  : — 

In  Christ  God  and  man,  or  the  Divine  and  the  Human,  are 
not  two,  but  are  in  one  person  ;  and  as  the  rational  soul  and  the 
flesh  are  one  man,  so  God  and  man  are  one  Christ. 


THE    UNITY    OF    GOD. 


5.  As  the  acknowdedgment  of  God  from  a  knowledge  of  God 
is  the  very  essence  and  soul  of  the  entire  contents  of  theology, 
it  is  necessary  that  the  unity  of  God  should  be  the  first  thing 
treated  of.  This  shall  be  set  forth  in  order  in  the  following 
sections : — 

(1)  The  entire  Holy  Scripture,  and  the  doctrines  therefrom 
of  the  churches  in  the  Christian  world,  teach  that  God  is  one. 

(2)  There  is  a  universal  influx  [from  God]  into  the  souls 
of  men  of  the  truth  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  He  is  one. 

(3)  For  this  reason  there  is  in  all  the  world  no  nation  pos- 
sessing religion  and  sound  reason  that  does  not  acknowledge 
a  God,  and  that  God  is  one. 

(4)  Kespecting  what  the  one  God  is,  nations  and  peoples  have 
differed  and  still  differ,  from  many  causes. 

(5)  Human  reason  can,  if  it  will,  perceive  and  be  convinced, 
from  many  things  in  the  world,  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that 
He  is  one. 

(G)  If  God  were  not  one,  the  universe  could  not  have  been 
created  and  preserved. 

(7)  Whoever  does  not  acknowledge  a  God  is  excommunicar 
ted  from  the  church  and  condemned. 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  6] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


(8)  With  the  man  who  acknowledges  several  Gods  instead  of 
one,  there  is  no  coherence  in  the  things  relating  to  the  church. 

These  propositions  shall  be  unfolded  one  by  one. 

6.  (1)  The  entire  Holy  Scripture^  and  all  the  doctrines  there- 
from of  the  churches  in  the  Christian  world,  teach  that  there  is  a 
God  and  that  He  is  one.  The  entire  Holy  kScripture  teaches  that 
there  is  a  God,  because  in  its  inmosts  it  is  nothing  but  God,  that 
is,  it  is  nothing  but  the  Divine  that  goes  forth  from  God ;  for  it 
was  dictated  by  God ;  and  from  God  nothing  can  go  forth  ex- 
cept what  is  God  and  is  called  Divine.  This  the  Holy  Scripture 
is  m  its  inmosts.  But  in  its  derivatives,  which  are  below  and 
from  these  inmosts,  the  Holy  Scripture  is  adapted  to  the  percep- 
tion of  angels  and  men.  The  Divine  is  likewise  in  these  deriv- 
atives, but  in  another  form,  in  which  it  is  called  the  celestial, 
spiritual,  and  natural  Divine.  These  are  simply  the  draperies 
of  God ;  for  God  Himself,  such  as  He  is  in  the  inmosts  of  the 
Word,  cannot  be  seen  by  any  creature.  For  He  said  to  Moses, 
when  Moses  prayed  that  he  might  see  the  glory  of  Jehovah,  that 
no  one  can  see  God  and  live.  This  is  equally  true  of  the  in- 
mosts of  the  Word,  where  God  is  in  His  very  Being  and  Essence. 
[i^]  Nevertheless,  the  Divine,  which  forms  the  inmost  and  is 
draped  by  things  adapted  to  the  perceptions  of  angels  and  men, 
beams  forth  like  light  through  crystalline  forms,  although  vari- 
ously in  accordance  with  the  state  of  mind  that  man  has  formed 
for  himself,  either  from  God  or  from  himself.  Before  every 
one  who  has  formed  the  state  of  his  mind  from  God  the  Holy 
Scripture  stands  like  a  mirror  wherein  he  sees  God;  but  every 
one  in  his  own  way.  This  mirror  is  made  up  of  those  truths  that 
man  learns  from  the  Word,  and  that  he  appropriates  by  living 
in  accordance  with  them.  From  all  this  it  is  evident,  in  the  lirst 
place,  that  the  Holy  Scripture  is  the  fulness  of  God.  [3]  That 
the  Holy  Scripture  teaches  not  only  that  there  is  a  God,  but  also 
that  God  is  one,  can  be  seen  from  the  truths  which,  as  before 
stated,  compose  that  mirror,  in  that  they  form  a  coherent  whole 
and  make  it  impossible  for  man  to  think  of  God  except  as  one. 
In  consequence  of  this,  every  person  whose  reason  is  imbued 
with  any  sanctity  from  the  Word  knows,  as  if  from  himself, 
that  God  is  one,  and  feels  it  to  be  a  sort  of  insanity  to  say  that 
there  are  more.   The  angels  are  unable  to  open  their  lips  to  utter 


the  word  Gods,  for  the  heavenly  aura  in  which  they  live  resists 
it.  That  God  is  one  the  Holy  Scripture  teaches,  not  only  thus 
universally,  as  has  been  said,  but  also  in  many  particular  pas- 
as  in  the  following  : — 


sages 


Hear,  O  Israel,  Jehovah  our  God  is  one  Jehovah  {Deut.  vi.  4  ;  also  Mark 
xii.  29). 

Surely  God  is  in  thee,  and  beside  Me  there  is  no  god  {Isa.  xlv.  14). 

Am  not  I  Jehovah  ?  and  there  is  no  god  else  beside  Me  {Isa.  xlv.  21). 

I  am  Jehovah  thy  God  and  thou  shalt  acknowledge  no  god  beside  Me 
{Ilosea  xiii.  4). 

Thus  saith  Jehovah,  the  king  of  Israel,  I  am  the  First  and  the  Last, 
and  beside  Me  there  is  no  god  (Isa.  xliv.  6). 

In  that  day  Jehovah  shall  be  king  over  all  the  earth  ;  in  that  day  Je- 
hovah shall  be  one  and  Ills  name  one  {Zech.  xiv.  9). 

7.  It  is  known  that  the  doctrines  of  the  churches  in  the 
Christian  world  teach  that  God  is  one.  This  they  teach  because 
all  their  doctrines  are  from  the  Word,  and  so  far  as  one  God  is 
acknowledged  both  with  the  lips  and  the  heart  these  doctrines 
are  consistent.  To  those  who  confess  one  God  with  the  lips 
only,  but  in  heart  accept  three,  as  is  true  of  many  at  this  day 
in  Christendom,  God  is  nothing  but  a  word  on  the  lips  ;  and  all 
their  theology  is  a  mere  idol  of  gold  enclosed  in  a  shrine,  the 
key  to  which  the  priests  alone  hold ;  and  when  such  read  the 
Word  they  perceive  no  light  in  it  or  from  it,  not  even  that  God 
is  one.  To  such  the  Word  appears  blurred  with  blots,  and  in 
regard  to  the  unity  of  God  entirely  covered  with  them.  It  is 
these  who  are  described  by  the  Lord  in  Matthew : — 

In  hearing  ye  shall  hear  and  shall  not  understand  ;  and  seeing  ye  shall 
see  and  not  discern.  Their  eyes  they  have  closed,  lest  haply  they  should 
see  with  their  eyes  and  hear  with  their  ears  and  understand  with  their 
heart,  and  should  turn  themselves  and  I  should  heal  them  (xiii.  14,  15). 

All  these  are  like  men  shunning  the  light,  and  entering  cham- 
bers without  windows,  and  groping  about  the  walls,  searching 
for  food  or  money,  and  at  length  acquiring  a  vision  like  that  of 
birds  of  the  night,  seeing  in  darkness.  They  are  like  a  woman 
having  several  husbands,  who  is  not  a  wife  but  a  lascivious  cour- 
tesan ;  or  they  are  like  a  virgin  who  accepts  rings  from  several 
suitors,  and  after  the  nuptials  bestows  her  favors  not  upon  one 
only,  but  also  upon  the  others. 


8 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chai'.  I. 


N.  8] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


8.  (2)  There  is  a  universal  influx  from  God  into  the  souls  of 
men  of  the  truth  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  He  is  one.  That 
there  is  an  influx  from  God  into  man  is  evident  from  the  uni- 
versal confession  that  all  good  that  is  in  itself  good,  and  that 
exists  in  man  and  is  done  by  him,  is  from  God ;  in  like  man- 
ner every  thing  of  charity  and  every  thing  of  faith ;  for  we 
read: — • 

A  man  can  take  nothing  except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven  {John  iii. 
27); 

and  Jesus  said  : — 

Without  Me  ye  are  unable  to  do  anything  {John  xv.  5); 

that  is,  anything  that  pertains  to  charity  and  faith.    This  influx 
is  into  the  souls  of  men  because  the  soul  is  the  inmost  and 
highest  part  of  man,  and  the  influx  from  God  enters  into  that, 
and  descends  therefrom  into  the  tilings  that  are  below,  and  vivi- 
fies them  in  accordance  with  reception.     The  truths  that  are  to 
constitute  belief  flow  in,  it  is  true,  through  the  hearing,  and  are 
thus  implanted  in  the  mind,  that  is,  below  the  soul.    Eut  by 
maans  of  such  truths  man  is  simply  made  ready  to  receive  the 
influx  from  God  through  thci  soul ;  and  such  as  this  preparation 
is,  such  is  the  reception,  and  such  the  transformation  of  natural 
faith  into  spiritual  faith.    [2]  There  is  such  an  influx  from  God 
into  tlie  souls  of  men   of  the  truth  that  God  is  one,  because 
everything  Divine,  regarded  most  generally  as  well  as  most 
particularly,  is  God.     And  as  the  entire  Divine  coheres  as  one, 
it  cannot  fail  to  inspire  in  man  the  idea  of  one  God;  and  this 
idea  is  strengthened  daily  as  man  is  elevated  by  God  into  the 
light  of  heaven.     For  the  angels  in  their  light  cannot  force 
themselves  to  utter  the  w^ord  Gods.    Even  their  speech  closes 
at  the  end  of  every  sentence  in  a  oneness  of  cadence ;  and  there 
is  no  other  cause  of  this  than  the  influx  into  their  souls  of  the 
truth  that  God  is  one.     [3]  hi  spite  of  this  influx  into  the  souls 
of  men  of  the  truth  that  God  is  one,  there  are  many  who  think 
that  the  Divinity  of  God  is  divided  into  several  possessing  the 
same  essence ;  and  the  reason  of  this  is  that  when  the  influx  de- 
scends it  falls  into  forms  not  correspondent,  and  influx  is  varied 
by  the  form  that  receives  it,  as  takes  place  in  all  the  subjects  of 
the  three  kingdoms  of  nature.    It  is  the  same  God  who  vivifies 


i 


4 


man  and  who  vivifies  every  beast ;  but  the  recipient  form  is 
what  causes  the  beast  to  be  a  beast  and  man  to  be  a  man.    The 
same  is  true  of  man  when  he  induces  on  his  mind  the  form  of 
a  beast.    There  is  the  same  influx  from  the  sun  into  every  kind 
of  tree,  but  the  influx  differs  in  accordance  with  the  form  of 
each ;  that  which  flows  into  the  vine  is  the  same  as  that  which 
flows  into  the  thorn ;  but  if  a  thorn  were  to  be  engrafted  upon 
a  vine  the  influx  would  be  inverted  and  go  forth  in  accordance 
with  the  form  of  the  thorn.     W  The  same  is  true  of  the  sub- 
jects of  the  mineral  kingdom ;  the  same  light  flows  into  lime- 
stone and  into  the  diamond ;  but  in  the  diamond  it  is  transmit- 
ted, while  in  the  limestone  it  is  quenched.     In  human  miiuls 
these  differences  are  in  accordance  with  the  forms  of  the  mind, 
which  become  inwardly  spiritual  in  accordance  with  faith  in 
CJod,  together  with  life  from  (iod,  such  forms  being  made  trans- 
lucent and  angelic  by  a  faith  in  one  God,  and  on  the  contrar}^ 
made  dark  and  bestial  by  a  faith  in  more  than  one  CJod,  which 
differs  but  little  from  a  faith  in  no  (Jod. 

9.  (3)  For  this  reason,  there  is  in  all  the  world  no  nation 
possessing  reVKjion  and  sound  reason  that  does  not  acknoivlcdge 
a  God,  and  that  God  is  one.  As  a  consequence  of  the  Divine 
influx  into  the  souls  of  men,  treated  of  just  above,  there  is  in 
every  man  an  internal  dictate  that  there  is  a  God  and  that  He 
is  one.  And  yet  there  are  some  who  deny  God,  and  some  who 
acknowledge  nature  as  god,  and  some  who  acknowledge  more 
gods  than  one,  and  some  who  worship  images  as  gods ;  which 
is  possible  because  such  have  blocked  up  the  interiors  of  their 
reason  or  understanding  with  worldly  and  corporeal  things, 
thereby  obliterating  their  first  or  childhood  idea  respecting  God, 
and  at  the  same  time  rejecting  religion  from  their  breasts  and 
casting  it  behind  their  backs.  Christians  acknowledge  one  God  ; 
but  in  what  manner  is  evident  from  their  established  creed, 
wdiich  is  as  follows  : — 

The  Catholic  faith  is  this:  That  we  worship  one  God  in 
trinity,  and  trinity  in  unity.  There  are  three  Divine  persons. 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  S})irit,  and  yet  there  are  not  three  Gods, 
but  there  is  one  Go(l.  There  is  one  person  of  the  Father,  an- 
other of  the  Son,  and  another  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  their  di- 
vinity is  one,  their  glory  equal,  and  their  majesty  coeternal. 


i 


10 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  10] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


11 


Thus  the  Father  is  God,  the  Son  is  God,  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  God.  But  like  as  we  are  compelled  by  Christian  verity  to 
confess  each  person  singly  to  be  God  and  Lord,  so  we  are  for- 
bidden by  the  Catholic  religion  to  say  there  be  three  Gods  or 
three  Lords. 

Such  is  the  Christian  faith  respecting  the  unity  of  God.    But 
that  the  trinity  of  God  and  the  unity  of  God  in  that  creed  are 
inconsistent  with  each  other  will  be  shown  in  the  chapter  on  the 
Divine  trinity.     [2]  The  other  nations  in  the  world  possessing 
a  religion  and  sound  reason  agree  in  acknowledging  that  God 
is  one;  all  the  Mohammedans  in  their  empires;  the  Africans  in 
many  kingdoms  of  that  continent ;  the  Asiatics  in  their  many 
kingdoms  ;  and  finally  the  Jews  to  this  day.     Of  the  inost  an- 
cient people  in  the  golden  age,  such  as  had  any  religion  wor- 
shiped one  God,  whom  they  called  Jehovah.     The  same  is  true 
of  the  ancient  people  in  the  succeeding  age,  until  monarchical 
governments  were  established,  when  worldly  and  afterwards 
corporeal  loves  began  to  close  up  the  higher  regions  of  the  un- 
derstanding, which  previously  had  been  open,  and  had  been  like 
temples  and  sacred  recesses  for  the  worship  of  one  God.     In 
order  to  reopen  these  and  thus  restore  the  worship  of  one  God, 
the  Lord  God  instituted  a  church  among  the  posterity  of  Jacob, 
and  made  this  the  first  of  all  the  commandments  of  their  re- 
ligion : — 

Thou  Shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  Me  {Exod.  xx.  3). 

[3]  :vroreover,  the  name  Jehovah,  which  He  at  this  time  re- 
stored, signifies  the  supreme  and  only  Being,  the  Source  of 
everything  that  is  or  exists  in  the  universe.  Jove,  a  name  de- 
rived possibly  from  Jehovah,  was  worshiped  as  a  supreme  god 
by  the  ancient  heathen ;  and  many  other  gods  who  composed 
his  court  they  also  clothed  with  divinity;  while  in  the  follow- 
ing age  wise  men,  like  Plato  and  Aristotle,  confessed  that  these 
were  not  gods,  but  were  so  many  properties,  qualities,  and  at- 
tributes of  the  one  God,  being  called  gods  because  there  was 
something  Divine  in  each  of  them. 

10.  All  sound  reason,  even  when  it  is  not  religious,  sees 
that  every  composite  thing  would  of  itself  fall  to  pieces  unless 
it  depended  upon  some  one  thing ;  as  in  the  case  of  man,  com- 


i 


I 


posed  of  so  many  members,  viscera,  and  organs  of  sensation 
and  motion,  unless  they  all  depended  on  one  soul ;  or  the  body 
itself,  unless  it  depended  on  one  heart.  The  same  is  true  of 
a  kingdom  unless  it  depends  on  one  king ;  a  household,  unless 
on  one  master ;  and  every  ofiice,  of  which  there  are  many  kinds 
in  every  kingdom,  unless  on  one  officer.  What  would  an  army 
avail  against  the  enemy  unless  it  had  a  leader  having  supreme 
power,  and  officers  subordinate  to  him,  each  of  them  having 
his  proper  command  over  the  soldiers  ?  So  would  it  be  with 
the  church  if  it  did  not  acknowledge  one  God,  or  with  the 
angelic  heaven,  w^hich  is  like  a  head  to  the  church  on  earth,  in 
both  of  which  the  Lord  is  the  very  soul.  This  is  w  hy  heaven 
and  the  church  are  called  His  body ;  and  when  these  do  not 
acknowledge  one  God  they  are  like  a  dead  body,  which  being 
useless  is  carried  away  and  buried. 

11.  (4)  Resjiecting  what  the  one  God  is,  nations  and  peoples 
have  differed  ami  still  dffer,  from  many  causes.  The  first  cause 
is  that  knowledge  and  consequent  acknowledgment  of  God  are 
not  possible  w^ithout  revelation ;  nor  are  a  knowledge  of  the 
Lord,  and  a  consequent  acknowledgment  that  "  in  Him  dwell- 
eth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily '^  possible  except  from 
the  Word,  which  is  the  crown  of  revelations ;  for  it  is  by  the 
revelation  given  to  man  that  he  is  able  to  approach  God  and  to 
receive  influx,  and  thereby  from  being  natural  to  become  spirit- 
ual. The  primeval  revelation  extended  throughout  the  world ; 
but  it  was  perverted  by  the  natural  man  in  many  ways,  which 
was  the  origin  of  religious  disputes,  dissensions,  heresies,  and 
schisms.  The  second  cause  is  that  the  natural  man  is  not  capor 
ble  of  any  perception  of  God,  but  only  of  the  world  and  adapt- 
ing this  to  himself.  Consequently  it  is  among  the  canons  of 
the  Christian  Church  that  the  natural  man  is  opposed  to  the 
spiritual,  and  that  they  contend  against  each  other.  This  ex- 
plains why  those  who  have  learned  from  the  Word  or  other  rev- 
elation that  there  is  a  God  have  differed  and  still  differ  respect- 
ing the  nature  and  the  unity  of  God.  [2]  For  this  reason  those 
whose  mental  sight  depended  on  the  bodily  senses,  but  who 
nevertheless  had  a  desire  to  see  God,  formed  for  themselves 
images  of  gold,  silver,  stone,  and  wood,  under  which  as  visible 
objects  they  might  worship  God ;  while  others  who  discarded 


i 


12 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap,  I. 


idols  from  their  religion  found  for  themselves  representations 
of  God  in  the  sun  and  moon,  in  the  stars,  and  in  various  ob- 
jects on  the  earth.  But  those  who  thought  themselves  wiser 
than  the  common  people,  and  yet  remained  natural,  from  the 
immensity  and  omnipresence  of  God  in  creating  the  world  ac- 
knowledged nature  as  God,  some  of  them  nature  in  its  inmosts, 
some  in  its  outmosts ;  while  others,  that  they  might  separate 
God  from  nature,  conceived  an  idea  of  something  most  univer- 
sal, which  they  called  the  Being  of  the  universe  (^Ens  universt)  ; 
and  l)ecause  such  have  no  further  knowledge  of  God  this  Be- 
ing becomes  to  them  mere  rational  abstraction  (ens  rationis) 
which  has  no  meaning.  [3]  Every  one  can  see  that  a  man's 
knowledge  of  God  is  his  mirror  of  God,  and  that  those  who 
know  nothing  about  God  do  not  see  God  in  a  mirror  with  its 
face  toward  them,  but  in  a  mirror  with  its  back  toward  them ; 
and  as  this  is  covered  with  quicksilver,  or  some  dark  paste,  it 
does  not  reflect  the  image  but  extinguishes  it.  Faith  in  God 
enters  into  man  through  a  prior  way,  which  is  from  the  soul 
into  the  higher  parts  of  tlie  understanding ;  while  knowledges 
about  God  enter  through  a  posterior  way,  because  tliey  are 
drawn  from  the  revealed  Word  by  the  understanding,  thrcnigli 
the  bodily  senses ;  and  these  inflowings  meet  midway  in  the 
understanding ;  and  tliere  natural  faith,  which  is  merely  persua- 
sion, l)ecomes  spiritual,  which  is  real  acknowledgment.  Thus 
the  human  understanding  is  like  a  refining  vessel,  in  which  this 
transmutation  is  effected. 

12.  (5)  Human  reaso7i  can,  if  it  ivilly  perceive  and  he  con- 
vinced,  from  many  things  in  the  ivorld,  that  there  is  a  God,  and 
that  He  is  one.  This  truth  may  be  confirmed  by  innumerable 
things  in  the  visible  world;  for  the  universe  is  like  a  stage, 
upon  which  evidences  that  there  is  a  God  and  that  He  is  one 
are  continually  exhibited.  To  illustrate  this  I  will  cite  this 
Memorable  Eelation  from  the  spiritual  world : — 

Once  w^hile  I  was  talking  with  angels,  certain  si)irits  that  had 
recently  arrived  from  the  natural  world  were  present.  Seeing 
them,  1  bade  them  welcome,  and  told  them  many  things  they  had 
not  known  before  about  the  spiritual  world. 

After  this  I  asked  them  what  knowledge  about  God  and 
about  nature  they  had  brought  with  them  from  the  world. 


N.  12] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


13 


"  This,"  they  said,  "  that  nature  is  the  operative  power  in 
all  things  that  are  done  in  the  created  universe  ;  and  that  God, 
after  creation,  endowed  nature  wiUi  and  impressed  upon  it 
that  capability  and  power;  and  that  God  merely  sustains  and 
preserves  that  pov/er  lest  it  perish ;  consequently,  all  things 
that  spring  forth  or  are  praluced  and  reproduced  upon  the 
earth  are  now  ascribed  to  nature." 

But  I  replied  that  in  nothing  is  nature  of  itself  the  operative 
power,  but  God  through  nature.  And  when  they  asked  for 
proof  I  said,  "  Those  who  l)elieve  the  Divine  operation  to  be  in 
every  least  thing  of  nature  find  in  very  many  things  they  see 
in  the  world  much  more  evidence  in  favor  of  a  God  than  in 
favor  of  nature.  [2]  For  those  who  find  evidences  in  favor  of 
the  Divine  operation  in  every  least  thing  of  nature  observe 
attentively  the  wonderful  things  that  are  seen  in  the  produc- 
tion of  plants  and  of  animals.  In  the  Production  of  Plants, 
they  observe  that  from  a  little  seed  sown  in  the  ground  there 
goes  forth  a  root,  and  from  the  root  a  stem,  and  successively 
branches,  buds,  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruits,  even  to  new  seeds, 
just  as  if  the  seed  knew  the  order  of  succession  or  develop- 
ment by  which  to  renew  itself.  What  rational  person  can 
imagine  that  the  sun,  which  is  pure  fire,  knows  this,  or  that  it 
can  impart  to  its  heat  and  light  the  power  to  produce  such 
effects  and  to  have  such  uses  in  view  ?  Any  man  whose  reason 
looks  upward,  when  he  sees  these  things  and  proi)erly  con- 
siders them,  must  needs  conclude  that  they  are  from  one  whose 
wisdom  is  infinite,  that  is,  from  God.  In  this  conclusion  those 
who  recognize  a  Divine  operation  in  all  the  particulars  of 
nature  confirm  themselves  when  they  observe  these  things.  On 
the  other  hand,  those  who  do  not  recognize  such  an  operation 
in  nature  behold  these  things  with  the  eyes  of  their  reason  in 
the  back  of  the  head,  and  not  in  the  front.  These  are  such 
as  derive  all  the  ideas  of  their  thought  from  the  bodily  senses, 
and  confirm  the  fallacies  of  the  senses,  saying,  '  Do  you  not 
see  the  sun  accomplishing  all  these  things  by  means  of  its 
heat  and  light  ?  Is  that  which  you  do  not  see  of  any  account  V 
[3]  Those  who  confirm  themselves  in  favor  of  the  Divine  care- 
fully observe  the  wonderful  things  they  see  in  the  Production 
of  Animals  ;  as  in  regard  to  eggs  (speaking  first  of  these),  the 


I 


14 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  12] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


15 


chick  in  its  seminal  state  lies  concealed  in  them  with  every  thing 
requisite  for  its  formation,  and  also  for  its  entire  development 
after  it  is  hatched  until  it  becomes  a  bird  in  the  form  of  the 
parent.   Moreover,  to  any  mind  that  thinks  deeply,  things  which 
excite  wonder  are  presented  whenever  winged  creatures  in  gen- 
eral are  observed ;  as  that  both  the  smallest  and  largest  of  them, 
both  the  invisible  and  the  visible,  that  is,  both  minute  insects 
and  great  birds  and  beasts,  possess  organs  of  sense,  namely, 
sight,  smell,  taste,  and  touch ;  also  organs  of  motion,  which  are 
muscles,  for  they  fly  and  walk ;  also  viscera  connected  with  the 
heart  and  lungs  which  are  moved  by  the  brains.   All  these  things 
are  seen  also  by  those  who  ascribe  everything  to  nature ;  but 
such  merely  notice  their  existence,  and  claim  that  they  are 
products  of  nature.    This  they  claim  because  they  have  turned 
away  their  minds  from  all  thoughts  of  the  Divine ;  and  those 
who  have  done  this,  when  they  behold  the  wonderful  things  in 
nature,  are  unable  to  think  about  them  rationally,  still  less 
spiritually ;  but  they  think  sensually  and  materially ;  thus  they 
think  in  nature  from  nature,  and  not  above  nature ;  and  such 
differ  from  beasts  only  in  being  endowed  with  rationality,  that 
is,  only  in  an  ability  to  understand  if  they  wish  to.     [4]  Those 
who  have  turned  themselves  away  from  all  thought  of  a  Di- 
vine, and  have  thereby  become  corporeal-sensual,  never  con- 
sider that  the  sight  of  the  eye  is  so  gross  and  material  that  it 
sees  many  small  insects  as  a  single  obscure  object;  and  yet 
each  one  of  these  is  organized  for  sensation  and  motion,  and 
is  consequently  endowed  with  fibers  and  vessels,  with  a  min- 
ute heart  and  pulmonic  tubes,  with  minute  viscera  and  with 
brains ;  and  these  are  composed  of  nature's  purest  elements, 
these  textures  corresponding  to  life  in  its  lowest  degree  where- 
by their  least  parts  are  severally  actuated.     Considering  the 
grossness  of  our  bodily  vision,  to  which  many  such  insects,  with 
the  innumerable  parts  in  each,  appear  as  a  single  minute  indis- 
tinct object,  while  yet  it  is  from  this  vision  that  sensual  men 
think  and  draw  conclusions,  it  is  evident  how  gross  their  minds 
must  be,  and  in  what  darkness  they  must  be  respecting  spirits 
ual  things. 

[5]  "Any  man  is  able,  if  he  will,  to  find  evidences  in  favor  of 
a  Divine  in  the  visible  things  of  nature ;  and  this  he  does  when- 


ever he  thinks  of  God  and  of  His  omnipotence  in  the  crea- 
tion of  the  universe,  and  of  His  omnipresence  in  the  preserva- 
tion of  it ;  as,  for  instance,  when  he  sees  that  among  the  birds 
of  heaven  each  species  knows  its  own  food  and  where  to  find 
it,  recognizes  its  companions  by  sight  and  sound,  and  among 
other  species  knows  which  are  friends  and  which  enemies ; 
that  they  know  how  to  mate,  to  form  marriages,  construct  their 
nests  skillfully,  place  their  eggs  in  them  and  hatch  them,  also  the 
period  of  incubation ;  and  when  the  young  have  been  hatched 
they  love  them  most  tenderly,  shelter  them  beneath  their  wings, 
feed  and  nourish  them,  and  this  until  they  are  able  to  provide 
for  themselves  and  to  perform  like  offices.     If  any  one  is  will- 
ing to  think  about  a  Divine  influx  through  the  spiritual  world 
into  the  natural  he  can  see  it  in  these  creatures ;  and  can  also, 
if  he  will,  say  from  his  heart  that  the  sun  through  its  heat  and 
light  cannot  be  the  source  of  such  knowledge,  for  the  sun  from 
which  nature  has  its  rise  and  essence  is  pure  fire,  and  conse- 
quently its  efiluent  heat  and  light  must  be  utterly  dead ;  and 
thus  he  may  reach  the  conclusion  that  these  knowledges  are 
from  a  Divine  influx  through  the  spiritual  world  into  the  out- 
mosts  of  nature. 

[6]  "  Any  one  can  find  evidences  in  favor  of  a  Divine  in  the 
visible  things  of  nature  when  he  observes  those  worms  which 
are  moved  by  the  joy  of  a  peculiar  love  to  aspire  after  a  change 
of  their  earthly  state  into  one  somewhat  analogous  to  a  heavenly 
state.     For  this  purpose  they  crawl  into  suitable  places,  enclose 
themselves  in  a  covering,  and  thus  place  themselves  in  a  womb 
from  which  to  be  born  again ;  and  there  they  become  chrysalids, 
aureliae,  nymphs,  and  finially  butterflies;    and  having  under- 
gone this  transformation  and  been  decked  with  beautiful  wings 
according  to  their  species,  they  fly  forth  into  the  air  as  into 
their  heaven,  and  there  disport  themselves  merrily,  marrying, 
laying  eggs,  and  providing  for  themselves  a  posterity,  mean- 
while nourishing  themselves  with  sweet  and  pleasant  food  from 
flowers.     Who  that  sees  evidences  in  favor  of  a  Divine  in  the 
visible  things  of  nature  can  help  seeing  in  these  as  worms  an 
image  of  man's  earthly  state,  and  in  these  as  butterflies  an 
image  of  his  heavenly  state  ?     Those  who  have  confirmed  them- 
selves in  favor  of  nature  behold  the  same  things,  but  having  re- 


16 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  12] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


17 


I 


w 


jected  man's  heavenly  state  from  their  thought  they  call  them 
mere  operations  of  nature. 

[7]  "Any  one  can  find  evidences  in  favor  of  a  Divine  in 
the  visible  things  in  nature  when  he  gives  thought  to  what  is 
known  of  bees,  their  knowing  how  to  collect  wax  from  roses 
and  blossoms,  to  suck  out  honey,  to  build  cells  like  little 
houses,  to  arrange  them  like  a  city,  with  streets  for  going  in 
and  out ;  their  smelling  from  a  distance  the  flowers  and  herbs 
from  which  they  collect  wax  for  their  houses  and  honey  for 
food,  being  loaded  wdth  wdiich  they  fly  back  straight  to  their 
hive.  Thus  they  i>rovide  themselves  ^viih  food  for  the  coming 
winter  as  if  they  foresaw  it.  They  also  ai)point  a  mistress 
over  themselves  as  queen,  and  through  her  they  propagate  a 
posterity ;  and  for  her  they  build  a  sort  of  palace  above  them- 
selves, and  place  guards  around  it.  When  the  time  for  propa- 
gation arrives,  accompanied  by  her  guards,  w^hich  are  called 
drones,  she  goes  from  cell  to  cell,  and  lays  her  eggs,  which  her 
retinue  seal  up  lest  they  be  injured  by  the  air.  Thus  a  new 
generation  is  born ;  and  wdien  this  generation  has  reached  the 
proper  age  to  be  able  to  rej^eat  the  process  it  is  expelled  from 
the  hive,  and  the  new  swarm,  after  gathering  into  a  body  to 
prevent  separation,  flies  forth  to  find  itself  a  home.  About 
the  time  of  autumn,  as  the  drones  have  added  nothing  to  the 
supply  of  w^ax  or  honey,  they  are  led  out  and  deprived  of  their 
wings  to  prevent  their  returning  and  consuming  the  food  on 
w^iich  they  had  spent  no  labor.  From  this  and  other  facts  it 
can  be  seen  that  on  account  of  the  use  they  perform  for  the 
human  race  these  insects  receive  by  influx  from  the  spiritual 
world  a  form  of  government  similar  to  that  which  is  formed 
among  men  on  the  earth,  and  even  among  the  angels  in  the 
heavens.  [8]  AMiat  man  of  sound  reason  does  not  see  that  the 
natural  world  cannot  be  the  source  of  all  this  ?  What  has  the 
sun,  from  w^hich  nature  springs,  in  common  with  a  government 
which  so  vies  wdth  and  closely  resembles  heavenly  government  ? 
From  these  and  like  facts  exhibited  among  animals,  one  who 
acknowledges  and  w^orships  nature  confirms  himself  in  favor  of 
nature ;  while  he  who  acknowledges  and  worships  God  confirms 
himself  from  the  same  facts  in  favor  of  God ;  for  the  spiritual 
man  sees  in  them  spiritual  things,  and  the  natural  man  sees  in 


them  natural  things,  thus  each  in  accord  with  his  character. 
For  my  own  part,  such  things  have  been  to  me  evidences  that 
from  God  there  is  an  influx  of  the  spiritual  world  into  the  nat- 
ural. Consider,  moreovox,  whether  you  are  able  to  think  ana- 
lytically of  any  form  of  government,  of  any  civil  law,  or  any 
moral  virtue,  or  any  spiritual  truth,  except  on  the  supposition 
that  there  is  an  inflow  of  the  Divine  from  its  own  wisdom 
through  the  spiritual  world.  As  to  myself,  I  am  not  able  to  do 
so,  and  never  have  been.  I  have  now  for  twenty-six  years  con- 
tinually observed  that  influx  perceptibly  and  sensibly ;  I  there- 
fore speak  from  what  1  know. 

[9]  "  Can  nature  pursue  use  as  an  end,  and  arrange  uses  in 
order  and  in  forms?  Only  a  wise  being  is  able  to  do  this;  and 
God  alone,  whose  wisdom  is  infinite,  is  able  so  to  order  and  form 
the  universe.  Who  else  can  foresee  and  provide  food  and  cloth- 
ing for  man — food  from  the  products  of  the  field,  from  the  fruits 
of  the  earth,  and  from  animals ;  and  clothing  from  the  same 
sources  ?  It  is  among  these  marvelous  facts  that  those  petty 
worms  called  silkworms  clothe  with  silk  and  magnificently 
adorn  both  women  and  men,  from  queens  and  kings  even  to 
maidservants  and  menservants ;  and  that  a  petty  insect  like 
the  bee  supplies  the  wax  for  the  tapers  that  make  temples  and 
palaces  brilliant,  All  these  and  more  are  conclusive  proofs 
that  God  from  Himself  through  the  spiritual  w^orld  operates  all 
things  that  take  place  in  nature. 

[lOj  i'  To  all  this  let  me  add  the  fact  that  I  have  seen  in  the 
spiritual  world  those  who  from  things  visible  in  the  natural 
world  had  confirmed  themselves  in  favor  of  nature  until  they 
had  become  atheists;  and  that  in  spiritual  light  the  understand- 
ing of  such  appeared  to  be  open  below,  but  closed  above,  for  the 
reason  that  in  their  thought  they  had  looked  down  toward  the 
earth,  and  not  up  toward  heaven.  Above  their  sensual  facul- 
ties, which  form  the  lowest  part  of  the  understanding,  a  kind 
of  covering  flashing  with  infernal  fire  was  seen,  in  some  cases 
like  soot,  and  in  others  livid  like  a  corpse.  Let  every  one  there- 
fore beware  of  these  confirmations  in  favor  of  nature ;  and  let 
him  confirm  himself  in  favor  of  God;  there  is  no  lack  of  means.'- 

13.  (6)   If  God  were  not  one,  the  universe  could  not  have  been 
created  and  preserved.    The  unity  of  God  may  be  inferred  from 
2 


18 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  13] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


19 


ID 


the  creation  of  the  universe,  because  the  universe  is  a  work 
coherent  as  a  unit  from  things  first  to  things  last,  and  depend- 
ent upon  one  God  as  a  body  upon  its  soul.  The  universe  was 
so  created  that  God  might  be  omnipresent,  and  hold  each  and 
all  of  its  parts  under  His  direction,  and  keep  its  parts  together 
as  one  body  perpetually,  which  is  to  preserve  it.  Moreover, 
because  of  this  Jehovah  God  declares  : — 

That  He  is  the  First  and  the  Last,  the  Beginning  and  the  End,  the 
Alpha  and  Omega  {Isa.  xliv.  6  ;  Rev.  i.  8,  17). 

And  elsewhere : — 

That  He  maketh  all  things,  spreadeth  forth  the  heavens  above,  and 
stretcheth  forth  the  earth  by  Himself  {Isa.  xliv.  24). 

This  vast  system  which  is  called  the  universe  is  a  work  co- 
herent as  a  unit  from  things  first  to  things  last,  because  in 
creating  it  God  had  a  single  end  in  view,  which  was  an  angelic 
heaven  from  the  Jiuman  race ;  and  all  things  of  which  the  world 
consists  are  means  to  that  end ;  since  he  who  seeks  an  end 
seeks  also  the  means.  [2]  Consequently,  whoever  regards  the 
world  as  a  work  containing  means  to  that  end  is  able  to  look 
upon  the  created  universe  as  a  work  coherent  as  a  unit,  and  to 
see  that  the  world  is  a  complex  of  uses,  existing  in  a  succes- 
sive order,  looking  to  the  human  race  (from  which  is  the  an- 
gelic heaven)  as  its  end.  The  Divine  love  can  be  intent  upon 
no  other  end  than  the  eternal  blessedness  of  men,  having  its 
source  in  the  Divine ;  and  its  Divine  wisdom  can  bring  forth 
nothing  but  uses  that  are  means  to  that  end.  Surveying  the 
world  from  this  most  general  idea,  every  wise  man  can  com- 
prehend that  the  Creator  of  the  universe  is  a  One,  and  that  His 
essence  is  love  and  wisdom ;  consequently  there  can  not  be  in 
it  the  smallest  particular  in  which  there  does  not  lie  hidden 
some  use,  more  or  less  remote,  for  man — food  from  the  fruits 
of  the  earth  and  from  animals,  and  clothing  from  the  same 
sources.  [3]  How  wonderful  it  is  that  the  insignificant  silk- 
worm should  clothe  with  silk  and  magnificently  adorn  both 
women  and  men,  from  queens  and  kings  to  maidservants  and 
menservants ;  and  that  a  petty  insect  like  the  bee  should 
supply  wax  for  the  tapers  which  make  temples  and  palaces 
brilliant.     Those  who  study  in  minute  detail  a  few  things  in 


i 


i 


the  world,  and  not  all  things  in  their  most  general  relations, 
including  ends,  mediate  causes,  and  effects,  and  who,  further- 
more, do  not  deduce  creation  from  Divine  love  through  the 
Divine  wisdom,  are  unable  to  see  that  the  universe  is  the  work- 
manship of  one  God,  and  that  He  dwells  in  every  particular 
use  Ijecause  He  dwells  in  the  end.  For  in  every  case  one  who 
is  in  an  end  must  be  in  the  means  also,  since  the  end  is  inmostly 
in  all  the  means,  actuating  and  directing  them.  [4]  Those  who 
do  not  regard  the  universe  as  the  workmanship  of  God  and  the 
dwelling-place  of  His  love  and  wisdom,  but  as  the  workmanship 
of  nature  and  the  dwelling-place  of  the  sun's  heat  and  light, 
close  the  higher  regions  of  their  mind  against  God,  and  open 
its  lower  regions  for  the  devil,  and  consequently  put  off  their 
human  nature  and  put  on  a  bestial  nature,  and  not  only  think 
themselves  to  be  like  the  beasts  but  actually  become  so.  For 
they  become  foxes  in  cunning,  wolves  in  fierceness,  panthers 
in  treachery,  tigers  in  cruelty,  and  crocodiles,  serpents,  owls, 
and  other  birds  of  night,  in  the  several  characteristics  of  these. 
Moreover,  in  the  spiritual  world  those  who  are  such  do  at  a  dis- 
tance actually  appear  like  these  wild  beasts.  Thus  does  their 
love  of  evil  portray  itself. 

14.  (7)  Whoever  does  not  acknowledge  a  God  is  excommu- 
nicated from  the  church  and  condemned.  Whoever  does  not 
acknowledge  a  God  is  excommunicated  from  the  church,  because 
God  is  the  all  of  the  church;  and  Divine  things  which  are 
called  theological  are  what  constitute  the  church ;  consequently 
a  denial  of  God  is  a  denial  of  all  things  pertaining  to  the 
church ;  and  this  denial  is  what  excommunicates  the  man ;  thus 
he  is  excommunicated  not  by  God,  but  by  himself.  And  he 
stands  condemned  because  he  who  is  excommunicated  from  the 
church  is  also  excommunicated  from  heaven ;  since  the  church 
on  earth  and  the  angelic  heaven  make  one,  like  the  internal  and 
the  external  or  the  spiritual  and  the  natural  in  man ;  and  man 
was  so  created  by  God  that  in  respect  to  his  internal  he  might 
be  in  the  spiritual  world  and  in  respect  to  his  external  in  the 
natural  world ;  consequently  he  was  created  a  native  of  both 
worlds,  in  order  that  the  spiritual  which  belongs  to  heaven 
might  be  implanted  in  the  natural,  which  belongs  to  the  world, 
just  as  seed  is  planted  in  the  ground ;  and  that  man  might  thus 


20 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  14] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


21 


become  fixed  and  endure  to  eternity,     [i^]  The  man  who  has 
excommunicated  himself  from  the  church  and  thus  from  heaven 
by  a  denial  of  God  has  closed  up  in  himself  his  internal  man 
in  respect  to  his  will  and  its  genial  love ;  for  man's  will  is  the 
receptacle  of  his  love,  and  becomes  its  dwelling-place.     But  he 
cannot  close  up  his  internal  man  in  respect  to  its  understanding, 
for  if  he  could  and  did  he  would  be  man  no  longer.     Neverthe- 
less, his  will's  love  infatuates  with  falsities  the  higher  faculties 
of  the  understanding ;  and  in  consequence  the  understanding 
becomes  closed  to  the  truths  pertaining  to  faith  and  the  goods 
pertaining  to  charity,  thus  more  and  more  against  God,  and 
also  against  the  spiritual  things  of  the  church.     Thus  man  is 
shut  out  from  communion  with  the  angels  of  heaven,  and  when 
so  shut  out  he  enters  into  communion  with  the  satans  of  hell, 
and  thinks  as  they  think ;  and  all  satans  deny  God,  and  think 
foolishly  about  God  and  the  spiritual  things  of  the  church ; 
and  in  the  same  way  does  the  man  think  who  is  conjoined  with 
them.     [3]  When  such  a  man  is  in  his  spirit,  as  he  is  when  left 
privately  to  himself,  he  suffers  his  thoughts  to  be  led  by  the 
delights  of  evil  and  falsity  which  he  has  conceived  and  brought 
forth  in  himself ;  and  he  then  thinks  that  God  has  no  existence, 
but  is  merely  a  word  uttered  from  the  pulpit  to  hold  the  com- 
mon people  in  obedience  to  the  laws  of  justice,  which  are  the 
laws  of  society.     He  also  thinks  the  Word,  from  which  mmis- 
ters  proclaim  a  God,  to  be  a  mass  of  visionary  tales,  which 
have  been  made  holy  by  authority,  and  the  Decalogue  or  cate- 
chism to  be  merely  a  little  book  to  be  thrown  aside  when  it  has 
been  well  worn  by  the  hands  of  little  boys,  since  it  teaches  that 
parents  ought  to  be  honored,  forbids  murder,  adultery,  theft, 
and  false  witness  ;  and  who  does  not  learn  the  same  things  from 
civil  law  ?     He  thinks  of  the  church  as  an  assembly  of  sim- 
ple, credulous,  and  weak-minded  people,  who  see  what  they  see 
not     He  thinks  of  man,  and  of  himself  as  a  man,  as  being  like 
a  beast,  and  of  life  after  death  as  of  the  life  of  a  beast  after 
death.     [4]  Thus  does  his  internal  man  think,  however  differ- 
ently his  external  man  may  speak.     For,  as  just  said,  every 
man  has  an  internal  and  an  external ;  and  it  is  the  internal  that 
makes  the  man,  that  is,  the  spirit,  which  is  what  lives  after 
death ;  while  the  external,  in  which  by  a  semblance  of  morality 


he  plays  the  hypocrite,  is  laid  in  the  grave  ;  and  on  account  of 
his  denial  of  God  the  man  then  stands  condemned.    In  respect 
■      to  his  spirit  every  man  is  associated  in  the  spiritual  world  with 
i      his  like,  and  becomes  as  one  of  them.     It  has  frequently  been 
'\      granted  me  to  see  there  in  societies  the  spirits  of  men  still  liv- 
'      ing, — some  in  angelic  and  some  in  infernal  societies, — and  also 
to  converse  with  them  for  days ;  and  I  have  wondered  how  the 
man  himself  while  still  living  in  the  body  could  be  wholly  ig- 
norant of  this.      Thus  was  it  made  clear  that  he  who  denies 
God  is  even  now  among  the  damned,  and  that  after  death  he  is 
gathered  to  his  own. 

15.   (8)    With  men  ivho  acknowled(je  several  Gods  bis fead  of 
one  there  is  no  coherence  in  the  things  relating  to  the  church. 
He  who  ill  his  belief  acknowledges  and  in  his  heart  worships 
one  God  is  both  in  the  communion  of  the  saints  on  earth  and 
in  the  communion  of  the  angels  in  heaven.     These  are  called 
"  communions,"  and  are  communions,  because  such  are  in  the 
one  God  and  the  one  God  is  in  them.     Moreover,  they  are  in 
conjunction  Avith  the  entire  angelic  heaven,  and,  I  might  ven- 
ture  to  say,  with  all  and  each  of  its  inhabitants,  for  they  are 
i     all  like  the  children  and  descendants  of  one  father,  whose  dis- 
positions, manners,  and  features  are  similar,  whereby  they  rec- 
ognize each  other.     The  angelic  heaven  is  harmoniously  ar- 
ranged in  societies  in  accordance  with  all  the  varieties  of  the 
love  of  good,  and  these  varieties  center  in  one  universal  love, 
which  is  love  to  God ;  from  which  love  all  are  born  who  in 
belief  acknowledge  and  in  heart  worship  the  one  God,  who  is 
both  the  Creator  of  the  universe  and  the  Redeemer  and  Regen- 
erator.    [2]  But  it  is  a  wholly  different  matter  with  those  who 
approach  and  worship  several  gods  instead  of  one,  and  with 
those  who  talk  of  one  and  think  of  three,  as  do  those  in  the 
church  at  this  day  who  divide  God  into  three  persons,  and  de- 
•    dare  that  each  person  by  himself  is  God,  and  attribute  to  each 
one  special  qualities  or  properties  that  do  not  belong  to  the 
others.    From  this  arises  a  disintegration  not  only  of  the  uni- 
ty of  God  but  of  theology  itself,  and  still  further  of  human 
thought,  to  which  theology  belongs.     And  what  can  follow  from 
this  but  perplexity  and  incoherency  in  things  of  the  church  ? 
That  such  is  the  state  of  the  church  at  this  day  will  be  shown 


22  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 

in  the  Appendix  to  this  work.  The  truth  is  that  the  division  of 
God  or  of  the  Divine  essence,  into  three  persons,  each  one  of 
whom  by  Himself  or  singly  is  God,  induces  a  denial  of  God.    It 
is  as  if  a  man  should  enter  a  temple  to  worship,  and  see  painted 
on  a  tablet  over  the  altar  one  God  as  the  Ancient  of  days,  an- 
other as  the  great  High  Priest,  and  the  third  as  a  flying  ^olus, 
with  the  inscription:  "These  three  are  one  God;-  or  like  see- 
ing there  the  unity  and  trinity  depicted  as  a  man  with  three 
heads  on  one  body,  of  three  bodies  under  one  head,  which  would 
be  monstrosities.    H  any  one  should  enter  heaven  with  such  an 
idea  he  would  certainly  be  cast  out  headlong,  even  ^^  l^e^^^^^^^ 
declare  that  the  head  or  heads  mean  the  essence,  and  the  body 
or  bodies  its  difterent  properties. 

16    To  this  I  will  add  the  following  Memorable  Relation  :-- 
I  saw  some  who  had  recently  come  from  the  natural  world 
into  the  spiritual  world  talking  together  about  three  Divme  per- 
sons from  eternity.    They  were  dignitaries  of  the  church,  and 

one  of  them  was  a  bishop. 

They  came  up  to  me;  and  after  some  talk  about  the  spirit- 
ual  world,  respecting  which  they  had  before  known  nothing,  I 
said,  "  I  heard  you  speaking  of  three  Divine  persons  from  eter- 
nity I  beseech  you  to  disclose  to  me  this  great  mystery  accord- 
ing  to  the  conception  you  had  formed  of  it  in  the  natural  world 
from  which  you  have  lately  come.'' 

Then  the  bishop,  looking  at  me,  said,  "  I  see  that  you  are  a 
layman,  therefore  I  will  set  forth  my  ideas  on  this  great  mys- 
tery, and  will  instruct  you.     My  conception  of  the  i^/tter  was, 
and  still  is,  that  God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  and  God  the 
Holv  Spirit  sit  in  the  center  of  heaven  upon  magnificent  and 
lofty  seats  or  thrones-God  the  Father  on  a  throne  of  pxire  gold, 
with  a  scepter  in  His  hand ;  God  the  Son  at  His  right  hand  on 
a  throne  of  the  purest  silver,  with  a  crown  on  His  head;  and 
God  the  Holy  Spirit  near  them,  on  a  throne  of  dazzling  crystal, 
holding  a  dove  in  His  hand;  and  that  round  about  them  m 
triple  order  are  hanging  lamps  glittering  with  precious  stones ; 
while  at  a  distance  from  this  circle  stand  innumerable  angels 
all  worshiping  and  singing  praises ;  and  furthermoi-e  that  God 
the  Father  is  continually  talking  with  His  Son  M  those  who 
are  to  be  justified,  and  they  together  judge  and  determine  who 


N.  16] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


23 


on  earth  are  worthy  to  be  received  by  them  among  the  angels, 
and  crowned  with  eternal  life ;  while  God  the  Holy  Spirit,  on 
hearing  the  names  of  such,  hastens  to  them  throughout  the 
earth,  carrying  with  Him  gifts  of  righteousness  as  so  many 
tokens  of  salvation  for  the  justified;  and  the  instant  He  ap- 
proaches and  breathes  upon  them  He  disperses  their  sins,  as  a 
ventilator  drives  the  smoke  from  a  furnace  and  makes  it  white. 
He  also  takes  away  the  stony  hardness  of  their  hearts,  and  im- 
parts the  tenderness  of  flesh,  and  at  the  same  time  renews  their 
spirits  or  minds,  and  regenerates  them,  giving  them  infantile 
faces ;  and  finally  He  seals  them  in  the  forehead  with  the  sign 
of  the  cross,  and  calls  them  '  the  elect'  and  ^  sons  of  God.' " 
Having  finished  this  speech  the  bishop  said,  "  Thus  did  I  in  the 
world  elucidate  this  great  mystery ;  and  as  most  of  our  order 
there  applauded  my  utterances,  I  am  persuaded  that  you  also, 
who  are  a  layman,  will  assent  to  them." 

[2]  When  the  bishop  had  ceased  speaking  I  looked  at  him, 
and  also  at  the  dignitaries  with  him,  and  I  noticed  that  they 
all  gave  full  assent  to  what  he  had  said.  I  therefore  began  to 
reply,  and  said,  "  I  have  given  close  attention  to  the  statement 
of  your  belief,  and  from  it  I  gather  that  you  have  conceived 
and  cherish  an  idea  of  the  triune  God  that  is  wholly  natural, 
sensual,  and  even  material,  and  that  there  inevitably  follows 
from  it  the  idea  of  three  Gods.  Is  it  not  thinking  sensually 
of  God  the  Father  to  conceive  of  Him  as  seated  on  a  throne 
with  a  scepter  in  His  hand ;  and  of  the  Son  on  His  throne  with 
a  crown  on  His  head ;  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  His  with  a 
dove  in  His  hand,  and  as  hastening  over  the  world  in  accor- 
dance with  what  He  hears  ?  And  as  such  an  idea  results  from 
your  statements,  I  cannot  assent  to  them ;  for  from  my  child- 
hood I  have  not  been  able  to  admit  into  my  mind  any  other 
idea  than  that  of  one  God ;  and  since  I  have  accepted  and  hold 
no  other  idea,  all  that  you  have  said  has  no  weight  with  me. 
I  also  saw  that  ^  the  throne'  on  which  Jehovah  is  said  in  Scrip- 
ture to  sit  means  His  kingdom,  the  '  scepter'  and  '  crown,'  gov- 
ernment and  dominion  ;  the  *  sitting  at  the  right  hand,'  God's 
omnipotence  through  His  Humanity ;  also  that  by  what  is  at- 
tributed to  the  Holy  Spirit  the  operations  of  the  Divine  om- 
nipresence are  meant.    Assume,  sir,  if  you  please,  the  idea  of 


% 


24 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  17] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


on 


one  God,  and  rightly  dwell  upon  that  in  your  reasonings,  and 
you  will  at  length  clearly  apprehend  that  this  is  so.     [3]  Fur- 
thermore, you  admit  that  God  is  one,  in  that  you  make  the  es- 
sence of  these  three  persons  one  and  indivisible;  while  yet 
you  do  not  allow  any  one  to  say  that  this  one  God  is  one  per- 
son, but  he  must  say  that  there  are  three  persons  ;  and  this  you 
do  lest  the  idea  of  three  Gods,  such  as  you  entertain,  should  be 
lost ;  also  you  ascribe  to  each  person  a  property  different  from 
those  of  the  others.    In  all  this  do  you  not  divide  your  Divine 
essence?    And  this  being  so,  how  can  you  say  and  also  think 
that  God  is  one  ?     I  could  excuse  you  if  you  had  said  that  the 
Divine  is  one.    How  can  any  one  on  hearing  that  ^  The  Father 
is  God,  the  Son  is  God,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  is  God,  and  singly 
each  person  is  God,'  possibly  think  of  God  as  one  ?    Is  it  not 
a  contradiction,  to  which  assent  is  utterly  impossible  ?     That 
they  cannot  be  said  to  be  one  God,  but  only  to  have  a  like  Di- 
vinity, may  be  thus  illustrated.    A  number  of  men  forming 
one  senate,  assembly,  or  council,  cannot  be  called  one  man ; 
although  when  each  and  all  have  the  same  opinion  they  may 
be  said  to  be  one  in  thought.     Neither  can  three  diamonds  of 
the  same  substance  be  called  one  diamond;  although  they  may 
be  called  one  in  substance.    Moreover,  eacli  diamond  would 
differ  from  the  others  in  value  according  to  its  weight,  which 
would  not  be  true  if  they  were  one  instead  of  three.     [4]   But 
I  perceive  the  reason  why  three  persons,  each  one  of  whom  is 
by  Himself  singly  God,  are  called  by  you  one  God,  and  why  you 
enjoin  upon  every  one  in  the  church  so  to  speak,  namely,  be- 
cause all  sound  and  enlightened  reason  in  the  world  acknowl- 
edges God  to  be  one,  and  in  consequence  you  would  be  covered 
with  shame  if  you  too  did  not  speak  in  like  manner.    And  yet 
when  you  utter  the  words  ^one  God'  while  in  your  thoughts 
there  are  three,  that  shame  does  not  prevent  your  giving  ut- 
terance to  both  of  these  ideas." 

After  this  conversation  the  bishop  with  his  clerical  compan- 
ions withdrew,  and  as  he  departed  he  turned  and  tried  to  say, 
"  There  is  one  God  ;"  but  he  could  not  say  it,  because  this  thought 
restrained  his  tongue,  and  with  open  mouth  he  gasped  out, 
*' Three  Gods!''  At  this  strange  sight  the  bystanders  laughed 
derisively  and  departed. 


17.  Afterwards  I  asked  where  I  could  lind  those  of  the  learned 
with  the  keenest  minds  who  stood  for  a  Divine  trinity  divided 
into  three  persons.  Three  of  these  presented  themselves ;  and 
i  said  to  them,  "  How  can  you  divide  the  Divine  trinity  into 
three  persons,  and  assert  that  each  person,  by  Himself  or  singly, 
is  God  and  Lord  ?  Is  not  a  confession  of  the  mouth  that  God 
is  one  thus  made  as  remote  from  the  thought  as  the  south  from 
the  north  ?" 

To  this  tliey  replied,  "  It  is  not  at  all  remote,  since  the  three 
persons  possess  one  essence,  and  the  Divine  essence  is  God.  In 
the  world  we  were  guardians  of  a  trinity  of  persons,  and  the 
ward  under  our  charge  was  our  faith ;  in  that  faith  each  Divine 
person  had  his  office— God  the  Father  to  impute  and  bestow, 
God  the  Son  to  intercede  and  mediate,  and  God  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  carry  out  the  work  of  imputation  and  mediation." 

[2]  But  I  asked,  "  ^^'hat  do  you  mean  by  the  '  Divine  es- 
sence ?' " 

They  said,  "  We  mean  omnipotence,  omniscience,  omnipres- 
ence, immensity,  eternity,  and  equality  of  majesty.'^ 

I  replied,  ''  If  that  essence  makes  one  God  of  several  you 
might  add  more  yet,  for  example,  a  fourth,  mentioned  by 
Moses,  Ezekiel,  and  Job,  under  the  name  of  *  God  Schaddai.' 
Something  of  this  kind  was  done  in  Greece  and  Italy  by  the  an- 
cients, who  ascribed  equal  attributes  and  a  like  essence  to  their 
gods,  for  example,  to  Saturn,  Jove,  Neptune,  Pluto,  Apollo, 
Juno,  Diana,  IVIinerva,  and  even  Mercury  and  Venus  ;  although 
they  could  not  say  that  all  these  were  one  God.  Moreover, 
yourselves,  who  are  three  persons,  and  as  I  apprehend  alike  in 
learning  and  therefore  in  that  respect  of  a  similar  essence,  are 
not  able  to  combine  yourselves  into  one  learned  man." 

They  laughed  at  this,  and  said,  "  You  are  joking.  With  the 
Divine  essence  it  is  different :  it  is  not  tripartite,  but  one ;  not 
divisible,  but  indivisible ;  partition  and  division  do  not  apply 
to  it." 

[3]  Hearing  this  I  said,  ''  Let  us  come  down  to  this  ground 
and  discuss  the  matter."  And  I  asked,  "  What  do  you  mean  by 
a  ^person?'  and  what  does  the  term  signify?" 

They  said,  "  The  term  '  person'  signifies  that  which  has  no 
part  or  quality  in  another,  but  subsists  by  itself.      Thus  do 


26 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  18] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


27 


all  the   heads   of  the   church  define   it,  and  we   agree  with 
them/' 

I  said,  "  Is  this  the  definition  of  ^  person'  ?" 

They  replied,  "  It  is." 

To  this  I  answered,  "  There  is  then  no  part  of  the  Eather  in 
the  Son,  or  of  either  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  From  this  it  follows 
that  each  is  at  His  own  disposal,  and  possesses  His  own  rights 
and  powers ;  and  therefore  there  is  nothing  that  joins  them  to- 
gether except  the  will,  which  is  proper  to  each,  and  thus  com- 
municable at  pleasure.  Does  not  this  make  the  three  '  persons' 
three  distinct  Gods  ?  Listen  again :  You  have  also  defined 
'  person'  as  that  which  subsists  by  itself ;  consequently  there 
are  three  substances  into  which  you  divide  the  Divine  essence ; 
and  yet  you  say  that  this  is  incapable  of  division,  since  it  is  one 
and  indivisible.  Furthermore,  to  each  substance,  that  is,  to  each 
person,  you  attribute  properties  that  do  not  exist  in  the  others, 
and  even  cannot  be  communicated  to  the  others,  namely,  impu- 
tation, mediation,  and  operation.  What  can  follow  from  this 
except  that  the  three  ^  persons'  are  three  Gods  ?" 

At  these  remarks  they  withdrew,  saying,  "  We  will  canvass 
these  statements  and  then  answer  you." 

[4]  There  was  present  a  wise  man  who,  hearing  the  argu- 
ments, said,  ''  I  do  not  care  to  view  this  lofty  subject  through 
such  fine  network ;  but  apart  from  these  subtleties  I  see  clearly 
that  in  your  thought  you  have  the  idea  of  three  Gods  ;  but  as 
you  would  incur  disrepute  by  publishing  this  idea  openly  to  all 
the  world  (for  if  you  did  so  you  would  be  called  madmen  and 
fools),  it  is  expedient  for  you,  in  order  to  avoid  that  ignominy, 
to  confess  with  your  lips  one  God." 

But  the  three,  tenacious  of  their  opinions,  paid  no  attention 
to  this ;  and  as  they  went  away  they  muttered  some  terms  culled 
from  metaphysical  lore :  from  which  I  saw  that  metaphysics 
was  their  tripod  from  which  they  wished  to  give  responses. 


THE    DIVINE    ESSE,    WHICH   IS    JEHOVAH. 

18.  Let  us  first  consider  the  Divine  Esse,  and  afterwards  the 
Divine  essence.  In  appearance  the  two  are  one  and  the  same ; 
but  esse  is  more  universal  than  essence ;  for  essence  implies 


esse,  and  is  derived  from  esse.  The  Esse  of  God  (or  the  Divine 
JiJsse)  it  is  impossible  to  define,  because  it  transcends  every 
idea  of  human  thought,  since  this  can  take  in  only  what  is  cre- 
ated and  finite,  and  not  what  is  uncreate  and  infinite,  and  there- 
fore not  the  Divine  Esse.  The  Divine  Esse  is  Esse  itself,  from 
which  all  things  are,  and  which  must  be  in  all  things  in  order 
that  they  may  have  being.  A  fuller  conception  of  the  Divine 
Esse  may  be  gained  by  the  following  propositions  : 

(1)  The  one  God  is  called  Jehovah  from  Esse,  that  is  because 
He  alone  Is,  Was,  and  Is  To  Be,  and  because  He  is  the  First  and 
the  Last,  the  Beginning  and  the  End,  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega. 

(2)  The  one  God  is  Substance  itself  and  Form  itself,  and  an- 
gels and  men  are  substances  and  forms  from  Him,  and  so  far  as 
they  are  in  Him  and  He  is  in  them  are  images  and  likenesses  of 
Him. 

(3)  The  Divine  Esse  is  at  once  Esse  [Being]  in  itself  and  Ex- 
Istere  [Manifestation]  in  itself. 

(4)  It  is  impossible  for  the  Divine  Esse  and  Existere  in  itself 
to  produce  another  Divine  which  is  Esse  and  Existere  in  itself ; 
therefore  another  God  of  the  same  Essence  is  impossible. 

(5)  The  doctrine  of  a  plurality  of  gods,  both  in  past  ages  and 
at  the  present  day,  sprang  solely  from  a  failure  to  understand 
the  Divine  Esse. 

But  these  propositions  must  be  elucidated  one  by  one. 

19.  (1)  The  one  God  is  called  Jehovah  from  Esse,  that  is,  be- 
cause He  alone  Is,  Was,  ajid  Is  To  Be,  and  because  He  is  the  First 
and  the  Last,  the  Beginning  and  the  End,  the  Alpha  and  the 
Omega.  It  is  known  that  "  Jehovah"  signifies  I  Am  and  To  Be 
{Esse)  ;  and  that  God  has  been  so  called  from  the  most  ancient 
times  is  clear  from  the  Book  of  Creation,  or  Genesis,  where  in 
the  first  chapter  He  is  called  "  God,"  and  in  the  second  and 
subsequent  chapters  ''  Jehovah  God,"  and  afterwards,  when  the 
children  of  Abraham  through  Jacob,  during  their  long  sojourn 
in  Egypt,  forgot  the  name  of  God,  it  was  recalled  to  their  re- 
membrance ;  of  which  as  follows  : 

Moses  said  nnto  God,  Wliat  is  Thy  name  ?  God  said  unto  Moses,  T 
am  who  I  Am,  thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  I  Am  hath 
sent  Me  unto  you  ;  and  thou  shalt  say,  Jehovah  God  of  your  fathers  hath 
sent  Me  unto  you  :  this  is  My  name  to  eternity,  and  this  is  My  memorial 
from  generation  to  generation  {Ezod.  iii.  13-15). 


28 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I, 


N.  20] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


29 


Since  God  alone  is  the  I  Am  and  Esse,  or  Jehovah,  nothing  can 
exist  in  the  created  universe  that  does  not  derive  its  esse  from 
Him ;  but  how  will  be  seen  below.    The  words  : — 

I  am  the  First  and  the  Last,  the  Beginning  and  the  End,  the  Alpha  and 
the  Omega  (/sa.  xliv.  6 ;  Rev.  i.  8,  11 ;  xxii.  13), 

have  the  same  meaning,  signifying.  Who  is  the  Itself  and  the 
Only  from  things  first  to  things  last,  the  source  of  all  things. 
[i2]  God  is  called  "  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  Beginning 
and  the  End,"  because  Alpha  is  the  first  letter  in  the  Greek 
alphabet  and  Omega  the  last ;  and  therefore  the  two  signify  all 
things  in  the  complex.  This  is  because  each  letter  in  the  alpha- 
bet in  the  spiritual  world  signifies  a  thing.  And  as  the  vowels 
furnish  the  tone,  they  signify  something  belonging  to  affection 
or  love.  This  is  the  origin  both  of  spiritual  or  angelic  speech 
and  of  writing  there.  But  it  is  an  arcanum  hitherto  unknown  ; 
for  there  is  a  universal  language  which  is  the  language  of  all 
angels  and  spirits,  and  which  has  nothing  in  common  with  any 
language  of  men  in  the  world;  into  this  language  every  one 
comes  after  death,  for  it  is  inherent  in  every  man  from  his  crea- 
tion ;  consequently  in  the  spiritual  world  every  one  can  under- 
stand every  other.  I  have  frequently  been  permitted  to  hear 
that  language ;  and  I  have  compared  it  with  languages  in  the 
world,  and  have  found  that  in  no  respect  whatever  does  it  agree 
with  any  natural  language  on  earth.  It  differs  from  them  in 
its  initial  element,  which  is  that  each  letter  in  each  word  has 
its  special  meaning.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  God  is  called  Al- 
pha and  Omega,  which  means  that  He  is  the  Itself  and  the  Only 
from  things  first  to  things  last,  the  source  of  all  things.  But 
regarding  this  speech  and  form  of  writing,  which  flows  from 
the  spiritual  thought  of  the  angels,  see  the  work  on  Conjugial 
Love  (n.  326-329) ;  also  in  the  following  pages. 

20.  (2)  Tills  One  God  is  Substance  itself  and  Form  itself,  and 
angels  and  men  are  substa?ices  and  forms  from  Him,  and  so  far 
as  they  are  in  H'lm  and  He  in  them  are  images  and  likenesses 
of  Him.  As  God  is  Esse  He  is  also  Substance  ;  for  unless  Esse 
is  substance  it  is  a  figment  of  the  reason ;  for  substance  has 
subsistent  being.  Moreover,  one  who  is  a  substance  is  also  a 
form  ;  for  unless  a  substance  is  a  form  it  is  a  figment  of  the  rea- 


son.   Wherefore  both  substance  and  form  may  be  predicated 
of  (xod,  but  in  the  sense  that  He  is  the  only,  the  very,  and  the 
primal  Substance  and  Form.    That  this  Form  is  the  verily  Hu. 
man  Form,  that  is,  that  God  is  verily  Man,  infinite  in  every 
respect,  has  been  shown  in  Angelic  Wisdom  concerning  the  Dl- 
rine  Love  and  Divine  Wisdom,  published  at  Amsterdam  in  1763 ; 
where  it  is  also  shown  that  angels  and  men  are  substances  and 
forms  created  and  organized  for  receiving  what  is  Divine  flow- 
ing into  them  through  heaven.    For  this  reason  they  are  called 
in  the  Book  of  Creation  "images  and  likenesses  of  God''  {Ge7i. 
i.  2Q,  21) ;  and  elsewhere  "  His  sons,"  and  "  born  of  Him."    In 
the  course  of  this  work  it  will  be  fully  shown  that  so  far  as 
man  lives  under  Divine  direction,  that  is,  suffers  himself  to  be 
led  by  God,  so  far  he  becomes  an  image  of  God  more  and  more 
interiorly.    Unless  an  idea  is  formed  of  God  as  the  primal  Sub- 
stance and  Form,  and  of  His  Form  as  the  verily  Human  Form, 
the  human  mind  may  easily  involve  itself  in  spectral  fancies 
about  God  Himself,  the  origin  of  man,  and  the  creation  of  the 
v/orld.     It  would  then  have  no  other  conception  of  God  than 
as  the  nature  of  the  universe  in  its  first  principles,  that  is,  as 
Its  expanse,  or  else  as  emptiness  or  nothingness  ;  nor  any  other 
conception  of  man's  origin  than  as  a  flowing  together  of  ele- 
ments into  that  form  by  mere  chance ;  nor  of  the  creation  of 
the  world  than  that  its  substances  and  forms  originated  in 
points,  and  afterwards  in  geometrical  lines,  which  are  essen- 
tially nothing,  because  nothing  can  l)e  predicated  of  them.    In 
such  minds  everything  belonging  to  the  church  is  like  the  Styx 
or  like  Tartarean  darkness. 

21.   (3)   The  Divine  Esse  is  at  once  Esse  [Being']  in  itself  and 
Existere  [Manifestation]  in  itself    Jehovah  God  is  Esse  in  it- 
self, because  He  is  the  I  Am,  the  Only,  and  the  First,  from  eter- 
nity to  eternity,  the  source  of  everything  that  is,  without  whom 
It  could  not  be.     In  this  way  and  not  otherwise  He  is  the  Be- 
ginning and  the  End,  the  First  and  the  Last,  the  Alpha  and 
Omega.    It  cannot  be  said  that  His  Esse  is  from  Itself,  because 
the  expression /ro?;^  itself  \m\)\\e^  something  prior,  and  there- 
fore time ;  and  time  is  not  applicable  to  the  Infinite,  which  is 
railed  infinite  from  eternity  ;  it  also  implies  another  God  who 
is  God  in  Himself,  thus  it  implies  God  from  God,  or  that  God 


3 

1 


30 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  22] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


31 


formed  Himself ;  in  which  case  He  would  neither  be  uncreate 
nor  infinite,  for  He  would  thus  have  made  Himself  finite,  either 
from  Himself  or  from  another.  From  the  fact  that  God  is  Esse 
in  itself  it  follows  that  He  is  Love  in  itself,  Wisdom  in  itself^ 
and  Life  in  itself,  and  that  He  is  the  Itself,  the  source  of  all 
things,  to  which  each  thing  must  have  relation  in  order  to  be 
anything.  That  God  is  God  because  He  is  Life  in  itself  is  evi- 
dent from  the  Lord's  words  in  John  (v.  2^)  ;  and  in  Isaiah  : — 

I  am  Jehovah  that  maketh  all  things ;  that  spreadeth  forth  the  heav- 
ens alone  ;  that  stretcheth  forth  the  earth  by  Myself  (xliv.  24) ; 

and  that  He  alone  is  God,  and  beside  Him  there  is  no  God  {Isa. 
xlv.  14, 15,  21,  22 ;  IIos.  xiii.  4).  God  is  not  only  Esse  [Being] 
in  itself,  but  also  Existere  [Manifestation]  in  itself,  because  Esse 
without  Existere  is  nothing,  equally  so  Existere  unless  it  is 
from  Esse  ;  therefore  where  the  one  is  the  other  must  needs  be. 
The  same  is  true  of  substance  and  form.  Unless  a  substance 
is  also  a  form  nothing  can  be  predicated  of  it,  and  for  the  rea- 
son that  having  no  quality  it  is  in  itself  nothing.  The  terms 
esse  and  existere  are  here  used,  and  not  essence  and  existence, 
because  a  distinction  must  be  made  between  esse  and  essence, 
and  between  existere  and  existence,  like  that  between  the  prior 
and  the  posterior,  the  prior  being  more  universal  than  the  pos- 
terior. To  the  Divine  Esse  infinity  and  eternity  are  applicable ; 
while  to  the  Divine  Essence  and  Existence,  Divine  love  and 
wisdom  are  applicable,  and  through  these  two  omnipotence  and 
omnipresence,  which  will  be  considered  in  their  order. 

22.  That  God  is  the  Itself,  the  Only,  and  the  First,  which  is 
called  Esse  and  Existere  in  Itself,  the  source  of  all  that  has  be- 
ing and  existence,  the  natural  man  is  wholly  unable  to  discover 
by  his  own  reason ;  for  by  his  own  reason  the  natural  man  can 
apprehend  only  what  belongs  to  nature,  since  that  agrees  with 
the  essential  nature  of  his  reason,  because  from  his  infancy 
and  childhood  nothing  else  had  entered  into  his  reason.  But 
because  man  was  so  created  as  to  be  spiritual  as  well  as  natu- 
ral, since  he  is  to  continue  to  live  after  death,  and  then  to  live 
among  those  who  are  spiritual  in  their  world,  God  has  provided 
the  Word,  in  which  He  has  revealed  not  only  Himself  but  also 
that  there  is  a  heaven  and  a  hell,  and  that  in  one  or  the  other 


of  these  every  man  is  to  live  to  eternity,  in  accordance  both 
with  his  life  and  his  faith.    Moreover,  God  has  revealed  in  the 
Word  that  He  is  the  I  Am  or  Esse  and  the  Itself  and  Only, 
which  in  itself  Is,  and  thus  the  First  or  Beginning,  the  source 
of  all  things.     [2]  By  this  revelation  the  natural  man  is  en- 
abled to  raise  himself  above  nature,  thus  above  himself,  and  to 
see  such  things  as  pertain  to  God,  yet  only  as  if  at  a  distance, 
although  God  is  nigh  to  every  man,  for  in  His  essence  He  is  in 
man ;  and  being  in  man  He  is  very  nigh  to  those. who  love  Him; 
and  those  love  Him  who  live  according  to  His  commandments 
and  believe  in  Him ;  these  as  it  were  see  Him.    What  is  faith 
but  to  see  spiritually  that  God  is  ?    And  what  is  a  life  accord- 
ing to  His  commandments  but  an  acknowledgment  in  act  that 
from  Him  are  salvation  and  eternal  life  ?      But  those  whose 
faith  is  not  spiritual  but  natural,  which  is  mere  knowledge, 
and  whose  life  is  therefore  natural,  do  indeed  see  God,  but 
from  afar  off,  and  this  only  when  they  speak  of  Him.    The  dif. 
ference  between  these  two  classes  is  like  the  difference  between 
those  who  stand  in  a  clear  light  and  see  men  near  by  and  touch 
them,  and  those  who  stand  in  a  thick  mist  in  which  they  are 
miable  to  distinguish  between  men  and  trees  or  stones.     [3] 
Or  it  is  like  the  difference  between  men  on  a  high  mountain 
on  which  there  is  a  city,  who  are  going  about  there  having  in- 
tercourse with  their  feUow-townsmen,  and  men  looking  down 
from  the  top  of  that  mountain  who  are  unable  to  tell  whether 
the  objects  they  see  below  are  people,  beasts,  or  statues.     Or 
It  IS  like  the  difference  between  men  standing  upon  some  plan- 
et and  seeing  those  about  them,  and  men  on  another  planet 
looking  at  these  through  telescopes,  and  saying  that  they  see 
people  there,  when  in  fact  they  see  nothing  but  a  most  general 
outline  of  the  land  as  lunar  brightness,  and  the  watery  parts  as 
spots.     Such  IS  the  difference  in  seeing  God  and  the  Divine 
things  in  the  mind  that  go  forth  from  Him,  between  those  who 
.are  both  in  faith  and  in  a  life  of  charity,  and  those  who  merely 
know  about  faith  and  charity;  and  such  consequently  is  the 
dilterence  between  natural  and  spiritual  men.     But  those  who 
aeny  the  Divine  holiness  of  the  Word,  and  yet  carry  their  re- 
ligion about  as  in  a  sack  upon  the  back,  do  not  see  God  at  all, 
but  only  utter  the  word  "  God,^'  almost  like  parrots 


ii«gAAM«a[iirtiifMiiititiiga 


32  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 

23    (4)  It  is  impossible  for  the  Divine  Esse  and  Existere  in 
itSi  topZlu^  Ltker  Divine  which  is  Esse  and  Ex^stere^n 
Mf     thZfore  another  God  of  the  same  Essence  .  rmpossMe 
tt  Senihown  already  that  the  one  God  who  .s  th^C^ea^ 
L  of  the  universe,  is  Esse  and  Existere  m  itself,  that  is  Uod 
"hIIi      and  from  this  it  follows  that  God  from  God  is 
i'SUause  in  such  a  being  the  venly  essential  Divm^ 
Xh  is  Esse  and  Existere  in  itself,  is  impossible.     It  is  the 
Ta^  whether  you  say  "  begotten  of  God''  or  "  PJ^^^^^^ 
TnH  ."  it  means,  in  either  case,  produced  by  God,  and  this  cm 
?e  s  U  S  f;om  l>eing  created.    Therefore,  to  introc  -e  - 
o  the  church  a  belief  in  three  Divine  persons  each  of  whoui 
iX  is  Ood,  and  of  the  same  essence,  one  of  them  born  from 
etermt'  and'a  third  proceeding  from  eternity,  is  to  dejroy 
utterly    he  idea  of  God's  unity,  and  with  it  every  idea  of  Di- 
V  n        and  so  cause  all  the  spirituality  of  reason  to  be  driven 
nto  ex  le     Then  man  is  man  no  longer ;  but  is  so  wholly  nat- 
ural as  to  differ  from  a  beast  only  in  the  power  of  speech  and 
ZoZo^l  to  all  the  spiritual  things  of  the  church,  for  these 
he  natural  man  calls  foolishness.    This  is  the  source  and  only 
source  from  which  have  sprung  the  monstrous  heresies  con- 
cern n.  God;  and  thus  the  division  of  the  Divine  trnuty  mo 
pe^^ont  has  introduced  into  the  church  not  night  alone  bu 
death  as  well.    [2]  That  the  identity  of  three  Divme  Essences 
?s  an  offense  to  relson  was  made  evident  to  me  by  angels,  who 
said  that  they  could  not  even  utter  the  words  ''  three  equal  di- 
"uit      ;"  and  that  if  any  one  should  come  into  their  presence 
wishing  to  utter  these  words  he  could  not  but  turn  himself 
Iway  ;  and  after  uttering  them  he  would  become  like  the  tnink 
o    a  ;an,  and  would  be  hurled  downward;  and  would  after- 
wards Intake  himself  to  those  in  hell  who  do  not  acknowledge 
Ty  God.     The  truth  is  that  to  implant  in  the  mmd  of  a  chi  d 
orVouth  the  idea  of  three  Divine  persons,  to  which  inevitably 
the  idea  of  three  Gods  clings,  is  to  deprive  it  o    all  spiritual 
Sk  and  then  of  all  spiritual  food,  and  finally  of  all  ability  to 
reason  spirituallv,  and  to  bring  spiritual  death  upon  those  who 
confirm  themselves  in  that  idea.     The  difference  between  those 
who  in  faith  and  heart  worship  one  (^d  as  the  Creator  of  the 
universe,  and  those  who  worship  Him  as  both  the  Redeemer 


N.  23] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


33 


and  the  Regenerator,  is  like  the  difference  between  the  city  of 
Zion  in  the  tune  of  David  and  the  city  of  Jerusalem  in  the  time 
of  Solomon  after  the  temple  had  been  built;  while  a  church 
that  believes  in  three  persons  and  in  each  as  a  distinct  God,  is 
like  the  city  of  Zion  and  Jerusalem  after  it  had  been  over- 
thrown by  Vespasian  and  the  temple  burned.  Furthermore, 
the  man  who  worships  one  God  in  whom  is  a  Divine  trinity, 
and  who  is  thus  one  Terson,  becomes  more  and  more  a  living 
and  angelic  man ;  while  he  who  contirms  himself  in  a  belief  in 
a  plurality  of  Gods  from  believing  in  a  plurality  of  persons, 
gradually  becomes  like  a  statue  with  movable  joints,  within 
which  Satan  stands  and  speaks  through  its  artificial  mouth. 

24.  (5)  TJie  doctrine  of  a  j^lit^rality  of  gods,  both  in  past  ages 
and  at  the  present  day,  has  sprung  solely  froiri  a  failure  to  un- 
derstand the  Divine  Esse.  It  has  been  shown  above  (n.  8)  that 
the  unity  of  God  is  inmostly  inscribed  on  the  mind  of  every 
man,  since  it  lies  at  the  center  of  all  that  flows  from  God  into 
the  soul  of  man  ;  and  yet  it  has  not  descended  therefrom  into 
the  human  understanding,  for  the  reason  that  the  knowledges 
by  which  man  must  ascend  to  meet  God  have  been  lacking. 
For  every  one  must  prepare  the  way  for  God,  that  is,  must 
pre})are  himself  for  reception ;  and  this  is  done  by  means  of 
knowledges.  The  knowledges  that  have  been  lacking,  and  that 
enable  the  understanding  to  penetrate  far  enough  to  see  that 
God  is  one,  and  that  not  more  than  one  Divine  Esse  is  possi- 
ble, and  that  from  Him  is  every  thing  in  nature,  are  as  fol- 
lows :- — (1)  Heretofore  no  one  has  known  anything  about  the 
spiritual  world,  the  abode  of  spirits  and  angels,  which  every 
man  enters  after  death.  (2)  It  is  equally  unknown  that  there 
is  in  that  world  a  sun,  which  is  pure  love  from  Jehovah  God, 
who  is  in  the  midst  of  it.  (3)  That  from  this  sun  a  heat  goes 
forth,  which  in  its  essence  is  love,  and  a  light  which  in  its  es- 
sence is  wisdom.  (4)  That  in  consequence  all  things  in  that 
world  are  spiritual,  and  affect  the  internal  man,  and  consti- 
tute his  will  and  understanding.  (5)  That  Jehovah  God  from 
His  sun  has  produced  not  only  the  spiritual  world  and  all  the 
spiritual  things  in  it,  which  are  innumerable  and  substantial, 
but  also  the  natural  world  and  all  the  natui-al  things  in  it, 

which  also  are  innumerable  but  are  material.    (6)  Hitherto  no 
3 


34 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  L 


N.  24] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


35 


one  has  known  what  the  distinction  is  between  the  spiritual 
and  the  natural,  nor  even  what  the  spiritual  is  m  its  essence 
(7)  Nor  has  any  one  known  that  there  are  three  degrees  of 
love  and  wisdom,  in  accordance  with  which  the  angelic  heav- 
ens are  arranged.     (8)  Nor  that  the  human  mmd  is  divided 
into  that  number  of  degrees,  to  the  end  that  it  may  be  raised 
after  death  into  one  of  the  three  heavens,  which  takes  place 
in  accordance  both  with  its  life  and  its  faith.     (9)  Finally, 
that  not  the  least  particle  of  any  of  these  things  could  have 
had  existence  except  from  a  Divine  Esse  which  in  itself  is  the 
Itself,  and  thus  the  First  and  the  Beginning,  the  source  of  aU 
things.    Hitherto  these  knowledges  have  been  lacking ;  and 
yet  these  are  the  means  through  which  a  man  may  rise  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  Divine  Esse.     [2]  It  is  said  that  the  man 
rises  ;  but  the  meaning  is  that  he  is  raised  up  by  God.    For  in 
acquiring  knowledges  for  himself  man  exercises  his  freedom 
of  choice ;  but  as  he  acquires  for  himself  knowledges  from  the 
Word  by  means  of  his  understanding  he  prepares  the  way  by 
which  God  comes  down  and  raises  him  up.     The  knowledges 
by  means  of  which  the  human  understanding  rises,  God  hold- 
ing it  in  His  hand  and  leading  it,  may  be  likened  to  the  steps 
of  the  ladder  seen  by  Jacob,  which  was  set  upon  the  earth  with 
the  top  of  it  reaching  to  heaven,  by  which  the  angels  ascended 
while  Jehovah  stood  above  it  {Gen.  xxviii.  12, 13).    It  is  wholly 
different  when  these  knowledges  are  lacking,  or  when  man  de- 
spises them.     In  that  case  the  elevation  of  the  understanding 
might  be  likened  to  a  ladder  reaching  from  the  ground  to  the 
windows  in  the  first  story  of  a  magnificent  palace  which  is  a 
dwelling-place  of  men,  and  not  to  the  windows  of  the  second 
story  which  is  a  dwelling-place  of  spirits,  and  still  less  to  the 
windows  of  the  third  story  which  is  a  dwelling-place  of  angels. 
The  result  of  this  is  that  man  remains  in  the  atmospheres  and 
material  things  of  nature  only,  and  confines  his  eyes  and  ears 
and  nostrils  to  these,  and  from  these  he  derives  no  other  ideas 
of  heaven  and  of  the  Esse  and  Essence  of  God  than  such  as  per^ 
tain  to  the  atmospheres  and  to  matter.     Thinking  from  such 
ideas  man  can  form  no  conclusions  about  God,  as  to  whether 
He  is  or  is  not,  or  whether  He  is  one  or  many ;  still  less  what 
He  is  in  respect  to  His  Esse  and  Essence,     This  is  the  origin 


1 


i 


of  the  belief  in  the  plurality  of  gods,  both  in  past  ages  and  at 
the  present  day. 

26.  To  this  I  will  add  the  following  Memorable  Relation  : — 
On  one  occasion,  awaking  from  sleep  I  fell  into  a  profound 
meditation  about  God ;  and  looking  up  1  saw  above  me  in  heav- 
en an  exceedingly  bright  light  of  oval  form ;  and  as  I  fixed  my 
gaze  upon  it  the  light  withdrew  to  the  sides  and  formed  a  cir- 
cle ;  and  then,  behold,  heaven  opened  to  me,  and  I  saw  magni- 
ticent  scenes,  and  angels  standing  in  a  circle  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  opening  talking  together.  As  I  greatly  wished  to 
hear  what  they  were  saying,  I  was  permitted  first  to  hear  the 
sound  of  their  voices,  which  was  full  of  heavenly  love,  and 
afterwards  what  they  said,  which  was  full  of  wisdom  from  that 

love. 

They  were  talking  together  about  the  One  God,  and  conjuno 
tlon  with  Him,  and  salvation  therebij.  They  uttered  things  in- 
effable, most  of  which  could  not  possibly  be  expressed  in  any 
natural  language.  But  at  different  times  I  had  been  in  com- 
pany with  the  angels  in  heaven  itself,  and  at  such  times  had 
been  in  a  state  like  theirs  and  in  a  similar  language,  and  con- 
sequently I  was  now  able  to  understand  them,  and  select  from 
what  they  said  some  things  that  can  be  rationally  expressed 
in  the  words  of  natural  language. 

[ii]  They  said  that  the  Divine  Esse  is  One,  the  Same,  the  It- 
self, and  Indivisible.  Tins  they  illustrated  by  spiritual  ideas, 
saying  that  the  Divine  Esse  could  not  separate  itself  into  sev- 
eral, each  of  them  possessing  the  Divine  Essr,  and  still  itself 
])e  One,  the  Same,  and  Indivisible ;  since  each  one  from  His 
own  Esse  Avould  then  think  from  Himself  and  by  Himself  sep- 
arately ;  and  even  if  the  Divine  Esse  could  so  separate  itself, 
and  all  should  think  unanimously,  each  from  the  others,  there 
would  still  be  several  unanimous  Gods,  and  not  one  God.  For 
unanimity,  which  means  the  agreement  of  several,  each  for 
himself  and  by  himself,  is  not  consistent  with  the  unity,  but 
only  with  the  plurality  of  God.  The  angels  did  not  say  "  of 
Gods,''  because  they  could  not ;  for  such  an  expression  would 
be  strenuously  resisted  by  the  light  of  heaven,  which  is  the 
source  of  their  thought,  and  by  the  aura  in  which  their  words 
are  conveyed. 


i 


36 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  25] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


37 


They  said  furthermore,  that  when  they  wished  to  utter  the 
word  "  Gods,"  meaning  each  one  a  person  by  himself,  the  effort 
to  utter  it  fell  at  once  into  the  expression  "  one  God,"  and  even 
"  one  only  God."  To  this  they  added  that  the  Divine  jtJsse  is 
Divine  JfJsse  in  itself,  not  from  itself ;  because  the  expression 
"from  itself"  implies  esse  in  itself  from  another  and  prior 
Usse  ;  and  this  implies  a  God  from  God,  which  is  impossible. 
That  which  is  from  God  is  not  called  God,  but  is  called  Di- 
vine ;  for  what  is  a  God  from  God  ?  Thus  what  is  a  God  born 
from  God  from  eternity  ?  And  is  a  God  going  forth  from  God 
through  a  God  born  from  eternity  anything  else  than  words  in 
which  there  is  no  light  from  heaven  ? 

[3]  They  said  still  further,  that  the  Divine  Usse,  which  is 
in  itself  God,  is  the  Same ;  not  the  Same  simply,  but  infinite- 
ly, that  is,  the  Same  from  eternity  to  eternity ;  the  Same  every 
where  and  the  Same  with  every  one  and  in  every  one ;  and  that 
all  variableness  and  change  are  in  the  recipient,  caused  by  the 
state  of  the  recipient. 

That  the  Divine  Usse  which  is  God  in  Himself  is  the  Itself, 
they  illustrated  thus : — God  is  the  Itself  because  He  is  love 
itself  and  wisdom  itself,  that  is.  He  is  good  itself  and  truth 
itself,  and  therefore  life  itself.  Unless  these  in  God  were  love 
and  wisdom  itself  and  were  good  and  truth  itself  and  there- 
fore life  itself,  they  would  not  be  anything  in  heaven  and  in 
the  world,  because  there  would  be  nothing  in  them  related  to 
the  Itself.  Every  quality  is  what  it  is  from  the  fact  that  there 
is  an  Itself  in  which  it  originates,  and  to  which  it  must  be  re- 
lated in  order  to  be  what  it  is.  This  Itself,  which  is  the  Di- 
vine Esse,  is  not  in  place ;  but  it  is  present  with  and  in  those 
who  are  in  place  in  accordance  with  their  reception  of  it,  since 
place,  or  progress  from  place  to  place,  cannot  be  predicated  of 
love  and  wisdom  nor  of  good  and  truth,  nor  of  life  therefrom, 
which  are  Itself  in  God,  and  are  even  God  Himself.  On  this 
rests  His  omnipotence.  So  the  Lord  says  that  ITe  is  in  the 
midst  of  them,  and  that  He  is  in  them  and  they  in  Him.  [4] 
But  as  He  can  be  received  by  no  one  as  He  is  in  Himself,  what 
He  is  in  His  essence  is  made  manifest  as  a  sun  above  the  an- 
gelic heavens,  and  what  goes  forth  from  that  sun  as  light  is 
Himself  in  respect  to  wisdom,  and  what  goes  forth  as  heat 


is  Himself  in  respect  to  love.  That  sun  is  not  God  Himself ; 
but  the  Divine  love  and  Divine  wisdom  as  they  most  nearly 
proceed  from  Him,  all  about  Him  are  seen  by  the  angels  as  a 
sun.  He  Himself  within  the  sun  is  a  Man.  He  is  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  in  regard  hotlu  to  the  Divine  from  which  [He  is] 
and  to  the  Divine  Human,  because  the  Itself  which  is  love 
itself  and  wisdom  itself  was  His  soul  from  the  Father,  that  is, 
the  Divine  life,  or  life  in  itself.  It  is  not  thus  in  any  man.  In 
man  the  soul  is  not  life,  but  is  a  recipient  of  life.  This  the 
Lord  teaches,  saying : — 

I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  {John  xiv.  6). 
And  again  : — 

As  the  Father  hath  life  in  Himself,  so  hath  He  given  to  the  Son  to 
have  life  in  Himself  {John  v.  26) ; 

"life  in  Himself"  meaning  God. 

To  this  they  added,  that  those  who  are  in  any  spiritual  light 
are  able  to  perceive  from  these  statements  that  the  Divine  Esse, 
because  it  is  One,  the  Same,  the  Itself,  and  Indivisible,  cannot 
exist  in  several ;  and  if  the  opposite  is  asserted  manifest  con- 
tradictions must  result. 
^       26.  When  I  had  heard  this  the  angels  perceived  in  my  thought 
•    those  ideas  of  God  that  prevail  in  the  Christian  Church  re- 
j   specting  a  trinity  of  persons  in  unity  and  a  unity  of  persons 

)in  a  trinity ;  also  respecting  a  birth  of  the  Son  of  God  from 
eternity ;  and  they  said,  "  What  is  your  thought  ?    Are  you  not 
J  thinking  from  natural  light,  which  is  not  in  accord  with  our 
.  I  spiritual  light  ?    Unless,  therefore,  you  dismiss  these  ideas  we 
^  must  shut  up  heaven  against  you  and  depart." 
■      But  I  said, '-  Enter,  I  pray  you,  more  deeply  into  my  thought, 
and  you  will  see,  perhaps,  that  there  is  an  agreement  between 
us."     This  they  did ;  and  they  saw  that  by  three  persons  I  un- 
derstood three  Divine  attributes  going  forth,  Creatioi;,  Redemp- 
tion, and  He  gene  rat  ion,  and  that  these  are  attributes  of  one 
God ;  also  that  by  the  birth  of  the  Son  of  God  from  eternity 
I  understood  His  birth  foreseen  from  eternity  and  provided 
in  time ;  also  that  to  think  of  the  Son  born  of  God  from  eter- 
[nity  would,  to  me,  be  not  above  nature  and  reason  but  contrary 
ito  nature  and  reason ;  while  to  think  of  the  Son  bom  of  God 


38 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


1 

■■m 


N.  ii7] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


39 


in  time  through  the  virgin  Mary  as  the  only  Son  of  God,  and 
the  only-begotten,  is  very  different ;  and  to  believe  otherwise 
than  this  would  be  a  monstrous  error.  I  then  told  them  that 
the  source  of  my  natural  thought  about  a  trinity  and  unity 
of  persons,  and  the  birth  of  a  Son  of  God  from  eternity,  was 
the  doctrine  of  faith  in  the  church  which  has  its  name  from 

Athanasius. 

Then  the  angels  said, ''  Very  well,"'  and  asked  me  to  say  from 
them  that  only  those  who  approach  the  very  God  of  heaven  and 
earth  can  enter  heaven,  because  heaven  is  heaven  from  that  only 
God,  and  that  this  God  is  Jrsus  Christ,  who  is  the  Lord  Je- 
hovah, from  eternitij  the  Creator,  in  time  the  lledeemer,  and  to 
eternity  the  Regenerator,  thus  who  is  at  once  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Spirit ;  and  this,  they  said,  is  the  gospel  to  be  preached. 

After  this  the  heavenly  light  which  had  been  seen  before  over 
the  opening  returned,  and  gradually  descended  and  tilled  the 
interiors  of  my  mind,  and  enlightened  my  ideas  on  the  trinity 
and  unity  of  God ;  and  the  ideas  which  I  had  first  formed  on 
these  subjects,  and  whicli  had  been  merely  natural,  1  then  saw 
separated  as  chaff  is  se]>arated  from  wheat  by  winnowing,  and 
carried  away  as  by  a  wind  to  the  north  of  heaven,  and  scattered. 


THE    INFINITY    OF    GOD,  OR    HIS    IMMENSITY    AND    ETERNITY. 

27.  There  are  two  properties  of  the  natural  world  which 
cause  all  things  of  it  to  be  hnite ;  one  is  space,  and  the  other 
time.  And  as  the  natural  workl  was  created  by  God,  and  space 
and  time  were  created  together  with  it  and  render  it  finite,  it 
is  necessary  to  treat  of  the  two  origins  of  these  properties, 
namely,  Immensity  and  Eternity ;  for  the  immensity  of  God 
relates  to  spaces  and  His  eternity  to  times  ;  while  both  immen- 
sity and  eternity  are  included  in  hifiiiity.  But  because  the 
infinite  transcends  the  finite,  and  because  a  knowledge  of  the  in- 
finite transcends  the  finite  mind,  to  render  it  in  some  measure 
conceivable  it  shall  be  carefully  considered  in  the  following 
order : — 


■i 


(1)  God  is  Infinite  because  He  is  Being  and  Existence  in  Him- 
self, and  because  all  things  in  the  universe  have  their  being  and 
existence  from  Him. 

(2)  God  is  Infinite  because  He  was  before  the  world  was,  thus 
before  spaces  and  times  arose. 

(3)  Since  the  creation  of  the  world  God  is  in  space  without 
space,  and  in  time  without  time. 

(4)  In  relation  to  spaces  God's  Infinity  is  called  Immensity, 
while  in  relation  to  times  it  is  called  Eternity ;  but  although 
they  are  so  related  there  is  nothing  of  space  in  His  Immensity 
and  nothing  of  time  in  His  Eternity. 

(5)  The  Infinity  of  God  can  be  seen  by  enlightened  reason 
in  very  many  things  in  the  world. 

(6)  Every  created  thing  is  finite,  and  the  Infinite  is  in  finite 
things  as  in  its  receptacles,  and  is  in  men  as  in  its  images. 

These  propositions  shall  be  explained  one  by  one. 

28.  (1)  God  is  Infinite  because  He  is  Being  and  Existence  in 
Himself,  and  because  all  things  in  the  universe  have  their  be- 
ing and  existence  from  Him.  It  has  been  already  shown  that 
God  is  One,  that  He  is  the  Itself,  that  He  is  the  primal  Esse 
of  all  things,  and  that  all  things  in  the  universe  that  have 
being,  existence,  and  subsistence,  are  from  Him,  and  conse- 
quently that  He  is  infinite.  That  human  reason  is  able  from 
very  many  things  in  the  created  universe  to  recognize  this  will 
be  made  clear  hereafter.  But  although  the  human  mind  is 
able  from  all  this  to  acknowledge  that  the  primal  Being  or  pri- 
mal Esse  is  infinite,  it  is  nevertheless  unable  to  comprehend 
what  that  Being  is,  and  therefore  can  only  define  it  as  the  in- 
finite All  and  the  Self-subsistent,  and  hence  as  the  very  and 
the  only  substance ;  and  since  nothing  can  be  predicated  of  sub- 
stance unless  it  has  form,  it  is  the  very  and  only  Form.  But 
what  does  this  mean  ?  It  does  not  make  clear  what  the  in- 
finite is ;  for  the  human  mind  itself,  even  when  in  the  high- 
est degree  analytical  and  exalted,  is  finite ;  and  its  finiteness 
is  inseparable  from  it;  and  for  this  reason  the  human  mind 
is  wholly  incapable  of  seeing  the  infinity  of  God  as  it  is  in 
Itself,  thus  of  seeing  God ;  although  it  can  from  behind  see 
God  obscurely,  as  was  said  to  Moses  when  he  prayed  to  see 
God:— 


40 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  29] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


41 


That  he  should  be  placed  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock,  and  should  see  His 
back  parts  {Exod.  xxxiii.  20-23)  ; 

"  the  back  parts  of  God"  meaning  what  is  visible  in  the  world, 
and  especially  what  is  perceptible  in  the  Word.  All  this  shows 
how  vain  it  is  to  wish  to  comprehend  what  God  is  in  His  Esse, 
or  in  His  substance ;  and  that  it  is  sufficient  to  acknowledge 
Him  from  finite  things,  that  is,  from  things  created,  in  which 
He  is  infinitely.  The  man  who  is  not  content  with  this  may 
be  likened  to  a  fish  out  of  water,  or  to  a  bird  under  an  air- 
pump,  which,  as  the  air  is  withdrawn,  gasps  and  finally  dies.  Or 
he  may  be  likened  to  a  vessel  which,  overcome  by  a  storm  and 
failing  to  obey  its  helm,  is  carried  upon  rocks  and  quicksands. 
So  it  is  with  those  who  wish  to  comprehend  from  within  the 
infinity  of  God,  and  are  not  content  with  being  able  to  ac- 
knowledge it  in  its  manifest  indications  from  without.  It  is 
related  of  a  certain  philosopher  among  the  ancients  that  not 
being  able  to  see  or  comprehend  the  eternity  of  the  world  in 
the  light  of  his  own  mind  he  threw  himself  into  the  sea.  What 
if  he  had  wished  to  see  or  comprehend  the  infinity  of  God ! 

29.   (2)    God  is  Infinite  because  He  teas  before  the  world  was, 
thus  before  spaces  and  times  arose.     In  the  natural  world  there 
are  spaces  and  times  ;  but  in  the  spiritual  world  these  exist  only 
apparently,  and  not  actually.    Time  and  space  were  introduced 
into  these  worlds  for  the  purpose  of  distinguishing  one  thing 
from  another,  the  great  from  the  small,  the  many  from  the  few, 
thus  quantity  from  quantity,  and  so  quality  from  quality ;  also 
to  enable  the  bodily  senses  to  distinguish  between  their  objects, 
and  the  mental  senses  between  theirs,  and  thereby  to  be  affect- 
ed, and  to  think  and  choose.     In  the  natural  world  times  were 
established  by  the  rotation  of  the  earth  on  its  axis,  and  by  the 
progression  of  these  rotations  from  point  to  point  along  the  zo- 
diac, these  movements  being  made  apparently  by  the  sun,  from 
which  the  whole  terraqueous  globe  derives  its  heat  and  light. 
From  this  come  the  divisions  of  the  day,  morning,  noon,  even- 
ing, and  night ;  and  the  seasons  of  the  year,  spring,  summer, 
autumn,  and  winter — the  divisions  of  the  day  according  to  light 
and  darkness,  and  the  seasons  of  the  year  according  to  heat 
and  cold.     In  the  natural  world  spaces  were  established  by  an 


earth  s  being  formed  into  a  globe,  and  filled  with  various  kinds 
;     of  matter ;  with  its  parts  distinguished  one  from  another,  and 
.     also  extended.     But  in  the  spiritual  world  there  are  no  mater- 
'     lal  spaces  with  corresponding  times ;  but  there  are  appear- 
ances of  time  and  space;  and  these  appearances  vary  accord- 
ing  to  differences  of  state  in  the  minds  of  the  spirits  and 
angels  there ;  thus  times  and  spaces  there  conform  to  the  af- 
fections of  their  wills,  and  the  consequent  thoughts  of  their 
understandmgs.   But  these  appearances  are  real  in  that  they  are 
constant  according  to  these  states.     [2]  The  common  opinion 
about  the  state  of  souls  after  death,  and  therefore  also  about 
angels  and  spirits,  is  that  they  do  not  occupy  any  extension, 
and  consequently  are  not  in  space  and  time.    Owing  to  this  idea 
souls  after  death  are  said  to  be  in  an  indefinite  somewhere,  and 
spirits  and  angels  are  said  to  be  mere  puffs  of  air,  which  can 
be  thought  of  only  as  ether,  air,  breath,  or  wind  is  thought  of  • 
when  m  fact  they  are  substantial  men,  and  like  men  in  the  nat^ 
ural  world  live  together  in  spaces  and  in  times,  which,  as  iust 
said   are  determined  in  accordance  with  the  states  of  their 
minds.    If  It  were  otherwise,  that  is,  if  they  were  without  space 
and  time,  that  universe  into  which  souls  are  flowing,  and  in 
which  angels  and  spirits  dwell,  might  be  passed  through  the 
eye  of  a  needle,  or  be  concentrated  upon  the  end  of  a  sin-le 
uiir.     This  would  be  possible  if  there  were  no  substantial  ex- 
tension there ;  but  as  there  is,  angels  dwell  together  as  sepa- 
rately and  distinctly  as  men  who  dwell  in  material  extension 
and  even  more  distinctly.    Nevertheless,  times  there  are  not  di- 
vided into  days,  weeks,  months,  and  years,  since  there  the  spir- 
itual sun  does  not  appear  to  rise  and  set,  nor  to  move  from  east 
to  west,  but  remains  stationary  in  the  east  at  a  point  midwav 
between  the  zenith  and  the  horizon.     There  are  spaces  there 
because  all  things  in  that  world  are  substantial  which  in  the 
natural  world  are  material.     But  this  point  will  be  further 
considered  in  the  section  of  this  chapter  where  Creation  is 
^reated  of.     [3]  From  all  this  it  can  be  comprehended  how 
spaces  and  times  render  each  thing  and  all  things  in  both  worlds 
iniite ;  and  therefore  men  are  finite  not  only  in  body  but  also 
^'i  soul,  and  likewise  angels  and  spirits.    The  conclusion  to  be 
oiawn  from  all  this  is  that  God  is  infinite,  that  is,  not  finite  • 


42 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  L 


N.  30] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


43 


since  He  Himself,  as  the  Creator,  Former,  and  Maker  of  the 
universe,  gave  liniteness  to  all  things';  and  this  He  did  by 
means  of  His  sun,  in  the  midst  of  which  He  is,  and  which  is 
constituted  of  the  Divine  essence  that  goes  forth  from  Him  as 
a  sphere  There,  and  from  that,  is  the  first  of  the  hniting 
process,  and  its  progress  reaches  even  to  the  outmost  things  of 
the  world's  nature  ;  consequently  in  Himself  God  is  infinite  be- 
cause He  is  uncreated.  To  man,  nevertheless,  because  he  is 
finite,  and  thinks  from  things  finite,  the  infinite  seems  to  be 
nothin-  •  and  therefore  he  feels  that  if  the  finite  which  ad- 
heres to  his  thou-ht  should  be  taken  away,  what  would  be  left 
would  amount  to  nothing.  And  yet  the  truth  is  that  God  is 
infinitely  all;  and  man  of  himself  in  comparison  is  nothing. 

30    (3)   Sinre  the  creation  of  the  world  God  is  in  space  ivith- 
out  space  and  in  time  without  time.     That  God,  with  the  Divine 
that  goes  forth  directly  from  Him,  is  not  in  space,  although 
He  is'^omnipresent,  and  is  present  with  every  man  in  the  world, 
and  with  every  angel  in  heaven  and  every  spirit  under  heaven, 
is  beyond  the  comprehension  of  merely  natural  thought,  but 
may  in  some  measure  be  comprehended  by  spiritual  thought. 
It  cannot  he  comprehended  by  merely  natural  thought  because 
natural  thought  has  space  in  it,  being  formed  out  of  such  things 
as  are  in  this  world,  in  each  and  all  things  of  which  that  the 
eye  rests  upon,  space  is  involved.     Here  every  thing  that  is 
great  and  small,  every  thing  that  has  length,  breadth,  and 
height,  in  a  word  every  dimension,  figure,  and  form,  pertains 
to  space.    And  yet  this  can  be  comprehended  in  some  measure 
by  natural  thought,  provided  something  of  spiritual  light  is  ad- 
mitted into  it.     But  first  something  must  be  said  about  spirit- 
ual thought.    This  derives  nothing  from  space,  but  every  thing 
from  state.     State  is  predicated  of  love,  of  life,  of  wisdom,  of 
affections,  of  joys,  and  in  general,  of  good  and  truth.     A  truly 
spiritual  idea  about  these  things  has  in  it  nothing  in  common 
with  space ;  it  is  superior  to  ideas  of  space,  and  looks  down 
upon  them  as  heaven  looks  down  upon  the  earth.     [2]  God  is 
present  in  space  without  space,  and  in  time  ^vithout  time,  be- 
cause He  is  always  the  same,  from  eternity  to  eternity  ;  thus 
He  is  the  same  since  the  world  was  created  as  before ;  and  as 
before  creation  there  were  in  God  and  in  His  sight  no  spaces 


and  no  times,  but  only  since,  and  as  He  is  always  the  same,  so 
is  He  in  space  without  space  and  in  time  without  time.     In 
consequence  of  this,  nature  is  separate  from  Him,  and  yet  He 
is  omnipresent  in  nature ;  almost  as  life  is  present  in  every 
substantial  and  material  part  of  man,  and  yet  does  not  mingle 
itself  with  it ;  or  it  may  be  compared  to  light  in  the  eye,  or 
sound  in  the  ear,  taste  in  the  tongue,  or  to  the  ether  that  pre- 
vades  all  solid  and  liquid  matters,  and  holds  the  terraqueous 
globe  together,  and  causes  motion,  and  so  on.     If  these  agen- 
cies were  withdrawn  these  substantialized  and  materialized 
forms  would   instantly  collapse   or  fall   asunder.     Even  the 
human  mind,  if  God  were  not  everywhere  and  always  present 
in  it,  would  burst  like  a  bubble  in  the  air,  and  both  brains, 
in  which  the  mind  acts  from  first  principles,  would  go  off  into 
froth,  and  thus  every  thing  human  would  become  dust  of  the 
earth,  or  an  odor  floating  in  the  air.     [3]  As  God  is  in  all  time 
without  time  so  in  His  Word  He  speaks  in  the  present  tense 
of  the  past  and  the  future,  as  in  Isaiah : — 

Unto  us  a  Child  is  born,  a  Son  is  given  ;  and  His  name  shall  be  called 
Mighty,  the  Prince  of  Peace  (ix.  G)  ; 

and  in  David: — 

I  will  declare  the  decree  ;  Jehovah  hath  said  nnto  Me,  Thou  art  My 
Son  ;  this  day  have  I  begotten  Thee  (Ps.  ii.  7). 

This  is  said  of  the  Lord  who  was  to  come  ;  wherefore  it  is  also 
said  : — 

A  thoiLsand  years  in  Thy  sight  are  but  as  yesterday  {Ps.  xc.  4). 

That  God  is  everywhere  present  in  the  whole  world,  and  yet 
there  is  in  Him  nothing  proper  to  the  world,  that  is,  nothing 
pertaining  to  space  and  time,  can  be  clearly  seen  from  many 
passages  in  the  Word  by  those  who  look  with  watcthful  eyes, 
as  from  this  passage  in  Jeremiah : — 

Am  I  a  God  at  hand,  and  not  a  God  afar  off  ?  Can  any  hide  himself 
in  the  secret  places  that  I  shall  not  see  him  ?  Do  I  not  till  heaven  and 
earth  ?  (xxiii.  23,  24). 

31.  (4)  In  relation  to  spaces  God's  Infinity  is  called  Immen- 
sitT/j  while  in  relation  to  times  it  is  called  Eternity  ;  but  although 


44 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  L 


K.  31] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


45 


they  are  so  related,  there  is  nothing  of  space  in  His  Immensity, 
and  nothing  of  time  in  His  Eterjiity.     In  relation  to  spaces 
God's  infinity  is  called  immensity,  because  <'  immense''  is  a 
term  applied  to  what  is  great  and  large,  and  to  extension  and 
its  spaciousness.     But  in  relation  to  times   God's  infinity  is 
called  eternity,  because  "  to  eternity"  is  an  expression  applied 
to  what  is  progressive,  which  is  measured  by  time  without  limit. 
For  example:  Of  the  terraqueous  globe,  as  such,  things  per- 
taining to  space  are  predicated ;  while  of  its  rotation  and  pro- 
gression things  pertaining  to  time  are  predicated.    In  fact,  the 
latter  are  what  make  times,  and  the  former  are  what  make 
spaces,  and  in  this  way  they  are  presented  through  the  senses 
to  the  perception  of  reflecting  minds.     But  in  God,  as  has  just 
been  shown,  there  is  nothing  of  space  and  time ;  nevertheless, 
the  beginnings  of  these  are  from  God ;  and  from  this  it  fol- 
lows that  by  immensity  His  infinity  in  relation  to  space  is 
meant,  and  by  eternity  His  infinity  in  relation  to  times,     [i^] 
But  to  the  angels  in  heaven  the  immensity  of  God  means  His 
Divinity  in  respect  to  His  Esse,  and  His  eternity  His  Divinity 
in  respect  to  His  Exlstere.     Also  immensity  means  His  Divi- 
nity in  respect  to  love,  and  eternity  His  Divinity  in  respect  to 
wisdom.     This  is  because  angels  abstract  space  and  time  from 
Divinity,  and  such  conceptions  then  follow.     But  as  man  can 
think  only  from  ideas  drawn  from  such  things  as  belong  to 
space  and  time,  he  is  unable  to  form  any  conception  of  God's 
immensity  antecedent  to  space,  or  His  eternity  antecedent  to 
time ;  and  when  he  seeks  to  do  this  it  is  as  if  his  mind  were 
falling  into  a  swoon,  almost  like  a  shipwrecked  man  in  the 
water,  or  like  one  who  is  about  to  be  swallowed  up  in  an  earth- 
quake ;  and  if  one  persists  in  penetrating  further  into  the  sub- 
ject, he  may  easily  fall  into  a  delirium,  and  from  this  be  led 
into  a  denial  of  God.    [3]  I  was  once  myself  in  such  a  state, 
thinking  about  what  God  was  from  eternity,  what  He  did  be- 
fore the  world  was  created,  whether  He  deliberated  about  cre- 
ation, and  thought  out  the  order  to  be  pursued  ;  whether  de- 
liberative thought  woidd  be  possible  in  a  vacuum ;  with  other 
vain  things.     But  lest  I  should  be  driven  to  madness  by  such 
speculations  I  was  raised  up  by  the  Lord  into  the  sphere  and 
light  in  which  the  interior  angels  dwell ;  and  when  the  idea 


of  spa«e  and  time  in  whicli  my  thought  was  dweUing  had  been 
soinewhat  removed,  it  was  given  me  to  comprehend  that  the 
eternity  of  God  is  not  an  eternity  of  time ;  and  a^  there  was  no 
time  before  the  world  was  created,  it  is  utterly  vain  to  think 
about  God  m  any  such  way.  Moreover,  as  the  Divine  from 
eternity,  that  is,  abstracted  from  all  time,  does  not  involve  days 
years  or  ages,  but  to  God  all  these  are  present,  I  concluded  that 
God  did  not  create  the  world  in  time,  but  that  times  were  intro- 
duced by  God  with  creation.  [4]  To  all  this  I  will  add  this 
memorable  fact : — 

At  one  extremity  of  the  spiritual  world  there  are  seen  two 
statues  m  monstrous  human  form,  with  open  mouths  and  gap- 
ing throats  and  those  who  indulge  in  useless  and  senseless 
thoiights  about  God  from  eternity  seem  to  themselves  to  be 
swallowed  up  by  these ;  but  they  are  the  hallucinations  into 
which  those  cast  themselves  who  cherish  absurd  and  improper 
thoughts  about  God  before  the  creation  of  the  world. 

32.  (5)   The  Infinity  of  God  can  be  seen  hj  enlightened  rea- 
son  m  very  many  things  in  the  world.     Some  things  shall  be 
enumerated  in  which  human  reason  can  see  the  infinity  of  God  • 
(1)  In  the  created  universe  no  two  things  can  be  found  that 
are  identical.    That  no  such  identity  can  be  found  among  things 
simultaneous  lias  been  rationally  seen  and  proved  by  human 
learning,  although  the  substantial  and  material  objects  of  the 
universe,  viewed  singly,  are  infinite  in  number.     And  that  no 
two  effects  can  be  found  that  are  identical  among  things  suc- 
cessive in  the  world  may  be  inferred  from  the  earth's  revolution 
in  that  the  nutation  of  its  poles  forever  prevents  a  return  to 
any  former  position.     This  is  also  clearly  evident  in  human 
taces,  m  that  throughout  the  entire  world  there  can  be  found 
no  one  face  that  is  precisely  like  or  the  same  as  another  nor 
ever  can  be  to  eternity.     This  infinite  variety  would  be  impos- 
sible except  from  an  infinity  in  God  the  Creator.     [2]  (2)  No 
one  person's  disposition  is  precisely  like  that  of  another ;  from 
which  comes  the  saying,  «  Many  men,  many  minds ;"  and  so  no 
one  s  mind,  that  is,  his  will  and  understanding,  is  exactly  like 
or  the  same  as  another's ;  and  in  consequence  the  tone  of  any 
man's  speech,  or  the  thought  in  which  it  originates,  or  atiy  act 
in  regard  either  to  movement  or  affection,  is  never  exactly  like 


46 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 


N.  32] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


47 


another's '  from  which  infinite  variety  again  can  be  seen  as  m 
a  mirror  the  infinity  of  God  the  Creator.     [3]   (3)  In  all  seed, 
both  of  animals  and  vegetables,  there  is  inherent  a  certain  im- 
mensity and  eternity— an  immensity  in  its  capacity  to  be  mul- 
tiplied to  infinity,  and  an  eternity  in  the  continuance  of  this 
multiplication  uninterrupted  from  the  creation  of  the  workl 
until  now,  and  its  still  unceasing  continuance.     In  the  animal 
kingdom  take,  for  example,  the  fishes  of  the  sea ;  if  these  were 
to  multiply  according  to  the  abundance  of  their  spawn  they 
would  in  twentv  or  thirty  years  so  fill  the  ocean  that  it  wouhl 
wholly  consist  of  fishes,  and  in  consequence  its  water  would 
overflow  and  destroy  all  the  land.     But  this  does  not  happen, 
since  God  has  i)rovided  that  fish  shall  be  food  for  each  other. 
It  would  be  the  same  with  the  seeds  of  plants.     If  as  many 
seeds  should  be  planted  as  one  plant  produces  each  year,  m 
twenty  or  thirty  years  the  surface  not  of  one  earth  only,  but 
even  of  many,  would  be  covered.     For  there  are  shrubs,  every 
seed  of  which  produces  others  by  hundreds  and  thousands.    Try 
to  calculate  this,  reckoning  this  product  of  one  seed  in  a  series 
of  twenty  or  thirty  terms,  and  you  will  see.     In  all  these  ex- 
amples the  Divine  immensity  and  eternity  become  evident  in  a 
certain  general  aspect,  an  image  of  which  must  needs  come  forth. 
[4]  (4)  Enlightened  reason  can  also  see  God's  infinity  m  the 
possible  infinite  increase  of  all  knowledge,  and  consequently  of 
every  one's  intelligence  and  wisdom,  both  of  which  are  capable 
of  growing  as  a  tree  from  seed,  and  as  forests  and  gardens  from 
trees,  to  which  there  is  no  limit.     The  soil  of  intelligence  and 
wisdom  is  the  memory  of  man,  his  understanding  is  where  they 
germinate ;  and  his  will  where  they  fructify.     And  these  two 
capacities,  understanding  and  will,  are  such  that  they  may  be 
cultivated  and  perfected  in  this  world  to  the  end  of  life,  and 
afterwards  to  eternity.    [5]   (5)  Theinfinity  of  God  the  Creator 
can  also  he  seen  in  the  infinite  number  of  the  stars,  which  are 
so  many  suns,  and  therefore  so  many  systems.     That  there  are 
other  earths  in  the  starry  heavens  upon  which  men,  beasts, 
birds,  and  plants  exist  is  shown  in  a  little  work  describing  things 
seen.     [6]   (6)  The  infinity  of  God  has  been  made  still  more 
evideiTt  to  me  both  from  the  angelic  heaven  and  from  hell,  in 
that  these  are  ordered  and  arranged  in  innumerable  societies  or 


congregated  bodies  in  accordance  with  all  the  varieties  of  the 
love  of  good  or  evil  each  individual  being  allotted  a  place  in 
accordance  with  his  love ;  for  there  the  whole  human  race  from 
the  creation  of  the  world  is  gathered  together,  and  to  ages  of 
ages  will  be  gathered.     And  although  each  one  has  his  own 
place  or  abode  there,  yet  all  are  so  joined  together  that  the  entire 
angelic  heaven  represents  one  Divine  man,  and  the  entire  hell 
one  monstrous  devil.     From  these  two,  with  the  infinite  mar- 
vels they  contain,  both  the  immensity  and  the  omnipotence  of 
God  are  clearly  presented  to  view.     [7]  (7)  Who  is  not  able 
to  understand  if  he  will  elevate  a  little  the  reasoning  faculty 
of  his  mind,  that  an  eternal  life,  which  is  the  lot  of  every  man 
after  death,  can  be  granted  only  by  an  eternal  God  ?     [8]  (S) 
In  addition  to  all  this  there  is  a  certain  infinity  in  many  things 
hat  fall  withm  the  range  of  the  natural  light  and  spiritual 
ight  in  man.     It  is  within  the  range  of  his  natural  light  that 
there  are  various  series  in  geometry  which  go  on  to  infinity  • 
that  there  is  a  progression  to  infinity  in  the  three  degrees  of 
height,  m  that  the  first  degree,  which  is  called  the  natural  de- 
gree, cannot  be  perfected  and  elevated  to  the  perfection  of  the 
second,  which  is  called  the  spiritual  degree ;  nor  this  to  the  per- 
fection of  the  third,  which  is  called  the  celestial  doo-ree      It  is 
the  same  with  end,  cause,  and  effect,  in  that  the  effect  cannot 
be  so  perfected  as  to  become  like  the  cause,  nor  the  cause  so 
perfected  as  to  become  like  its  end.     This  may  be  illustrated 
by  the  atmospheres,  of  which  there  are  three  degrees      There 
is  a  supreme  aura,  under  this  the  ether,  and  below  this  the  air  • 
and  no  quality  of  the  air  can  be  raised  up  to  any  quality  of  the 
ether,  nor  any  quality  of  the  ether  to  that  of  the  aura:  and  yet 
in  each  there  is  an  ascent  of  perfections  to  infinity.    It  is  within 
the  range  of  man's  spiritual  light  that  no  natural  love  which 
IS  an  animal  love,  can  be  raised  up  to  spiritual  love,  with  which 
from  creation  man  has  been  endowed.     The  same  is  true  of  the 
natural  intelligence  of  the  animal  in  relation  to  the  spiritual 
nitelligence  of  man.     But  as  these  things  have  been  hitherto 
unknown  they  will  be  explained  elsewhere.     From  all  this  it 
can  be  seen  that  the  most  general  contents  of  the  world  are 
constant  types  of  the  infinity  of  God  the  Creator ;  but  how  the 
particular  contents  emulate  the  general,  and  represent  the  in^ 


48  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 

finity  of  Gcxl,  is  an  abyss  or  an  ocean  >vhich  «'th-«~^ 
m=,v  «an  as  it  were,  but  it  must  beware  of  a  puff  of  wmd  that 
Z  ari  frolX  iatural  man,  which  striking  from  aft,  where 
heSs  self^onfident,  may  swamp  the  ship  with  xts  masts 

'^r%fl£:?created  tking  is  flrute  ;  and  tke  InfinUe  is  in 
finit'e  things  as  in  its  receptacles,  and  is  in  men  a.  ^n  Us  ^maffes 
Every  creeled  thing  is  linite  because  all  things  are  from  Je- 
hovah God  through  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  which  most 
nearly  encompasses  Him ;  and  that  sun  is  composed  of  the  sul> 
stance  that  has  gone  forth  from  Him,  the  essence  of  which  is 
love.     From  the  sun,  by  means  of  its  heat  and  I'gW,  the  uni- 
verse has  been  created  from  its  firsts  to  its  lasts.     But  this  is 
not  the  proper  place  to  set  forth  in  order  the  process  of  creation 
an  outline  of  which  wiU  be  given  in  subsequent  pages.    All 
that  is  important  now  is  to  know  that  one  thing  was  formed 
from  another,  and  thus  degrees  were  constituted,  three  in  the 
spiritual  world  and  three  corresponding  to  them  m  the  natural 
world  and  the  same  number  in  the  passive  materials  of  which 
the  terraqueous  globe  is  composed.     The  origin  and  nature  of 
these  degrees  has  been  fully  explained  in  the  Angelic  Wtsdorri 
concerning  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wisdom  (published 
at  Amsterdam  in  1763),  and  a  small  work  on  The  Intercourse 
of  the  Soul  and  the  ^oc?// (published  at  London  m   1.69). 
Through  these  degrees  all  things  posterior  are  made  receptacles 
of  things  prior,  and  these  again  of  things  still  prior,  and  so  m 
succession  receptacles  of  the  primitive  elements  which  consti- 
tute the  sun  of  the  angelic  heaven ;  and  thus  have  things  hnite 
been  made  receptacles  of  the  infinite.     This  is  in  agreement 
with  the  wisdom  of  the  ancients,  according  to  which  each  thing 
and  all  things  are  divisible  to  infinity.     It  is  a  common  idea 
that,  because  the  finite  cannot  grasp  the  infinite,  things  finite 
cannot  be  receptacles  of  the  infinite ;  but  in  what  has  been  set 
forth  in  my  works  respecting  creation  it  has  been  shown  that 
God  first  rendered  His  infinity  finite  by  means  of  substances 
emitted  from  Himself,  from  which  His  nearest  surrounding 
sphere,  which  constitutes  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  came 
into  existence ;  and  that  then  through  that  sun  He  perfected 
the  other  surrounding  spheres,  even  to  the  outmost,  which  con- 


N.  .3.3] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


49 


sists  of  passive  materials ;  and  in  this  manner,  by  means  of  de- 
grees, He  rendered  the  world  more  and  more  finite.  This  much 
has  been  said  to  satisfy  human  reason,  which  never  rests  until 
it  perceives  a  cause. 

34.  That  the  infinite  Divine  is  in  men  as  in  its  images  is 
evident  from  the  Word,  where  we  read  :— 

And  God  said,  Let  as  make  man  in  Our  imafje,  after  Our  likeness    So 

*      M?n  fZ        ZZ-T  "'^  '"™  '™''°'' '"'"  f^e  ™age  of  God  created  He 

lum  (Crew.  1.  20,  2/). 

From  this  it  follows  that  man  is  an  organic  form  recipient  of 
Cxod,  and  IS  an  organic  form  that  is  in  accordance  with  the  kind 
of  reception.     The  human  mind,  which  makes  man  to  be  man 
and  in  accordance  with  which  man  is  man,  is  formed  into  three 
regions  in  accordance  with  the  three  degrees ;  in  the  first  de 
gree  m  which  also  are  the  angels  of  the  highest  heaven  the 
mmd  is  celestial;  in  the  second  degree,  in  which  are  the  angels 
ot  the  middle  heaven,  it  is  spiritual ;  and  in  the  third  degree  in 
which  are  the  angels  of  the  lowest  heaven,  it  is  natural.     [2] 
The  human  mind,  organized  in  accordance  with  these  three  de- 
grees, IS  a  receptacle  of  Divine  influx ;  nevertheless,  the  Divine 
flows  into  It  no  further  than  man  prepares  the  way  or  opens  the 
door.     If  man  does  this  as  far  as  to  the  highest  or  celestial  de- 
gree he  becomes  truly  an  image  of  God,  and  after  death  an 
angel  of  the  highest  heaven ;  but  if  he  prepares  the  way  or 
opens  the  door  only  to  the  middle  or  spiritual  degree  he  be- 
comes an  image  of  God,  but  not  in  the  same  perfection ;  and 
after  death  he  becomes  an  angel  of  the  middle  heaven.    But  if 
man  prepares  the  way  or  opens  the  door  only  to  the  lowest  or 
natural  degree,  in  case  he  acknowledges  God  and  worships  Him 
with  actual  piecy  he  becomes  an  image  of  God  in  the  lowest 
degree,  and  after  death  an  angel  of  the  lowest  heaven.     But  if 
man  does  not  acknowledge  God  and  does  not  worship  Hun 
Av^th  actual  piety  he  puts  off  the  image  of  God  and  becomes 
like  some  animal,  except  that  he  enjoys  the  faculty  of  under- 
standing, and  consequently  of  speech ;  and  if  he  then  closes  up 
the  highest  natural  degree,  which  corresponds  to  the  highest 
celestial,  he  becomes  as  to  his  loves  like  a  beast  of  the  earth  • 
Hiid  if  he  closes  up  the  middle  natural  degree,  which  corre- 
sponds to  the  middle  spiritual  degree,  he  becomes  in  his  love 


50 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 


N.  3.)] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


51 


like  a  fox,  and  in  his  intellectual  vision  like  a  bird  of  night; 
while  if  he  also  closes  up  the  lowest  natural  degree  m  its  rela- 
tion to  his  spiritual  he  becomes  in  his  love  hke  a  mid  beast, 
and  in  his  understanding  of  truth  like  a  tish.  [3]  The  Divme 
life  that  actuates  man  by  means  of  the  influx  from  the  sun  of 
the  angelic  heaven  may  be  compared  to  light  from  the  world  s 
sun  and  its  influx  into  a  transparent  object-the  reception  of 
life  in  the  highest  degree  to  the  influx  of  light  into  a  diamond ; 
the  reception  of  life  in  the  second  degree  to  the  influx  of  light 
into  a  crystal ;  and  the  reception  of  life  in  the  lowest  degree  to 
the  influx  of  light  into  glass  or  a  transparent  membrane ;  but 
when  this  degree  in  relation  to  his  spiritual  is  wholly  closed  up, 
which  is  the  case  when  God  is  denied  and  Satan  is  worshiped, 
the  reception  of  life  from  God  may  be  compared  to  the  influx 
of  licrht  into  the  opaque  things  of  the  earth,  as  rotten  wood,  or 
marshy  ground,  or  dung,  and  so  on,  for  the  man  then  becomes 

a  spiritual  corpse. 

35.  To  this  1  will  add  this  Memorable  Relation : — 
Atone  time  I  was  in  a  state  of  amazement  at  the  vast  mul- 
titude of  men  who  ascribe  creation,  and  consequently  every 
thing  that  is  under  the  sun  and  every  thing  above  the  sun,  to 
nature  saying  with  a  hearty  acknowledgment,  when  they  see 
anything,  "  Is  not  this  from  nature  ?''     And  when  asked  why 
they  say  it  is  from  nature  and  not  from  God,  although  they 
often  say,  in  common  with  others,  that  God  created  nature,  and 
might  therefore  just  as  well  say  that  what  they  see  is  from  (iod 
as  that  it  is  from  nature,  they  answer  with  an  inner  tone  that 
is  scarcely  audible,  "  What  is  God  but  nature  ?"     All  such, 
from  this  persuasion  that  nature  created  the  universe,  and 
from  this  insanity  that  appears  like  wisdom,  seem  to  be  elated 
to  such  a  degree  that  they  look  down  upon  all  those  who 
acknowledge  the  creation  of  the  universe  by  God  as  ants  that 
creep  upon  the  ground  and  keep  the  beaten  track,  and  upon 
some  as  butterflies  flying  in  the  air ;  and  the  opinions  of  such 
th^  call  dreams,  because  they  see  what  they  do  not  see ;  and 
they  say,  "  Who  has  seen  God,  and  who  does  not  see  nature  ?" 
[2]  While  I  was  wondering  greatly  at  the  multitude  of  such, 
an  angel  stood  at  my  side  and  said  to  me^  "  What  are  you 
meditating  about  ?" 


I  replied  "  About  the  great  number  of  those  who  believe  that 
nature  exists  of  itself,  aud  is  thus  tlie  creator  of  the  universe  " 

And  the  angel  said  to  me,  "  All  hell  consists  of  such,  and 
those  who  are  there  are  called  satans  and  devils-satans  those 
wlio  liave  conhrmed  themselves  in  favor  of  nature,  and  in  con- 
sequence have  denied  God ;  devils  those  who  have  lived  wick- 
edly and  have  thus  cast  out  from  their  hearts  all  acknowledg- 
ment of  (.od.  l!ut  I  will  co>Kluct  you  to  the  schools  which 
are  in  the  southwest  quarter,  where  those  are  who  are  not  yet 
m  liell/^  ^ 

He  took  me  by  the  hand  and  led  me  away;  and  I  saw  small 
houses  in  which  were  the  scliools,  and  in  the  midst  of  them  a 
bui  dmg  which  served  as  headquarters  for  the  rest.  This  was 
built  of  iMtch-black  stones  overlaid  with  little  glass-like  plates 
sparkling  as  it  were  with  gold  and  silver,  like  what  are  called 
se  enites,  or  like  mica,  with  glittering  shells  here  and  there 
interspersed. 

[3]  AVe  approached  this  building  and  knocked,  and  immedi- 
ately a  person  opened  tlie  door  and  said, ''  Welcome."  And  he 
ran  to  a  table  and  brought  four  books,  and  said,  "  These  books 
are  the  wisdom  that  is  at  this  day  applauded  ])y  many  king- 
doms :  this  book  or  wisdom  is  applauded  by  many  in  France  • 
this  by  many  in  Germany ;  this  by  some  in  Holland :  this  by 
some  in  J>.ritain.-  He  said  also,  "  If  you  wish  to  see  it  I  will 
cause  these  four  books  to  shine  before  your  eyes  "  And  he 
poured  forth  the  glory  of  his  fame  round  about;  and  immedi- 
ately the  books  beamed  as  if  with  light;  but  this  light quicklv 
vanished  from  our  sight. 

We  then  asked  what  he  was  now  writing;  and  he  answered 
that  he  was  biinging  out  from  his  treasures  and  setting  forth 
matters  pertaining  to  the  deepest  wisdom,  which  in  general  are 
these:  (1)  Whether  nature  is  a  projmrtf/  of  life,  or  life  of 
nature?  (2)  Whether  the  center  is  from  the  expame,  or  the 
expanse  from  the  center?  (3)  Bespecting  the  center  of  the  ex- 
panse and  of  life. 

W  After  these  remarks  he  seated  himself  at  the  table,  while 
we  walked  about  the  building,  wliieh  was  spacious.     He  had  a 
candle  on  his  tal)le,  because  there  was  no  light  of  the  sun  there 
but  only  the  nocturnal  light  of  the  moon ;  and  what  seemed 


52 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I 


N.  35] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


53 


wonderful,  the  candle  seemed  to  be  carried  round  and  round, 
and  to  give  light ;  but  not  having  been  snuffed  it  gave  but  little 
light.  While  he  wrote  we  saw  images  of  various  forms  flying 
from  the  table  to  the  walls,  which  appeared  in  the  nocturnal 
moonlight  there  like  beautiful  eastern  birds  ;  but  as  soon  as  we 
opened  the  door  these  appeared  in  the  light  of  day  like  those 
birds  of  night  that  have  membranous  wings ;  for  they  were  re- 
semblances of  truth  which  through  conlirmations  had  become 
fallacies,  and  had  been  ingeniously  woven  by  him  into  a  series. 

[5]  After  seeing  this,  we  approached  the  table  and  asked 
him  what  he  was  then  writing  about. 

He  said  about  the  lirst  question,  Whether  nature  is  a  proper- 
ty of  life,  or  life  of  nature  ?  And  he  said  he  could  prove  both 
sides  of  this  and  make  them  true ;  but  as  there  was  something 
lurking  within  that  he  feared,  he  dared  only  to  prove  that  na- 
ture is  a  property  of  life,  in  other  words,  is  from  life,  and  not 
that  life  is  a  property  of  nature,  in  other  words,  is  from  nature. 

We  asked  courteously  what  it  was  lurking  within  that  he 

feared. 

He  replied  that  he  was  afraid  of  being  called  a  naturalist,  and 
thus  an  atheist,  by  the  clergy,  and  a  man  of  unsound  reason 
by  the  laity,  since  both  of  these  either  believe  from  a  blind  faith 
or  see  only  from  the  views  of  those  who  conflrin  that  faith. 

[6]  Then  with  some  heat  of  zeal  for  the  truth  we  addressed 
him,  saying,  "  Friend,  you  are  very  much  deceived ;  you  have 
been  misled  by  your  wisdom,  which  is  a  certain  talent  for 
writing,  and  you  have  been  led  by  the  glory  of  fame  into 
proving  what  you  do  not  believe.  Do  you  not  know  that  the 
human  mind  is  capable  of  being  raised  above  things  sensual, 
which  enter  into  the  thought  from  the  bodily  senses  ;  and  that 
when  the  mind  has  been  thus  raised  up  it  sees  what  is  from  life 
as  above,  and  what  is  from  nature  as  beneath  ?  What  is  life 
but  love  and  wisdom  ?  And  what  is  nature  but  the  receptacle 
of  these,  by  means  of  which  they  accomplish  their  effects  or 
uses  ?  Can  life  and  nature  be  one  except  as  the  principal  and 
the  Instrumental  ?  Can  light  be  one  with  the  eye,  or  sound 
with  the  ear  ?  Are  not  the  sensations  of  these  derived  from 
life,  and  their  forms  from  nature  ?  What  is  the  human  body 
but'  an  organ  of  life  ?     Are  not  aU  things  and  each  thing 


therein  organically  formed  for  the  production  of  what  the  love 
wills  and  the  understanding  thinks  ?  Are  not  the  bodily  or- 
gans from  nature,  and  love  and  thought  from  life  ^  And  are 
not  these  perfectly  distinct  from  each  other  ?  Eaise  the  keen- 
ness of  your  intellect  a  little  higher  still,  and  you  will  see  that 
o  be  moved  by  affection  and  to  think  belong  to  life-the  former 
belonging  to  love  and  the  latter  to  wisdom ;  and  both  love  and 
wisdom  belong  to  life-  for  as  Iwfnvo  ^n\A   i„  i      •   , 

ov^  lif,.      It  .„,.'/"'^' ^  "^i^^re  said,  love  and  wisdom 

aie  life.  If  you  will  lift  your  capacity  to  understand  a  little 
liigher  you  will  see  that  love  and  wisdom  could  have  no  exist- 
ence without  having  somewhere  an  origin,  and  that  that  origin 
is  love  Itself  and  wisdom  itself,  and  therefore  life  itself,  and 
these  are  God,  from  whom  nature  is  " 

[7]  Afterwards  we  talked  with  him  upon  the  second  point, 
Whether  the  center  ^s  from  the  expanse  or  the  expanse  from  the 
center?  asking  why  he  canvassed  this.     He  answered  that  he 
did  so  in  order  to  form  a  conclusion  about  the  center  and  the 
expanse  of  nature  and  of  life,  and  so  about  the  origin  of  each 
And  when  we  asked  his  opinion,  he  replied,  the  same  as  be- 
fore, that  he  could  prove  either  of   these,  but  from  fear  of 
loss  of  reputation  he  would  prove  that  the  expanse  is  of  the 
center  that  is,  from  the  center,  "although  I  know,"'  he  said, 
that  there  must  have  been  something  before  there  was  a  sun 
and  this  throughout  the  whole  expanse,  and  that  this  of  itself 
Howed  together  into  order,  thus  towards  a  center  » 

•^f^?^"  ^''^  addressed  him  again  with  indignant  zeal,  and 
said,  "Friend,  you  are  insane."     Hearing  this  he  drew  his 
seat  from  the  table,  and  looked  at  us  timidly,  and  then  gave 
us  his  attention,  but   with   laughter.     We  went  on  to  sav 
^^  hat  can  be  more  insane  than  to  say  that  the  center  is  from 
the  expanse  '/     By  your  center  we  understand  the  sun,  and  by 
your  expanse  the  universe ;  thus  are  you  not  contending  that 
the  universe  came  into  existence  without  the  sun '?     Does  not 
the  sun  produce  nature  and  all  its  properties  ?  and  do  not 
these  depend  solely  on  the  light  and  heat  from  the  sun  through 
the  atmospheres  ?     Where,  then,  could  these  have  been  pre- 
viously ?     But  the  origin  of  these  we  will  discuss  hereafter 
Are  not  the  atmospheres  and  all  things  on  the  earth  like  sur- 
faces, of  which  the  sun  is  the  center  ?     What  would  all  these 


54 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 


N.  36] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


55 


be  without  the  sun  ?  Could  they  subsist  for  one  moment  ? 
What,  then,  could  they  have  been  before  the  sun  was  formed  ? 
Could  they  have  had  any  existence  ?  Is  not  subsistence  per- 
petual existence  ?  As  the  subsistence,  then,  of  all  things  of 
nature  is  from  the  sun,  it  follows  that  their  existence  is  from 
the  same  source.  This  every  one  sees,  and  from  the  eviden(;e 
of  his  own  eyes  acknowledges.  [*->]  Does  not  the  posterior 
have  both  its  existence  and  its  subsistence  from  the  prior?  If 
the  surface  were  the  prior  and  the  center  the  posterior,  would 
not  the  prior  subsist  from  the  posterior,  and  would  not  that  be 
contrary  to  the  laws  of  order  ?  How  can  the  posterior  pro- 
duce the  prior,  or  the  exterior  the  interior,  or  thi^  grosser  the 
purer?  How  then  can  the  surface  things  which  constitute 
the  expanse  produce  the  center  ?  Who  does  not  see  that  this 
is  contrary  to  the  laws  of  nature  ?  We  have  presented  these 
evidences  from  rational  analysis  to  prove  that  the  expanse  has 
its  existence  from  the  center,  and  not  the  reverse,  although 
every  one  who  thinks  rightly  can  see  this  without  these  evi- 
dences. You  have  said  that  the  expanse  of  itself  flowed  to- 
gether towards  the  center.  AVas  it  by  chance  that  it  did  this 
in  such  a  marvelous  and  amazing  order  that  one  thing  is  for 
the  sake  of  another,  and  each  and  all  things  for  tlie  sake  of  man 
and  his  eternal  life  ?  Is  nature,  from  any  love  through  any 
wisdom,  capable  of  premeditating  ends,  contemplating  causes, 
and  thus  providing  effects,  that  such  things  may  exist  in  their 
order  ?  Or  is  nature  capable  of  converting  men  into  angels, 
of  making  a  heaven  of  these,  and  causing  those  who  are  there 
to  live  forever?  Put  these  things  together  and  reflect,  and 
your  idea  of  nature's  existence  from  nature  will  fall  to  the 

ground." 

[lO]  After  this  we  asked  him  what  he  had  thought  and 
what  he  still  thought  about  the  third  question,  Oti  the  center 
and  the  expanse  of  nature  and  of  life  :  whether  he  believed  the 
center  and  the  expanse  of  life  to  be  the  same  with  the  center 
and  expanse  of  nature  ? 

He  said  that  he  was  per])lexed  ;  that  he  had  formerly  be- 
lieved life  to  be  an  interior  activity  of  nature,  and  that  this 
was  the  source  of  love  and  wisdom,  which  essentially  consti- 
tute man's  life,  and  that  this  activity  is  produced  by  the  sun's 


fire,  through  its  heat  and  light,  by  means  of  the  atmospheres ; 
but  now  from  what  he  had  heard  of  the  life  of  men  after 
death  he  was  in  doubt ;  and  this  doubt  carried  his  mind  some- 
times upwards  and  sometimes  downwards  ;  and  when  upwards 
he  acknowledged  a  center  of  which  he  had  formerly  known 
nothing ;  and  when  downwards  he  saw  the  center  which  he 
had  supposed  to  be  the  only  one  ;  and  he  believed  life  to  be 
from  the  center  of  which  he  had  before  known  nothing,  and 
nature  to  be  from  the  center  which  he  had  formerly  supposed 
to  be  the  only  one,  each  center  having  an  expanse  round 
about  it. 

[11]   This,  we  said,  would  answer  if  he  would  look  from  the 
center  and  expanse  of  life  to  the  center  and  expanse  of  nature, 
and  not  the  reverse.    And  we  informed  him  that  above  the  an- 
gelic heaven  there  is  a  sun  which  is  pure  love,  in  appearance 
fiery,  like  the  sun  of  the  world ;  and  that  from  the  heat  going 
forth  from  that  sun  angels  and  men  have  their  will  and  love, 
and  from  its  light  their  understanding  and  wisdom ;  and  what- 
ever is  from  that  sun  is  called  spiritual;  while  whatever  pro- 
ceeds from  the  sun  of  the  world  is  a  containant  or  receptacle 
of  life,  and  is  called  natural ;  thus  the  expanse  pertaining  to 
the  center  of  life  is  called  the  spiritual  world,  having  its  sub- 
sistence from  its  own  sun,  while  the  expanse  pertaining  to  the 
center  of  nature  is  called  the  natural  world,  having  its  sul> 
sistence  from  its  sun.     Since,  then,  spaces  and  times  cannot  be 
l)redicated  of  love  and  wisdom,  and  since  states  take  the  place 
there  of  spaces  and  times,  it  follows  that  there  is  no  extension 
in  the  expanse  about  the  sun  of  the  angelic  heaven  ;  although 
this  expanse  is  in  the  extension  of  the  natural  sun,  and  in  the 
living  subjects  there  in  accordance  with  their  reception,  while 
their  reception  is  in  accordance  with  forms  and  states. 

[12]  Then  he  asked,  ''  What  is  the  origin  of  the  fire  of  the 
sun  of  the  world  or  of  nature  ?" 

We  answered  that  it  is  from  the  sun  of  the  angelic  heaven, 
which  is  not  fire,  but  the  Divine  love  that  most  nearly  goes 
forth  from  God,  who  is  in  the  midst  of  that  sun.  As  he  seemed 
surprised  at  this  we  set  it  forth  in  this  way :  ''  Love  in  its 
essence  is  spiritual  fire ;  and  for  this  reason  in  the  Word,  in 
its  spiritual  sense,  fire  signifies  love ;  and  it  is  on  this  account 


56 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  36] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


57 


that  priests  in  churches  pray  that  heavenly  fire,  by  which  they 
mean  love,  may  fill  the  hearts  of  men.  The  lire  of  the  altar 
and  the  lire  of  the  candlestick  in  the  tabernacle  represented 
among  the  Israelites  no  other  than  the  Divine  love.  The  heat 
of  the  blood,  or  the  vital  heat  of  men  and  of  animals  in  gen- 
eral, is  from  no  other  source  than  the  love  that  constitutes  their 
life.  Therefore  man  is  enkindled,  grows  warm,  and  is  inflamed 
when  his  love  is  exalted  to  zeal  or  excited  to  anger  and  passion. 
Since,  then,  spiritual  heat,  which  is  love,  produces  in  men 
natural  heat,  even  so  far  as  to  enkindle  and  inflame  their  faces 
and  limbs,  it  is  clear  that  the  tire  of  the  natural  sun  sprang 
from  no  other  soui'ce  than  the  fire  of  the  spiritual  sun  which 
is  the  Divine  love.  [13]  And  since,  furthermore,  the  expanse, 
as  has  just  been  said,  originates  in  the  center,  and  not  the  re- 
verse, and  the  center  of  life,  which  is  the  sun  of  the  angelic 
heaven,  is  the  Divine  love  most  nearly  going  forth  from  God, 
who  is  in  the  midst  of  that  sun ;  and  since  the  expanse  of  that 
center,  which  is  called  the  spiritual  world,  is  from  that  origin ; 
and  since  from  that  spiritual  sun  the  sun  of  the  world  sprang, 
and  from  it  its  expanse,  which  is  called  the  natural  world,  it 
is  plain  that  the  univei-se  was  created  by  God."  After  this  we 
departed ;  and  he  accompanied  us  out  of  the  hall  of  his  school, 
and  talked  with  us  about  heaven  and  hell  and  the  Divine 
auspices  with  a  new  intellectual  sagacity. 


THE     DIVINE     ESSENCE,    WHICH     IS     DIVINE     LOVE    AND    DIVINE 

WISDOM. 

36.  A  distinction  has  been  made  between  the  Usse  of  God 
and  the  essence  of  God,  because  there  is  a  distinction  between 
the  infinity  of  God  and  the  love  of  God,  infinity  being  appli- 
cable to  the  Esse  of  God,  and  love  to  the  essence  of  God,  since 
the  Esse  of  God,  as  has  just  been  said,  is  more  imiversal  than 
His  essence  ;  just  as  the  infinity  of  God  is  more  universal  than 
His  love  ;  and  for  this  reason  the  word  infinite  is  an  adjective 
that  is  applicable  to  the  essentials  and  attributes  of  God,  which 


are  all  called  infinite ;  as  we  say  of  the  Divine  love  that  it  is 
nihnite,  of  the  Divine  wisdom  that  it  is  infinite,  also  of  the 
Divine  power ;  not  because  of  any  pre-^xistence  of  the  Esse  of 
God,  but  because  it  enters  into  the  essence  as  joined  to  it,  co- 
hering with  it,  determining  and  forming  and  also  exalting  it 
But  this  section  of  this  chapter,  like  the  previous  ones,  shall 
be  presented  under  the  following  divisions  :— 

(1)  God  is  Love  itself  and  Wisdom  itself,  and  these  two  con- 
stitute  His  Essence. 

(2)  God  is  Good  itself  and  Truth  itself,  because  Good  is  of 
Love  and  Truth  is  of  Wisdom. 

(3)  Love  itself  and  Wisdom  itself  are  Life  itself,  which  is 
Life  in  itself. 

(4)  Love  and  AVisdom  in  God  make  one. 

(5)  It  is  the  essence  of  Love  to  love  others  outside  of  one- 
self, to  desire  to  be  one  with  them,  and  to  render  them  blessed 
from  oneself. 

(6)  These  essentials  of  the  Divine  Love  were  the  cause  of 
the  universe,  and  are  the  cause  of  its  preservation. 

But  of  these  separately. 

37.  (1)   God  is  Love  Itself  and  Wisdom  itself,  and  these  two 
constitute  His  Essence,     In  thQ  earliest  ages  it  was  seen  that 
love  and  wisdom  are  the  two  essentials  to  which  all  the  infinite 
things  that  are  in  God  and  proceed  from  God  have  reference  • 
but  succeeding  ages,  as  they  withdrew  their  minds  from  heaven 
and  immersed  them  in  things  worldly  and  corporeal,  gradually 
became  unable  to  see  this,  for  they  gradually  ceased  to  know 
what  love  IS  in  its  essence,  and  thus  what  wisdom  is  in  its 
essence,  not  knowing  that  love  abstracted  from  a  form  is  im- 
possible, and  that  love  operates  in  a  form  and  through  a  form 
Since,  then,  God  is  the  Itself  and  the  Only,  and  thus  the  first 
substance  and  form,  the  essence  of  which  is  love  and  wisdom 
and  since  from  Him  were  made  all  things  that  were  made,  it 
follows  that  He  created  the  universe  with  each  thing  and  all 
things  of  it  from  love  by  means  of  wisdom ;  consequently  the 
Divme  love,  together  with  the  Divine  wisdom,  is  in  each  and 
all  created  subjects.     Love,  moreover,  is  not  merely  the  essence 
that  forms  all  things,  it  is  also  that  which  unites  and  conjoins 
them,  and  thus,  when  they  are  formed,  holds  them  iu  connec- 


58 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.   I. 


tion.     [2]  All  this  may  be  illustrated  by  innumerable  things 
in  the  world ;  as  by  the  heat  and  light  from  the  sun,  which  are 
the  two  essentials  and  universals  by  means  of  which  each  thing 
and  all  things  on  the  earth  have  their  existence  and  subsistence. 
Heat  and  light  are  there  because  they  correspond  to  the  Divine 
love  and  Divine  wisdom ;  for  the  heat  that  goes  forth  from  the 
sun  of  the  spiritual  world  is  in  its  essence  love,  and  the  light 
from  it  is  in  its  essence  wisdom.     This,  again,  may  be  illus- 
trated by  the  two  essentials  and  universals,  namely,  the  will 
and  the  understanding,  by  means  of  which  human  minds  have 
their  existence  and  subsistence ;  for  of  these  two  every  one's 
mind  consists,  and  they  are  in,  and  operate  in,  each  thing  and 
all  things  of  the  mind.     This  is  because  the  will  is  the  recep- 
tacle and  habitation  of  love,  as  the  understanding  is  of  wisdom ; 
and  for  this  reason  these  two  correspond  to  the  Divine  love  and 
the  Divine  wisdom  in  which  they  originated.     The  same  truth 
may  be  illustrated  further  by  the  two  essentials  and  universals 
by  means  of  which  the  human  body  has  its  existence  and  sub- 
sistence, namely,  the  heart  aiid  lungs,  or  the  contraction  and 
dilatation  of  the  heart  and  the  respiration  of  the  lungs.     It  is 
known  that  these  two  are  operative  in  each  and  all  things  in 
the  body ;  and  for  the  reason  that  the  heart  corresponds  to  love, 
and  the  lungs  to  wisdom ;  which  correspondence  is  fully  de- 
monstrated hi  the  Angelic  Wisdom  concerning  the  Divine  Love 
and  the  Divine   Wisdom,  published  at  Amsterdam.     [3]  That 
love  as  a  bridegroom  and  husband  produces  or  begets  all  forms, 
yet  only  by  wisdom  as  a  bride  and  wife,  can  be  proved  by  things 
innumerable  in  both  the  spiritual  world  and  in  the  natural 
world,  provided  only  it  is  kept  in  mind  that  the  entire  angelic 
heaven  is  arranged  in  its  form,  and  kept  in  it,  from  the  Divine 
love  through  the  Divine  wisdom.     Those  who  deduce  the  cre- 
ation of  the  world  from  any  other  source  than  the  Divine  love 
through  the  Divine  wisdom,  not  knowing  that  these  two  con- 
stitute the  Divine  Essence,  descend  from  reason's  sight  to  eye- 
sight, and  bestow  kisses  on  nature  as  the  creator  of  the  universe ; 
and  thereby  conceive  chimeras  and  bring  forth  spectei-s.    They 
devise  fallacies,  and  reason  from  them ;  and  their  conclusions 
are  eggs  that  contain  birds  of  night.     Such  should  not  be  called 
minds,  but  eyes  and  ears  without  understanding,  or  thoughts 


N.  37] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


50 


without  soul.  They  talk  of  colors  as  if  these  existed  without 
light ;  of  trees  as  if  they  existed  without  seed ;  and  of  all  things 
in  the  world  as  existing  without  the  sun ;  for  they  make  de- 
rivatives to  be  first  principles  and  things  caused  to  be  causes  • 
thus  they  turn  all  things  upside  down,  lull  their  reason  to  sleep' 
and  the  things  they  see  are  dreams.  ' 

38.  (2)    God  is  Good  itself  and  Truth  itself,  because  Good  is 
of  Love  and  Truth  is  of  Wisdom,     It  is  universally  known  that 
all  things  have  reference  to  good  and  truth ;  which  is  proof  that 
all  things  sprang  from  love  and  wisdom ;  for  every  thing  tliat 
proceeds  from  love  is  caUed  good,  for  this  is  what  is  felt,  and 
the  delight  by  which  the  love  becomes  manifest  is  to  every  one 
good ;  while  every  thing  that  proceeds  from  wisdom  is  called 
truth,  since  wisdom  consists  solely  of  truths,  and  affects  its 
objects  with  the  pleasantness  of  light ;  and  this  pleasantness, 
when  it  is  perceived,  is  truth  from  good.     Love  is  therefore  the 
complex  of  all  varieties  of  goodness,  and  wisdom  the  complex 
of  all  varieties  of  truth  ;  but  both  the  latter  and  the  former  are 
from  God,  who  is  love  itself  and  thus  good  itself,  and  is  wisdom 
Itself  and  thus  truth  itself.     It  is  from  this  that  in  the  church 
there  are  two  essentials,  called  charity  and  faith ;  and  of  these 
each  thing  and  all  things  of  the  church  consist,  and  these  must 
be  in  each  and  all  things  of  it ;  and  for  the  reason  that  every 
good  of  the  church  pertains  to  charity,  and  is  called  charity  • 
and  every  truth  of  the  church  pertains  to  faith,  and  is  called 
faitli.     It  is  the  delights  of  love,  which  are  also  the  delights  of 
charity,  that  cause  what  is  delightful  to  be  called  good ;  and  it 
is  the  pleasantness  of  wisdom,  which  is  also  the  pleasantness 
of  faith,  that  causes  what  is  true  to  be  called  true ;  for  delights 
and  pleasantnesses  are  what  give  life  to  good  and  truth ;  and 
without  life  from  these,  goods  and  truths^  are  like  something 
inanimate,  and  are  also  barren.     [2]  But  the  delights  of  love 
are  of  two  kinds ;  so,  too,  are  the  pleasantnesses  that  seem  to 
pertain  to  wisdom,  namely,  delights  of  the  love  of  good  and  de- 
lights of  the  love  of  evil,  and  in  consequence,  the  pleasantnesses 
of  faith  in  what  is  true  and  of  faith  in  what  is  false.     In  the 
subjects  in  which  they  exist,  both  of  these  kinds  of  delights, 
because  of  the  feeling  they  produce,  are  called  goods,  and  both 
of  these  kinds  of  pleasantness  of  faith,  because  of  the  percep- 


60 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


tion  they  cause,  are  also  called  good ;  but  as  these  are  in  the 
understanding  they  are  in  reality  truths.     Kevertheless,  the 
two  kinds  are  opposites,  the  good  of  one  love  being  good,  and 
the  good  of  the  other  being  evil,  and  the  truth  of  one  faith  true, 
and  that  of  the  other  false.     The  love  whose  delight  is  essen- 
tially good  is  like  the  sun's  heat  in  its  work  of  fructifying, 
vivifying,  and  operating  upon  fertile  soil,  and  useful  trees  and 
fields  of  grain ;  and  where  it  operates  the  place  becomes  like  a 
paradise,  a  garden  of  Jehovah,  and  like  the  land  of  Canaan ; 
while  the  pleasantness  of  the  truth  of  that  love  is  like  the  sun's 
light  in  spring,  or  like  light  flowing  into  a  crystalline  vase  con- 
taining beautiful  flowers,  from  which,  when  opened,  a  delight- 
ful odor  goes  forth.     But  the  delight  of  the  love  of  evil  is  like 
the  sun's  heat  when  it  parches  and  destroys,  or  when  it  operates 
upon  barren  soil  or  upon  noxious  growths,  as  thorns  and  bram- 
bles ;  and  where  it  operates  the  place  becomes  an  Arabian  des- 
ert where  there  are  water  snakes  and  venomous  snakes ;  and 
the  pleasantness  of  its  falsity  is  like  the  sun's  light  in  winter, 
or  like  light  flowing  into  a  bottle  containing  worms  swimming 
in  vinegar,  and  reptiles  of  ofPensive  smell.     [3]  It  must  be  un- 
derstood that  every  kind  of  good  gives  itself  form  by  means  of 
truths,  and  clothes  itself  about  with  truths,  and  thus  distin- 
guishes itself  from  every  other  good ;  also  that  the  various 
kmds  of  good  belonging  to  the  same  family  bind  themselves 
into  bundles,  and  swathe  these  about,  and  thus  distinguish  them- 
selves from  other  families.     That  they  are  formed  in  this  way 
is  shown  in  each  and  all  things  in  the  human  body ;  and  as 
there  is  an  invariable  correspondence  of  all  things  of  the  mind 
with  all  things  of  the  body  the  human  mind  is  evidently  formed 
in  like  ways.     And  from  this  it  follows  that  the  human  mind 
is  organized  inwardly  of  spiritual  substances,  and  outwardly 
of  natural  substances,  and  lastly  of  material  substances.     The 
mind  whose  love's  delights  are  good  is  formed  inwardly  of  such 
spiritual  substances  as  exist  in  heaven ;  while  the  mind  whose 
love's  delights  are  evil  is  formed  inwardly  of  such  spiritual  sub- 
stances as  exist  in  hell ;  and  its  evils  are  bound  into  bundles 
by  falsities,  while  the  goods  in  the  former  mind  are  bound  into 
bundles  by  truths.     Because  of  such  bindings  of  good  and  of 
evil  into  bundles  the  Lord  says  : — 


N.  38] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


61 


That  the  tares  must  be  gathered  together  into  bundles  to  be  burned 
a^  well  a^  all  thmgs  that  offend  [Matt.  xiii.  30,  40,  41  ;  Johnny  Q^' 

T  .^^•.  ^^h  ^^'"^^'^^  God  is  Love  itself  and  Wisdom  itself  He  is 
Life  Itself  which  is  Life  in  itself     It  is  said  in  John  :~ 

The  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  Wc-us  the  Word     In  Him  wa^  lif^ 
and  the  life  wa^  the  light  of  men  (i.  1,  4).  ^'^^' 

By  "God"  here  the  Divine  love  is  meant,  and  by  " the  AVord" 
the  Divine  wisdom ;  and  strictly  speaking  "life"  means  the 
Divine  wisdom  and  the  life  strictly  is  the  light  that  goes  forth 
from  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  in  the  midst  of  which  sun 
IS  Jehovah  God     As  fire  forms  light  so  does  the  Divine  love 
torm  hie.     In  fire  there  are  two  properties,  burning  and  shin- 
ing ;  from  its  burning  property  heat  proceeds,  and  from  its  shin- 
ing property  light.     There  are  two  like  properties  in  love,  one 
to  which  the  burning  property  of  fire  corresponds,  which  is  a 
something  that  mmostly  affects  the  will  of  man,  and  another 
to  which  the  shining  property  of  fire  corresponds,  which  is  a 
something  that  inmostly  affects  the  understanding  of  man 
This  IS  the  source  of  man's  love  and  intelligence ;  for,  as  re- 
peatealy  said  before,  from  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world  a  heat 
goes  forth  that  in  its  essence  is  love,  and  a  light  that  in  its 
essence  is  wisdom.     These  two  flow  into  all  things  and  each 
thing  m  the  universe,  and  inmostly  affect  them,  and  with  men 
these  flow  into  their  will  and  their  understanding,  for  these 
two  were  created  to  be  receptacles  of  influx-the  will  a  recep- 
tacle of  love,  and  the  understanding  a  receptacle  of  wisdom. 
Thus  It  IS  manifest  that  the  life  of  man  dwells  in  his  under- 
standing and  IS  such  as  his  wisdom  is;  and  that  it  is  modi- 
fied by  the  love  of  the  will. 
40.  We  also  read  in  John : 

to  re'^r  Hi;:.:Sf 'i!^  z,  f^^-''^  ^^  ^-^ «« ^'-  -> '"« ^^  ^^ 

which  means  that  just  as  the  Divine  Itself,  which  was  from 
eternity  has  hfe  in  itself,  so  the  Human,  which  He  took  on 
in  time,  has  hfe  in  itself.  Life  in  itself  is  the  very  and  only 
life,  from  which  all  angels  and  men  have  life.  This  can  be 
seen  by  human  reason  from  the  light  that  goes  forth  from  the 
sun  of  the  natural  world,  in  that  this  light  is  not  creatable, 


fai^MfiWiirifej 


62 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


but  that  forms  for  receiving  it  have  been  created.  For  ex- 
ample, the  eyes  are  forms  for  receiving  this  light,  and  light 
flowing  in  from  the  sun  is  what  makes  them  to  see.  The 
same  is  true  of  life  which  (as  has  been  said)  is  the  light  that 
goes  forth  from  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  in  that  it  is 
not  creatable,  but  flows  in  unceasingly,  and  as  it  illuminates 
it  also  vivifies  man's  understanding.  So  in  consequence,  as 
sight  and  life  and  wisdom  are  one,  wisdom  is  not  creatable, 
neither  is  faith,  nor  truth,  nor  love,  nor  charity,  nor  good ; 
but  forms  for  receiving  these  have  been  created ;  and  these 
forms  are  human  and  angelic  minds.  Therefore  let  every  one 
beware  of  persuading  himself  that  he  lives  from  himself,  or 
that  he  is  wise,  l)elieves,  loves,  perceives  truth,  and  wills  and 
does  good,  from  himself.  For  so  far  as  any  one  is  so  per- 
suaded he  casts  his  mind  down  from  heaven  to  earth,  and  from 
being  spiritual  becomes  natural,  sensual,  and  corporeal ;  for  he 
shuts  up  the  higher  regions  of  his  mind,  and  thus  makes  him- 
self blind  in  regard  to  every  thing  relating  to  God,  heaven, 
and  the  church  ;  and  then  all  that  he  happens  to  think,  reason, 
and  say  about  these  things  is  done  in  darkness  and  conse- 
quently in  foolishness;  while  at  the  same  time  he  adopts  a 
confidence  that  it  all  belongs  to  wisdom.  For  when  the  higher 
regions  of  the  mind,  where  the  true  light  of  life  resides,  are 
closed  up,  the  region  of  the  mind  below  these  opens,  into 
which  the  light  of  the  world  only  is  admitted ;  and  when  this 
light  is  separated  from  the  light  of  the  higher  regions  it  is  a 
delusive  light,  in  which  w^hat  is  false  seems  true  and  what  is 
true  seems  false,  and  reasoning  from  what  is  false  appears  to 
be  wisdom,  and  from  what  is  true  to  be  folly.  Then  man  be- 
lieves himself  to  be  endowed  with  the  keen  vision  of  an  eagle, 
although  he  sees  what  belongs  to  wisdom  no  better  than  a  bat 
sees  in  the  light  of  day. 

41.  (4)  Love  and  Wisdom  in  God  make  one.  Every  wise 
man  in  the  church  knows  that  every  good  of  love  and  charity 
is  from  God,  also  every  truth  of  wisdom  and  faith  ;  and  hu- 
man reason  is  able  to  see  this  when  it  knows  that  the  origin  of 
love  and  wisdom  is  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  in  the  midst 
of  which  is  Jehovah  God,  or  what  is  the  same  thing,  that 
they  are  froni  Jehovah  God  through  the  sun  which  is  round 


N.  41] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


63 


about  Him;  for  the  heat  that  goes  forth  from  that  sun  is 
in  Its  essence  love,  and  the  light  that  goes  forth  from  it  is  in 
Its  essence  wisdom.     It  is  therefore  as  plain  as  the  open  day 
that  m  that  origin  love  and  wisdom  are  one,  consequently  are 
one  m  God,  from  whom  that  sun  has  its  origin.     This  may  be 
illustrated  by  the  sun  of  the  natural  world,  which  is  pure 
fire,  in  that  from  its  fire  heat  goes  forth,  and  from  the  shining 
of  Its  fire  light  goes  forth ;  thus  the  two  in  their  origin  are 
one.     [2]  But  that  these  are  separated  in  their  going  forth 
becomes  evident  from  their  subjects,  some  of  which  receive 
more  of  heat  and  others  more  of  light.    This  is  especially  true 
of  men  in  whom  the  light  of  life  which  is  intelligence  and 
the  heat  of  life  which  is  love,  are  separated ;  and  this  is  done 
because  man  needs  to  be  reformed  and  regenerated,  which  is 
impossible  unless  he  is  taught  by  the  light  of  life,  which  is 
intelligence,  what  ought  to  be  willed  and  loved.     It  must  be 
understood,  however,  that  God  is  continually  working  to  con- 
join love  and  wisdom  in  man;  while  man,  unless  he  looks  to 
God  and  believes  in  him,  is  continually  working  to  separate 
them ;    so  far,   therefore,   as  these  two,  the  good  of  love  or 
charity,  and  the  truth  of  wisdom  or  faith,  are  conjoined  in 
man,  so  far  he  becomes  an  image  of  God,  and  is  raised  up  to- 
wards and  into  heaven  where  angels  are ;  and  on  the  other 
hand,  so  far  as  these  two  are  separated  by  man  he  becomes  an 
image  of   Lucifer  and  the    dragon,  and    is   cast   down  from 
heaven  to  earth,  and  finally  below  the  earth  into  hell.     From 
the  conjunction  of  these  two,  man's  state  becomes  like  that  of 
a  tree  in  spring,  when  heat  and  light  in  equal  measure  are 
conjoined,  whereby  the  tree  buds,  blooms, and  bears  fruit;  but 
on  the  other  hand,  by  the  separation  of  these  two,  man's  state 
becomes  like  that  of  a  tree  in  winter,  when  the  heat  with- 
draws from  the  light,  whereby  the  tree  is  stripped  and  made 
bare  of  all  its  foliage  and  verdure.     [3]  When  spiritual  heat, 
which  is  love,  separates  itself  from  spiritual  light,  which  is 
wisdom,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  when  charity  separates 
itself  from  faith,  man  becomes  like  sour  or  rotting  soil  in 
which  worms  are  bred  ;  and  if  it  brings    forth    plants  their 
leaves  become  covered  with  lice,  and  are  eaten  up.     For  the 
allurements  of  the  love  of  evil,  which  in  themselves  are  lusts, 


64 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


break  forth,  not  being  subdued  and  restrained  by  intelligence, 
but  loved,  fostered,  and  nourished  by  it.  In  a  word,  to  sepa- 
rate love  and  wisdom,  or  charity  and  faith,  which  two  things 
God  constantly  strives  to  bring  together,  is  like  depriving  the 
face  of  its  ruddiness,  which  leaves  a  death-like  pallor,  or  like 
taking  away  the  whiteness  from  the  ruddiness,  which  makes 
the  face  like  a  burning  torch.  It  is  also  like  dissolving  the 
marriage  bond  between  two  persons,  making  the  wife  a  harlot 
and  the  husband  an  adulterer.  For  love  or  charity  is  like  a 
husband,  and  wisdom  or  faith  is  like  a  wife  :  and  when  the  two 
are  separated,  spiritual  harlotry  and  whoredom  follow,  which 
are  the  falsification  of  truth  and  the  adulteration  of  good. 

42.  Furthermore,  it  must  be  understood  that  there  are  three 
degrees  of  love  and  wisdom,  and  consequently  three  degrees  of 
life,  and  that  the  human  mind  is  formed  into  regions,  as  it 
were,  in  accordance  with  these  degrees  ;  and  that  in  the  highest 
region  life  is  in  its  highest  degree,  in  the  second  region  in  a 
less  degree,  and  in  the  outmost  region  in  the  lowest  degree. 
These  regions  are  opened  in  men  successively — the  outmost 
region,  where  there  is  life  in  the  lowest  degree,  from  infancy 
to  childhood ;  and  this  is  done  by  means  of  knowledges :  the 
second  region,  where  there  is  life  in  a  larger  degree,  from  child- 
hood to  youth ;  and  this  is  done  by  means  of  thought  from 
knowledges  :  and  the  highest  region,  where  there  is  life  in  the 
highest  degree,  from  youth  to  early  manhood  and  onward; 
and  this  is  done  by  means  of  perceptions  of  moral  and  spirit- 
ual truths.     It  must  be  further  understood  that  it  is  not  in 
thought  that  the  perfection  of  life  consists,  but  in  the  percep- 
tion of  truth  from  the  light  of  truth.     From  this  it  may  be 
inferred  what  the  differences  of  life  are  in  men ;  for  there  are 
some  who  the  moment  they  hear  a  truth  perceive  that  it  is 
true ;  and  these  in  the  spiritual  world  are  represented  by  eagles. 
There  are  others  who  have  no  perception  of  truth,  but  reach 
conclusions  by  means  of  confirmations  from  appearances ;  and 
these  are  represented  by  singing  birds.    Others  believe  a  thing 
to  be  true  because  it  has  been  asserted  by  a  man  of  authority ; 
these  are  rei)resented  by  magpies.     Finally,  there  are  some 
who  have  no  desire  and  no  ability  to  perceive  what  is  true 
but  only  what  is  false,  for  the  reason  that  they  are  in  z.  delu- 


N.  42] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


65 


sive  light,  in  which  falsity  appears  to  be  true,  and  what  is  true 
seems  either  like  something  overhead  concealed  in  a  dense 
cloud,  or  like  a  meteor,  or  like  something  false.  The  thoughts 
of  these  are  represented  by  birds  of  night,  and  their  speech  by 
screech  owls.  Of  this  class  those  that  have  confirmed  their 
falsities  cannot  bear  to  hear  truths,  and  the  moment  any  truth 
strikes  the  ear  they  repel  it  with  aversion,  as  a  stomach  over- 
charged with  bile  from  nausea  vomits  its  food. 

43.  (5)  It  is  the  essence  of  Love  to  love  others  outside  of  one- 
self, to  desire  to  be  one  with  them,  and  to  render  them  blessed 
from  oneself     The  essence  of  God  consists  of  two  things,  love 
and  wisdom ;  while  the  essence  of  His  love  consists  of  three 
things,  namely,  to  love  others  outside  of  Himself,  to  desire  to 
be  one  with  them,  and  from  Himself  to  render  them  blessed. 
And  because  love  and  wisdom  in  God  make  one,  as  has  been 
shown  above,  the  same  three  things  constitute  the  essence  of 
His  wisdom ;  and  love  desires  these  three  things,  and  wisdom 
brings  them  forth.     [2]  The  first  essential,  which  is  to  love 
others  outside  of  one's  self  is  recognized  in  God's  love  for  the 
whole  human  race ;  and  for  its  sake  God  loves  all  things  that 
He  has  created  because  they  are  means ;  for  when  the  end  is 
loved  the  means  also  are  loved.     All  men  and  things  in  the 
universe  are  outside  of  God,  because  they  are  finite  and  God  is 
infinite.     The  love  of  God  goes  forth  and  extends  not  only  to 
good  men  and  good  things,  but  also  to  evil  men  and  evil  things  ; 
consequently  not  only  to  the  men  and  things  in  heaven  but  also 
in  hell,  thus  not  only  to  Michael  and  Gabriel  but  also  to  the 
devil  and  satan ;  for  God  is  everywhere,  and  is  from  eternity 
to  eternity  the  same.     He  says  also : — 

That  He  makes  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  good  and  on  the  evil,  and  sends 
rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust  {Mati.  v.  45). 

But  the  reason  why  evil  men  continue  to  be  evil,  and  evil  things 
continue  to  be  evil,  lies  in  the  subjects  and  objects  themselves, 
in  that  they  do  not  receive  the  love  of  God  as  it  is,  and  as  it 
is  inmostly  in  them,  but  as  they  themselves  are ;  in  the  same 
way  as  thorns  and  thistles  receive  the  heat  of  the  sun  and 
the  rain  of  heaven.  [3]  The  second  essential  of  the  love  of 
God,  which  is  a  desire  to  be  one  with  others,  is  recognized  in 
His  conjunction  with  the  angelic  heaven,  with  the  church  on 
5 


fta^aafuterJg 


66 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  L 


earth,  with  every  one  there,  and  with  every  thing  good  and 
true  that  enters  into  and  constitutes  man  and  the  church. 
Moreover,  love  viewed  m  itself  is  nothing  but  an  endeavor 
towards  conjunction;  therefore  that  this  aim  of  the  essence  of 
love  might  be  realized  man  was  created  by  God  into  His  own 
image  and  likeness,  with  which  a  conjunction  is  possible. 
That  the  Divine  love  continually  seeks  conjunction  is  evident 
from  the  Lord's  own  words  : — 

That  He  wishes  them  to  be  one,  He  in  them  and  they  in  Him,  and  that 
the  love  of  God  might  be  in  them  {John  xvii.  21-23,  20). 

[4]  The  third  essential  of  the  love  of  God,  which  is  to  render 
others  blessed  from  Himself,  is  recognized  in  eternal  life,  which 
is  the  endless  blessedness,  happiness,  and  felicity  that  God 
gives  to  those  w^ho  receive  into  themselves  His  love.  For  as 
God  is  love  itself,  so  is  He  blessedness  itself;  for  all  love 
breathes  forth  delight  from  itself,  and  the  Divine  love  breathes 
forth  blessedness  itself,  happiness,  and  felicity  to  eternity. 
Thus  God  from  Himself  renders  the  angels  blessed,  and  men 
after  death ;  and  this  He  does  by  conjunction  wdth  them. 

44.  That  such  is  the  nature  of  the  Divine  love  is  known 
from  its  sphere,  which  pervades  the  universe,  and  affects  every 
one  in  accordance  with  his  state.  It  especially  affects  parents, 
and  is  the  source  of  their  tender  love  for  their  childian  (who 
are  outside  of  themselves),  and  their  desire  to  be  one  with  them, 
and  to  render  them  blessed  from  themselves.  This  sphere 
of  Divine  love  affects  not  only  the  good,  but  also  the  evil, 
and  not  only  men  but  also  birds  and  beasts  of  every  kind. 
What  else  does  a  mother  think  about  when  she  has  brought 
forth  her  child  than  uniting  herself  with  it,  as  it  were,  and 
providing  for  its  good  ?  What  other  concern  has  a  bird,  when 
she  has  hatched  her  young  from  the  e^g,  than  to  cherish  them 
under  her  wings,  and  through  their  little  mouths  put  food  into 
their  throats  ?  It  is  known  that  even  serpents  and  vipers  love 
their  offspring.  This  universal  sphere  especially  affects  those 
who  receive  within  themselves  this  love  of  God,  who  are  such 
as  believe  in  God  and  love  their  neighbor.  Charity  with  such  is 
an  image  of  that  love.  With  those  who  are  not  good,  friend- 
ship simulates  that  love ;  for  at  his  table  a  man  gives  his  friend 


N.  44] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


67 


the  better  things,  kisses  him,  caresses  and  holds  his  hand,  and 
proffers  him  useful  offices.  This  love  is  also  the  sole  origin  of 
the  sympathies  and  endeavors  after  union  of  those  who  are 
homogeneous  or  similar.  This  same  Divine  sphere  is  also 
operative  in  things  inanimate,  as  trees  and  plants,  but  by  ' 
means  of  the  sun  of  the  world,  and  its  heat  and  light ;  for  its 
heat  enters  them  from  without  and  unites  with  them,  causing 
them  to  germinate,  bloom,  and  bear  fruit ;  and  these  resemble 
blessedness  in  things  animate.  The  sun's  heat  does  this  be- 
cause it  corresponds  to  spiritual  heat,  which  is  love.  Eepre- 
sentations  of  the  operation  of  this  love  are  also  found  in  the 
various  subjects  of  the  mineral  kingdom.  Types  of  this  are 
presented  in  the  exaltation  to  use  of  these,  and  their  conse- 
quent preciousness. 

45.  From  this  description  of  the  essence  of  the  Divine  love 
the  essential  nature  of  diabolical  love  can  be  seen.  This  can 
be  seen  as  being  an  opposite.  Diabolical  love  is  the  love  of 
self.  That  is  called  love,  although  viewed  in  itself  it  is 
hatred ;  for  it  loves  no  one  outside  of  itself ;  neither  does  it 
desire  to  be  joined  with  others  in  order  to  benefit  them,  but 
only  to  benefit  itself.  From  its  inmost  it  continuously  aspires 
to  rule  over  all  and  to  possess  the  goods  of  all,  and  finally  to 
be  worshiped  as  God.  This  is  why  those  who  are  in  hell  do 
not  acknowledge  God,  but  acknowledge  as  gods  those  who  sur- 
pass others  in  power ;  thus  they  acknowledge  lower  and  higher, 
or  lesser  and  greater  gods,  according  to  the  extent  of  their 
power.  And  as  this  is  what  every  one  there  has  at  heart, 
every  one  burns  with  hatred  against  his  own  god,  and  this 
latter  against  those  who  are  under  his  sway,  regarding  them 
as  vile  slaves,  to  whom  he  speaks  courteously  so  long  as  they 
worship  him,  but  he  rages  as  if  wdth  fire  against  all  others, 
and  also  inwardly,  or  in  his  heart,  against  his  own  vassals. 
For  the  love  of  self  is  the  same  as  that  of  robbers,  who  kiss 
each  other  so  long  as  they  are  engaged  in  robberies,  but  after- 
vrards  burn  with  a  desire  to  kill  each  other,  in  order  to  take  all 
the  plunder.  In  hell,  where  it  rules,  this  love  causes  its  lusts 
to  appear  at  a  distance  like  various  kinds  of  wild  beasts,  some 
like  foxes  and  leopards,  some  like  wolves  and  tigers,  and  some 
like  crocodiles  and  poisonous  serpents;  it  causes  the  deserts. 


68 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  L 


which  are  places  of  abode  there,  to  consist  of  nothing  but  heaps 
of  stones  or  bare  gravel,  with  bogs  interspersed  in  which  frogs 
croak ;  and  it  causes  doleful  birds  to  fly  and  screech  above  their 
huts.  Such  are  "the  doleful  creatures  (ocAim),"  "the  wild 
beasts  of  the  desert  {tziimy  and  "the  wild  beasts  of  the 
islands  (ijim),''  mentioned  in  the  prophetic  parts  of  the  Word, 
where  the  love  of  rule  from  self-love  is  treated  of  (Isa.  xiii. 
21 ;  Jer.  1.  39 ;  Ps.  Ixxiv.  14). 

46.  (6)  T/iese  essentiols  of  the  Divine  Love  were  the  cause  of 
the  creation  of  the  universe,  and  are  the  cause  of  its  preservation. 
That  these  three  essentials  were  the  cause  of  creation  can  be 
clearly  seen  by  a  careful  investigation  of  them.     That  the  first, 
which  is  to  love  others  outside  of  oneself,  was  a  cause,  is  seen 
in  the  universe  in  that  it  is  outside  of  God,  as  the  world  is  out- 
side of  the  sun,  and  in  that  He  is  thus  able  to  extend  His  love 
to  it,  and  exercise  His  love  upon  it,  and  thus  rest  in  it.     So  we 
read  that  after  God  had  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth  He 
rested,  and  that  this  was  why  the  Sabbath  day  was  instituted 
(Gen.  ii.  2,  3).     That  the  second  essential,  which  is  a  desire  to 
be  one  with  others,  was  also  a  cause,  is  seen  in  the  creation  of 
man  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  God,  which  means  that  man 
was  made  a  form  for  receiving  love  and  wisdom  from  God,  thus 
a  being  with  whom  God  could  unite  Himself,  and  also  for  man's 
sake  with  each  thing  and  all  things  in  the  universe,  which  are 
nothing  but  means ;  for  conjunction  with  a  final  cause  is  also 
conjunction  with  mediate  causes.    That  all  things  were  created 
for  the  sake  of  man  is  plain  also  from  the  Book  of  Creation,  or 
Genesis  (i.  28-30).    That  the  third  essential,  w4iich  is  to  render 
others  blessed  from  oneself,  is  a  cause,  is  seen  in  the  angelic 
heaven,  w^hich  is  provided  for  every  man  who  receives  the  love 
of  God,  and  in  which  the  blessedness  of  all  comes  from  God 
alone.     These  three  essentials  of  the  love  of  God  are  also  the 
cause  of  the  preservation  of  the  universe,  since  preservation  is 
perpetual  creation,  as  subsistence  is  perpetual  existence ;  and 
the  Divine  love  is  the  same  from  eternity  to  eternity,  that  is, 
such  as  it  was  in  creating  the  world,  such  it  is  and  continues 
to  be  in  the  world  when  created. 

47.  From  these  things  when  rightly  understood  it  can  be 
seen  that  the  universe  is  a  coherent  work  from  first  things  to 


N.  47] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


69 


last,  because  it  is  a  work  that  includes  ends,  causes,  and  effects 
in  an  indissoluble  connection.  And  because  in  every  love  there 
is  an  end,  in  all  wisdom  there  is  a  promotion  of  an  end  by 
means  of  mediate  causes,  and  through  these  causes  effects, 
which  are  uses,  are  attained,  it  follows  that  the  universe  is  a 
work  that  includes  Divine  love.  Divine  wisdom,  and  uses,  and 
is  thus  in  every  respect  a  work  coherent  from  things  first  to 
last.  That  the  universe  consists  of  perpetual  uses,  brought 
fortli  by  wisdom  but  initiated  by  love,  every  wise  man  can  ob- 
serve as  in  a  mirror,  as  soon  as  he  acquires  a  general  concep- 
tion of  the  creation  of  the  universe,  and  from  that  observes  the 
particulars ;  for  particulars  adapt  themselves  to  their  own  gen- 
eral, and  the  general  arranges  them  in  a  form  in  which  they 
are  in  harmony.  The  truth  of  this  will  be  illustrated  in  many 
ways  in  what  follows. 

48.  To  this  I  wall  add  this  Memorable  Relation : — 

I  was  once  talking  with  two  angels,  one  from  the  eastern  and 
the  other  from  the  southern  heaven.  When  they  perceived  that 
I  was  meditating  upon  the  arcana  of  wisdom  respecting  love, 
they  said,  "  Do  you  know  anything  about  the  schools  of  wisdom 
in  our  world  ?" 

I  answered,  "  Kot  yet." 

They  said  that  there  were  many  such,  and  that  those  who 
love  truths  from  spiritual  affection,  or  because  they  are  truths, 
and  because  by  means  of  them  wisdom  is  acquired,  come  to- 
gether at  a  given  signal  and  discuss  and  settle  those  questions 
that  spring  from  a  deeper  understanding. 

They  then  took  me  by  the  hand,  saying,  "  Follow  us,  and  you 
shall  see  and  hear ;  the  signal  has  been  given  for  a  meeting  to- 
day.'' 

I  was  led  over  a  plain  to  a  hill ;  and  behold,  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill  was  an  arcade  of  palms  reaching  to  its  very  top.  This 
we  entered  and  ascended ;  and  on  the  top  or  summit  of  the  hill 
a  grove  was  seen,  and  among  its  trees  the  raised  ground  formed 
a  kind  of  theater,  within  which  was  a  level  spot  paved  with 
little  stones  of  various  colors.  Around  this  in  quadrangular 
form  seats  were  placed  upon  which  lovers  of  wisdom  were  sit- 
ting ;  and  in  the  middle  of  the  theater  there  was  a  table,  upon 
which  was  laid  a  paper  sealed  with  a  seal. 


70 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.   I. 


[2]  Those  who  were  seated  invited  us  to  the  still  vacant  seats  ; 
but  I  answered,  "  I  have  been  brought  here  by  two  angels  to 
see  and  hear,  not  to  sit/' 

Then  the  two  angels  went  to  the  table  in  the  middle  of  the 
level  spot,  and  broke  the  seal  of  the  paper,  and  read  to  those 
seated  the  arcana  of  wisdom  written  on  the  paper,  which  they 
were  now  to  discuss  and  unfold.  These  arcana  were  written 
by  angels  of  the  third  heaven,  and  let  down  upon  the  table. 
There  were  three  :  First,  What  is  "  the  image  of  God/^  and  ivhat 
is  "  the  likeness  of  God,'^  into  which  man  was  created  ?  Second, 
Why  is  man  not  horn  into  the  kn/)wledge  proper  to  any  love,  when 
even  beasts  and  birds,  both  the  noble  and  the  ignoble,  are  born 
into  the  knowledges  proper  to  all  their  loves  ?  Third,  What 
does  "  the  tree  of  life^  and  ivhat  does  "  the  tree  of  the  knowledge 
of  good  and  eviV^  signify,  and  ivhat  is  signified  by  "  eating''  of 

them  ? 

Underneath  was  written,  "  Unite  the  answers  to  these  three 
in  one  opinion.  Write  it  on  a  fresh  paper,  and  place  it  on  this 
table,  and  we  shall  see.  If  the  opinion  seems  well-balanced 
and  correct,  each  one  of  you  shall  receive  the  prize  for  wisdom." 
Having  read  this  the  two  angels  withdrew,  and  were  taken  up 
into  their  heavens. 

Then  those  sitting  upon  the  seats  began  to  discuss  and  un- 
fold  the  arcana  proposed  to  them,  speaking  in  this  order,  first 
those  who  sat  on  the  north  side,  then  those  on  the  west,  next 
those  on  the  south,  and  lastly  those  on  the  east.  And  they  took 
up  the  first  subject  of  discussion,  which  was.  What  is  ''the 
image  of  God''  and  ivhat  is  ''  the  likeness  of  God"  into  which 
man  was  created  ?  In  the  first  place  there  was  read  to  all  of 
them  these  w^ords  from  the  Book  of  Creation  : — 

God  said,  Let  us  make  man  into  Our  image,  after  Our  likeness.  So 
God  created  man  into  His  own  image,  into  the  Ukeness  of  God  made  He 
him  {Gen.  I  26,  27). 

In  the  day  that  God  created  man,  into  the  likeness  of  God  made  He 
him  {Gen.  v.  1). 

[3]  Those  who  sat  on  the  north  spoke  first,  saying  that  an 
image  of  God  and  a  likeness  of  God  are  the  two  lives  breathed 
into  man  by  God,  which  are  the  life  of  the  will  and  the  life  of 
the  understanding ;  "  for  we  read  : — 


N.  48] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


71 


Jehovah  God  breathed  into  the  nostrils  [of  Adam]  the  breath  of  lives, 
and  man  was  made  into  a  living  soul  {Gen.  ii.  7). 

This  seems  to  mean  that  there  was  breathed  into  him  the  will 
of  good  and  the  perception  of  truth,  thus  the  soul  of  lives. 
And  inasmuch  as  life  from  God  was  breathed  into  him,  image 
and  likeness  signify  integrity  in  hun  from  love  and  wisdom, 
and  from  righteousness  and  judgment." 

To  this  those  sitting  on  the  west  assented,  adding,  however, 
that  the  state  of  integrity  breathed  into  Adam  from  God  is  con- 
tinually breathed  into  every  man  after  him ;  but  in  man  it  is 
as  into  a  receptacle ;  and  man  is  an  image  and  likeness  of  God 
in  proportion  as  he  becomes  a  receptacle. 

[4]  Afterwards  the  third  in  order,  who  were  those  seated  at 
the  south,  said,  '•  An  image  of  God  and  a  likeness  of  God  are 
two  distinct  things  but  in  man  they  are  united  by  creation ; 
and  we  see  as  if  from  some  interior  light  that  while  the  image 
of  God  may  be  destroyed  by  man,  the  likeness  of  God  cannot. 
This  we  see  as  through  a  network,  in  that  Adam  retained  the 
likeness  of  God  after  he  had  lost  the  image  of  God ;  for  after 
the  curse  we  read  : — 

Behold  the  man  has  become  as  one  of  us,  knowing  good  and  evil  {Gen. 
iii.  22)  ; 

and  after  this  he  was  called  a  likeness  of  God,  but  not  an  im- 
age of  God  (Gen.  v.  1).  But  let  us  leave  to  our  companions 
who  sit  at  the  east,  and  are  therefore  in  superior  light,  to  say 
what  is  properly  an  image  of  God,  and  what  is  properly  a  like- 
ness of  God." 

[5]  Then  after  a  period  of  silence,  those  seated  towards  the 
east  arose  from  their  seats  and  looked  up  to  the  Lord,  and  again 
took  their  seats,  and  said  that  an  image  of  God  is  a  receptacle 
of  God ;  and  as  God  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  an  image 
of  God  is  the  reception  in  that  receptacle  of  love  and  wisdom 
from  God ;  while  a  likeness  of  God  is  a  perfect  likeness  and 
full  appearance  that  love  and  wisdom  are  in  man,  and  are  there- 
fore entirely  his.  For  man  has  no  other  feeling  than  that  he 
loves  from  himself  and  is  wise  from  himself,  or  that  he  wills 
what  is  good  and  understands  truth  from  himself ;  neverthe- 
less, this  is  not  from  himself  m  the  least  degree,  but  from  God. 


72 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


God  alone  loves  from  Himself  and  is  wise  from  Himself,  be- 
cause He  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself.  The  likeness  or  ap- 
pearance that  love  and  wisdom,  or  good  and  truth,  are  in  man 
as  his  own,  is  what  makes  man  to  be  man,  and  makes  him  capa- 
ble of  conjunction  with  God,  and  thus  of  living  to  eternity ; 
from  which  it  follows  that  man  is  man  from  his  being  able  to 
will  what  is  good  and  understand  truth  wholly  as  if  from  him- 
self, and  yet  with  the  ability  to  know  and  believe  that  he  does 
so  from  God ;  for  as  man  knows  and  believes  this,  God  puts 
His  image  in  man  ;  but  not  so  if  man  believes  that  he  does  this 
from  himself,  and  not  from  God. 

[6]  When  this  had  been  said  there  came  upon  them  a  zeal 
arising  from  a  love  for  the  truth,  from  which  they  spoke  as 
follows  :  "  How  can  man  receive  anything  of  love  and  wisdom, 
and  retain  it  and  reproduce  it,  unless  he  feels  it  to  be  his  own  ? 
And  how  is  any  conjunction  with  God  by  means  of  love  and 
wisdom  possible  unless  there  has  been  given  to  man  something 
by  which  he  may  reciprocate  the  conjunction  ?  For  without 
a  reciprocal  no  conjunction  is  possible.  And  the  reciprocal  of 
conjunction  is  man's  loving  God  and  doing  wdiat  is  of  God  as 
if  from  himself,  and  yet  believing  that  it  is  from  God.  More- 
over, how  can  man  live  to  eternity  unless  he  is  joined  to  the 
eternal  God  ?  Consequently,  how  can  man  be  man  without 
that  likeness  in  him  V 

[7]  These  remarks  were  approved  by  all,  and  they  said,  "  Let 
us  form  a  conclusion  from  all  this.'^  This  was  done  as  follows  : 
"Man  is  a  receptacle  of  God,  and  a  receptacle  of  God  is  an 
image  of  God;  and  as  God  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself, 
man  is  a  receptacle  of  these  ;  and  the  receptacle  becomes  an  im- 
age of  God  in  the  measure  in  which  it  receives.  And  man  is 
a  likeness  of  God  from  his  feeling  that  the  things  that  are 
from  God  are  in  him  as  his  o^\ti  ;  and  yet  from  that  likeness 
he  is  only  so  far  an  image  of  God  as  he  acknowledges  that 
love  and  wisdom,  or  good  and  truth,  are  not  his  own  in  him, 
and  are  not  from  him,  but  are  solely  in  God,  and  consequently 
from  God." 

[8]  After  this  they  took  up  the  second  subject  of  discus- 
sion, Why  is  man  not  horn  into  the  knowledge  proper  to  any 
lovey  when  even  beasts  and  birds j  both  the  noble  and  the  {(/noble j 


N.  48] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


are  born  into  the  knowledr/es  p)^'02)er  to  all  their  loves  ?     They 
first  confirmed  the  truth  of  the  proposition  by  various  argu- 
ments, as,  that  man  is  born  into  no  knowledge,  not  even  into 
a  knowledge  of  marriage  love.    They  inquired  and  learned  from 
investigators  the  fact  that  an  infant  from  connate  knowledge 
does  not  even  know  its  mother's  breast,  but  learns  of  it  from 
the  mother  or  nurse  by  being  put  to  the  breast ;  that  it  merely 
knows  how  to  suck,  and  this  it  has  acquired  from  continual 
suction  in  the  mother's  womb;  that  subsequently  it  does  not 
know  how  to  walk,  or  to  articulate  sound  into  any  human 
word,  and  not  even  to  express  by  sounds  its  love's  affections 
as  beasts  do ;  furthermore,  that  it  does  not  know  what  food  is 
suitable  for  it,  as  beasts  do,  but  seizes  upon  whatever  comes  in 
its  way,  clean  or  unclean,  and  puts  it  in  its  mouth.     The  in- 
vestigators said  that  man  without  instruction  knows  nothing 
whatever  of  the  modes  of  loving  the  sex,  virgins  and  youths 
even  knowing  nothing  about  it  until  they  have  l^een  taught  by 
others.     In  a  word,  man  is  born  a  purely  corporeal  thing,  like 
a  worm,  and  so  continues  unless  he  acquires  knowledge,  un- 
derstanding, and  wisdom  from  others.   [9]  After  this  they  con- 
firmed the  fact  that  both  noble  and  ignoble  animals,  as  the 
beasts  of  the  earth,  the  birds  of  heaven,  reptiles,  fishes,  and  the 
smaller  creatures  called  insects,  are  born  into  all  the  knowl- 
edges proper  to  their  life's  loves,  as  into  all  things  pertaining 
to  nutrition,  to  their  habitations,  to  sexual  love  and  prolifica- 
tion,  and  all  things  pertaining  to  the  rearing  of  their  offspring. 
All  this  they  confirmed  by  w^onderf ul  facts  which  they  recalled 
to  memory  from  what  they  had  seen,  heard,  and  read  in  the  nat- 
ural world,  where  they  had  formerly  lived,  and  where  the  ani- 
mals are  real  and  not  representative.    When  the  truth  of  the 
proposition  had  been  thus  established,  they  applied  their  minds 
to  the  investigation  and  discovery  of  the  reasons  by  means  of 
which  this  arcanum  might  be  unfolded  and  made  clear.    And 
they  all  said  that  these  things  could  spring  only  from  the  Di- 
vine wisdom,  to  the  end  that  man  might  be  man,  and  beast  might 
be  beast ;  and  thus  man's  imperfection  at  birth  becomes  his  per- 
fection, and  the  beast's  perfection  at  birth  is  its  imperfection. 
[lO]  Then  those  on  the  north  began  to  express  their  views ; 
and  they  said  that  man  is  born  without  knowledges  in  order 


74 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I 


that  he  may  be  able  to  receive  all  knowledges ;  while  if  he 
were  born  into  knowledges  he  would  not  be  capable  of  receiv- 
ing other  knowledges  beyond  those  into  which  he  had  been 
born,  nor  would  he  be  capable  of  making  any  knowledge  his 
own.  This  they  illustrated  by  the  comparison  that  man  at 
birth  is  like  ground  in  which  no  seed  has  been  sown,  but  which 
nevertheless  is  capable  of  receiving  all  seeds  and  of  causing 
them  to  grow  and  bear  fruit;  while  a  beast  is  like  ground 
already  sown,  and  full  of  grasses  and  herbs,  which  can  receive 
no  other  seeds  than  those  already  sown,  or  if  it  did,  would 
choke  them.  Tor  this  reason  man  is  many  years  in  coming  to 
maturity,  during  which  he  can  be  cultivated,  like  soil,  and 
bring  forth,  as  it  were,  all  kinds  of  crops,  flowers,  and  trees ; 
while  the  beast  matures  in  a  few  years,  during  which  it  is 
capable  of  improvement  only  in  the  things  into  which  it  was 
born. 

[11]  Afterwards  those  on  the  west  spoke,  and  said,  "  Man  is 
not,  as  a  beast  is,  born  a  knowledge,  but  is  bom  a  faculty  and 
inclination — a  faculty  for  knowing  and  an  inclination  for  lov- 
ing. Moreover,  he  is  born  a  faculty  for  loving  both  what  per- 
tains to  self  and  the  world  and  what  pertains  to  God  and 
heaven.  Consequently,  man  at  birth  is  merely  an  organ,  liv- 
ing only  an  obscure  life  through  the  external  senses,  and  with 
no  internal  senses,  to  the  end  that  his  life  may  develop  step 
by  step,  and  he  may  become  lirst  a  natural  man,  then  a  rational 
man,  and  finally  a  spiritual  man ;  and  this  he  could  not  become 
if  he  were  born  into  knowledges  and  loves  as  beasts  are.  For 
that  development  is  limited  by  connate  knowledges  and  affec- 
tions of  love,  while  mere  connate  faculties  and  inclinations  do 
not  limit  it.  This  is  what  gives  man  the  ability  to  be  per- 
fected to  eternity  in  knowledges,  intelligence,  and  wisdom." 

[12]  Those  on  the  south  followed,  and  pronounced  their 
opinion,  saying  that  it  is  impossible  for  man  to  derive  any 
knowledge  from  himself,  and  since  he  has  no  connate  knowl- 
edge he  can  only  gain  it  from  others.  "  And  as  man  can  ac- 
quire no  knowledge  from  himself,  neither  can  he  any  love,  since 
where  knowledge  is  not  love  is  not.  Knowledge  and  love  are 
inseparable  companions,  as  inseparable  as  will  and  understand- 
ing, or  as  affection  and  thought,  or  even  as  essence  and  form. 


N.  48] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


75 


Therefore  as  man  acquires  knowledge  from  others,  love  unites 
with  it  as  a  companion.  The  most  general  love  that  miites 
itself  is  the  love  of  knowing,  and  afterwards  the  love  of  un- 
derstanding and  of  being  wise,  No  beast  has  these  loves,  but 
man  only ;  and  they  flow  in  from  God.  [13]  We  agree  with 
our  fellow-meml)ers  on  the  west  that  man  is  not  born  into  any 
love,  and  consequently  not  into  any  knowledge,  but  is  born 
merely  into  an  inclination  for  loving  and  thus  into  a  faculty 
for  receiving  knowledge,  not  from  liimself  but  from  others, 
that  is,  through  others.  We  say  through  others,  because  neither 
do  these  receive  anything  from  themselves,  but  originally  from 
God.  We  agree  also  with  our  fellow-meml3ers  on  the  north, 
that  man  at  his  birth  is  like  soil  in  which  no  seeds  have  been 
planted,  but  in  which  all  seeds,  both  noble  and  ignoble,  may 
be  planted.  This  is  why  man  was  called  hovio  [man],  from 
humus  [soil],  and  Adam  \_Hehr.  for  man],  from  ad  amah ,  which 
means  soil.  To  this  we  add  that  beasts  are  born  into  natural 
loves,  and  from  these  into  knowledges  corresponding  thereto ; 
and  yet  they  have  no  ability  to  learn  or  to  think  or  to  under- 
stand or  to  be  wise  from  knowledges  ;  but  are  impelled  to  these 
by  their  loves,  much  as  the  blind  are  conducted  through  the 
streets  by  dogs  (for  beasts  are  blind  so  far  as  understanding  is 
concerned ;  or  rather,  beasts  are  like  persons  walking  in  sleep, 
Avho  do  whatever  they  do  from  blind  knowledge,  their  imder- 
standing  being  asleep)." 

[14]  Finally  those  on  the  east  spoke  and  said,  "We  assent 
to  what  our  brethren  have  said,  that  man  derives  no  knowledge 
from  himself,  but  only  from  and  through  others,  in  order  that 
he  may  recognize  and  acknowledge  that  all  his  knowledge,  un- 
derstanding, and  wisdom  are  from  God ;  also  that  man  can  in 
no  other  way  be  born  and  begotten  of  God,  and  become  His 
image  and  likeness.  For  man  becomes  an  image  of  God  by  ac- 
knowledging and  believing  that  he  has  received  and  continues 
to  receive  from  God  every  good  of  charity  and  every  truth  of 
wisdom  and  faith,  and  none  whatever  from  himself;  while 
he  is  a  likeness  of  God  by  his  feeling  these  goods  and  truths 
to  be  in  himself  as  if  they  were  from  himself.  This  he  feels 
because  he  is  not  born  into  knowledges  but  acquires  them ; 
and  what  he  acquires  seems  to  him  to  be  from  himself.    More- 


G 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


over  to  so  feel  is  bestowed  upon  man  by  God  in  order  that  he 
may  be  a  man  and  not  a  beast,  since  it  is  through  man's  will- 
ing, thinking,  loving,  understanding,  and  being  wise  as  if  from 
himself,  that  he  receives  knowledges,  and  exalts  them  to  in- 
telligence, and,  by  using  them,  to  wisdom;  thus  God  conjoins 
man  to  Himself,  and  man  conjoins  himself  to  God.  All  this 
could  not  be  done  unless  it  had  been  provided  by  God  that 
man  should  be  born  in  total  ignorance." 

[15]  After  this  had  been  said  it  was  the  desire  of  all  that  a 
conclusion  be  drawn  from  the  points  discussed,  and  this  was 
done  as  follows  :  "  Man  is  born  into  no  knowledge  that  he  may 
be  capable  of  entering  into  all  knowledge  and  progressing  into 
intelligence,  and  through  this  into  wisdom  ;  and  he  is  born  into 
no  love  that  he  may  be  capable  of  entering  into  all  love  by  the 
application  of  knowledges  from  intelligence,  and  into  love  to 
God  through  love  of  the  neighbor,  and  thus  of  being  conjoined 
to  God,  and  thereby  becoming  man  and  living  forever." 

[16]  After  this  they  took  up  the  paper  and  read  the  third 
subject  of  discussion,  which  was,  What  is  s'ujnijied  hy  ''-the 
tree  of  life;'  and  hy  "  the  tree  of  the  knoivledge  of  good  and 
evil^'  and  hy  "  eatlncf  of  them  ?  They  all  requested  that  those 
in  the  east  should  unfold  this  arcanum,  because  it  was  a  mat- 
ter of  deeper  understanding,  and  because  those  from  the  east 
were  in  flaming  light,  that  is,  in  the  wisdom  of  love,  and  this 
wisdom  is  meant  by  "  the  garden  of  Eden,"  in  which  those  two 
trees  were  placed. 

They  replied,  "  We  will  speak ;  but  as  man  receives  nothing 
from  himself,  but  everything  from  God,  we  will  speak  from 
Him,  and  yet  from  ourselves  as  if  from  ourselves."  And  they 
said,  "  A  tree  signifies  man,  and  its  fruit  the  good  of  life  ;  there- 
fore ^  the  tree  of  life'  signifies  man  living  from  God ;  and  as 
love  and  wisdom,  or  charity  and  faith,  or  good  and  truth,  con- 
stitute the  life  of  God  in  man, '  the  tree  of  life'  signifies  a  man 
who  has  these  within  him  from  God,  and  in  consequence,  eter- 
nal life.  The  tree  of  life  of  which  it  shall  be  given  to  eat 
(mentioned  in  Apoc.  ii.  7 ;  xxii.  2, 14)  has  the  same  signification. 
[17]  ^  The  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  eviP  signifies  a 
man  who  believes  that  he  lives  from  himself  and  not  from  God  ; 
thus  that  love  and  wisdom,  or  charity  and  faith,  that  is,  good 


N.  48] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


77 


and  truth,  are  not  God's  in  man,  but  his  own,  the  reason  for 
this  belief  being  that  man  thinks  and  wills  and  speaks  and 
a^ts  in  all  likeness  and  appearance  as  if  from  himself ;  and  as 
man  thereby  persuades  himself  that  he  is  himself  a  god,  the 
serpent  said : — 

God  doth  know  that  in  the  day  ye  eat  of  the  fruit  of  that  tree  your 
eyes  shall  be  opened,  and  ye  shall  be  as  God,  knowing  good  and  evil 
{Gen.  iii.  5). 

[18]  "  <  Eating '  of  these  trees  signifies  reception  and  appro- 
priation, *  eating  of  the  tree  of  life'  reception  of  eternal  life, 
and  '■  eating  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil'  the 
reception  of  damnation.  *  The  serpent'  means  the  devil  in 
respect  to  the  love  of  self  and  the  conceit  of  one's  own  intelli- 
gence ;  this  love  is  the  possessor  of  that  tree,  and  the  men  who 
are  in  the  conceit  derived  from  that  love  are  such  trees.  It  is 
therefore  a  monstrous  error  to  believe  that  Adam  was  wise  and 
did  good  from  himself,  and  that  this  was  his  state  of  integrity ; 
when  in  fact  Adam  was  himself  cursed  on  account  of  that  be- 
lief ;  for  this  is  what  is  meant  by  his  ^  eating  of  the  tree  of  the 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil ;'  and  this  was  why  he  then  fell 
from  his  state  of  integrity,  which  had  been  his  possession  be- 
cause of  his  believing  that  he  was  wise  and  did  good  from  God, 
and  in  no  respect  from  himself,  which  is  what  is  meant  by  his 
^  eating  of  the  tree  of  life.'  The  Lord  alone  when  He  was  in 
the  world  was  wise  from  Himself  and  did  good  from  Himself, 
because  the  Divine  Itself  was  in  Him,  and  was  His  from  His 
birth ;  therefore  by  His  own  power  He  became  the  Eedeemer 
and  Saviour." 

[19]  From  all  this  they  formed  this  conclusion  :  "  '  The  tree 
of  life,'  *  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,'  and  ^  eat- 
ing' therefrom,  mean  that  man's  life  is  God  in  him,  and  when 
God  is  in  him  he  has  heaven  and  eternal  life ;  while  the  death 
of  man  is  the  persuasion  and  belief  that  his  life  is  not  God, 
but  himself,  and  this  belief  leads  to  hell  and  eternal  death, 
which  is  damnation." 

[20]  After  this  they  looked  at  the  paper  left  by  the  angels 
on  the  table,  and  saw  written  upon  it,  "  Bring  these  three  to- 
gether in  one  opinion  ;  "  and  bringing  them  together  they  saw 
that  the  three  formed  one  coherent  series,  and  the  series  or 


78 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


opinion  was  as  follows  :  "  Man  was  so  created  as  to  be  capable 
of  receiving  love  and  wisdom  from  God,  and  yet  in  all  like- 
ness as  if  from  himself,  and  this  for  the  sake  of  reception  and 
conjunction;  and  this  is  why  man  is  not  born  into  any  love, 
nor  into  any  knowledge,  nor  even  into  any  power  to  love  and 
be  wise  from  himself.  Therefore  when  he  attributes  every 
good  of  love  and  every  truth  of  faith  to  God  he  becomes  a  liv- 
ing man ;  but  when  he  attributes  them  to  himself  he  becomes 

a  dead  man.'' 

This  they  wrote  on  a  fresh  paper,  and  placed  it  on  the  ta- 
ble ;  and  behold,  immediately  angels  came  in  a  bright  cloud 
and  carried  the  paper  away  to  heaven. 

And  when  it  had  been  read  there,  those  sitting  upon  the 
seats  heard  from  heaven  the  words,  "  Well  done,  well  done, 
well  done."  And  presently  one  from  heaven  was  seen  flying 
as  it  were  with  what  appeared  like  two  wings  on  his  feet  and 
two  on  his  temples,  bringing  rewards,  which  were  robes,  caps, 
and  laurel  wreaths.  He  descended  and  gave  to  those  sitting 
at  the  north  robes  of  an  opaline  color ;  to  those  at  the  west 
robes  of  scarlet ;  to  those  at  the  south  caps  with  borders  or- 
namented with  bands  of  gold  and  pearls,  and  with  their  tops 
on  the  left  side  adorned  with  diamonds  cut  in  the  form  of 
flowers ;  while  to  those  on  the  east  he  gave  wreaths  of  laurel 
in  which  were  rubies  and  sapphires.  And  all,  decorated  with 
these  rewards,  went  home  from  the  school  of  wisdom  with  joy. 


THE   OMNIPOTENCE,  OMNISCIENCE,  AND  OMNIPRESENCE   OF   GOD. 

49.  We  have  treated  of  the  Divine  love  and  wisdom,  and  have 
shown  that  these  two  are  the  Divine  essence.  The  omnipo- 
tence, omniscience,  and  omnipresence  of  God  will  now  be  con- 
sidered ;  because  these  three  proceed  from  the  Divine  love  and 
Divine  wisdom  in  much  the  same  way  as  the  power  and  pres- 
ence of  the  sun  are  present  in  this  world  and  in  each  and  all 
things  thereof,  by  means  of  its  heat  and  light.  Moreover,  heat 
from  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  in  the  midst  of  which  is 
Jehovah  God,  is  in  its  essence  Divine  love,  and  the  light  from 


N.  40] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


'9 


it  is  in  its  essence  Divine  wisdom.  Evidently,  then,  as  infin- 
ity, immensity,  and  eternity  pertain  to  the  Divine  Esse,  so  om- 
nipotence, omniscience,  and  omnipresence  pertain  to  the  Divine 
essence.  But  as  these  three  most  general  predicates  of  the 
Divine  essence  have  hitherto  not  been  understood,  because 
their  progression  in  accordance  with  their  modes,  which  are 
the  laws  of  order,  has  been  unknown,  they  must  be  elucidated 
in  separate  sections,  as  follows  : — 

(1)  Omnipotence,  Omniscience,  and  Omnipresence  pertain  to 
the  Divine  wisdom  from  the  Divine  love. 

(2)  The  Omnipotence,  Omniscience,  and  Omnipresence  of 
God  can  be  clearly  understood  only  when  it  is  known  what 
order  is,  and  when  it  is  known  that  God  is  order,  and  that  He 
introduced  order,  both  into  the  universe  and  into  each  and  all 
thmgs  of  it,  at  the  time  of  their  creation. 

(3)  God's  Omnipotence  in  the  universe  and  in  each  and  all 
things  of  it,  proceeds  and  operates  in  accordance  with  the  laws 
of  His  order. 

(4)  God  is  omniscient,  that  is,  He  perceives,  sees,  and  knows 
each  thing  and  all  things,  even  to  the  most  minute,  that  take 
place  according  to  order,  and  from  these  the  things  also  that 
take  place  contrary  to  order. 

(5)  God  is  omnipresent  from  the  firsts  to  the  lasts  of  His 
order. 

(6)  Man  was  created  a  form  of  Divine  order. 

(7)  From  the  Divine  OmniDotence  man  has  power  over  evil 
and  falsity,  and  from  the  I  '^e  Omniscience  has  wisdom 
respecting  what  is  good  and  tr  ""  from  the  Divine  Omni- 
presence is  in  God,  just  to  the  e^.  nt  that  he  lives  in  accord- 
ance with  Divine  order. 

But  these  propositions  shall  be  unfolded  one  by  one. 

50.  (1)  OTnnipotence,  Omniscience^  and  Omnijyresence  j)ertain 
to  the  Divine  wisdom  from  the  Divine  love.  That  omnipotence, 
omniscience,  and  omnipresence,  pertain  to  the  Divine  wisdom 
from  the  Divine  love,  but  not  to  the  Divine  love  through  the 
Divine  wisdom,  is  an  arcanum  from  heaven  that  has  not  yet 
dawned  upon  the  understanding  of  any  one,  because  it  has  not 
yet  been  known  what  love  is  in  its  essence,  and  what  wisdom 
therefrom  is  in  its  essence,  and  still  less  how  one  flows  into  the 


80 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


other ;  namely,  that  love,  with  each  and  all  things  of  love,  flows 
into  wisdom  and  dwells  in  it,  as  a  king  in  his  kingdom,  or  as  a 
master  in  his  house,  leaving  all  the  administration  of  justice  to 
the  judgment  of  wisdom ;  and  as  justice  pertains  to  love,  and 
judgment  to  wisdom,  love  leaves  all  the  administration  of  love 
to  its  own  wisdom.  But  this  arcanum  will  borrow  light  from 
what  follows  ;  meanwhile  let  it  serve  as  a  canon.  That  God  is 
omnipotent,  omniscient,  and  omnipresent  through  the  wisdom 
of  His  love  is  meant  by  the  words  in  John : — 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  God 
was  the  Wo'id.  All  things  were  made  by  Him,  and  without  Him  was 
not  anything  made  that  was  made.  In  Him  was  life,  and  the  life  was 
the  light  of  men.  And  the  world  was  made  by  Him.  And  the  Word 
was  made  flesh  (i.  1,  3,  4,  10,  14)  ; 

"the  Word''  here  meaning  the  Divine  truth,  or,  what  amounts 
to  the  same  thing,  the  Divine  wisdom  ;  and  for  this  reason  it  is 
called  "  life*'  and  ''  light,"  "  life''  and  "  light*'  being  nothing  else 

than  wisdom. 

51.  Since  in  the  Word  justice  [or  righteousness]  is  predicated 
of  love,  and  judgment  of  wisdom,  I  will  cite  some  passages  to 
show  that  it  is  by  means  of  these  two  that  God's  government 
is  carried  on  in  the  world  : — 

Riahteousness  and  judgment  are  the   support  of   Thy  Throne  (Ps. 

Ixxxix   1"4)- 

Let  him  that  glorieth  glory  in  this,  that  Jehovah  doeth  judgment  and 

rio-hteousness  in  the  earth  {Jer.  ix.  24). 

°Let  Jehovah  be  exalted,  for  He  hath  filled  the  land  [Hebrew,  Zion] 
with  judgment  and  righteousness  {1     .  xxxiii.  5). 

Judgment  shall  flow  as  wa^  d  righteousness  as  a  mighty  stream 

0  Jehovah,  Thy  righteousness  is  Uke  the  mountains  of  God  ;  Thy  judg- 
ments are  a  great  deep  (Ps.  xxxvi.  6).  -,    .     •    , 

Jehovah  shall  bring  forth  thy  righteousness  as  the  light,  and  thy  judg- 
ment as  the  noonday  {Fs.  xxxvii.  0). 

Jehovah  shall  judge  thy  people  with  righteousness,  and  thy  poor  with 

judgment  {Ps.  Ixxii.  2). 

When  I  shall  have  learned  the  judgments  of  Thy  righteousness.  Seven 
times  a  day  do  I  praise  Thee  because  of  the  judgments  of  Thy  righteous- 
ness (Ps.  cxix.  7,  164). 

1  will  betroth  Me  unto  thee  {Hebrew,  thee  unto  Me]  in  righteousness 

and  in  judgment  {Hos.  ii.  19).  ,  ^^  v.o«v 

Zion  shall  be  redeemed  in  judgment  and  those  that  are  brought  back 

in  righteousness  (Isa.  i.  27). 


N.  61] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


81 


He  shall  sit  upon  the  throne  of  David,  and  upon  his  kmgdom,  to  estab- 
lish it  in  judgment  and  in  righteousness  [Isa.  ix.  7). 

I  will  raise  mito  David  a  righteous  Branch,  and  He  shall  reign  as  King, 
and  shall  do  judgment  and  righteousness  in  the  land  (Jer.  xxiu.  o). 

Elsewhere  it  is  said  that  judgment  and  righteousness  ought  to 
be  done,  as  in  Isa.  i.  21 ;  v.  16 ;  Iviii.  2 ;  Jer.  iv.  2 ;  xxu.  3,  13, 
15 ;  Ezek.  xviii.  5 ;  xxxiii.  14,  16,  19 ;  A7nos  vi.  12 ;  Micah  vii. 
9 ;  Dent,  xxxiii.  21 ;  John  xvi.  8,  10,  11). 

52    (2)  The  Omnipotence,  Oninlscience,  and  Omnipresence  oj 
God  can  be  clearhj  understood  only  ivhen  it  is  known  what  order 
is,  and  when  it  is  known  that  God  is  order,  and  that  He  intro- 
duced order  both  into  the  universe  and  into  each  and  all  things 
of  it  at  the  time  of  their  creation.     How  many  and  how  great 
absurdities  have  crept  into  the  minds  of  men,  and  thus  into  the 
church,  through  the  heads  of  reformers,  from  their  not  under- 
standing the  order  in  which  God  created  the  universe  and  each 
and  all  things  in  it,  will  be  seen  from  the  mere  recital  of  them 
in  the  following  pages.     But  we  will  now  begin  an  explanation 
of  order  with  a  general  definition  of  it,  as  follows  -.—Order  is 
the  qnality  of  the  arrangement,  determination,  and  activity,  of 
the  parts,  substances,  or  elements^  ivhich  constitute  a  form  ;  from 
which  is  its  state;  and  its  perfection  is  produced  by  wisdom 
from  its  love,  or  its  imperfection  is  the  outcome  of  unsoundness 
\f  reason  from  cupidity.     In  this  definition  substance,  form 
and  state  are  mentioned,  and  by  substance  form  also  is  meant, 
because  every  substance  is  a  form,  and  the  quality  of  the  form 
is  the  state  of  it,  while  perfection  or  imperfection  of  state  is  a 
result  of  the  order.    All  this  must  needs  be  obscure  because 
it  is  metaphysical;  but  the  obscurity  will  be  dispelled  m  what 
follows  by  the  use  of  examples  which  will  illustrate  the  subject. 
53    God  is  order  because  He  is  substance  itself  and  form 
itself.     He  is  substance  because  all  things  that  subsist  have 
come  forth  and  continue  to  come  forth  from  Him.     He  is  form 
because  every  quality  of  substances  has  sprung  and  continues 
to  spring  from  Him,  quality  having  no  other  source  than  form 
As  God,  then,  is  the  very,  the  only,  and  the  first  substance  and 
form,  and  at  the  same  time  the  very  and  only  love  and  the  very 
and  only  wisdom,  and  as  wisdom  from  love  is  what  constitutes 
form,  and  its  state  and  quality  are  in  accordance  with  the  order 
6 


82 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  L 


that  is  in  it,  it  follows  that  God  is  order  itself ;  consequently 
that  God  from  Himself  introduced  order  both  into  the  whole 
imiverse  and  into  all  things  and  each  thing  in  it ;  also  that  He 
introduced  a  most  perfect  order,  because  every  thing  that  He 
created  was  good,  as  we  read  in  the  Book  of  Creation.  In  its 
proper  place  it  will  be  shown  that  evil  things  sprang  up  to- 
gether with  hell,  thus  after  creation.  But  now  let  us  consider 
things  that  more  readily  enter  the  understanding,  more  clearly 
enlighten  it,  and  more  gently  aifect  it. 

54.  It  would  require  many  pages  to  explain  the  nature  of  the 
order  into  which  the  universe  was  created.  A  sketch  of  it  will 
be  given  in  a  following  section  on  the  Creation  [n.  75].  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  each  and  all  things  in  the  universe, 
that  they  mi[^;ht  subsist  by  themselves,  were  created  each  into 
its  own  order,  and  in  the  be[jinning  were  so  created  as  to  con- 
join themselves  with  the  order  of  the  whole  universe,  to  the 
end  that  each  particuhir  order  might  have  subsistence  in  the 
universal,  and  thus  all  might  make  one.  But  to  refer  to  some 
examples  : — Man  was  created  into  his  own  order,  and  every  part 
of  him  into  its  own  order ;  as  the  head  into  its  order,  the  body 
into  its  order;  the  heart,  lungs,  liver,  pancreas,  and  stomach, 
each  into  its  order ;  every  organ  of  motion,  called  a  muscle,  into 
its  order ;  and  every  organ  of  sense,  as  the  eye,  the  ear,  the 
tongue,  into  its  order ;  nor  does  there  exist  any  least  artery  or 
fiber  there  that. has  not  its  own  order;  and  yet  these  innum- 
erable parts  join  themselves  with  the  common  body,  and  so  in- 
sert themselves  in  it  that  all  together  make  one.  The  same 
is  true  of  other  things,  the  mere  mention  of  which  will  suffice 
for  illustration.  Every  beast  of  the  earth,  every  bird  of  heaven, 
every  hsh  of  the  sea,  every  reptile,  and  every  worm,  even  to  the 
moth,  has  been  created  into  its  own  order ;  equally  so  every  for- 
est tree  and  fruit  tree,  every  shrub  and  plant ;  and  still  further 
every  stone,  every  mineral,  down  to  eveiy  grain  of  dust,  into 

its  order. 

55.  Who  does  not  see  that  there  cannot  be  found  an  empire, 
kingdom,  dukedom,  republic,  state,  or  household,  that  is  not  es- 
tablished by  laws  which  constitute  its  order  and  thus  the  form 
of  its  government  ?  In  each  one  of  them  the  laws  of  justice 
are  in  the  highest  place,  political  laws  in  the  second,  and  eco- 


\ 


« 


N.  55] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


83 


nomical  laws  in  the  third ;  or  in  comparison  with  a  man,  the 
laws  of  justice  constitute  the  head,  political  laws  the  body,  and 
economic  laws  the  garments  ;  and  thus  these  last,  like  garments, 
may  be  changed.  But  in  respect  to  the  order  in  which  the 
church  has  been  established  by  God,  it  is  this  :  That  God  must 
be  in  each  thing  and  all  things  of  it,  and  the  neighbor  also 
towards  whom  order  must  be  practised.  The  laws  of  that  order 
are  as  many  as  the  truths  in  the  Word,  the  laws  relating  to  God 
constituting  its  head,  the  laws  relating  to  the  neighbor  consti- 
tuting its  body,  and  ceremonies  its  garments ;  for  unless  there 
were  these  last  to  hold  the  former  together  in  their  order  it 
would  be  as  if  the  body  were  naked  and  exposed  to  the  heat  in 
summer  and  the  cold  in  winter ;  or  as  if  the  walls  and  ceilings 
of  a  temple  were  taken  away,  and  its  sanctuary  and  altar  and 
pulpit  should  thus  stand  unsheltered  and  exposed  to  many 
kinds  of  violence. 

56.  (3)  God^s  Omnipotence  in  the  itnwerse^  with  each  and  all 
things  of  it,  proceeds  and  operates  in  accordance  with  the  laws 
of  His  order.  God  is  omnipotent  because  He  has  from  Himself 
all  power ;  while  all  others  have  power  only  from  Him.  His 
power  and  His  will  are  one ;  and  as  He  wills  only  what  is  good 
He  can  do  nothing  but  what  is  good.  In  the  spiritual  world  no 
one  is  able  to  do  anything  contrary  to  his  will ;  and  this  is  de- 
rived from  God,  because  His  power  and  will  are  one.  More- 
over, God  is  good  itself,  therefore  in  His  doing  good  He  is  in 
Himself,  and  to  go  out  of  Himself  is  impossible.  Evidently, 
then,  God's  omnipotence  must  go  forth  and  operate  within  the 
sphere  of  extension  of  the  good ;  and  this  sphere  is  infinite. 
For  this  sphere,  [going  forth]  from  the  inmost,  fills  the  uni- 
verse and  each  and  all  things  in  it ;  and  from  the  inmost  rules 
the  things  which  are  without  so  far  as  they  conjoin  themselves 
with  it  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  their  own  order ;  and  if 
they  do  not  conjoin  themselves  with  it,  it  still  sustains  them, 
and  by  every  endeavor  labors  to  restore  them  to  an  order  that 
is  harmonious  with  the  universal  order,  in  which  God  Himself 
is  in  His  omnipotence,  and  in  accordance  with  which  He  acts. 
And  when  this  is  not  accomplished  they  are  cast  out  from  Him  ; 
but  even  then  He  none  the  less  sustains  them  from  the  inmost. 
From  this  it  is  clear  that  the  Divine  omnipotence  cannot  by 


ittairtiMtJaiiiiifiii'iliiiimii  1 1lhl■^lf'»llli^lnillaaMatik^i^iiiai ■*■■■*"■-■-■ '''■^--- 


84 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


any  means  go  forth  from  itself  to  a  contact  with  any  thing  evil, 
or  from  itself  promote  any  thing  evil;  for  evil  turns  itself 
away,  and  in  consequence  evil  is  wholly  separated  from  Him 
and  is  cast  into  hell,  between  which  and  heaven,  where  He  is, 
there  is  a  great  gulf.  From  these  few  statements  it  can  be  seen 
how  deluded  those  are  who  think,  and  still  more  those  who  be- 
lieve, and  still  more  those  who  teach,  that  God  can  damn  any 
one,  curse  any  one,  send  any  one  to  hell,  predestine  any  soul 
to  eternal  death,  avenge  wrongs,  be  angry,  or  punish.  He  can- 
not even  turn  Himself  away  from  man,  nor  look  upon  him  with 
a  stern  countenance.  These  and  like  things  are  contrary  to  His 
essence ;  and  what  is  contrary  to  His  essence  is  contrary  to  His 
very  Self. 

57.  It  is  a  prevailing  opinion  at  this  day  that  God's  omni- 
potence is  like  the  absolute  power  of  a  king  in  the  world,  who 
can  at  his  pleasure  do  whatever  he  will,  pardon  or  condemn 
w^hom  he  will,  make  the  guilty  innocent,  declare  the  unfaithful 
faithful,  exalt  the  unworthy  and  undesei*ving  above  the  worthy 
and  deserving,  and  even  take  away  the  property  of  his  subjects 
under  any  pretext  whatsoever,  and  condemn  them  to  death,  and 
so  on.  From  this  absurd  opinion,  belief,  and  doctrine  respect- 
ing the  Divine  omnipotence,  as  many  falsities,  fallacies,  and  chi- 
meras have  flooded  the  church  as  there  are  changes,  distinc- 
tions, and  generations  of  faith  in  it ;  and  the  number  that  may 
yet  flow  in  may  equal  the  number  of  urns  that  might  be  filled 
from  a  great  lake,  or  the  number  of  serpents  that  might  creep 
from  their  holes  and  bask  in  the  sunshine  in  the  desert  of 
Arabia.  What  need  is  there  except  to  pronounce  these  two 
words,  omnipotence  and  faith,  and  then  circulate  among  the 
common  people  conjectures  and  fables  and  nonsense  such  as  will 
appeal  to  the  bodily  senses  ?  For  these  two  words  banish  rea- 
son ;  and  when  reason  has  been  banished  what  better  is  man's 
thought  than  the  reason  of  the  birds  that  fly  over  his  head  ? 
Or  what  then  is  the  spirituality  that  man  possesses  over  and 
above  the  beasts  but  like  the  stench  in  the  dens  of  beasts,  which 
to  them  indeed  is  agreeable,  but  not  to  a  man  unless  he  is 
like  them  ?  If  the  Divine  omnipotence  were  so  extended  as 
to  do  evil  as  well  as  good,  what  difference  would  there  be  be- 
tween God  and  the  devil  ?     Would  there  be  any  but  such  as 


N.  57] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


85 


that  between  two  monarchs,  one  of  whom  is  both  a  king  and  a 
tyrant,  while  the  other  is  a  tyrant  whose  power  is  so  restrained 
that  he  cannot  be  called  a  king;  or  such  as  that  between  a 
shepherd  who  is  allowed  to  lead  the  sheep  and  also  to  act  the 
wolf,  and  one  who  is  not  ?  Who  cannot  see  that  good  and  evil 
are  opposites,  and  that  if  God  from  His  omnipotence  had  the 
power  to  will  both,  and  from  will  to  do  both,  He  would  be  able 
to  will  and  do  nothing  at  all  ?  Thus  He  would  have  no  power, 
much  less  all  power.  It  would  be  like  two  wheels  acting  against 
each  other  by  turning  in  opposite  directions,  by  which  opposi- 
tion both  wheels  would  be  stopped  and  be  perfectly  at  rest ;  or 
like  a  vessel  in  a  rushing  stream  driving  it  contrary  to  its 
course,  so  that  if  not  held  by  the  anchor  it  would  be  carried 
away  and  destroyed ;  or  like  a  man  with  two  opposing  wills,  one 
of  which  must  needs  be  quiescent  when  the  other  is  acting, 
for  if  both  should  act  at  the  same  time  delirium  or  giddiness 
would  invade  his  mind. 

58.  If,  in  accordance  with  existing  belief,  God's  omnipotence 
were  absolute  both  to  do  evil  and  to  do  good,  would  it  not  be 
possible  and  even  easy  for  God  to  elevate  all  hell  to  heaven, 
and  to  convert  the  devils  and  satans  into  angels,  and  to  cleanse 
in  an  instant  every  impious  man  on  earth  from  sin ;  to  renew, 
sanctify,  and  regenerate  him,  and  from  a  child  of  wrath  make 
him  a  child  of  grace,  that  is,  to  justify  him,  which  would  be 
done  by  simply  ascribing  and  imputing  to  him  the  righteous- 
ness of  His  Son  ?  But  God's  omnipotence  does  not  enable 
Him  to  do  this,  for  the  reason  that  it  would  be  contrary  to  the 
laws  of  His  order  in  the  universe,  and  at  the  same  time  con- 
trary to  the  laws  of  order  enjoined  upon  every  man,  these  laws 
requiring  that  the  conjunction  between  God  and  man  shall  be 
mutual.  This  will  be  made  clear  in  the  following  pages  of 
this  work.  From  this  absurd  opinion  and  belief  concerning 
God's  omnipotence  it  would  follow  that  God  could  convert 
every  goat  nature  among  men  into  a  sheep,  and  at  His  good 
pleasure  could  transfer  men  from  His  left  hand  to  His  right ; 
that  He  could  at  His  good  pleasure  transform  the  spirits  of  the 
dragon  into  angels  of  Michael ;  and  that  a  man  with  an  under- 
standing like  that  of  a  mole  could  be  endowed  with  the  vision 
of  an  eagle ;  in  a  word,  that  out  of  a  man  like  an  owl  He  could 


86 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


make  a  man  like  a  dove.     These  things  God  cannot  do,  for  the 
reason  that  they  are  contrary  to  the  laws  of  His  order ;  and  yet 
He  unceasingly  wills  and  endeavors  to  effect  them.    If  He  could 
have  done  such  things  He  would  not  have  permitted  Adam  to 
listen  to  the  serpent,  and  to  pluck  fruit  from  the  tree  of  the 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  and  put  it  to  his  mouth.     If  He 
could  have  done  this  He  would  not  have  permitted  Cain  to  kill 
his  brother,  or  David  to  number  the  people,  or  Solomon  to  build 
temples  for  idols,  or  the  kings  of  Judah  and  Israel  to  profane 
the  temple,  which  they  often  did.     In  fact,  if  He  could  have 
done  this  He  would  have  saved  the  entire  human  race,  without 
exception,  through  the  redemption  wrought  by  His  Son,  and 
have  extirpated  all  helL     The  ancient  heathen  ascribed  om- 
nipotence to  their  gods  and  goddesses ;  and  this  gave  rise  to 
their  fables,  as  that  Deucalion  and  Pyrrha  threw  stones  behind 
them  which  became  men ;  that  Apollo  changed  Daphne  into  a 
laurel ;  that  Diana  changed  a  hunter  into  a  stag ;  and  that  an- 
other of  their  gods  changed  the  virgins  of  Parnassus  into  mag- 
pies     There  is  at  this  dav  a  like  belief  respecting  the  Divme 
omnipotence,  and  it  is  the  source  of  the  many  superstitions 
and  consequent  heresies  that  have  been  introduced  into  the 
world  in  every  country  where  there  is  any  religion. 

59.  (4)  God  is  omniscient,  that  is,  He  perceives,  sees,  and 
knows  each  thing  and  all  things,  even  to  the  most  minute,  that 
take  place  according  to  order,  and  from  these  the  things  also  that 
take  place  contrary/  to  order,  God  is  omniscient,  that  is,  pei- 
ceives,  sees,  and  knows  all  things,  because  He  is  wisdom  itself 
and  light  itself ;  and  wisdom  itself  perceives  all  things,  and 
licrht  itself  sees  all  things.  That  God  is  wisdom  itself  has  been 
sho^vn  above ;  He  is  light  itself  because  He  is  the  sun  of  the 
anc^elic  heaven,  which  enlightens  the  understandings  of  all, 
both  angels  and  men.  For  just  as  the  eye  is  illuminated  by  the 
light  of  the  natural  sun,  so  is  the  understanding  illuminated  by 
the  light  of  the  spiritual  sun ;  nor  is  it  illuminated  merely,  it  is 
filled  with  intelligence  in  accordance  with  the  love  of  receiv- 
ing that  light,  for  that  light  in  its  essence  is  wisdom.  There- 
fore it  is  said  in  David : — 

That  God  dwells  in  the  light  inaccessible  [Ps.  civ.  2  ;  camp,  i  Tim.  vi.  16); 
and  in  the  Apocalypse  : — 


natiiifiifTiiniiliiilifir" 


'■^J'Me^aaaBy 


N.  59] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


87 


That  in  the  New  Jerusalem  they  need  no  candle,  for  the  Lord  God 
giveth  them  light   xxii.  5) ; 

and  in  John  : — 

That  the  Word,  which  was  with  God  and  was  God,  Is  the  light  that  en- 
lighteneth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world  (i.  i,  9)  ; 

the  "  Word ''  meaning  the  Divine  wisdom.  For  this  reason,  so 
far  as  the  angels  are  in  wisdom  they  are  in  clearness  of  light, 
and  for  the  same  reason,  whenever  light  is  mentioned  in  the 
AVord  it  means  wisdom. 

60.  God  perceives,  sees,  and  knows  all  things,  even  to  the 
most  minute,  that  take  place  according  to  order,  because  order, 
from  being  in  the  smallest  particulars,  is  universal,  for  these 
smallest  particulars  taken  together  are  called  the  universal,  as 
the  particulars  taken  together  are  called  the  general.     The  uni- 
versal, including  its  smallest  particulars,  is  a  work  coherent  as  a 
unit,  to  the  extent  that  no  one  part  can  be  touched  and  affected 
Avithout  some  sense  of  it  overflowing  to  all  the  rest.     Such  be- 
ing the  nature  of  the  order  of  the  universe  there  is  a  likeness 
of  it  in  all  created  things  in  the  world.     But  this  shall  be  illus- 
trated by  comparisons  taken  from  things  visible.     In  man  as  a 
whole  there  are  generals  and  particulars,  the  generals  includ- 
ing the  particulars,  with  all  harmoniously  arranged  in  such 
connection  that  each  belongs  to  the  other.    This  is  effected  by 
means  of  a  common  covering  surrounding  every  member  of  the 
body,  and  insinuating  itself  into  every  particular  therein,  so 
that  they  act  as  one  in  every  function  and  use.     For  example, 
the  covering  of  each  muscle  enters  into  the  particular  motor 
libers  and  clothes  them  from  itself.     So  the  coverings  of  the 
liver,  the  pancreas,  and  the  spleen  enter  into  the  interior  parts 
of  these  organs  ;  and  the  covering  of  the  lungs,  which  is  called 
the  pleura,  enters  into  their  interiors ;  in  like  manner  the  peri- 
cardium enters  into  each  and  all  parts  of  the  heart ;  and  in  gen- 
eral the  peritoneum  enters  all  parts  by  anastomoses  with  the 
coverings  of  all  the  viscera.     So  again,  the  meninges  of  the 
brain,  by  threads  drawn  from  them,  enter  into  all  the  under- 
lying glands,  and  through  these  into  all  the  fibers,  and  through 
these  again  into  all  parts  of  the  body.    And  it  is  in  this  way  that 
the  head  by  means  of  the  brain  rules  each  and  all  things  sub- 


88 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


ject  to  it.  These  facts  are  cited  simply  that  b}^  means  of  visi- 
ble things  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  how  God  perceives,  sees, 
and  knows  all  things,  even  to  the  most  minute,  which  take  place 
according  to  order. 

61.  That  from  the  things  that  are  according  to  order  God 
perceives,  knows,  and  sees  each  and  all  things  even  to  the  most 
minute  that  take  place  contrary  to  order,  is  because  He  does 
not  keep  man  in  evil,  but  withholds  him  from  evil ;  thus  He 
does  not  lead  him  on,  but  strives  with  him.    From  this  perpet- 
ual striving,  struggling,  resistance,  repugnance,  and  reaction  of 
evil  and  falsity  against  His  good  and  truth,  thus  against  Him- 
self, God  perceives  both  their  quantity  and  their  quality.    This 
follows  from  God's  omnipresence  in  all  things  and  in  each  thing 
of  His  order,  and  also  from  His  perfect  knowledge  of  each  thing 
and  all  things  of  it,  comparatively  as  one  with  an  ear  for  har- 
mony and  consonance  notices  accurately  what  is  inharmonious 
and  dissonant,  when  it  comes  in,  also  the  extent  and  character 
of  the  discord ;  or  as  one  whose  feelings  are  occupied  with  wliat 
is  delightful  detects  the  intrusion  of  what  is  undelightful ;  or 
as  one  whose  eye  is  occupied  with  what  is  beautiful  notices  it 
with  more  precision  when  any  thing  unshapely  is  beside  it ;  for 
which  reason  it  is  customary  for  painters  to  place  an  ugly  face 
beside  a  beautiful  one.    It  is  the  same  with  good  and  truth  when 
evil  and  falsity  are  striving  against  them ;  since  from  good  and 
truth  evil  and  falsity  are  distinctly  perceived.     For  every  one 
who  is  in  good  can  perceive  evil ;  and  he  who  is  in  truth  can  see 
falsity.    And  the  reason  is  that  good  is  in  the  heat  of  heaven, 
and  truth  is  in  its  light ;  while  evil  is  in  the  cold  of  hell,  and  fal- 
sity in  its  darkness.    This  may  be  illustrated  by  the  fact  that 
the  angels  of  heaven  can  see  whatever  is  done  in  hell,  and  what 
kind  of  monsters  exist  there ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  spir- 
its of  hell  can  see  nothing  whatever  that  is  going  on  in  heaven ; 
they  can  no  more  see  the  angels  than  if  they  were  blind,  or  were 
gazing  into  the  empty  air  or  ether.     Those  whose  understand- 
ings are  in  light  from  wisdom  are  like  men  who  at  mid-day  are 
standing  upon  a  mountain  and  seeing  clearly  all  that  is  below ; 
while  those  who  are  in  still  superior  light  are  comparatively  like 
men  who  see,  through  telescopes,  outlying  and  lower  objects  as 
if  they  were  near  at  hand.    But  those  who  are  in  the  false  light 


N.  61] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


89 


of  hell,  through  the  confirmation  of  falsities,  are  like  men  stand- 
ing upon  the  same  mountain  at  night  with  lanterns  in  their 
hands,  who  see  only  the  objects  nearest  to  them,  and  these  with 
tonus' indistinct  and  colors  confused.  A  man  who  is  in  some 
light  of  truth,  although  in  evil  of  life,  while  he  finds  delight 
in  his  love  of  evil,  sees  truths  at  first  much  as  a  bat  sees  linen 
hanging  in  a  garden,  to  which  it  flies  as  to  a  place  of  refuge. 
Afterwards  he  becomes  like  a  bird  of  night,  and  at  length  like 
a  screech-owl.  Then  he  becomes  like  a  chimney-sweep  sticking 
fast  in  the  gloom  of  a  chimney,  and  seeing,  when  he  looks  up- 
ward, the  sky  through  smoke,  and  when  downward  the  hearth 
from  which  the  smoke  comes. 

62.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  perception  of  opposites 
is  different  from  the  perception  of  relatives  ;  for  opposites  are 
things  without,  and  are  opposed  to  things  within.     An  opposite 
has  its  beginning  where  one  thing  wholly  ceases  to  be  any  thing, 
and  another  then  arises  with  an  effort  to  act  against  the  former, 
as  when  a  wheel  acts  against  another  wheel,  or  a  current  against 
another  current.     But  relatives  pertain  to  the  arrangement  of 
many  and  various  parts  in  an  order  that  is  concordant  and  har- 
monious, like  precious  stones  of  various  colors  in  the  stomacher 
of  a  queen,  or  like  flowers  of  different  colors  arranged  in  a  gar- 
land to  give  pleasure  to  the  sight.     Therefore  in  both  of  these 
opposites  there  are  relatives,  that  is,  in  what  is  good  as  well  as 
in  what  is  evil,  in  what  is  true  as  well  as  in  what  is  false,  thus 
both  in  heaven  and  in  hell,  all  the  relatives  in  hell  being  the  op- 
posites of  the  relatives  in  heaven.     Since,  then,  from  the  order 
in  which  He  is,  God  perceives  and  sees  and  is  cognizant  of  all 
things  relative  in  heaven,  and  thereby  perceives,  sees,  and  is 
cognizant  of  all  the  opposite  relatives  in  hell  (as  follows  from 
what  has  been  said),  it  is  clear  that  God  is  omniscient  in  hell 
as  well  as  in  heaven,  and  in  like  manner  with  men  in  the  world ; 
thus  that  He  perceives,  sees,  and  is  cognizant  of  their  evils  and 
falsities  from  the  good  and  truth  in  which  He  Himself  is,  and 
which  in  their  essence  are  Himself ;  for  we  read  :— 

If  I  ascend  up  into  heaven,  Thou  art  there  ;  if  I  make  my  bed  in  hell, 
behold  Thou  art  there  {Ps.  cxxxix.  8); 


and  again 


90 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  64] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


91 


Though  they  dig  into  hell,  thence  shall  Mine  hand  take  them  (Amos 
ix.  2). 

63.  (o)  God  is  omnipresent  from  the  firsts  to  the  lasts  of  His 
order.  God  is  omnipresent  from  the  firsts  to  the  lasts  of  His 
order  by  means  of  the  heat  and  light  of  the  spiritual  sun,  in  the 
midst  of  which  He  is.  It  was  by  means  of  that  sun  that  order 
was  produced ;  and  from  it  He  sends  forth  a  heat  and  a  light 
which  pervade  the  universe  from  firsts  to  lasts,  and  produce  the 
life  that  is  in  man  and  in  every  animal,  and  also  the  vegetative 
soul  that  is  in  every  germ  upon  the  earth ;  and  these  two  flow 
into  each  thing  and  all  things,  and  cause  every  subject  to  live 
and  grow  according  to  the  order  implanted  in  it  by  creation. 
And  as  God,  though  not  extended,  fills  every  extense  in  the  uni- 
verse, He  is  omnipresent.  It  has  been  shown  elsewhere  that 
God  is  in  all  space  without  space,  and  in  all  time  without  time, 
and  consequently  that  the  universe  in  its  essence  and  order 
is  the  plenitude  of  God ;  and  this  being  so,  by  His  omnipre- 
sence He  perceives  all  things,  by  His  omniscience  He  provides 
all  things,  and  by  His  omnipotence  He  effects  all  things.  From 
this  it  is  clear  that  omnipresence,  omniscience,  and  omnipotence 
make  one,  or  that  one  implies  the  others ;  and  thus  that  they 
cannot  be  separated. 

64.  The  Divine  omnipresence  may  be  illustrated  by  the  won- 
derful way  in  which  angels  and  spirits  become  present  to  each 
other  in  the  spiritual  world.  Because  there  is  no  space  in  that 
world,  but  only  an  appearance  of  space,  an  angel  or  spirit  may 
instantly  become  present  with  another  whenever  he  comes  in- 
to a  like  affection  and  consequent  thought ;  for  it  is  these  two 
that  cause  the  appearance  of  space.  That  such  is  the  nature 
of  presence  with  all  there,  has  been  made  evident  to  me  by  hav- 
ing seen  Africans  and  Asiatics  there  near  together,  although  on 
the  earth  they  are  so  many  miles  apart ;  and  that  I  could  even 
become  present  with  tliose  on  the  planets  of  our  solar  system, 
and  also  with  those  on  planets  belonging  to  other  systems.  Ow- 
ing to  this  presence,  not  in  space  but  in  appearance  of  space,  I 
have  spoken  with  apostles,  with  departed  popes,  with  emperors 
and  kings,  with  the  modern  reformers  of  the  church — Luther, 
Calvin,  Melancthon, — and  with  others  from  widely  separated 
countries.     Such  being  the  presence  of  angels  and  spirits,  what 


I 


limit  is  there  to  the  Divine  presence,  which  is  mfinite,  in  the 
universe?   Angels  and  spirits  are  thus  present,  because  every 
affection  of  love  and  every  consequent  thought  of  the  under- 
standing is  in  space  without  space,  and  in  time  without  time. 
For  any  one  can  think  of  a  brother,  relative,  or  friend  who  is 
in  the  Indies,  and  then  have  him  as  if  present ;  in  like  manner 
he  may,  by  remembrance,  be  moved  by  their  love.     From  these 
facts,  as  they  are  known  to  man,  the  Divine  omnipresence  may 
in  some  measure  be  made  clear ;  so,  too,  from  human  thought 
—as  when  any  one  calls  to  mind  what  he  has  seen  while  travel- 
ing in  various  places,  it  is  just  as  if  he  were  present  in  those 
places  again.     Even  bodily  vision  emulates  this  same  kind  ot 
presence ;  it  notices  distance  only  by  means  of  intermediate 
things,  by  which,  as  it  were,  the  distance  is  measured.     The 
sun  itself  would  be  near  the  eye,  even  as  if  in  the  eye,  if  inter- 
mediate objects  did  not  reveal  the  fact  of  its  bemg  so  distant. 
That  this  is  so,  optical  writers  have  noted  in  their  wntmgs 
This  kind  of  presence  pertains  both  to  man's  intellectual  sight 
and  to  his  bodily  sight,  because  what  sees  is  his  spirit  looking 
throudi  his  eyes ;  but  such  is  not  the  case  with  any  animal,  be- 
cause animals  have  no  spiritual  sight.     All  this  enables  ns  to 
see  that  Cxod  is  omnipresent  from  the  firsts  to  the  lasts  of  His 
order.    That  He  is  also  omnipresent  in  hell  has  been  shown  m 
a  former  section.  _ 

6 5    (C)  Man  was  created  a  form  of  Divme  order.     Man  was 
created  a  form  of  Divine  order  because  he  was  created  an  image 
and  likeness  of  God ;  and  as  God  is  order  itself,  he  was  created 
an  image  and  likeness  of  order.     There  are  two  thmgs  which 
are  the  source  of  order  and  which  give  it  permanence,  namely, 
the  Divine  love  and  the  Divine  wisdom ;  and  man  was  created 
a  receptacle  of  these,  and  was  therefore  created  also  into  the 
order  in  accordance  with  which  these  two  act  in  the  universe, 
and  especially  in  accordance  with  which  they  act  m  the  angelic 
heaven;  consequently  that  the  entire  heaven  ,s  in  its  largest 
effigy  a  form  of  Divine  order,  and  is  in  the  sight  of  God  like 
one  man.    Moreover,  there  is  a  plenary  correspondence  between 
that  heaven  and  man ;  for  there  is  not  a  society  in  heaven  that 
does  not  correspond  to  some  one  of  the  members,  viscera,  or 
organs  in  man;  and  therefore  it  is  there  said  that  such  a  soci- 


92 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


ety  is  in  the  province  of  the  liver,  or  of  the  pancreas,  or  of  the 
spleen,  or  of  the  stomach,  the  eye,  the  ear,  or  the  tongue,  and 
so  on.  Furthermore,  the  angels  themselves  know  in  what  region 
of  any  part  of  man  they  dwell.  That  this  is  so  I  have  been 
permitted  to  learn  by  living  experience.  1  have  seen  as  a  single 
man  a  society  consisting  of  some  thousands  of  angels ;  and  thus 
it  was  made  clear  that  heaven  in  its  complex  is  an  image  of 
God ;  and  an  image  of  God  is  a  form  of  Divine  order. 

66.  It  must  be  understood  that  all  things  that  proceed  from 
the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  Jeho- 
vah God,  have  relation  to  man ;  and  therefore  whatever  things 
come  forth  in  that  world  conspire  towards  the  human  form, 
and  exhibit  that  form  in  their  inmosts ;  thus  all  objects  there 
that  are  presented  to  the  sight  are  representative  of  man. 
Animals  of  all  kinds  are  seen  there,  and  they  are  likenesses  of 
the  affections  of  love  and  consequent  thoughts  of  the  angels ; 
and  the  same  is  true  of  the  trees,  flowers,  and  green  fields  there  ; 
and  what  affection  this  or  that  object  represents  the  angels  are 
permitted  to  know ;  and  what  is  wonderful,  when  their  inmost 
sight  is  opened,  they  recognize  their  own  image  in  them ;  and 
this  takes  place  because  every  man  is  his  own  love  and  his  own 
thought  therefrom.  And  because  in  every  man  affections  and 
thoughts  therefrom  are  various  and  manifold,  some  of  them 
relating  to  the  affection  of  one  animal  and  some  to  that  of  an- 
other, the  images  of  these  affections  become  manifest  in  this 
way.  But  of  this  more  will  be  seen  in  the  section  on  Creation 
[n.  78].  From  all  this  the  truth  is  seen  that  the  end  of  crea- 
tion was  an  angelic  heaven  from  the  human  race,  and  conse- 
quently man,  in  whom  God  can  dwell  as  in  His  receptacle ;  and 
this  is  the  reason  why  man  was  created  a  form  of  Divine  order. 

67.  Previous  to  creation  God  was  love  itself  and  wisdom 
itself  and  the  union  of  these  two  in  the  effort  to  accomplish 
uses;  for  love  and  wisdom  apart  from  use  are  only  fleeting 
matters  of  reason,  which  fly  away  if  not  applied  to  use.  The 
first  two  separated  from  the  third  are  like  birds  flying  above  a 
great  ocean,  which  are  at  length  exhausted  by  flying,  and  fall 
down  and  are  drowned.  Evidently,  therefore,  the  universe  was 
created  by  God  to  give  existence  to  uses ;  and  for  this  reason 
the  universe  may  be  called  a  theater  of  uses.     And  as  man  is 


N.  67] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


93 


the  chief  end  of  creation,  it  follows  that  each  and  all  things 
were  created  for  the  sake  of  man ;  and  therefore  each  and  all 
things  belonging  to  order  were  brought  together  and  concen- 
trated in  him,  to  the  end  that  through  him  God  might  accom- 
->lish  primary  uses.  Love  and  wisdom  apart  from  their  third, 
which  is  use,  may  be  likened  to  the  sun's  heat  and  light ;  which, 
if  they  did  not  operate  upon  men,  animals,  and  vegetables, 
would  be  worthless  things ;  but  by  influx  into  and  operation 
upon  these  they  become  real.  For  there  are  three  things  that 
follow  each  other  in  order,  namely,  end,  cause,  and  effect ;  and 
it  is  known  in  the  learned  world  that  the  end  is  nothing  un- 
less it  regards  the  effecting  cause,  and  that  the  end  and  this 
cause  are  nothing  unless  an  effect  is  produced.  The  end  and 
cause  may  indeed  be  contemplated  abstractly  in  the  mind,  but 
still  only  on  account  of  some  effect  which  the  end  purposes 
and  the  cause  secures.  It  is  the  same  with  love,  wisdom,  and 
use ;  use  is  the  end  which  love  purposes,  and  through  the  cause 
accomplishes ;  and  when  use  is  accomplished  love  and  wisdom 
have  a  real  existence ;  and  in  the  use  they  make  for  themselves 
a  habitation  and  foundation  where  they  rest  as  in  their  home. 
It  is  the  same  with  the  man  who  has  in  him  the  love  and  wis- 
dom of  God  when  he  is  performing  uses ;  and  to  enable  him  to 
perform  Divine  uses  he  w^as  created  an  image  and  likeness  of 
God,  that  is,  a  form  of  Divine  order. 

68.  (7)  From  the  Divine  Omnipotence  man  has  power  over 
evil  and  falsity y  and  from  the  Divine  Omniscience  has  wisdom 
respecting  ivhat  is  good  and  true,  and  from  the  Divine  Omni- 
presence is  in  God,  just  to  the  extent  that  he  lives  in  accordance 
with  Divine  order.  It  is  from  the  Divine  omnipotence  that 
man  has  power  over  evil  and  falsity  just  to  the  extent  that  he 
lives  in  accordance  with  Divine  order,  for  the  reason  that  no 
one  but  God  can  resist  evils  and  their  falsities.  For  all  evils 
and  their  falsities  are  from  hell ;  and  in  hell  they  cohere  as  a 
unit,  the  same  as  all  goods  and  their  truths  do  in  heaven.  For, 
as  has  been  said  above,  before  God  all  heaven  is  like  a  single 
man ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  all  hell  is  like  a  single  gigantic 
monster;  consequently,  to  act  against  a  single  evil  and  its 
falsity  is  to  act  against  that  gigantic  monster  or  hell;  and  this 
no  one  is  able  to  do  except  God,  because  He  is  omnipotent. 


94 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


From  this  it  is  clear  that  unless  man  approaches  the  omnipo- 
tent God  he  has  from  himself  no  more  power  against  evil  and 
its  falsity  than  a  hsh  has  against  the  ocean,  than  a  flea  against 
a  whale,  or  than  a  grain  of  dust  against  a  falling  mountain ; 
and  much  less  than  a  locust  has  against  an  elephant,  or  a  fly 
against  a  cameL  Moreover,  man  has  all  the  less  power  against 
evil  and  its  falsity  because  he  is  born  into  evil ;  and  evil  can- 
not act  against  itself.  From  all  this  it  follows  that  unless  man 
lives  in  accordance  with  order,  that  is,  unless  he  acknowledges 
God  and  His  omnipotence,  and  the  resulting  protection  against 
hell,  and  also  on  his  part  flghts  with  evil  in  himself  (for  order 
requires  both  of  these),  he  cannot  but  be  immersed  and  over- 
whehned  in  hell,  and  there  be  driven  about  by  evils,  one  after 
another,  as  a  skiff  at  sea  is  driven  by  the  storms. 

69.  From  the  Divine  omniscience  man  has  wisdom  respect- 
uig  what  is  good  and  true  to  the  extent  that  he  lives  in  accord- 
ance with  the  Divine  order,  because  all  love  of  good  and  all 
wisdom  of  truth,  or  all  good  of  love  and  all  truth  of  wisdom, 
are  from  God.     That  this  is  so  is  in  accordance  with  the  con- 
fession of  all  the  churches  in  the  Christian  world.     From  this 
it  follows  that  man  cannot  be  interiorly  in  any  truth  of  wisdom 
except  from  God,  since  God  has  omniscience,  that  is  infinite 
wisdom.     The  human  mind,  like  the  angelic  heaven,  is  divided 
into  three  degrees,  and  may  therefore  be  lifted  up  into  a  higher 
and  still  higher  degree  or  be  let  down  into  a  lower  and  still 
lower  degree  ;  but  so  far  as  it  is  lifted  up  into  the  higher  de- 
grees it  is  lifted  up  into  wisdom,  because  into  the  light  of 
heaven;  and  this  God  only  can  do.     Moreover,  so  far  as  the 
mind  is  thus  lifted  up  it  becomes  a  man ;  while  so  far  as  it  is 
let  down  into  the  lower  degrees  it  enters  the  delusive  light  of 
hell,  and  is  not  man  but  a  beast.    This  is  why  man  stands  erect 
upon  his  feet  and  turns  his  face  heavenward,  and  can  raise  it 
to  the  zenith,  while  a  beast  stands  upon  its  feet  in  a  position 
parallel  with  the  earth,  and  turns  its  whole  face  in  that  direc- 
tion ;  nor  can  it  without  difiiculty  raise  its  face  heavenward. 
[2]  The  man  who  lifts  his  mind  to  God  and  acknowledges  that 
all  the  truth  of  wisdom  is  from  God,  and  at  the  same  time  lives 
in  accordance  with  order,  is  like  one  who  stands  upon  a  lofty 
tower  and  sees  beneath  him  a  populous  city  and  aU  that  is 


yj^^lgj^^ 


N.  69] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


95 


being  done  in  its  streets.  But  the  man  who  confirms  in  him- 
self the  belief  that  all  truth  of  wisdom  is  from  the  natural  light 
in  himself,  that  is,  is  from  himself,  is  like  one  who  remains  in 
a  cavern  beneath  that  tower  and  looks  through  holes  at  the 
same  city,  seeing  nothing  but  the  wall  of  a  single  house  in  that 
city,  and  how  its  bricks  are  joined.  Again,  the  man  who  de- 
rives wisdom  from  God  is  like  a  bird  flying  aloft,  which  looks 
around  upon  all  things  in  the  gardens,  woods,  and  fields,  and 
flies  to  those  things  that  are  of  use  to  it ;  while  the  man  who 
derives  such  things  as  pertain  to  wisdom  from  himself,  with 
no  added  belief  that  they  are  from  God,  is  like  a  hornet  flying 
near  the  ground,  which,  seeing  a  dunghill,  settles  upon  it  and 
finds  enjoyment  in  its  stench.  Every  man,  so  long  as  he  is 
living  in  the  world,  walks  midway  between  heaven  and  hell, 
and  is  thereby  in  equilibrium,  and  thus  in  freedom  of  choice 
either  to  look  upwards  to  God  or  downwards  to  hell.  If  he 
looks  upwards  to  God  he  acknowledges  that  all  wisdom  is  from 
God,  and  in  spirit  he  is  actually  with  the  angels  in  heaven ; 
while  he  who  looks  downward  (as  every  one  does  who  is  in 
falsities  from  evil)  is  in  spirit  actually  with  the  devils  in  hell. 
70.  From  the  Divine  omnipresence  man  is  in  God  to  the 
extent  that  he  lives  in  accordance  with  order,  for  the  reason 
that  God  is  omnipresent ;  and  where  God  is  in  His  Divine 
order,  there  He  is  as  in  Himself,  because  He  is  order,  as  has 
been  shown  above.  Since,  then,  man  was  created  a  form  of 
Divine  order,  God  is  in  him — fully  in  him  to  the  extent  that 
he  is  living  in  accordance  with  Divine  order.  Nevertheless, 
God  is  in  him  if  he  is  not  living  in  accordance  with  Divine 
order,  but  only  in  the  highest  regions  in  him,  thereby  giving 
him  the  ability  to  understand  what  is  true  and  to  will  what  is 
good ;  that  is,  giving  him  the  faculty  of  miderstanding  and  the 
inclination  to  love.  But  so  far  as  man  lives  contrarj^  to  order 
he  shuts  up  the  lower  regions  of  his  mind  or  spirit,  and  thus 
Iprevents  God's  descending  and  filling  these  lower  regions  w4th 
[His  presence ;  consequently,  while  God  is  in  him  he  is  not  in 
[God.  It  is  a  general  canon  in  heaven  that  God  is  in  every 
lan,  the  evil  and  the  good  alike ;  but  that  man  is  not  in  God 
mless  he  lives  in  accordance  with  order  ;  for  the  Lord  says  : — 
That  it  is  His  wiU  that  man  should  be  in  Him  and  He  in  man  {John  xv.  4). 


94 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


From  this  it  is  clear  that  unless  man  approaches  the  omnipo- 
tent God  he  has  from  himself  no  more  power  against  evil  and 
its  falsity  than  a  fish  has  against  the  ocean,  than  a  Ilea  against 
a  whale,  or  than  a  grain  of  dust  against  a  falling  mountain ; 
and  much  less  than  a  locust  has  against  an  elephant,  or  a  fly 
against  a  camel.  Moreover,  man  has  all  the  less  power  against 
evil  and  its  falsity  jecause  he  is  born  into  evil ;  and  evil  can- 
not act  against  itself.  From  all  this  it  follows  that  unless  man 
lives  in  accordance  with  order,  that  is,  unless  he  acknowledges 
God  and  His  omnipotence,  and  the  resulting  protection  against 
hell,  and  also  on  his  part  tights  with  evil  in  himself  (for  order 
requires  both  of  these),  he  cannot  but  be  immersed  and  over- 
whelmed in  hell,  and  there  be  driven  about  by  evils,  one  after 
another,  as  a  skiff  at  sea  is  driven  by  the  storms. 

69.  From  the  Divine  omniscience  man  has  wisdom  respect- 
mg  what  is  good  and  true  to  the  extent  that  he  lives  in  accord- 
ance with  the  Divine  order,  because  all  love  of  good  and  all 
wisdom  of  truth,  or  all  good  of  love  and  all  truth  of  wisdom, 
are  from  God.  That  this  is  so  is  in  accordance  with  the  con- 
fession of  all  the  churches  in  the  Christian  world.  From  this 
it  follows  that  man  cannot  be  interiorly  in  any  truth  of  wisdom 
except  from  God,  since  God  has  omniscience,  that  is  infinite 
wisdom.  Th'^'  human  mind,  like  the  angelic  heaven,  is  divided 
into  three  degrees,  and  may  therefore  be  lifted  up  into  a  higher 
and  still  higher  degree  or  be  let  down  into  a  lower  and  still 
lower  degree  ;  but  so  far  as  it  is  lifted  up  into  the  higher  de- 
grees it  is  lifted  up  into  wisdom,  because  into  the  light  of 
heaven ;  and  this  God  only  can  do.  Moreover,  so  far  as  the 
mind  is  thus  lifted  up  it  becomes  a  man ;  Avhile  so  far  as  it  is 
let  down  into  the  lower  degrees  it  enters  the  delusive  light  of 
hell,  and  is  not  man  but  a  beast.  This  is  why  man  stands  erect 
upon  his  feet  and  turns  his  face  heavenward,  and  can  raise  it 
to  the  zenith,  while  a  beast  stands  upon  its  feet  in  a  position 
parallel  with  the  earth,  and  turns  its  whole  face  in  that  direc- 
tion ;  nor  can  it  without  difficulty  raise  its  face  heavenward. 
[2]  The  man  who  lifts  his  mind  to  God  and  acknowledges  that 
all  the  truth  of  wisdom  is  from  God,  and  at  the  same  time  lives 
in  accordance  with  order,  is  like  one  who  stands  upon  a  lofty 
tower  and  sees  beneath  him  a  populous  city  and  all  that  is 


N.  69] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


95 


being  done  in  its  streets.  But  the  man  who  confirms  in  him- 
self the  belief  that  all  truth  of  wisdom  is  from  the  natural  light 
in  himself,  that  is,  is  from  himself,  is  like  one  who  remains  in 
a  cavern  beneath  that  tower  and  looks  through  holes  at  the 
same  city,  seeing  nothing  but  the  wall  of  a  single  house  in  that 
city,  and  how  its  bricks  are  joined.  Again,  the  man  who  de- 
rives wisdom  from  God  is  like  a  bird  flying  aloft,  which  looks 
around  upon  all  things  in  the  gardens,  woods,  and  fields,  and 
flies  to  those  things  that  are  of  use  to  it ;  while  the  man  who 
derives  such  things  as  pertain  to  wisdom  from  himself,  with 
no  added  belief  that  they  are  from  God,  is  like  a  hornet  flying 
near  the  ground,  which,  seeing  a  dunghill,  settles  upon  it  and 
finds  enjoyment  in  its  stench.  Every  man,  so  long  as  he  is 
living  in  the  world,  walks  midway  between  heaven  and  hell, 
and  is  thereby  in  equilibrium,  and  thus  in  freedom  of  choice 
either  to  look  upwards  to  God  or  downwards  to  hell.  If  he 
looks  upwards  to  God  he  acknowledges  that  all  wisdom  is  from 
God,  and  in  spirit  he  is  actually  with  the  angels  in  heaven ; 
while  he  who  looks  downward  (as  every  one  does  who  is  in 
falsities  from  evil)  is  in  spirit  actually  with  the  devils  in  hell. 

70.  From  the  Divine  omnipresence  man  is  in  God  to  the 
extent  that  he  lives  in  accordance  with  order,  for  the  reason 
that  God  is  omnipresent ;  and  where  God  is  in  His  Divine 
order,  there  He  is  as  in  Himself,  because  He  is  order,  as  has 
been  shown  above.  Since,  then,  man  was  created  a  form  of 
Divine  order,  God  is  in  him — fully  in  him  to  the  extent  that 
he  is  living  in  accordance  with  Divine  order.  Nevertheless, 
God  is  in  him  if  he  is  not  living  in  accordance  with  Divine 
order,  but  only  in  the  highest  regions  in  him,  thereby  giving 
him  the  ability  to  understand  what  is  true  and  to  will  what  is 
good ;  that  is,  giving  him  the  faculty  of  understanding  and  the 
mclination  to  love.  But  so  far  as  man  lives  contrary  to  order 
he  shuts  up  the  lower  regions  of  his  mind  or  spirit,  and  thus 
prevents  God's  descending  and  filling  these  lower  regions  with 
His  presence ;  consequently,  while  God  is  in  him  he  is  not  in 
God.  It  is  a  general  canon  in  heaven  that  God  is  in  every 
man,  the  evil  and  the  good  alike ;  but  that  man  is  not  in  God 
unless  he  lives  in  accordance  with  order  ;  for  the  Lord  says  : — 

That  it  is  His  will  that  man  should  be  in  Him  and  He  in  man  {John  xv.  4). 


96 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chai'.  I. 


[2]  Man  is  in  God  by  means  of  a  life  in  accordance  with 
order,  because  God  is  omnipresent  in  the  universe  and  in  each 
and  aU  things  of  it  in  their  inmosts,  for  these  inmosts  are  in 
order      But  in  those  things  that  are  contrary  to  order  (which 
are  solely  those  that  are  outside  of  the  inmosts)  God  is  omni- 
present by  a  continual  striving  with  them,  and  by  a  continual 
effort  to  bring  them  back  to  order.     Thus  it  is  that  so  far  as 
man  permits  himself  to  be  brought  back  to  order,  God  is  omni- 
present in  the  whole  of  him,  and  consequently  to  the  same  ex- 
tent God  is  in  him  and  he  is  in  God.    The  absence  of  God  from 
man  is  no  more  possible  than  the  absence  of  the  sun  from  the 
earth  through  its  heat  and  light.     But  earthly  objects  are  af- 
fected by  the  sun-s  power  only  so  far  as  they  receive  the  heat 
and  li<^ht  that  go  forth  from  that  sun,  as  in  spring  time  and 
summer  time.     [3]  This  is  applicable  to  the  IMvine  omnipres- 
ence in  this  wav,  that  so  far  as  man  is  in  order  he  is  in  spirit- 
ual heat  and  also  in  spiritual  light ;  that  is,  in  the  good  of  love 
and  the  truth  of  wisdom.     But  spiritual  heat  and  light  are  un- 
like natural  heat  and  light,  in  that  natural  heat  recedes  from 
the  earth  and  its  objects  in  winter,  and  natural  light  at  night ; 
and  this  takes  place  because  the  earth  by  its  diurnal  and  an- 
nual motions  produces  these  periods.     But  with  spiritual  heat 
and  li<'lit  it  is  not  so ;  since  God  through  His  sun  is  present 
with  both  heat  and  light,  and  does  not  undergo  changes,  as 
the  sun  of  the  world  apparently  does.     .Man  turns  himself 
away  comparatively  as  the  earth  turns  away  from  the  sun  ; 
and  when  he  turns  away  from  the  truths  of  wisdom  he  is  like 
the  earth  when  turned  from  its  sun  at  night;  and  when  he 
turns  away  from  the  goods  of  love  he  is  like  the  earth  when 
turned  from  its  sun  in  winter.     Such  is  the  correspondence 
between  the  effects  and  uses  from  the  sun  of  the  spiritua 
world,  and  the  effects  and  uses  from  the  sun  of  the  natural 

world.  , ,      Ti  1  i.- 

71.  To  this  shall  be  added   three   Memorable   Eelations. 

"F'irsti ' 

I  once  heard  beneath  me  something  like  the  roaring  of  the 
sea;  and  I  asked  what  it  was ;  and  one  said  to  me  that  it  was 
a  tumult  among  those  assembled  in  the  lower  earth,  which  is 
just  above  hell.      And  presently  the  ground  that  formed  a 


N.  71] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


97 


roof  over  them  opened,  and  behold,  birds  of  night  flew  forth 
through  the  opening  in  flocks,  and  spread  themselves  towards 
the  left;  and  immediately  after  them  there  swarmed  forth 
locusts,  which  leaped  upon  the  grass  and  made  a  desert  every- 
where ;  and  a  little  after  I  heard  from  those  nocturnal  birds 
a  succession  of  screeches,  and  on  one  side  a  confused  clamor, 
as  if  from  specters  in  the  woods.  After  this  I  saw  beautiful 
birds  from  heaven,  which  spread  themselves  towards  the  right. 
These  birds  were  distinguished  by  gold-like  wings  with  silvery 
streaks  and  specks  interspersed ;  and  on  the  heads  of  some  of 
them  there  were  crests  in  the  form  of  crowns. 

^\Tien  I  saw  and  wondered  at  these  things  there  rose  up 
suddenly  from  the  lower  earth,  where  the  tumult  was,  a  spirit 
who  could  take  the  form  of  an  angel  of  light ;  and  he  cried 
out,  "  Where  is  he  who  talks  and  writes  about  the  order  to 
which  the  Omnipotent  has  bound  Himself  respecting  man  ? 
This  we  have  been  hearing  below  through  the  roof." 

Once  above  ground  he  ran  along  a  paved  way  and  came  to 
me,  and  instantly  feigned  himself  an  angel  of  heaven,  and 
speaking  in  a  tone  not  his  own,  said,  "  Are  you  the  one  who 
thinks  and  talks  about  order  ?  Tell  me  briefly  what  order  is, 
and  some  of  the  things  pertaining  to  it." 

[2]  I  replied,  "  I  will  give  you  the  summaries  of  order,  but 
not  its  particulars,  because  you  would  not  understand  them." 
And  I  said,  "  (i.)  God  is  order  itself,  (ii.)  He  created  man 
from  order,  in  order,  and  into  order,  (iii.)  He  created  man's 
rational  mind  in  accordance  with  the  order  of  the  whole  spirit- 
ual world,  and  his  body  in  accordance  with  the  order  of  the 
whole  natural  world ;  and  this  is  why  man  was  called  by  the 
ancients  a  little  heaven  and  a  little  cosmos,  (iv.)  Therefore 
it  is  a  law  of  order  that  man  from  his  little  heaven  or  his 
little  spiritual  world  should  govern  his  little  cosmos  or  little 
natural  world,  just  as  God  from  His  great  heaven  or  spirit- 
ual world  governs  the  great  cosmos  or  natural  world  in  each 
thing  and  all  things  of  it.  (v.)  It  is  a  resnlting  law  of  order 
that  it  is  needful  for  man  to  lead  himself  into  faith  by  means 
of  truths  from  the  Word,  and  into  charity  by  means  of  good 
works,  and  so  reform  and  regenerate  himself,  (vi.)  It  is  a 
law  of  order  that  man  by  his  own  exertion  and  power  should 

7 


98 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 


purify  himself  from  sins,  and  not  stand  still,  believing  m  his 
own  impotency,  and  expecting  God  to  wash  his  sins  away  in  a 
moment,  (vii.)  It  is  also  a  law  of  order  that  man  should  love 
God  with  his  whole  soul  and  with  his  whole  heart,  and  his 
neighbor  as  himself,  and  should  not  wait  and  expect  that  God 
will  in  an  instant  put  these  loves  into  his  mind  and  heart,  as 
bread  from  a  baker  may  be  put  into  his  mouth."     These  with 

other  like  things.  . 

[3]  Having  heard  this,  that  satan  with  a  soft  voice  withm 
which  there  was  craft,  resumed,  "  What  is  that  you  say  ?  That 
man  must  by  his  own  power  lead  himself  into  order  by  keep- 
ing these  laws  of  order  ?  Do  you  not  know  that  man  is  not 
under  the  law,  but  under  grace ;  that  all  things  are  given  him 
freely,  and  that  he  can  receive  only  what  is  given  him  from 
heaven ;  and  that  in  spiritual  matters  man  has  no  more  power 
to  act  from  himself  than  the  statue  of  Lot's  wife,  or  than 
Dagon,  the  idol  of  the  Philistines  in  Ekron ;  and  that  it  is 
therefore  impossible  for  man  to  justify  himself;  but  this  must 
be  done  by  faith  and  charity  V 

To  this  I  merely  replied,  ''  It  is  also  a  law  of  order  that  man 
by  his  own  exertion  and  power  ought  to  acquire  faith  by  means 
of  truths  from  the  Word,  and  yet  believe  that  not  a  gram  of 
truth  is  from  himself,  but  from  God  only  ;  moreover,  that  man 
by  his  own  exertion  and  power  ought  to  justify  himself,  and 
yet  believe  that  not  a  single  point  of  justification  is  from  him- 
self but  from  God  only.     Is  not  man  commanded  to  believe  m 
God,  and  to  love  God  with  all  his  strength,  and  his  neighbor 
as  himself  ?     Consider  and  say  how  this  could  have  been  com- 
manded by  God  if  man  possessed  no  power  to  obey  and  do  it.'' 
[4]  When  the  satan  had  heard  this  his  countenance,  from 
being  bright  at  first,  turned  ghastly,  and  then  black,  and  thus 
speaking  from  his  own  mouth  he  said,  "  You  have  uttered  par- 
adoxes on  paradoxes ;"  and  then  instantly  he  sank  down  to  his 
companions  and  was  no  more  seen.     The  birds  on  the  left,  to- 
gether with  the  specters,  uttered  strange  cries  and  tlirew  them- 
selves into  the  sea,  which  is  there  called  Suph ;  and  the  locusts 
leaped  in  after  them ;  the  air  was  cleansed,  and  the  earth  was 
cleansed  of  those  wild  creatures ;  the  tumult  below  ceased,  and 
all  became  tranquil  and  serene. 


N.  72] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


99 


72.  Second  Memorable  Relation  : — 

1  once  heard  a  strange  murmur  at  a  distance,  and  following 
in  spirit  the  direction  of  the  sound  I  drew  nearer.  When  I 
came  to  where  it  began,  behold,  it  was  a  crowd  of  spirits 
arguing  about  Imputation  and  Predestination.  They  were 
Dutch  and  British,  with  some  from  other  kingdoms  inter- 
mingled, and  these  at  the  end  of  each  argument  exclaimed, 
<•  Wonderful !  wonderfid  ! '' 

The  subject  discussed  w^as,  "  Why  does  not  God  impute  the 
merit  and  righteousness  of  His  Son  to  every  man  and  all  men 
created  by  Him  and  subsequently  redeemed  V  Is  He  not  om- 
nipotent ?  Can  He  not,  if  He  will,  make  archangels  of  Luci- 
fer, the  dragon,  and  all  the  goats  ?  Is  He  not  omnipotent  ? 
Why  does  He  permit  the  unrighteousness  and  impiety  of  the 
devil  to  triumph  over  the  righteousness  of  His  Son,  and  over 
the  piety  of  those  who  worship  God  ?  To  God  w^hat  could  be 
easier  than  to  deem  all  worthv  of  faith,  and  thus  of  salvation  ? 
\Yhat  need  of  more  than  a  little  word  to  do  this  ?  And  if  He 
does  it  not,  does  He  not  act  contrary  to  His  ^vords,  which  are 
that  He  desires  the  salvation  of  all  and  the  death  of  none? 
Say,  then,  from  whom  and  in  whom  is  the  cause  of  the  damna- 
tion of  those  W' ho  are  lost  ?  '' 

And  then  a  supralpasarian-predestinarian  from  the  Dutch 
said,  ''Does  not  this  belong  to  the  good  pleasure  of  the 
Almighty  ?  Shall  the  clay  complain  to  the  potter  that  he  has 
made  of  it  a  vessel  of  dishonor  ?  "  And  another  said,  "  The 
salvation  of  every  one  is  in  His  hand  as  a  balance  in  the  hand 
of  a  weigher." 

[-]  There  stood  at  the  sides  those  who  ^vere  simple  in  faith 
and  upright  in  heart,  and  some  with  inflamed  eyes,  some  who 
looked  stupefied,  some  as  if  drunken,  and  some  as  if  suffocated, 
muttering  to  one  another,  ''  What  are  these  ravings  to  us  ? 
These  men  have  been  made  foolish  by  their  faith,  which  is, 
that  God  the  Father  imputes  the  rigliteousness  of  His  Son  to 
whom  He  will  and  when  He  will,  and  sends  His  Holy  Spirit 
to  give  assurances  of  that  righteousness ;  and  lest  any  man 
should  claim  for  himself  the  least  share  in  the  work  of  his 
salvation,  he  must  be  altogether  like  a  stone  in  the  matter  of 
justification,  and  like  a  stock  in  things  spiritual."     And  one 


100 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  73] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


101 


of  these  then  thrust  himself  mto  the  crowd,  and  said  in  a 
loud  voice,  "  0  madman !  you  are  arguing  about  goat's  hair. 
You  are  wholly  ignorant  that  the  omnipotent  God  is  order  it- 
self;  and  that  the  laws  of  order  are  numberless,  as  many  as 
there  are  truths  in  the  Word ;  and  that  God  cannot  act  con- 
trary to  these  laws,  because  to  act  contrary  to  them  would  be 
to  act  contrary  to  Himself,  and  thus  not  only  contrary  to 
righteousness  but  contrary  to  His  own  omnipotence."  [3] 
And  seeing  on  his  right,  at  some  distance,  the  semblance  of  a 
sheep,  a  lamb,  and  a  flying  dove,  and  on  his  left  the  semblance 
of  a  goat,  a  wolf,  and  a  vulture,  he  said,  "  Do  you  believe  that 
God  by  His  omnipotence  can  change  that  goat  into  the  sheep, 
that  wolf  into  the  lamb,  or  that  vulture  into  the  dove,  or  the 
reverse  ?  By  no  means ;  for  it  is  contrary  to  the  laws  of  His 
order,  of  which,  according  to  His  words  not  a  jot  can  fall  to 
the  ground.  How  then  can  He  imi)art  the  righteousness  of 
His  Son's  redemption  to  any  one  who  resists  the  laws  of  His 
righteousness  ?  How  can  righteousness  itself  do  what  is  un- 
righteous, and  predestine  any  one  to  hell,  and  cast  him  into  a 
fire,  beside  which  the  devil  stands  with  torches  in  his  hand  to 
keep  it  burning  ?  0  madmen !  empty  in  spirit !  your  faith  has 
led  you  astray.  Is  it  not  in  your  hands  like  a  snare  for  catch- 
ing doves  ?  " 

Having  heard  this,  a  magician  made  of  that  faith  a  kind  of 
snare,  and  put  it  upon  a  tree,  saying,  "  You  shall  see  me  catch 
that  dove." 

And  presently  a  hawk  flew  towards  it  and  thrust  its  neck 
into  the  snare  and  hung  there;  while  the  dove,  seeing  the 
hawk,  flew  away.  The  bystanders  were  astonished,  and  ex- 
claimed, "  Even  this  sport  is  a  display  of  justice." 

73.  The  next  day  some  came  to  me  from  this  crowd  who 
had  believed  in  predestination  and  imputation ;  and  they  said, 
"  We  feel  as  if  we  were  drunk,  not  with  wine,  but  from  what 
was  said  yesterday  by  that  man.  He  talked  about  omnipo- 
tence and  also  about  order;  and  he  concluded  that  as  om- 
nipotence is  Divine  so  order  is  Divine,  and  even  that  God 
Himself  is  order ;  and  he  said  that  there  are  as  many  laws  of 
order  as  there  are  truths  in  the  Word,  which  are  not  only 
thousands,  but  myriads  of  myriads ;  and  that  God  is  tied  up 


to  His  own  laws  in  the  Word,  and  man  to  his.  What  then  is 
the  Divine  omnipotence,  if  it  is  bound  by  laws  ?  For  thus 
every  thing  absolute  is  withdrawn  from  omnipotence.  Thus 
has  not  God  less  power  than  a  worldly  king  who  is  a  despot, 
and  who  can  as  easily  change  the  laws  of  justice  as  he  can 
turn  his  hands,  and  can  act  without  restriction,  like  Octavius 
Augustus  or  like  Nero  ?  When  we  had  thought  about  omni- 
potence being  tied  up  to  laws,  we  felt  as  if  we  were  drunk,  or 
ready  to  swoon  unless  we  quickly  got  some  remedy;  for  in 
accordance  with  our  faith  we  have  been  accustomed  to  pray  to 
God  the  Father  to  have  mercy  on  us  for  the  sake  of  His  Son ; 
and  we  have  believed  that  He  could  have  mercy  on  whom  He 
chose,  and  forgive  the  sins  of  any  one  He  pleased,  and  could 
save  whom  He  would ;  and  we  dared  not  take  aAvay  the  least 
iota  from  His  omnipotence.  We  therefore  regard  it  as  im- 
pious to  bind  God  in  the  chains  of  some  of  His  owti  laws,  be- 
cause that  would  be  contradictory  to  His  omnipotence." 

[2]  Having  said  this,  they  looked  at  me  and  I  at  them ;  and 
1  saw  that  they  were  bewildered,  and  I  said,  "  I  will  pray  to 
the  Lord,  and  thence  bring  a  remedy  by  an  inflow  of  light  on 
this  subject ;  but  at  present  only  by  examples."  And  I  said, 
"  The  omnipotent  God  created  the  world  from  the  order  with- 
in Him,  that  is,  into  the  order  in  which  He  is,  and  in  accord- 
ance with  which  He  rules ;  and  He  impressed  upon  the  uni- 
verse and  each  and  all  things  of  it  its  own  order,  upon  man 
his  order,  upon  the  beast  its  order,  upon  bird  and  fish  and 
worm,  and  every  tree  and  even  every  blade  of  grass,  upon  each 
its  own  order.  But  to  illustrate  by  examples,  I  will  mention 
briefly  the  following.  The  laws  of  order  enjoined  upon  man 
are,  that  he  should  acquire  for  himself  truths  from  the  Word, 
and  reflect  upon  them  naturally,  and  as  far  as  he  can,  ration- 
ally, and  thus  acquire  for  himself  a  natural  faith.  The  laws 
of  order  on  the  part  of  God  then  are,  that  He  will  draw  near 
and  fill  these  truths  with  His  Divine  light,  and  thus  fill  the 
man's  natural  faith  (which  is  mere  knowledge  and  persuasion) 
with  a  Divine  essence.  In  this  and  in  no  other  way  can  faith 
become  saving.  It  is  the  same  with  charity.  But  some  par- 
ticulars shall  be  briefly  mentioned.  God,  in  accordance  with 
His  laws,  is  able  to  remit  sins  to  any  man  only  so  far  as  the 


102 


THK  TRUE  C'UUISTIAN  RKLIGION  [CnA.i:  t 


« 


N.  74] 


MEMORABLE  RELATIOX,  THIRD 


103 


man,  in  accorJanee  with  his  laws,  refrains  from  them.     God 
is  able  to  regenerate  a  man  spiritually  only  so  far  as  the  man, 
in  accordance  with  his  laws,  regenerates  himself  natiually. 
God  is  in  an  unceasing  endeavor  to  regenerate  man,  and  thus 
save  him ;  but  this  He  is  unable  to  accomplish  except  as  man 
prepares  himself  as  a  recepta^^lc,  and  thus  levels  the  way  and 
opens  the  door  for  God.      A  bridegroom  cannot  enter  the 
chamber  of  a  virgin  till  she  becomes  his  bride;  for  she  shuts 
the  door  and  keeps  the  key  to  herself  within ;  but  when  the 
vir-in  has  U^come  a  bride  she  gives  the  key  to  the  bridegroom, 
[sf  God  could  not  by  Ilis  omnipotence  have  redeemed  incm 
unless  He  had  become  Man ;  neither  co.dd  He  have  macle  His 
Human  Divine  unless  that  Human  had  iirst  been  like  the 
human  of  a  babe,  and  then  like  that  of  a  boy ;  and  unless 
afterwards  the  Human  had  formed  itself  into  a  receptacle  and 
habitation,  into  whicli  its  Father  might  enter;  which  was  done 
by  His  fultilling  all  things  in  the  Word,  that  is,  all  the  laws 
of   order  therein ;    and  so  far  as  He  accomplished  this  He 
united  Himself  to  the  Father,  and  the  Father  united  Himself 
to  Him      These  are  a  few  things,  presented  for  the  sake  ot 
illustration,  to  enable  you  to  see  that  the  Divine  omnipotence 
is  in  order,  and  that  its  government,  which  is  called  l-rov- 
idence  is  in  accordance  with  order,  and  that  it  acts  continually 
and  to' eternity  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  its  order;  nor 
can  it  act  against  them  or  change  them  one  iota,  because  order, 
with  all  its  laws,  is  Himself." 

[4]  When  this  had  been  said  a  brilliant  light  of  golden  color 
flowed  in  through  the  roof  and  formed  flying  cherubs  in  the 
air  •  and  with  some  of  those  present  a  glow  therefrom  was  seen 
on  the  temples  towards  tlie  back  part  of  the  head,  but  not  yet 
on  the  front  part,  for  they  murmured,  "  We  do  not  yet  know 
what  omnipotence  is." 

And  I  said,  "  That  will  l)e  revealed  when  what  has  been 
already  said  to  you  has  become  somewhat  clear." 
74    Third  Memorable  Relation  : — 

I  saw  at  a  distance  a  numter  of  persons  gathered  together 
with  caps  on  their  heads,  some  with  caps  bound  around  with 
silk— these  had  belonged  to  the  ecclesiastical  order ;  others  had 
caps  with  borders  ornamented  with  golden  bands— these  were 


i 

'■1 


« 


civilians ;  they  were  all  learned  and  accomplished.  I  also  saw- 
others  with  turbans ;  these  were  not  learned. 

I  drew  near,  and  heard  them  talking  together  about  the 
Divine  power,  as  being  unlimited,  and  saying  that  if  it  were 
to  proceed  according  to  any  established  laws  of  order  it  would 
not  be  unlimited,  but  limited ;  and  would  thus  be  a  power,  but 
not  omnipotence.  ^'  But  who  does  not  see,''  they  said,  "  that 
there  can  be  no  coercion  of  law  that  would  compel  omnipotence 
to  do  thus  and  so  and  not  otherwise  ?  Certainly,  when  we 
think  of  omnipotence,  and  at  the  same  time  of  laws  of  order 
in  accordance  with  which  it  is  obliged  to  proceed,  our  precon- 
ceived ideas  of  omnipotence  fall  like  a  hand  when  its  staff  has 
been  broken.'' 

[2]  When  they  saw  me  near,  some  of  them  ran  up,  and  said 
with  some  vehemence,  "Are  you  the  man  who  has  circum- 
scribed God  by  laws,  as  by  chains  ?  How  insolent !  Thus  also 
you  have  torn  to  pieces  our  faith,  upon  which  our  salvation  is 
based,  in  the  center  of  which  we  place  the  righteousness  of  the 
Redeemer,  and  over  this  the  omnipotence  of  God  the  Father, 
and  add  as  an  appendix  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  with 
its  efficacy  depending  upon  the  absolute  impotence  of  man  in 
things  spiritual ;  so  that  he  only  needs  to  speak  of  the  ful- 
ness of  justification  which  is  in  that  faith  by  virtue  of  God's 
omnipotence.  But  we  have  heard  that  you  see  in  our  faith 
nothing  but  emptiness,  because  you  see  in  it  nothing  of  Di- 
vine order  on  the  part  of  man." 

Having  heard  this,  I  opened  my  mouth,  and  speaking  with 
a  loud  voice,  said,  "  Learn  the  laws  of  Divine  order,  and  then 
lay  open  that  faith  and  you  will  see  a  vast  desert,  and  in  it  the 
long  and  crooked  Leviathan,  and  round  about  it  nets  tangled 
in  an  inextricable  knot.  But  do  as  it  is  said  Alexander  did 
when  he  saw  the  Gordian  knot,  that  he  drew  his  sword  and 
cut  it  apart  and  thus  loosed  its  entanglements,  and  then  dash- 
ing it  upon  the  ground  trampled  its  strands  under  foot." 

[3]  At  these  words  those  assembled  bit  their  tongues,  wish- 
ing to  sharpen  them  for  invectives  ;  but  they  did  not  venture, 
for  they  saw  heaven  opened  above  me,  and  heard  from  it  a 
voice  saying,  "  In  the  first  place,  control  yourselves  and  listen 
to  what  the  order  is,  according  to  the  laws  of  which  the  om* 


104  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 

nipotent  God  acts.''     And  [the  voice]  said,  "God,  from  Him- 
seH  as  order,  created  the  universe  in  order  and  foj  order ;  and 
in  like  manner  He  created  man,  in  whom  He  established  the 
laws  of  His  order,  by  virtue  of  which  laws  man  was  made 
an  image  and  likeness  of  God;  which  laws,  m  brief,  are  that 
man  should  believe  in  God  and  love  his  neighbor,  and  to  the 
extent  that  he  does  these  two  things  from  his  natural  powers 
he  constitutes  himself  a  receptacle   of  the   Divme   omnipo- 
tence, and  God  conjoins  Himself  to  man,  and  man  to  Him- 
self      Thence  man's  belief  becomes  a  living  and  saving  be- 
lief* and  his  doing  becomes  charity,  which  is  also  livmg  and 
saving     But  it  must  be  understood  that  God  is  unceasmgly 
present,  and  continually  striving  and  acting  in  man,  even  touch- 
in-  his  freedom  of  will,  but  in  no  way  violatmg  it      l^or  it 
G^  should  violate  man's  freedom  of   will  man's  dwelling- 
place  in  God  would  be  destroyed,  and  there  would  remain 
only  God's  dwelling-place  in  man ;  which  dwellmg-place  is  m 
all  who  are  on  earth  and  who  are  in  the  heavens,  and  even 
in  those  who  are  in  the  hells ;  and  this  is  the  source  of  then- 
power,  their  will,  and  their  understanding.     But  there  is  no 
reciprocal  dwelling-place  of  man  in  God  except  in  those  who 
live  m  accordance  with  the  laws  of  order  set  forth  m  the 
Word ;  and  such  become  images  and  likenesses  of  God,  and  to 
them  paradise  is  given  as  a  possession,  and  the  fmit  ot  tlie 
tree  of  life  for  food;  while  the  rest  gather  themselves  about 
the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  and  there  talk 
with  the  serpent,  and  eat ;  but  these  afterwards  are  driven  trom 
paradise.     Nevertheless,  God  does  not  forsake  them,  but  they 

forsake  God."  4.  j  i. 

[4]  Those  with  caps  understood  all  this,  and  assented  to 
it ;  but  those  with  turbans  denied,  saying,  "  Is  not  omnipo- 
tence thus  limited  ?  and  a  limited  omnipotence  is  a  contradic- 
tion." 

But  I  answered,  "  There  is  no  contradiction  in  acting  omnipo- 
tently according  to  the  laws  of  justice  with  judgment,  or  ac- 
cording to  the  laws  inscribed  on  love  from  wisdom ;  but  there 
is  a  contradiction  in  claiming  that  God  can  act  in  opposition 
to  the  laws  of  His  justice  and  love,  which  would  be  to  act  from 
what  is  not  judgment  or  wisdom.     Such  a  contradiction  is  im- 


N.74] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


105 


i)lied  in  your  faith,  which  is  that  from  mere  grace  God  can 
justify  an  unjust  man,  and  can  endow  him  with  all  the  gifts  of 
salvation  and  rewards  of  life.  But  I  will  state  briefly  what 
God's  omnipotence  is.  From  His  omnipotence  God  created 
the  universe,  and  at  the  same  time  introduced  order  into  each 
thing  and  all  things  in  it.  From  His  omnipotence  God  also 
preserves  the  universe,  and  unceasingly  watches  over  the  order 
of  it  with  its  laws ;  and  when  any  thing  falls  from  order  He 
brings  it  back  and  makes  it  whole  again.  Furthermore,  from 
His  omnipotence  God  instituted  the  church  and  revealed  the 
laws  of  its  order  in  the  Word ;  and  when  it  fell  from  order  He 
restored  it ;  and  when  it  wholly  fell  away  He  Himself  came 
down  into  the  world,  and  putting  on  omnipotence  by  means 
of  the  Human  then  assumed.  He  re-established  it.  [5]  From 
His  omnipotence  and  omniscience  God  searches  every  man 
after  death,  and  prepares  the  righteous,  or  the  sheep,  for  their 
places  in  heaven,  and  establishes  a  heaven  from  them ;  while 
He  prepares  the  unrighteous,  or  the  goats,  for  their  places  in 
hell,  and  establishes  a  hell  from  them.  Both  of  these  He  ar- 
ranges into  societies  or  congregated  bodies  in  accordance  with 
all  the  varieties  of  their  love,  which  in  heaven  are  as  many 
as  the  stars  in  the  natural  firmament ;  and  He  joins  in  one 

.|  the  societies  of  heaven  that  they  may  be  as  one  man  before 
Him.     In  like  manner  He  brings  together  the  congregated 

'■  bodies  of  hell  that  they  may  be  as  one  devil ;  and  He  separates 
the  latter  from  the  former  by  a  gulf,  that  hell  may  not  do 
violence  to  heaven  or  heaven  torment  hell ;  for  those  who  are 
in  hell  are  tormented  in  the  degree  that  heaven  flows  in.  If 
God  from  His  omnipotence  did  not  do  this  every  instant,  a 
savage  nature  would  enter  into  men  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  could  no  longer  be  restrained  by  the  laws  of  any  order ; 
and  thus  the  human  race  would  perish.  These  and  other  such 
things  would  happen  unless  God  were  order,  and  omnipotent 
in  order." 

Having  heard  this,  those  who  wore  caps  went  away  with 
their  caps  under  their  arms,  praising  God ;  for  in  that  world 
the  intelligent  wear  caps.  But  not  so  those  who  wore  turbans, 
for  such  are  bald,  and  baldness  signifies  stupidity.  The  latter 
went  away  to  the  left,  and  the  former  to  the  right. 


'■jasiiaifarif'-ifiiii'iiiitiiiifrtffTtiiwifr-'ririffffc^^ 


10(5  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 


THE    CREATION    OF    THE    UNIVERSE. 

75    As  the  subject  of  this  first  chapter  is  God  the  Creator, 
the  c;eation  of  the  universe  by  Him  must  also  be  considered; 
as  in  the  next  chapter  on  the  Lord  the  Redeemer,  redemp^^^^^^^ 
will  also  be  treated  of.     But  no  one  can  gam  a  right  idea  ot 
the  creation  of  the  universe  until  his  understanding  is  bi^ught 
Lto  a  state  of  perception  by  some  most  ^eneraU^^^^^^^^^ 
previously  recognized,  which  are  as  follows:  [^]  W  Th^^^^^^ 
Iwo  worlds,  a  spiritual  world  where  angels  and  spirits  are,  and 
.  natural  Wd  where  men  are.     (ii.)  In  each  world  there  is  a 
sun      The  sun  of  the  spiritual  world  is  nothing  but  love  from 
Jehovah  Cxod  who  is  in  the  midst  of  it.     From  that  sun  heat 
and  light  go  forth ;  the  heat  that  goes  forth  therefrom  in  its 
essence  is  love,  and  the  light  that  goes  forth  in  its  essence 
Is  wisdom;   and  these  two  affect  the  will  and   unders  and- 
n.  of  man-the  heat  his  will  and  the  light  his  understand- 
ing     But  the  sun  of  the  natural  world  is  nothing  but  fire, 
ami  therefore  its  heat  is  dead,  also  its  light ;  and  these  serve 
as  a  covering  and  auxiliary  to  spiritual  heat  and  bght    to 
Lble  them'to  pass  over  to  man.      [3]    (iii.)    Agam,  these 
two  which  go  forth  from  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  and  m 
consequence  all  things  that  have  existence  in  that  world  by 
means  of  them,  are  substantial, and  are  called  spiritual;  whih 
the  two  like  things  that  go  forth  from  the  sun  of  the  natura 
world,  and  in  consequence  all  things  here  that  have  existenc 
by  means  of  them,  are  material,  and  are  called  natural.     W 
(iv  )  In  each  world  there  are  three  degrees,  called  degrees  of 
height,  and  in  consequence  three  regions ;  and  m  accordance 
with  these  the  three  angelic  heavens  are  arranged,  and  also  in 
accordance  with  them  human  minds  are  arranged  which  thus 
correspond  to  those  three  angelic  heavens ;  and  the  same  is 
true  of  every  thing  else  in  both  worlds.     [5]  (v.)  There  is  a 
correspondence  between  those  things  that  are  m  the  spiritual 
world  and  those  in  the  natural  world.     [6]   (vi.)  There  is  an 
order  in  which  each  thing  and  all  things  belonging  to  both 
worlds  were  created.     [7]  (vii.)  It  is  necessary  that  an  idea 
of  these  things  should  first  be  gained,  for  unless  this  is  done 


N.  7^] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


lOT 


the  human  mind  from  mere  ignorance  of  these  things  easily 
falls  into  a  notion  of  a  creation  of  the  universe  by  nature ; 
while  on  mere  ecclesiastical  authority  it  asserts  that  nature 
was  created  by  God;  and  yet,  because  it  does  not  know  how 
creation  was  effected,  as  soon  as  it  begins  to  look  interiorly 
into  the  matter,  it  plunges  headlong  into  the  naturalism  that 
denies  God.  But  it  w^ould  be  truly  the  work  of  a  large  volume 
to  explain  and  demonstrate  these  statements  properly  one  by 
one ;  moreover,  the  matter  does  not  properly  enter  into  the 
theological  system  of  this  book  as  a  theme  or  argument ;  there- 
fore I  will  merely  relate  some  memorable  occurrences  from 
w4iich  an  idea  of  the  creation  of  the  universe  by  God  may  be 
conceived,  and  from  such  a  conception  some  offspring  that  will 
represent  it  may  be  born. 

76.  First  Memorable  Relation  : — 

One  day  I  was  meditating  upon  the  creation  of  the  universe  ; 
and  this  being  perceived  by  the  angels  above  me  on  the  right 
side  where  were  some  who  from  time  to  time  meditated  and 
reasoned  on  this  subject,  one  of  them  descended  and  invited 
me  to  join  them ;  and  coming  into  the  spirit  I  went  with  him ; 
and  having  joined  them  I  was  taken  to  the  prince,  in  w^hose 
palace  I  saw  some  hundreds  assembled,  with  the  prince  in  the 

midst. 

Then  one  of  them  said,  "  We  perceived  here  that  you  were 
meditating  upon  the  creation  of  the  universe ;  and  w^e  too 
have  sometimes  indulged  in  like  meditation;  but  we  have 
never  been  able  to  reach  a  conclusion,  because  there  clung  to 
our  thoughts  the  idea  of  a  chaos,  as  having  been  the  great  egg, 
as  it  w^ere,  out  of  w^hich  each  thing  and  all  things  in  the  uni- 
verse in  their  order  were  hatched ;  whereas  we  now  perceive 
that  so  great  a  universe  could  not  have  been  so  brought  forth. 
Then  there  also  clung  to  our  minds  another  idea,  namely,  that 
all  things  were  created  by  God  out  of  nothing;  but  we  are 
now  able  to  see  that  out  of  nothing  nothing  comes.  From 
these  two  ideas  we  have  never  yet  been  able  to  extricate  our 
minds,  and  to  see  with  any  degree  of  clearness  how  creation 
was  accomplished.  Therefore  we  have  called  you  from  the 
place  where  you  were,  that  you  might  set  forth  your  medita- 
tion on  this  subject." 


in 


log  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I. 

[2]  Having  heard  this  I  replied, "  I  will  do  so."  A^d  I  said 
.  I  have  meditated  on  tiiis  subject  for  a  long  tune,  but    o  no 
i  nave  me  introduced  by  the  Lord  into 

purpose.  }'f^^'''';^^^^  how  idle  it  would  be  to  try  to 
]Z  rilus'raC The  creation  of  the  -.v^rse  w.tl.ut 
L  knowing  that  there  are  two  worlds,  one  m  ^^^\-^ 

stffr:Lnis:StrtL^^^^^^^^^ 

:L'sunfrnviraTl  spiritual  things  flow  .s  notlung  but  love 

SmTeiovlh  God,  whol  in  its  -<!«*,  and  th.t  the  su,.  ^o m 

\.'  \.   oil   Tial-nral  tliinffs  flow  is  notlimg  but  tire.     iicivin„ 

r"  dl"  S  'r.™  .i„=  w.»„  i„  .  .t..«  of  enlisl—.. t 

It  His  wisdom      The  truth  of  this  is  evmceu  by  all  tlan.s 

and  each  tWnr  1  have  seen  in  the  world  where  you  are,  and  m 
and  eacu  ti"n„  x  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^  j^^^^h 

the  world  where  1  am  m  tlie  oouy.     l  j  T^vimordial 

snace  to  explain  how  creation  progressed  from  its  primoidial 
stete-  but  when  I  have  been  in  a  state  of  e^l.^g  f  n-^^'^  J^ 
hat  'perceived  that  by  means  of  the  heat  and  ligh^  rom    Je 
sun  of  your  world  spiritual  atmospheres,  which  aie  m  them 
selves  s^ibstantial,  were  created  one  from  anothe       As  theie 
were  three  of  these  atmospheres,  and  consequently  direede 
erees  of  them,  three  heavens  were  made  ;  one  for  the  angels 
S  ar    in  the  highest  degree  of  love  --^^^y^^'Z^ 
for  those  who  are  in  the  second  degree  and  ^  .tlurd  f or  ^ho  e 
who  are  m  the  lowest  degree.     But  as  this  «P»'»*^f  "^/L^^^^^ 
lannot  exist  without  a  natural  universe  wherein  it  can  work 
ouUts  effects  and  uses,  so  at  the  same  time  a  sun  was  created 
torn  wMch  all  natural  things  proceed,  and  through  which  in 
ke  miner,  by  means  of  heat  and  light,  three  atmosphere 
were  created,  encompassing  the  three  former  as  a  shell  its 
kernel  or  as  bark  its  wood;  and  finally  by  means  of  these 
atmospheres  the  terraqueous  globe  was  created  where  men 
S  fishes,  trees,  shrubs,  and  herbs  were  formed  of  earthly 


N.  7«] 


MEMORASLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


109 


i 


f 


I 


substances,  composed  of  soil,  stones,  and  minerals.  [4]  This 
is  a  very  general  outline  of  creation  and  its  progress.  It 
would  require  many  volumes  to  explain  the  particular  and 
most  particular  things  of  it ;  yet  all  things  point  to  the  con- 
clusion that  God  did  not  create  the  universe  out  of  nothing, 
for  as  you  have  said,  out  of  nothing  nothing  comes,  but  that 
He  created  it  by  means  of  the  sun  of  the  angelic  heaven,  which 
is  from  His  very  Esse^  and  is  therefore  nothing  but  love  joined 
with  wisdom.  That  the  universe,  by  which  is  meant  both  the 
spiritual  world  and  the  natural  world,  was  created  from  the 
Divine  love  by  means  of  the  Divine  wisdom  is  attested  and 
proved  by  each  thing  and  all  things  in  it ;  and  this,  if  you 
will  consider  these  things  in  their  order  and  connection,  you 
will  be  able  to  see  clearly  in  the  light  that  illuminates  the  per- 
ceptions of  your  understanding.  But  it  must  be  kept  in  mind 
that  the  love  and  wisdom  which  make  one  in  God  are  not  love 
and  wisdom  in  an  abstract  sense,  but  are  in  Him  as  substance ; 
for  God  is  the  Very,  the  Only,  and  thus  the  primal  Substance 
and  Essence,  which  has  Being  and  Subsistence  in  itself.  [5] 
That  it  was  from  the  Divine  love  and  the  Divine  wisdom  that 
each  and  all  things  were  created  is  meant  by  these  words  in 
John : — 

The  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the  Word.  All  things  were 
made  by  Him,  and  the  world  was  made  by  Him  (i.  1,  3,  10), 

<God'  signifying  here  the  Divine  love,  and  the  <Word'  the 
truth  or  Divine  wisdom ;  therefore  in  .the  same  passage  the 
Word  is  called  '  Light ;'  and  in  relation  to  God  '  Light'  means 
the  Divine  wisdom." 

When  I  had  finished  and  was  bidding  them  adieu,  some  rays 
of  light  from  the  sun  there  descended  through  the  angelic 
heavens  into  their  eyes,  and  through  these  into  the  abodes  of 
tlieir  minds ;  and  when  thus  enlightened  they  assented  to  what 
I  had  said,  and  afterwards  followed  me  into  the  haU ;  and  my 
former  companion  took  me  to  the  house  where  he  had  found 
me,  and  from  there  he  reascended  to  his  own  society. 

77.  Second  Memorable  Kelation  : — 

One  morning  when  I  awoke  from  sleep  and  was  meditating 
in  the  serene  morning  light  before  I  was  fully  awake,  I  saw 


110 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


through  the  window  something  like  a  flash  of  lightning,  and 
presently  heard  something  like  a  crash  of  thunder.  While  I 
wondered  where  this  was  from,  I  heard  from  heaven  that  there 
were  some  spirits  near  me  disputing  sharply  about  God  and 
nature;  and  that  the  flash  of  light  like  lightning  and  the 
crashing  sound  like  thunder  were  correspondences  and  conse- 
quent manifestations  of  the  conflict  and  collision  of  arguments 
on  the  one  side  in  favor  of  God,  and  on  the  other  in  favor  of 

nature. 

The  origin  of  this  spiritual  contest  was  this :  There  were 
certain  satans  in  hell  who  said  to  one  another,  "  0  that  we 
might  be  permitted  to  talk  with  the  angels  of  heaven !  We 
would  completely  and  fully  demonstrate  that  what  they  call 
God,  the  origin  of  all  things,  is  nature;  therefore  that  God, 
unless  nature  is  meant  by  it,  is  a  mere  word."  And  as  these 
satans  believed  this  with  all  their  hearts  and  souls,  and  wished 
to  talk  with  the  angels  of  heaven,  they  were  permitted  to  as- 
cend from  the  mire  and  darkness  of  hell,  and  converse  with 
two  angels  then  descending  from  heaven.  [^]  These  were  in 
the  world  of  spirits,  which  is  midway  between  heaven  and  hell. 
The  satans  seeing  the  angels  there,  ran  to  them  quickly,  and 
cried  out  in  a  furious  voice,  ^^Are  you  the  angels  of  heaven 
whom  we  are  permitted  to  meet  in  argument  about  God  and 
nature  ?  You  are  called  wise  because  you  acknowledge  God ; 
but  0  how  simple  you  are !  Who  has  ever  seen  God  ?  Who 
understands  what  God  is  ?  Who  can  comprehend  that  God 
rules,  or  is  able  to  rule,  the  universe  and  each  and  all  things 
in  it  ?  Who  but  the  multitude  and  the  rabble  profess  what 
they  do  not  see  nor  undei-stand  ?  What  is  more  obvious  than 
that  nature  is  the  all-in-all  ?  Who  with  his  eye  has  ever  seen 
anything  but  nature  ?  W^ho  with  his  ear  has  ever  heard  any- 
thing but  nature  ?  Who  with  his  nostrils  has  ever  smelt  any- 
thing but  nature  ?  W^ho  with  his  tongue  has  ever  tasted 
anything  but  nature  ?  Who  by  any  touch  of  hand  or  body  has 
ever  felt  anything  but  nature  ?  Are  not  our  bodily  senses  the 
witnesses  of  what  is  true  ?  From  their  evidences  cannot  one 
swear  that  a  thing  is  so  ?  Does  not  the  respiration  by  which 
our  bodies  live  testify  to  this  ?  What  else  do  we  breathe  but 
nature?    Are  not  our  heads  and  yours  in  nature?  Whence 


N.  77] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


111 


comes  the  influx  into  the  thoughts  of  the  head  if  not  from 
nature  ?  If  nature  were  to  be  taken  away  could  you  think 
any  thing  V'  And  much  more  in  the  same  strain. 

[3]  When  the  angels  had  heard  this  they  replied,  "  You  talk 
in  this  way  because  3'ou  are  merely  sensual ;  for  all  who  are 
in  hell  have  the  ideas  of  their  thoughts  immersed  in  the  bodily 
senses,  and  are  unable  to  raise  their  minds  above  the  senses. 
We  therefore  excuse  you.  A  life  of  evil  and  a  consequent 
belief  in  what  is  false  have  so  far  closed  the  interiors  of  your 
minds  that  with  you  any  elevation  above  sensual  things  is 
impossible  unless  in  a  state  remote  from  your  evils  of  life  and 
falsities  of  belief.  For  although  a  satan  can  understand  truth 
when  he  hears  it  just  as  well  as  an  angel,  he  does  not  retain 
it,  because  evil  blots  out  truth  and  introduces  falsity.  But  we 
perceive  that  you  are  now  in  a  state  remote  from  evil,  and  can 
therefore  understand  the  truth  we  are  presenting;  therefore 
give  attention  to  what  we  shall  say." 

And  they  said,  "  You  were  in  the  natural  w^orld ;  but  3^ou 
died  there  and  are  now  in  the  spiritual  world.     Did  you  ever 
till  now  know  any  thing  about  a  life  after  death  ?    Have  you 
not  heretofore  denied  it,  and  made  yourselves  the  equals  of 
beasts  ?     Have  you  heretofore  known  any  thing  about  heaven 
and  hell,  or  about  the  light  of  this  world  ?     Or  have  you 
known  that  you  are  no  longer  within  the  sphere  of  nature, 
but  are  above  it  ?     For  this  world  and  all  things  of  it  are 
spiritual ;  and  spiritual  things  are  so  far  above  natural  things 
that  not  the  least  thing  of  nature,  in  which  you  were,  can  flow 
into  this  world.     But  because  you  have  believed  nature  to  be 
a  god  or  a  goddess  you  also  believe  that  the  light  and  heat  of 
this  world  are  the  light  and  heat  of  the  natural  world ;  and  yet 
it  is  not  so  at  all ;  for  here  natural  light  is  darkness  and  na- 
tural heat  is  cold.     Have  you  known  any  thing  about  the  sun 
of  this  world,  from  which  our  light  and  our  heat  proceed  ? 
Have  you  known  that  this  sun  is  nothing  but  love,  while 
the  sun  of   the  natural  world  is  nothing  but  fire ;  and  that 
it  is  the  sun  of  the  natural  world,  which  is  nothing  but  fire, 
from  which  nature  derives  its  existence  and  subsistence ;  while 
it  is  the  sun  of  heaven,  which  is  nothing  but  love,  from  which 
life  itself,  which  is  love  joined  with  wisdom,  has  its  exist- 


1 


112 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


ence  and  subsistence,  and  thus  that  nature,  which  you  make 
to  be  a  god  or  a  goddess,  is  manifestly  dead.  W  You,  if  a 
guard  were  given  you,  could  ascend  with  us  into  heaven ;  and 
if  a  guard  were  given  us  we  could  descend  with  you  into  hell. 
In  heaven  you  would  see  things  magnilicent  and  splendid  ; 
while  in  hell  you  see  things  vile  and  unclean.  The  reason  of 
these  differences  is  that  aU  in  heaven  worship  God,  and  all  in 
hell  worship  nature ;  and  the  magnilicent  and  splendid  things 
in  the  heavens  are  correspondences  of  affections  of  the  love 
of  what  is  good  and  true ;  while  the  vile  and  imclean  things 
in  the  hells  are  correspondences  of  affections  of  the  love  of 
what  is  evil  and  false.  Decide  now  from  all  this  whether  God 
or  nature  is  the  all-in-all.*' 

To  this  the  satans  replied,  ''  In  the  state  in  which  we  now 
are  we  are  able  to  conclude  from  what  we  have  heard  that 
there  is  a  God ;  and  yet  when  the  delight  of  evil  fills  our  minds 
we  see  nothing  but  nature." 

[5]  I  saw  the  two  angels  and  the  satans,  and  heard  what 
they  said,  because  they  were  standing  not  far  from  me ;  and 
behold,  I  saw  around  them  many  who  had  been  celebrated  for 
learning  in  the  natural  world ;  and  I  wondered  why  the  learned 
stood   sometimes   near   the  angels  and  sometimes  near  the 
gatans,  and  why  they  favored  those  near  whom  they  stood ; 
and  it  was  said  to  me,  "  Their  changes  of  position  are  changes 
in  the  state  of  their  minds,  favoring  first  one  side  and  then  thi) 
other ;  for  in  faith  they  are  like  Vertumni  from  [  VeHumniis, 
the  Etruscan  god  of  change].     And  we  will  tell  you  a  secret : 
We  have  looked  down  upon  those  celebrated  for  learnmg  on 
the  earth,  and  we  have  found  six  hundred  out  of  a  thousand 
in  favor  of  nature,  and  the  rest  in  favor  of  God ;  and  those  in 
favor  of  God  were  so  not  from  any  understanding  of  the  inat- 
ter  but  only  because  they  had  heard  that  nature  is  from  God, 
and  had  often  talked  about  it ;  and  frequent  speaking  about 
a  matter  from  memory  and  recollection,  even  when  it  is  not 
also  a  matter  of  thought  and  understanding,  begets  a  kind  of 

belief." 

[6]  After  this  a  guard  was  given  to  the  satans,  and  they  as- 
cended with  the  two  angels  into  heaven ;  and  they  saw  things 
magnificent  and  splendid ;  and  as  they  were  then  in  a  state  cif 


N.  77] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


113 


enlightenment  from  the  light  of  heaven  they  acknowledged 
that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  nature  was  created  to  be  subser- 
vient to  the  life  that  is  from  God ;  and  that  nature  in  itself  is 
dead,  and  therefore  does  nothing  of  itself,  but  is  acted  upon 
by  life.  Having  seen  and  perceived  all  this  they  descended ; 
and  as  they  descended  the  love  of  evil  returned  and  closed 
their  understandings  above  and  opened  them  below  ;  and  then 
there  appeared  above  them  a  kind  of  sliadow,  flashing  with 
infernal  fire.  And  the  moment  their  feet  touched  the  earth 
the  ground  gaped  beneath  them  and  they  sunk  to  their  own. 

78.  Third  Memorable  Relation : — 

The  next  day  an  angel  came  to  me  from  another  society  and 
said,  "  We  have  heard  in  our  society  that  on  account  of  your 
meditations  about  the  creation  of  the  universe  you  were  sum- 
moned to  a  society  near  ours,  and  there  told  things  about 
creation  which  the  society  then  assented  to,  and  have  since 
remembered  with  pleasure.  I  will  now  show  you  how  all 
kinds  of  animals  and  vegetables  were  produced  by  God.'' 

He  led  me  away  to  a  broad  green  field  and  said,  "Look 
around."  And  I  looked  around,  and  saw  birds  of  most  beau- 
tiful colors,  some  flying,  some  perched  upon  the  trees,  and 
some  scattered  over  the  field  plucking  little  leaves  from  roses. 
Among  the  birds  were  doves  and  swans.  After  these  had  disa}> 
peared  from  my  sight  I  saw  not  far  from  me  flocks  of  sheep  with 
lambs,  and  of  kids  and  she-goats ;  and  round  about  these  flocks 
I  saw  herds  of  cattle,  young  and  old,  also  of  camels  and  mules, 
and  in  a  kind  of  grove,  deer  with  high  horns,  and  also  unicorns. 

When  I  had  beheld  these  things  the  angel  said, "  Turn  your 
face  towards  the  east."  And  I  saw  a  garden  containing  fruit 
trees,  as  orange  trees,  lemon  trees,  olive  trees,  vines,  fig-trees, 
pomegranates,  and  also  shrubs  bearing  berries. 

The  angel  then  said,  "  Look  now  towards  the  south."  And 
I  saw  fields  of  various  kinds  of  grain,  as  wheat,  millet,  barley, 
and  beans,  and  round  about  them  flower  beds  containing  roses 
of  beautifully  varied  colors  ;  but  toward  the  north  I  saw  thick 
groves  of  chestnut  trees,  palms,  lindens,  plane  trees,  and  other 
trees  with  rich  foliage. 

[2]  When  I  had  seen  these  things  the  angel  said,  "All 
these  things  that  you  have  seen  are  correspondences  of  affec- 

8 


114 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


N.  78] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


115 


tions  of  the  love  of  the  angels  who  are  near."  And  he  told 
me  to  what  affection  each  particular  thing  corresponded ;  and 
moreover,  that  not  these  only,  but  also  all  other  things  that 
presented  themselves  to  their  sight  were  correspondences,  as 
houses,  the  articles  of  furniture  in  them,  the  tables  and  food, 
the  clothing,  and  even  the  gold  and  silver  coins,  as  also  the 
diamonds  and  other  precious  stones  with  which  wives  and 
virgins  in  the  heavens  are  adorned.  "  From  all  these  things," 
he  said,  "  the  character  of  every  person  in  respect  to  love  and 
wisdom  is  perceived  by  us.  The  things  in  our  houses  that  are 
of  use  remain  there  permanently ;  while  to  the  sight  of  those 
who  wander  from  one  society  to  another  these  things  change  as 
their  associations  change.  [3]  These  things  have  been  shown 
to  enable  you  to  see,  in  a  special  example,  the  entire  creation. 
For  God  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself ;  the  affections  of  His 
love  are  infinite,  and  the  perceptions  of  His  wisdom  are  in- 
finite ;  and  of  these  each  thing  and  all  things  that  appear  on 
earth  are  correspondences.  This  is  the  origin  of  birds  and 
beasts,  forest  trees,  fruit  trees,  crojjs  and  harvests,  herbs  and 
grasses.  For  God  is  not  extended,  and  yet  He  is  present 
throughout  all  extension,  thus  throughout  tlie  universe  from 
its  firsts  to  its  lasts;  and  He  being  thus  omnipresent,  there 
are  these  correspondences  of  the  affections  of  His  love  and 
wisdom  in  the  whole  natural  world ;  while  in  our  world,  which 
is  called  the  spiritual  world,  there  are  like  correspondences 
with  those  who  are  receiving  affections  and  perceptions  from 
God.  The  difference  is  that  in  our  world  such  things  are 
created  by  God  from  moment  to  moment  in  accordance  with 
the  affections  of  the  angels.  In  your  world  they  were  created 
in  like  manner  in  the  beginning ;  but  it  was  provided  that  they 
should  be  renewed  unceasingly  by  the  propagation  of  one  from 
another,  and  creation  be  thus  continued  in  that  matter.  [4]  In 
our  world  creation  is  from  moment  to  moment,  and  in  yours 
continued  by  i)ropagation,  because  the  atmospheres  and  earths 
of  our  world  are  spiritual,  and  the  atmospheres  and  earths  of 
your  world  natural ;  and  natural  things  were  created  to  clothe 
spiritual  things  as  skin  clothes  the  bodies  of  men  and  animals, 
as  outer  and  inner  barks  clothe  the  trunks  and  branches  of 
trees,  the  several  membranes  clothe  the  brain,  tunics  the  nerves, 


I 


and  the  inner  coats  their  fibers,  and  so  on.  This  is  why  all 
things  in  your  world  are  constant,  and  are  renewed  constantly 
from  year  to  year.'' 

To  this  the  angel  added, "  Go  and  tell  the  inhabitants  of 
your  world  what  you  have  seen  and  heard,  for  hitherto  they 
have  been  in  complete  ignorance  about  the  spiritual  world; 
and  without  some  knowledge  about  it  no  one  can  know,  nor 
even  guess,  that  in  our  world  creation  is  a  continuous  process, 
and  that  it  was  the  same  in  yours  while  the  universe  was  being 

created  by  God.'' 

[5]  After  this  we  talked  about  various  matters;  and  at 
length  about  hell,  that  no  such  things  are  seen  there  as  are 
seen  in  heaven,  but  only  their  opposites ;  since  the  affections 
of  the  love  of  those  there,  which  are  lusts  of  evil,  are  oppo- 
sites of  the  affections  of  love  in  which  angels  of  heaven  are. 
Thus  with  those  in  hell,  and  in  general  in  their  deserts,  there 
are  seen  birds  of  night,  such  as  bats  and  owls ;  also  wolves, 
panthers,  tigers,  and  rats  and  mice  ;  also  venomous  serpents  of 
every  kind^  dragons  and  crocodiles ;  and  (where  there  is  any 
herbage)  brambles,  nettles,  thorns,  and  thistles,  and  some  poi- 
sonous plants  grow :  and  at  times  these  disappear,  and  then 
nothing  is  seen  but  heaps  of  stones,  and  bogs  in  which  frogs 
croak.  All  of  these  things  are  correspondences ;  but  as  has 
been  said,  they  are  correspondences  of  the  affections  of  the 
love  of  those  in  hell,  which  affections  are  lusts  of  evil.  Not- 
withstanding these  things  are  not  created  there  by  God;  nor 
were  they  created  by  Him  in  the  natural  world,  where  like 
things  exist.  For  all  things  that  God  has  created  and  does 
create  were  and  are  good;  while  such  things  on  the  earth 
sprang  up  along  with  hell,  and  hell  originated  in  men,  who  by 
turning  away  from  God  became  after  death  satans  and  devils. 
But  as^hese  terrible  things  began  to  be  painful  to  our  ears,  we 
turned  our  thoughts  from  them  and  recalled  to  mind  what  we 
had  seen  in  heaven. 

79.  Fourth  Memorable  Kelation  : — 

Once  when  I  was  reflecting  upon  the  creation  of  the  uni- 
verse, some  spirits  from  the  Christian  world  approached,  who 
had  been  in  their  time  among  the  most  celebrated  philosophers, 
and  had  been  regarded  as  wiser  than  all  others ;  and  they  said, 


116 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I. 


"We  perceive  that  you  are  thinking  about  creation;  tell  us 
what  your  idea  is  about  it." 

But  I  replied,  "  Tell  me  your  own  first." 

And  one  of  them  said,  "  It  is  my  opinion  that  creation  is 
from  nature,  and  thus  that  nature  created  itself,  and  that  it 
has  existed  from  eternity ;  for  there  is  no  vacuum,  and  there 
can  be  none.  In  fact,  what  else  do  we  see  with  our  eyes,  hear 
with  our  ears,  smell  with  our  nostrils,  and  breathe  with  our 
breasts,  but  nature,  which  being  outside  of  us  must  be  also 
within  us  ?" 

[2]  Another  having  heard  this,  said,  "  You  speak  of  nature 
and  make  her  the  creator  of  the  universe ;  but  as  you  do  not 
know  how  nature  operated  in  producing  the  universe  I  will 
tell  you.  Nature  infolded  herself  in  vortices,  which  dashed 
together  like  clouds,  or  like  houses  when  overthrown  by  an 
earthquake ;  and  by  such  collision  the  grosser  materials  brought 
themselves  together  into  one  mass  which  formed  the  land ;  and 
the  more  fluid  portions  separated  themselves  from  these  and 
brought  themselves  together  into  one  body  which  formed  the 
seas;  and  again  the  still  lighter  parts  separated  themselves 
from  these,  forming  the  ether  and  air ;  and  finally  from  the 
lightest  of  these  the  sun  was  formed.  Have  you  not  seen  that 
when  oil,  water,  and  the  dust  of  the  earth  are  mixed  together 
they  freely  separate  themselves,  and  arrange  themselves  in 
order  one  above  another  ?" 

[3]  Then  another,  hearing  this,  said,  "  Both  of  you  are  talk- 
ing from  mere  fancy.  AYho  does  not  know  that  the  first  ori- 
gin of  all  things  was  chaos,  which  in  magnitude  had  filled  a 
fourth  part  of  the  universe ;  that  at  the  center  of  it  was  fire ; 
round  about  this  ether,  and  round  this  matter ;  that  this  chaos 
opened  in  fissures,  through  which  the  ^re  broke  forth,  as  from 
.^tna  and  Vesuvius,  and  formed  the  sun ;  after  this  the  ether 
issued  forth  and  poured  itself  about,  and  formed  the  atmos- 
phere ;  and  finally  the  remaining  matter  solidified  into  a  globe 
and  formed  the  earth  ?  As  to  the  stars,  they  are  only  lumi- 
naries in  the  expanse  of  the  universe,  which  sprang  from  the 
sun  and  its  heat  and  light ;  for  at  first  the  sun  was  like  a  fiery 
ocean ;  but,  that  it  might  not  bum  up  the  earth,  it  sent  off 
from  itself  small  masses  of  bright  flame,  which  locating  them- 


N.  79] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


117 


selves  in  surrounding  space,  completed  the  universe,  forming 
its  firmament." 

[4]  But  there  stood  one  among  them  who  said,  "  You  are 
mistaken.  You  seem  to  yourselves  to  be  wise,  and  I  seem  to 
you  to  be  simple ;  and  yet  in  my  simplicity  I  have  believed 
and  continue  to  believe  that  the  universe  was  created  by  God ; 
and  as  nature  pertains  to  the  universe,  that  universal  nature 
was  then  simultaneously  created.  If  nature  created  herself 
must  she  not  have  existed  from  eternity  ?     But  0  what  mad- 


ness 


t" 


And  then  one  of  the  so-called  wise  men  ran  up  closer  and 
closer  to  the  speaker,  and  put  his  left  ear  near  to  the  speaker's 
mouth — for  his  right  ear  had  been  filled  with  something  like 
cotton — and  asked  him  what  he  had  said ;  and  the  statements 
were  repeated.  Then  he  who  had  come  up  looked  around  to 
see  if  any  priest  were  present,  and  seeing  one  at  the  side  of 
the  speaker  he  replied,  "  I  also  confess  that  universal  nature 

is  from  God ;  but ."     Then  he  went  off  and  whispered  to 

his  companions,  saying,  "  I  said  that  because  there  was  a  priest 
near ;  you  and  I  know  that  nature  is  from  nature ;  but  as  this 
makes  nature  to  be  God,  I  said  that  universal  nature  is  from 
God ;  but ." 

[5]  The  priest  hearing  their  whispers,  said,  "  Your  wisdom, 
which  is  purely  philosophical,  has  misled  you,  and  has  so  closed 
the  interiors  of  your  minds  that  no  light  can  flow  into  them 
from  God  and  His  heaven  and  enlighten  you ;  you  have  extin- 
guished this  light."  And  he  said,  "  Consider,  therefore,  and 
decide  among  yourselves  where  your  souls,  which  are  immortal, 
originated — whether  in  nature  or  whether  they  also  were  in- 
cluded in  that  great  chaos." 

Having  heard  this  the  former  went  to  his  companions  and 
asked  them  to  join  him  in  the  solution  of  this  knotty  question. 
And  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  human  soul  is  noth- 
ing but  ether,  and  thought  nothing  but  a  modification  of  ether 
by  the  sun's  light,  and  ether  a  property  of  nature.  And  they 
said,  "  Who  does  not  know  that  we  speak  by  means  of  the  air  ? 
And  what  is  thought  but  speech  in  a  purer  air,  which  is  called 
the  ether  ?  Therefore  thought  and  speech  make  one.  Who 
cannot  see  this  in  man  during  his  infancy  ?     He  first  learns  to 


118 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  L 


talk,  then  he  gradually  learns  to  talk  with  himself — and  that 
is  thinking.  AVhat,  then,  is  thought  but  a  modification  of  the 
ether  ?  And  what  is  the  sound  of  the  voice  but  a  modulation 
of  that  ?  From  which  we  conclude  that  the  soul  which  thinks 
is  a  property  of  nature." 

[6]  But  some  of  them — not  exactly  dissenting,  but  to  make 
the  matter  clear — said  that  souls  came  into  existence  when  the 
ether  separated  itself  from  that  great  chaos,  the  ether  then 
dividing  itself  in  the  highest  region  into  innumerable  individ- 
ual forms,  which  pour  themselves  into  men  when  they  begin 
to  think  from  the  i)urer  air ;  and  these  are  then  called  souls. 

Another,  having  heard  this,  said,  "  I  admit  that  there  were 
innumerable  individual  forms  formed  out  of  the  ether  in  the 
higher  region  ;  nevertheless  there  have  been  a  still  greater  num- 
ber of  men  born  since  the  creation  of  the  world;  how  then 
coukl  there  have  been  enough  of  these  ethereal  forms  ?  There- 
fore I  have  thought  to  myself,  that  souls  departing  from  the 
mouths  of  men  when  they  die,  return  to  them  again  after  some 
thousands  of  years,  and  enter  upon  and  pass  through  a  life 
similar  to  their  former  life.  That  many  of  the  wise  believe  in 
something  like  this,  and  in  metempsychosis,  is  known.'' 

Other  conjectures  beside  these  were  broached  by  the  rest ; 
but  as  they  were  mere  ravings  I  pass  them  by. 

[7]  In  a  short  time  the  priest  returned,  and  then  the  one 
who  had  before  spoken  about  the  creation  of  the  universe  by 
God  told  of  their  conclusions  about  the  soul;  having  heard 
which  the  priest  said  to  them,  "  You  have  spoken  precisely  as 
you  thought  in  the  world,  not  knowing  that  you  are  not  in  that 
world,  but  in  another,  which  is  called  the  spiritual  world.  All 
those  who  have  become  corporeal-sensual  by  confirming  them- 
selves in  favor  of  nature  are  unaware  that  they  are  not  in  the 
same  world  in  which  they  were  born  and  brought  up.  This 
is  because  they  there  had  material  bodies,  while  here  they  have 
substantial  bodies ;  and  a  substantial  man  sees  himself  and  his 
companions  about  him  precisely  as  a  material  man  sees  him- 
self* and  his  companions ;  for  the  substantial  is  the  primitive 
of  the  material.  And  you  believe  that  the  same  nature  exists 
here,  for  the  reason  that  you  think,  see,  smell,  taste,  and  talk 
in  the  same  way  as  you  did  in  the  natural  world ;  when  in  fact 


N.  79] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


119 


the  nature  of  this  world  is  as  different  and  distinct  from  the 
nature  of  that  world  as  the  substantial  is  from  the  material, 
or  the  spiritual  from  the  natural,  or  the  prior  from  the  poste- 
rior. And  as  the  nature  of  the  world  where  you  formerly  lived 
is  comparatively  dead,  so  have  you,  by  confirming  yourselves 
in  its  favor,  become  as  it  were  dead,  that  is,  in  respect  to  what 
pertains  to  God,  to  heaven,  and  to  the  church,  and  also  in  this 
matter  which  relates  to  your  souls.  And  yet  every  man,  the 
bad  and  the  good  alike,  may  in  understanding  be  elevated  even 
into  the  light  in  which  the  angels  of  heaven  are ;  and  then 
they  are  able  to  see  that  there  is  a  God  and  a  life  after  death, 
and  that  man's  soul  is  not  ethereal,  and  therefore  not  of  the 
nature  of  that  world,  but  is  spiritual,  and  therefore  will  live  to 
eternity.  The  understanding  may  be  in  such  angelic  light, 
provided  those  natural  loves  are  set  aside  which  are  derived 
from  the  world,  and  which  favor  it  and  its  nature,  and  which 
are  derived  from  the  body  and  favor  it  and  what  belongs 
to  it.'' 

[8]  Then  instantly  these  loves  were  taken  away  from  them 
by  the  Lord,  and  they  were  permitted  to  speak  with  angels, 
from  whose  conversation  they  in  that  state  perceived  that  there 
is  a  God,  and  that  they  were  living  after  death  in  another 
world;  wherefore  they  were  covered  with  shame,  and  ex- 
claimed, *^  We  were  mad  !  we  were  mad  !"  But  as  this  was  not 
their  own.  proper  state,  and  as  after  a  few  minutes  it  became 
tiresome  and  unpleasant,  they  turned  away  from  the  priest  and 
were  unwilling  to  listen  to  him  any  longer ;  so  they  returned 
to  their  former  loves,  which  were  merely  natural,  worldly,  and 
corporeal,  and  they  went  away  toward  the  left,  passing  from 
one  society  to  another ;  and  finally  they  came  to  a  path,  where 
the  delights  of  their  owai  loves  breathed  upon  them,  and  they 
said,  "  Let  us  go  this  way ;"  and  they  went ;  and  descending, 
they  came  at  length  to  those  who  were  in  the  delights  of 
similar  loves ;  and  they  went  on.  And  as  their  delight  was  a 
delight  in  doing  evil,  and  as  they  did  evil  to  many  on  the  way, 
they  were  imprisoned  and  became  demons.  And  then  their 
delight  was  changed  to  undelight,  because  by  punishments  and 
fears  of  punishment  they  were  curbed  and  restrained  from  their 
former  delight  which  constituted  their  nature. 


120 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  I 


And  they  asked  those  who  were  in  the  same  prison  if  they 
were  to  Hve  in  that  way  for  ever ;  and  some  answered,  "  We 
have  been  here  for  some  ages,  and  are  to  remain  for  ages  of 
ages,  because  the  nature  that  we  contracted  in  the  world  can- 
not be  changed,  nor  can  it  be  expelled  by  punishments ;  for 
whenever  it  is  so  expelled,  after  a  short  lapse  of  time  it 
returns." 

80.  Fifth  Memorable  Relation : — 

Once  by  pei-mission  a  satan  and  a  woman  with  him,  ascended 
from  hell,  and  came  to  the  house  where  I  was.  Seeing  them 
I  closed  the  window,  but  talked  with  them  through  it.  I  asked 
the  satan  where  he  came  from ;  and  he  said  from  his  own  com- 
panions. 

And  I  asked  where  the  woman  came  from ;  and  he  made  the 
same  answer.  She  was  from  a  crowd  of  sirens,  such  as  are 
skilled  in  assuming  by  means  of  fantasies  all  the  modes  and 
forms  of  beauty  and  adornment,  now  putting  on  the  beauty  of 
Venus,  and  now  the  chaste  features  of  Parnassian  nymphs ; 
and  again  decking  themselves  out  like  queens  with  crowns  and 
royal  robes,  and  walking  majestically  leaning  on  silver  canes. 
Such  in  the  world  of  spirits  are  harlots,  and  study  fantasies. 
Fantasy  arises  from  sensual  thought  when  the  ideas  springing 
from  any  interior  thought  have  been  excluded. 

I  asked  the  satan  if  she  was  his  wife.  He  replied,  "  What 
is  a  wife  ?  I  do  not  know  and  my  society  does  not ;  she  is  my 
harlot.^'  Then  she  inspired  him  with  lascivious  desire,  which 
sirens  can  do  with  great  skill ;  and  on  receiving  it  he  kissed 
her,  and  said,  "  Ah  my  Adonis !" 

[2]  But  to  proceed  to  serious  things.  I  asked  the  satan 
what  his  occupation  was ;  and  he  said,  ''  My  occupation  is  the 
pursuit  of  learning ;  do  you  not  see  the  laurel  on  my  head  ?" 
This  his  Adonis  had  created  by  her  art,  and  put  on  him  from 

behind. 

And  I  said,  "  Since  you  come  from  a  society  where  learning 
prevails,  tell  me  what  you  and  your  companions  believe  in 
regard  to  God." 

He  replied,  "  To  us  God  is  the  universe,  which  we  also  call 
nature,  and  which  the  more  simple  of  our  people  call  the 
atmosphere,  by  which  they  mean  the  air,  but  the  wise  mean  by 


N.  80] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIFTH 


121 


it  the  ether.  God,  heaven,  angels  and  the  like,  about  which 
many  in  this  world  have  much  to  say,  are  empty  terms,  and 
fictions  taken  from  the  meteors  which  here  play  before  the 
eyes  of  many  people.  Are  not  all  things  that  are  visible  on 
the  earth  created  by  the  sun  ?  At  its  approach  every  spring 
are  not  winged  and  creaping  insects  brought  forth  ;  and  do  not 
birds,  moved  by  its  heat,  love  each  other  and  propagate  their 
species  ;  and  does  not  the  earth  when  warmed  by  its  heat 
make  seeds  to  sprout  and  finally  yield  fruit  as  offspring  ?  Is 
not  the  universe  then  a  god,  and  nature  a  goddess ;  and  does 
she  not,  as  the  spouse  of  the  universe,  conceive,  bear,  bring 
up,  and  nourish  these  offspring  ?" 

[3]  I  asked  further  what  he  and  his  society  believed  about 
religion.  He  replied,  "  To  us,  who  are  more  learned  than  the 
masses,  religion  is  nothing  but  a  bewitchment  of  the  common 
people,  which  encompasses,  like  an  aura,  the  sensitive  and  im- 
aginative powers  of  their  minds ;  and  in  that  aura  notions  of 
piety  fly  about  like  butterflies  in  the  air ;  and  their  faith,  which 
connects  these  ideas,  as  it  were,  in  a  chain,  is  like  a  silkworm 
in  his  cocoon,  from  which  he  comes  forth  as  king  of  the  but- 
terflies. For  the  unlearned  masses,  from  a  desire  to  fly,  love 
to  imagine  things  above  their  bodily  senses  and  their  thought 
therefrom,  in  this  way  making  wings  for  themselves,  with  which 
they  may  soar  like  eagles  and  cry  boastfully  to  those  on  the 
ground,  '  Look  at  me !'  But  we  believe  what  we  see,  and  we 
love  what  we  touch."  With  that  he  touched  his  harlot  and 
said,  "  This  is  something  I  believe  in  because  I  see  and  touch 
it.  But  we  throw  that  other  nonsense  out  of  our  windows, 
and  blow  it  away  with  a  breath  of  laughter." 

[4]  I  then  asked  what  he  and  his  companions  believed  about 
heaven  and  hell.  He  replied  with  a  loud  laugh,  "  What  is  heaven 
but  the  ethereal  firmament  above  ?  And  what  are  its  angels 
but  spots  wandering  about  the  sun  ?  And  what  are  archangels 
but  comets  with  long  tails,  upon  which  a  crowd  of  them  dwell  ? 
And  what  is  hell  but  bogs  where,  in  their  imagination,  frogs 
and  crocodiles  are  the  devils  ?  Everything  beyond  these  ideas 
of  heaven  and  hell  is  mere  trumpery  brought  forth  by  some 
prelate  for  the  purpose  of  winning  glory  from  the  ignorant 
multitude." 


122 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  L 


N.81] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


123 


All  this  he  said  precisely  as  he  had  thought  upon  these  sub- 
jects in  the  world,  not  knowing  that  he  was  then  living  after 
death,  and  having  forgotten  all  that  he  had  heard  when  he  first 
entered  the  spiritual  world.  So  again  he  replied  to  a  question 
about  a  life  after  death,  that  it  was  a  thing  of  the  imagination ; 
and  that  perchance  some  effluvium  arising  from  a  buried  corpse 
in  the  shape  of  a  man,  or  a  thing  called  a  ghost,  about  which 
some  tell  stories,  had  introduced  such  a  notion  among  men's 

fancies. 

When  I  heard  this  I  could  no  longer  keep  from  laughing ; 
and  I  said,  "  Satan,  you  are  raving  mad.  What  are  you  now  ? 
Are  you  not  now  in  the  form  of  a  man  ?  Do  you  not  talk,  see, 
hear,  walk  ?  Recall  to  mind  that  you  have  lived  in  another 
world  whicii  you  have  forgotten,  and  that  you  are  now  living 
after  death,  and  that  you  were  even  now  talking  just  as  you 
formerly  did." 

And  recollection  was  given  him,  and  he  remembered  and  was 
ashamed ;  and  he  cried  out,  "  I  am  mad  !  I  saw  heaven  above, 
and  I  heard  angels  there  uttering  things  ineffable ;  but  that  was 
when  I  first  came  here.  I  will  now  keep  this  in  mind  to  tell 
to  my  companions  from  whom  I  came ;  and  perhaps  they  too 
will  be  ashamed  as  I  am.'' 

And  he  kept  repeating  that  he  would  call  them  madmen  ;  but 
as  he  descended  f orgetf ulness  expelled  remembrance ;  and  when 
he  reached  his  companions  he  was  as  mad  as  they,  and  said  that 
what  he  had  heard  from  me  was  madness. 

In  this  way  do  satans  think  and  talk  after  death.  Those 
are  called  satans  who  have  confirmed  in  themselves  falsities 
until  they  believe  them ;  and  those  are  called  devils  who  have 
confirmed  in  themselves  evils  by  their  life. 


'% 


CHAPTEE    II. 

THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 

81.  In  the  preceding  chapter  God  the  Creator,  together  with 
Creation,  has  been  treated  of.  This  chapter  will  treat  of  the 
Lord  the  Redeemer,  together  with  Redemption ;  and  the  next 
chapter  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  together  with  the  Divine  Operation. 
By  the  Lord  the  Redeemer  we  mean  Jehovah  in  the  Human  ; 
for  in  what  follows  it  will  be  shown  that  Jehovah  Himself  de- 
scended and  assumed  a  Human  in  order  that  He  might  effect 
redemption.  The  name  Lord  is  used  and  not  Jehovah,  because 
the  Jehovah  of  the  Old  Testament  is  called  the  Lord  in  the 
New,  as  is  shown  in  the  following  passages.    In  Moses : — 

Hear,  O  Israel,  Jehovah  our  God  is  one  Jehovah  ;  and  thou  shalt  love 
Jehovah  God  with  all  thy  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul  {Deut.  vi.  4,  5); 

and  in  Mark  : — 

The  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord  ;  and  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  all  thy  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul  (xii.  29,  30). 

Again,  in  Isaiah  : — 

Prepare  ye  the  way  of  Jehovah,  make  level  in  the  wilderness  a  highway 
for  our  God  (xl.  3); 

and  in  Luke : — 

Thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord  to  prepare  His  way  (i.  76); 
besides  other  passages.  Moreover,  the  Lord  commanded  His 
disciples  to  call  Him  Lord,  and  this  is  why  He  was  so  called 
by  the  Apostles  in  their  Epistles,  and  afterwards  by  the 
Apostolic  Church,  as  appears  from  its  creed,  which  is  called 
the  Apostles'  Creed.  The  reason  of  this  was  that  the  Jews 
durst  not  utter  the  name  Jehovah  on  account  of  its  holiness ; 
also  that  ''  Jehovah  "  means  the  Divine  Esse  which  was  from 
eternity ;  and  the  Human  that  He  assumed  in  time  was  not 
that  Esse.  What  the  Divine  Esse  or  Jehovah  is,  has  been 
shown  in  the  preceding  chapter  (n  18-26,  27-35).  For  this 
reason,  by  the  Lord,  here  and  in  the  following  pages,  Jehovah 
in  His  Human  is  meant.  And  since  a  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
surpasses  in  excellence  all  other  knowledges  in  the  church,  and 


124 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  II. 


even  in  heaven,  the  subject  shall  be  so  arranged  in  order  as  to 
bring  this  knowledge  out  into  clear  light.  It  will  be  con- 
sidered in  the  following  order : — 

CI)  Jehovah  the  Creator  of  the  universe  descended  and  as- 
sumed a  Human  that  He  might  redeem  men  and  save  them. 

(2)  He  descended  as  Divine  Truth,  which  is  the  Word,  al- 
though He  did  not  separate  from  it  the  Divine  Good. 

(3)  He  assumed  the  Human  in  accordance  with  His  Divine 
Order. 

(4)  The  Human  whereby  He  sent  Himself  into  the  world  is 
what  is  called  the  Son  of  God. 

(5)  Through  the  acts  of  Eedemption  the  Lord  made  Himself 
Eighteousness. 

(6)  Through  the  same  acts  He  united  Himself  to  the  Father, 
and  the  Father  united  Himself  to  Him,  also  in  accordance  with 
the  Divine  Order. 

(7)  Thus  God  became  Man,  and  Man  became  God,  in  one 
Person. 

(8)  The  progress  towards  union  was  His  state  of  Exinani- 
tion  [emptying  Himself] ;  and  the  union  itself  is  His  state  of 
Glorification. 

(9)  Hereafter  no  one  from  among  Christians  enters  heaven 
unless  he  believes  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  and  approaches 
Him  alone. 

But  these  statements  shall  be  explained  separately. 

82.  (1)  Jehovah  God  descended  and  assumed  a  Human  that 
He  might  redeem  men  and  save  them.  In  the  Christian  churches 
at  this  day  it  is  believed  that  God  the  Creator  of  the  universe 
begat  a  Son  from  eternity,  and  that  this  Son  descended  and 
assumed  a  Human  in  order  to  redeem  and  save  men.  But  this 
is  an  error,  and  of  itself  falls  to  the  ground  as  soon  as  it  is 
considered  that  God  is  one,  and  that  it  is  worse  than  incredi- 
ble in  the  sight  of  reason  to  say  that  the  one  God  begat  a  Son 
from  eternity,  and  that  God  the  Father,  together  with  the  Son 
and  Holy  Spirit,  each  one  of  whom  singly  is  God,  is  one  God. 
This  incredible  notion  is  wholly  dissipated,  like  a  falling  star 
in  mid-air,  when  it  is  shown  from  the  AVord  that  Jehovah  God 
Himself  descended  and  became  Man  and  also  Redeemer.  [2] 
The  first  statement,  that  it  was  Jehovah  God  Himself  who  de- 


N.  82] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


125 


scended  and  became  Man,  is  made  clear  in  the  following  pas- 
sages : — 

Behold,  a  virgin  shall  conceive  and  shall  bear  a  Son,  who  shall  be 
called  God-with-us  {Isa,  vii.  14 ;  Matt.  i.  22,  23). 

Unto  us  a  Child  is  born,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given  ;  and  the  government 
shall  be  upon  His  shoulder ;  and  His  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful, 
God,  Mighty,  Father  of  Eternity,  the  Prince  of  Peace  (/sa.  ix.  6). 

It  shall  be  said  in  that  day,  Lo,  this  is  our  God  ;  we  have  waited  for 
Him  that  He  may  deliver  us  ;  this  is  Jehovah  ;  we  have  waited  for  Him  ; 
let  us  exult  and  be  glad  in  His  salvation  {Isa.  xxv.  9). 

The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  desert.  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  Jehovah ; 
make  level  in  the  wilderness  a  highway  for  our  God,  and  all  flesh  shall 
see  it  together  [Isa.  xl.  3,  5). 

Behold,  the  Lord  Jehovah  cometh  in  strength,  and  His  arm  shall  rule 
for  Him  ;  behold,  His  reward  i^with  Him.  He  shall  feed  His  flock  like 
a  shepherd  {Isa.  xl.  10,  11). 

Jehovah  said.  Sing  for  joy  and  be  glad,  0  daughter  of  Zion  ;  for  lo,  I 
come  to  dwell  in  the  midst  of  thee.  Then  many  nations  shall  cleave  to 
Jehovah  in  that  day  {Zech.  ii.  10,  11). 

I,  Jehovah,  have  called  thee  in  righteousness,  and  I  will  give  thee  for 
a  covenant  of  the  people.  I  am  Jehovah  ;  this  is  My  name  ;  My  glory 
will  I  not  give  to  another  (Isa.  xlii.  0-8). 

Behold,  the  days  come,  that  I  will  raise  up  unto  David  a  righteous 
Branch  ;  and  He  shall  reign  as  King,  and  He  shall  execute  judgment  and 
righteousness  in  the  earth,  and  this  is  His  name,  Jehovah  our  righteous- 
ness (Jer.  xxiii.  5,  0 ;  xxxiii.  15,  10). 

See  also  the  j^laces  where  the  Lord's  coming  is  called  "  the  day 
of  Jehovah"  (as  in  Isa.  xiii,  G,  9,  13,  22-,  Ezek.  xxxi.  15;  Joel 
i.  15;  ii.  1,  2,  11 ;  iii.  1,  14,  18;  Amos  v.  13,  18,  20;  Zeph.  i. 
7-18 ;  Zech.  xiv.  1,  4-21 ;  and  elsewhere). 

[3]  That  it  was  Jehovah  Himself  who  descended  and  assumed 
the  Human  is  especially  evident  in  Luke,  where  it  is  said  : — 

Mary  said  to  the  angel,  How  shall  this  come  to  pass,  seeing  I  knov^ 
not  a  man  ?  And  the  angel  answered  her.  The  Holy  Spirit  shall  come  up- 
on thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Most  High  shall  overshadow  thee  ;  there- 
fore also  that  holy  thing  that  is  born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of 
God  (i.  34,  35). 

And  in  Matthew  : — 

The  angel  said  to  Joseph,  the  bridegroom  of  Mary,  in  a  dream,  that 
that  which  w^as  begotten  in  her  was  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  Joseph  knew 
hei-  not  till  she  had  brought  forth  her  firstborn  son,  and  he  called  His 
name  Jesus  (1.  20,  25). 


1 


126 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


N.  83] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


127 


It  will  be  shown  in  the  third  chapter  of  this  work  that  the 
Divine  that  goes  forth  from  Jehovah  God  is  what  is  meant  by 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Who  does  not  know  that  the  offspring  has 
its  soul  and  life  from  the  father,  and  that  the  body  is  from  the 
soul  ?  Can  anything,  then,  be  more  plainly  declared  than  that 
the  Lord  had  His  soul  and  life  from  Jehovah  God ;  and  as  the 
Divine  cannot  be  divided,  that  the  very  Divine  of  the  Father 
was  His  soul  and  life  ?  This  is  why  the  Lord  so  often  called 
Jehovah  God  His  Father,  and  why  Jehovah  God  called  Him 
His  Son.  Can  there  be  anything,  then,  more  absurd  than  to 
say  that  the  soul  of  the  Lord  was  from  His  mother  Mary  ?  as 
is  at  this  day  dreamed  by  both  the  Roman  Catholics  and  the 
Reformed,  they  not  having  yet  be^n  awakened  by  the  Word. 

83.  That  a  Son  born  from  eternity  descended  and  assumed 
the  Human  is  a  total  error  which  falls  to  the  ground  and  is 
dissipated  in  the  light  of  those  passages  in  the  Word  where 
Jehovah  Himself  says  that  He  Himself  is  the  Saviour  and 
Redeemer,  as  in  the  following  : — 

Am  I  not  Jehovah,  and  there  is  no  God  else  beside  Me  ?    A  just  God 
and  a  Saviour,  there  is  none  beside  Me  (Isa.  xlv.  21,  22). 
-     I  am  Jehovah  ;  and  beside  Me  there  is  no  Saviour  {Isa.  xliii.  11). 

I  am  Jehovah  thy  God,  and  thou  shalt  acknowledge  no  God  beside 
Me  ;  and  there  is  no  Saviour  beside  Me  {Hos.  xiii.  4). 

That  all  flesh  may  know  that  I  Jehovah  am  thy  Saviour  and  thy  Re- 
deemer {Isa.  xlix.  26  ;  Ix.  16). 

As  for  our  Redeemer,  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name  {Isa.  xlvii.  4). 

Their  Redeemer  is  strong  ;  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name  {Jer.  1.  34). 

O  Jehovah,  my  Rock  and  my  Redeemer  {Ps.  xix.  14). 

Thus  said  Jehovah,  thy  Redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  I  am  Jeho- 
vah thy  God  {Isa.  xlviii.  17  ;  xliii.  14 ;  xlix.  7). 

Thus  said  Jehovah,  thy  Redeemer,  I  am  Jehovah  that  maketh  all  thmgs, 
even  alone  by  Myself  {Isa.  xliv.  24). 

Thus  said  Jehovah,  the  King  of  Israel,  and  His  Redeemer,  Jehovah 
of  Hosts,  I  am  the  First  and  I  am  the  Last ;  and  beside  Me  there  is  no 

God  {Isa.  xliv.  6). 

Thou,  O  Jehovah,  art  our  Father,  our  Redeemer  ;  from  everlasting  is 

Thy  name  {Isa.  Ixiii.  16). 

With  everlasting  kindness  will  I  have  mercy  on  thee,  said  Jehovah,  Thy 

Redeemer  {Isa.  liv.  8). 

Thou  hast  redeemed  me,  O  Jehovah  of  truth  {Ps.  xxxi.  5). 

Let  Israel  hope  in  Jehovah  ;  for  with  Jehovah  there  is  mercy,  and  with 
Him  is  plenteous  redemption.  And  He  shall  redeem  Israel  from  all  his 
iniquities  {Ps.  cxxx.  7,  8). 


Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name ;  and  thy  Redeemer  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel ;  the  God  of  the  whole  earth  shall  He  be  called  {Isa.  liv.  5). 

From  these  and  many  other  passages  it  can  be  seen  by  every 
man  who  has  eyes,  and  a  mind  that  has  been  opened  by  means 
of  them,  that  God,  who  is  one,  descended  and  became  Man,  in 
order  to  effect  redemption.  Who  cannot  see  this  as  in  the  light 
of  morning  when  he  gives  any  attention  to  these  Divine  dec- 
larations themselves  which  have  been  presented  ?  But  those 
who  are  in  the  shades  of  night,  owing  to  a  confirmed  belief  in 
the  birth  of  another  God  from  eternity,  and  in  His  descent  and 
work  of  redemption,  shut  their  eyes  to  these  Divine  declara- 
tions, and  in  that  state  study  how  to  apply  them  to  their  own 
falsities  and  pervert  them.  • 

84.  There  are  many  reasons  why  God  could  redeem  men, 
that  is,  could  deliver  them  from  damnation  and  hell,  only  by 
means  of  an  assumed  Human  ;  which  reasons  shall  be  set  forth 
in  the  following  pages.     Redemption  consisted  in  subjugating 
the  hells,  restoring  the  heavens  to  order,  and  after  this  reestab- 
lishing the  church ;  and  this  redemption  God  with  His  omnipo- 
tence could  effect  only  by  means  of  the  Human,  as  it  is  only 
by  means  of  an  arm  that  one  can  work — in  the  Word  (Isa.  xl. 
10 ;  liii.  1)  this  Human  of  the  Lord  is  called  "  the  arm  of  Je- 
hovah"— or  as  one  can  attack  a  fortified  town  and  destroy  the 
temples  of  idols  therein  only  by  means  of  intervening  agencies. 
That  it  was  by  means  of  His  Human  that  God  had  omnipo- 
tence in  this  Divine  work,  is  also  evident  from  the  W^ord.    For 
in  no  other  way  w^ould  it  be  possible  for  God  who  is  in  the  in- 
must  and  thus  in  the  purest  things,  to  pass  over  to  outmost 
things,  in  which  the  hells  are,  and  in  which  the  men  of  that  ' 
time  were ;  just  as  the  soul  can  do  nothing  without  a  body,  or 
as  no  one  can  conquer  an  enemy  without  coming  in  sight  of 
him,  or  approaching  and  getting  near  to  him  with  proper  equip- 
ments, such  as  spears,  shields,  or  muskets.    It  was  as  impos- 
sible for  God  to  effect  redemption  without  the  Human  as  it 
would  be  for  men  to  conquer  the  Indies  without  transporting 
soldiers  there  by  means  of  ships,  or  as  it  would  be  to  make 
trees  grow  by  heat  and  light  if  the  air  through  which  these 
pass,  or  the  soil  from  which  the  trees  spring,  had  never  been 
created  j  as  impossible,  in  fact,  as  to  catch  fish  by  spreading 


128 


TlIE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  11. 


N.  85] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


129 


nets  in  the  air  instead  of  in  the  water.  For  it  is  impossible  for 
Jehovah,  such  as  He  is  in  Himself,  by  His  omnipotence  to  get 
in  contact  with  any  devil  in  hell  or  any  devil  upon  the  earth, 
and  restrain  him  and  his  fury  and  tame  his  violence,  miless 
He  be  in  things  last  as  He  is  in  things  first.  Because  He  is 
in  things  last  in  His  Human,  He  is  caUed  in  the  Word  "  the 
First  and  the  Last,"  "  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,"  "  the  Be- 
ginning and  the  End." 

85.  (2)  Jehovah  God  descended  as  Divine  Truth,  which  is  the 

Word,  although  He  did  not  separate  from  it  the  Divine  Good. 
There  are  two  things  that  constitute  the  essence  of  God,  the 
Divine  love  and  the  Divine  wisdom,  or  what  is  the  same.  Di- 
vine good  and  Divine  truth.  That  these  two  are  the  essence 
of  God  has  been  shown  above  (n.  36-48).  Moreover  these  two 
are  what  are  meant  in  the  Word  by  the  name  "  Jehovah  God,''^ 
«  Jehovah"  meaning  the  Divine  love  or  Divine  good,  and  "  God" 
the  Divine  wisdom  or  Divine  truth ;  and  for  this  reason  these 
two  names  are  distinguished  in  the  Word  in  various  ways ; 
sometimes  the  name  "  Jehovah"  alone  is  used,  and  sometnnes 
the  name  "  God"  alone— the  name  "  Jehovali"  when  the  Divine 
good  is  treated  of,  and  the  name  "  God"  when  the  Divine  truth 
is  treated  of ;  and  the  name  "  Jehovah  God"  when  both  are 
treated  of.  That  Jehovah  God  descended  as  the  Divine  truth, 
which  is  the  Word,  is  shown  in  John  as  follows  :— 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  God 
was  the  Word.  All  thin-s  were  made  by  Him,  and  withont  Him  was  not 
any  thing  made  that  was  made.  And  the  Word  became  flesh  and  dwelt 
among  ns  (i.  1,  3,  14). 

By  "  the  Word"  here  the  Divine  truth  is  meant,  because  the 
Word  which  is  in  the  church,  is  Divine  truth  itself,  for  it 
was  dictated  by  Jehovah  Himself ;  and  what  is  dictated  by  Je- 
hovah is  nothing  but  Divine  truth,  and  can  be  nothing  else. 
[2]  But  inasmuch  as  the  Divine  truth  passed  down  through 
the  heavens  even  to  the  world,  it  became  adapted  to  angels  m 
heaven  and  also  to  men  in  the  world.  For  this  reason  there 
is  in  the  Word  a  spiritual  sense  in  which  the  Divine  truth  is 
seen  in  clear  light,  and  a  natural  sense  in  which  it  is  seen  ob- 
scurely. Thus  it  is  the  Divine  truth  in  our  Word  that  is  here 
meant  in  John.     This  is  made  still  clearer  by  the  fact  that  the 


\ 


Lord  came  into  the  world  to  fulfil  all  things  of  the  Word ;  and 
this  is  why  it  is  so  often  said  that  this  or  that  was  done  to 
Him  "  that  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled."  Nor  is  anything 
but  the  Divine  truth  meant  by  "  the  Messiah"  or  *^  the  Christ," 
or  "  the  Son  of  man,"  or  "  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Comforter,"  which 
the  Lord  sent  after  His  departure.  In  the  chapter  on  the  Sacred 
Scripture  it  will  be  shown  that  in  His  transfiguration  before  the 
three  disciples  on  the  mount  {Matt.  xvii. ;  Mark  ix. ;  Luke  ix.), 
and  also  before  John  in  the  Apocalypse  (i.  12-16),  the  Lord 
represented  Himself  as  that  Word.  [2]  That  the  Lord  in 
the  world  was  the  Divine  truth  is  evident  from  His  own 
words : — 

I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  [John  xiv.  6) ; 

also  from  these  words  : — 

We  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is  come,  and  hath  given  us  an  under- 
standing that  we  may  know  the  True  ;  and  we  are  in  the  True,  in  His 
Son  Jesus  Christ.    This  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  (1  John  v.  20); 

and  still  further  by  His  being  called  "  the  Light,"  as  in  the  fol- 
lowing passages : — 

There  was  the  true  light  that  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the 
world  {John  i.  4,  9). 

Jesus  said,  Yet  a  little  while  is  the  light  with  you.  Walk  while  ye  have 
the  light,  that  darkness  overtake  you  not.  While  ye  liave  the  light  be- 
lieve in  the  light,  that  ye  may  be  sons  of  light  {John  xii.  35,  36,  46). 

I  am  the  light  of  the  world  {John  ix.  5). 

Simeon  said.  For  mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation,  a  light  for  reve- 
lation to  the  Gentiles  {Luke  ii.  30^2). 

And  this  is  the  judgment,  that  light  is  come  into  the  world  ;  he  that 
doeth  the  truth  cometh  to  the  light  {John  iii.  19,  21) ; 

besides  other  places.     "  Light"  means  the  Divine  truth. 

86.  Jehovah  God  came  down  into  the  world  as  Divine  truth, 
in  order  that  He  might  work  redemption  ;  and  redemption  con- 
sisted in  subjugating  the  hells,  restoring  the  heavens  to  order, 
and  after  this  establishing  a  church.  This  the  Divine  good  is 
inadequate  to  effect ;  it  can  be  done  only  by  the  Divine  truth 
from  the  Divine  good.  The  Divine  good,  viewed  in  itself,  is 
like  the  round  hilt  of  a  sword,  or  a  blunt  piece  of  wood,  or  a 
bow  without  arrows ;  while  Divine  truth  from  Divine  good  is 
like  a  sharp  sword,  or  wood  in  the  form  of  a  spear,  or  a  bow 
9 


130 


THE  TRUB  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


N.  87] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


131 


with  its  arrows,  all  which  are  effective  against  an  enemy.  (In 
the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  "  swords,"  '^spears,"  and  ''bows" 
mean  truths  combating,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  Apocalypse  Re- 
vealed, n.  52,  299,  436,  where  this  is  shown.)  The  falsities  and 
evils  in  which  all  hell  was  and  always  is,  could  have  been  as- 
saulted, conquered,  and  subjugated  in  no  other  way  than  by 
means  of  Divine  truth  from  the  Word ;  nor  could  the  new  heaven 
that  was  then  constituted  have  been  built  up,  formed,  and  ar- 
ranged in  order  by  any  other  means ;  nor  could  a  new  church 
on  the  earth  have  been  established  by  any  other  means.  More- 
over all  the  strength,  energy,  and  power  of  God  belong  to  Di- 
vine truth  from  the  Divine  good.  This  explains  why  Jehovah 
God  came  down  as  Divine  truth,  which  is  the  Word.  There- 
fore it  is  said  in  David : — 

Gird  Thy  sword  upon  Thy  thigh,  O  mighty  One,  and  in  Thy  majesty 
mount  up  ;  ride  upon  the  Word  of  truth ;  Thy  right  hand  shall  teach 
Thee  wonderful  things.  Thine  arrows  are  sharp,  Thine  enemies  shall  fall 
imder  Thee  {Ps.  xlv.  3-5). 

This  is  said  of  the  Lord,  of  His  conflicts  with  the  hells,  and  of 
His  victories  over  them. 

87.  What  good  is,  apart  from  truth,  and  what  truth  is,  apart 
from  good,  can  be  seen  clearly  in  man.  All  good  in  man  has 
its  seat  in  his  will,  and  all  truth  in  his  understanding ;  and 
the  will  from  its  good  can  do  nothing  whatever  except  by 
means  of  the  understanding ;  it  cannot  work,  it  cannot  speak, 
it  cannot  feel ;  all  of  its  virtue  and  power  is  by  means  of  the 
understanding,  consequently  by  means  of  truth ;  for  the  un- 
derstanding is  the  receptacle  and  abode  of  truth.  It  is  with 
these  precisely  as  with  the  action  of  the  heart  and  lungs  in  the 
body.  Without  the  respiration  of  the  lungs  not  a  motion  or  a 
sensation  is  produced  by  the  heart ;  but  both  motion  and  sensa- 
tion are  produced  from  the  heart  by  the  respiration  of  the  lungs, 
as  is  evident  in  the  swooning  of  persons  who  have  been  suffo- 
cated or  have  fallen  into  the  water,  whose  respiration  ceases,  al- 
though the  systolic  activity  of  the  heart  still  continues.  That 
such  persons  have  neither  motion  nor  sensation  is  known.  It 
is  the  same  with  the  embryo  in  the  mother's  womb.  This  is 
because  the  heart  corresponds  to  the  will  and  its  various  kinds 
of  good,  and  the  lungs  to  the  understanding  and  its  truths.    In 


the  spiritual  world  the  power  of  truth  is  especially  conspicu- 
ous. An  angel  who  is  in  Divine  truths  from  the  Lord,  although 
in  body  as  weak  as  an  infant,  can  nevertheless  put  to  flight  a 
troop  of  infernal  spirits  that  look  like  Anakim  and  Nephilim, 
that  is,  like  giants,  and  can  pursue  them  to  hell,  and  thrust 
them  into  their  caverns  there ;  and  when  they  emerge  there- 
from they  dare  not  come  near  the  angel.  Those  who  are  in 
Divine  truths  from  the  Lord  are  in  that  world  like  lions,  al- 
though in  body  they  have  no  more  strength  than  sheep.  Men 
who  are  in  Divine  truths  from  the  Lord  have  a  like  power  against 
evils  and  falsities,  and  consequently  against  cohorts  of  devils, 
who,  regarded  in  their  essence,  are  nothing  but  evils  and  falsi- 
ties. There  is  such  strength  in  Divine  truth  because  God  is 
good  itself  and  truth  itself ;  and  it  was  by  means  of  Divine 
truth  that  He  created  the  universe ;  and  all  the  laws  of  order 
by  means  of  which  He  preserves  the  miiverse  are  truths.  There- 
fore it  is  said  in  John  : — 

That  all  things  were  made  by  the  Word,  and  without  Him  was  not  any 
thing  made  that  was  made  (i.  3,  10). 

And  in  David : — 

By  the  Word  of  Jehovah  were  the  heavens  made  ;  and  all  the  hosts  of 
them  by  the  breath  of  His  mouth  {Ps.  xxxiii.  ij). 

88.  That  God,  although  He  descended  as  Divine  truth,  did 
not  separate  therefrom  the  Divine  good,  is  evident  from  the 
conception  ;  of  which  it  is  said  : — ■ 

That  the  power  of  the  Most  High  overshadowed  Marj^  (Luke  i.  35), 

"  the  power  of  the  Most  High ''  meaning  the  Divine  good.  This 
is  evident  also  from  the  passages  where  He  says  that  the  Father 
is  in  Him  and  He  in  the  Father,  that  all  things  that  the  Father 
hath  are  His,  and  that  the  Father  and  He  are  one ;  also  from 
other  passages.    By  "  the  Father  "  the  Divine  good  is  meant. 

89.  (3)  God  assumed  the  Human  iyi  accordance  with  His  Di- 
vine Order.  In  the  section  that  treats  of  the  Divine  omnipo- 
tence and  omniscience  it  has  been  shown  that  God  introduced 
order  into  the  universe  and  into  each  and  all  things  of  it  at  the 
tune  of  their  creation,  and  therefore  His  omnipotence  in  the 
universe  and  in  each  and  all  things  of  it,  proceeds  and  operates 


aa^jj^jFJiiegjaS 


132 


THi:  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IL 


N.  90] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


133 


in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  His  order.  (This  has  already 
been  treated  of  consecutively,  n.  49-74.)  Since,  then,  it  was 
God  who  descended,  and  since  (as  is  there  shown)  He  is  Order 
itself,  it  was  necessary,  if  He  was  to  become  man  actually,  that 
He  should  be  conceived,  carried  in  the  womb,  born,  educated, 
acquire  knowledges  gradually,  and  thereby  be  introduced  into 
intelligence  and  wisdom.  In  respect  to  His  Hiunan  He  was, 
for  this  reason,  an  infant  like  other  infants,  a  boy  like  other 
boys,  and  so  on ;  with  the  sole  difference  that  this  development 
was  accomplished  in  Him  more  quickly,  more  fully,  and  more 
perfectly  than  in  others.  That  this  development  was  in  accord- 
ance with  order  is  evident  from  these  words  in  Luke : — 

And  the  child  Jesus  grew  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit.  And  Jesus  ad- 
vanced in  wisdom,  and  hi  the  stages  of  Ufe,  and  in  favor  with  God  and 
man  (ii.  40,  52). 

That  this  was  done  more  quickly,  more  fully,  and  more  per- 
fectly than  with  others  is  evident  from  what  is  said  of  Him  in 
the  same  Gospel,  that 

When  He  was  twelve  years  old  He  sat  in  the  temple  in  the  midst  of  the 
doctors  and  taught  them  ;  and  that  all  that  heard  Him  were  astonished  at 
His  understanding  and  answers  (ii.  40,  47  ;  and  afterwards,  iv.  16-22,  32). 

This  took  place  because  Divine  order  requires  that  man  should 
prepare  himself  for  the  reception  of  God ;  and  in  proportion 
as  he  prepares  himself,  God  enters  into  him  as  into  His  dwell- 
ing-place and  home  ;  and  this  preparation  is  effected  by  means 
of  knowledges  respecting  God  and  the  spiritual  things  pertain- 
ing to  the  church,  and  thus  by  means  of  intelligence  and  wis- 
dom. For  it  is  a  law  of  order  that  in  proportion  as  man  ap- 
proaches and  gets  near  to  God  (which  he  must  do  wholly  as  if 
of  himself)  does  God  approach  and  get  near  to  man,  and  con- 
join Himself  with  man  in  man's  interiors.  It  was  in  accord- 
ance with  this  order  that  the  Lord  progressed  even  to  a  oneness 
with  His  Father,  as  will  be  further  show^n  in  what  follows. 

90.  Those  who  do  not  know  that  the  Divine  omnipotence 
proceeds  and  operates  in  accordance  with  order,  may  hatch  from 
their  fancies  many  things  that  are  opposed  to  and  in  conflict 
with  sound  reason ;  as  why  God  did  not  assume  the  Human 
immediately  without  such  stages  of  development ;  why  He  did 


not  create  or  bring  together  a  body  for  Himself  out  of  elements 
drawn  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  world,  and  thus  exhibit 
Himself  as  the  God-Man  to  the  bodily  vision  of  the  Jewish 
people,  and  even  of  the  whole  world ;  or  if  He  wished  to  be 
born,  why  He  did  not  infuse  His  entire  Divinity  into  the  em- 
bryo itself,  or  into  the  infant  itself ;  or  why  He  did  not,  after 
His  birth,  at  once  raise  Himself  up  to  the  stature  of  manhood, 
and  speak  from  Divine  wisdom.    Those  who  think  of  the  Divine 
omnipotence  as  being  apart  from  order  may  conceive  and  bring 
forth  these  and  like  things,  and  thus  fill  the  church  with  ab- 
surdities and  trifles,  as  has  indeed  been  done ;  for  example,  that 
God  could  beget  a  Son  from  eternit}',  and  then  cause  a  third 
God  to  proceed  from  Himself  and  the  Son  ;  again,  that  He  could 
be  angry  at  tlie  human  race,  and  devote  it  to  destruction,  and 
be  willing  to  be  brought  back  to  mercy  by  the  Son,  and  this 
by  intercession  and  through  remembrance  of  His  cross ;  and 
again,  that  He  could  put  into  man  the  righteousness  of  His 
Son,  and  insert  it  in  man's  heart,  like  the  "  simple  substance" 
of  Wolff,  which  contains,  as  that  author  himself  says,  all  things 
belonging  to  the  merit  of  the  Son,  but  which  cannot  be  divided, 
for  if  it  were  divided  it  would  become  naught ;  still  again,  that 
He  is  able  to  remit  sins  to  whomsoever  He  w^ill,  as  if  by  a  pa- 
pal bull,  or  cleanse  the  most  impious  person  from  his  black  evils, 
and  thus  make  a  man  who  is  as  black  as  a  devil  as  white  as  an 
angel  of  light,  without  the  man's  moving  himself  any  more  than 
a  stone,  or  while  he  is  standing  still  like  a  statue  or  an  idol ; 
with  many  other  insane  notions  which  those  who  maintain  that 
the  Divine  power  is  absolute,  with  no  recognition  or  acknowl- 
edgment of  any  order  therein,  may  scatter  abroad  as  a  fanning 
machine  blows  chaff  into  the  air.     In  spiritual  matters,  which 
pertain  to  heaven  and  the  church,  and  thus  to  eternal  life,  such 
may  wander  away  from  Divine  truths  like  a  blind  man  in  the 
woods,  who  now  falls  over  stones,  now  strikes  his  forehead 
against  a  tree,  and  now  entangles  his  hair  in  its  branches. 

91.  Moreover,  the  Divine  miracles  have  been  wrought  in  ac- 
cordance with  Divine  order,  but  in  accordance  with  the  order  of 
an  influx  of  the  spiritual  world  into  the  natural  world ;  about 
which  order  nothing  has  been  known  heretofore,  because  here- 
tofore no  one  has  known  anything  about  the  spiritual  world. 


134 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IL 


N.  92] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


135 


But  what  that  order  is  will  be  made  clear  at  the  proper  time, 
when  we  come  to  treat  of  Divine  Miracles  and  Magical  Mira- 
cles. 

92.  (4)  The  Human  ivherebij  God  sent  Himself  into  the  world 
is  the  Son  of  God.  The  Lord  frequently  says  that  the  Father 
sent  Him,  and  that  He  was  sent  by  the  Father  (as  in  Matt.  x. 
40;  XV.  24 ;  John  iii.  17,  34;  v.  23,  24,  36-38;  vi.  29,  39,  40, 
44,  57 ;  vii.  16,  18,  2S,  29 ;  viii.  16,  18,  29,  42 ;  ix.  4 ;  and  in 
many  other  places) ;  and  this  He  says,  because  "  being  sent  in- 
to the  world''  means  to  descend  and  come  among  men;  and 
this  was  done  by  means  of  a  human  which  He  took  on  through 
the  virgin  j\lary.  Moreover,  the  Human  is  actually  the  Son  of 
God,  because  it  was  conceived  from  Jehovah  God  as  its  Father 
(according  to  Luke  i.  32,  35).  He  is  called  "the  Son  of  God," 
"  the  Son  of  man,''  and  "  the  son  of  Mary ;"  "  the  Son  of  God" 
meaning  Jehovah  God  in  His  Human ;  "  the  Son  of  man"  the 
Lord  in  respect  to  the  Word ;  while  "  the  son  of  Mary"  means 
strictly  the  human  He  took  on.  That  this  is  the  meaning  of 
"  Son  of  God"  and  "  Son  of  man"  will  be  shown  in  what  fol- 
lows. That  "  the  son  of  Mary"  means  the  mere  human  is  clearly 
seen  in  the  generation  of  man,  in  that  the  soul  is  from  the  father 
and  the  body  from  the  mother ;  for  the  soul  is  contained  in  the 
semen  of  the  father  and  is  clothed  with  a  body  in  the  mother ; 
or  what  is  the  same  thing,  all  the  spiritual  that  man  has  is  from 
the  father  and  all  the  material  from  the  mother.  In  regard 
to  the  Lord,  the  Divine  that  He  had  was  from  Jehovah  the 
Father,  and  the  human  from  the  mother.  These  two  united  are 
the  Son  of  God.  This  is  evident  from  the  account  of  the  Lord's 
birth,  as  given  in  Luke  : — 

The  angel  Gabriel  said  to  Mary,  The  Holy  Spirit  shall  come  upon  thee, 
and  the  power  of  the  Most  High  shall  overshadow  thee  ;  therefore  the 
Holy  thing  that  shall  be  bom  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God  (i.  35). 

The  Lord  also  called  Himself  "  one  sent  by  the  Father,"  for 
the  reason  that  sent  and  angel  have  the  same  meaning,  angel 
meaning  in  the  original  one  sent.    For  it  is  said  in  Isaiah : — 

The  angel  of  the  faces  of  Jehovah  delivered  them ;  in  His  love  and  in 
His  pity  He  redeemed  them  (Ixiii.  9) ; 

and  in  Malachi  :- 


And  the  Lord  whom  ye  seek  shall  suddenly  come  to  His  temple,  even 
the  Messenger  of  the  covenant,  whom  ye  delight  in  (iii.  1 ;  also  elsewhere). 

That  the  Divine  Trinity— God  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Spirit 
— is  in  the  Lord,  and  that  the  Father  in  Him  is  the  Divine  from 
which,  the  Son  the  Divine  Human,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Di- 
vine going  forth,  will  be  seen  in  the  third  chapter  of  this  work 
where  the  Divine  Trinity  is  treated  of. 

93.  Since  the  angel  Gabrielsaid  to  Mary,  "The  Holy  thing 
that  shall  be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God,"  it  will 
be  shown  by  the  following  passages  from  the  Word  that  the 
Lord  in  respect  to  His  Human  is  called  the  Holy  One  of  Is- 
rael : — 

I  saw  in  visions  and,  behold,  a  Watcher  and  an  Holy  One  came  down 
from  heaven  {Ban.  iv.  13,  23). 

God  Cometh  from  Teman,  and  the  Holy  One  from  Mount  Paran  {Hah. 
iii.  3). 

I  am  Jehovah,  the  Holy  One,  the  Creator  of  Israel,  your  Holy  One  {Isa. 
xliii.  14,  15). 

Thus  said  Jehovah,  the  Redeemer  of  Israel,  His  Holy  One  {Isa.  xlix.  7). 

I  am  Jehovah  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy  Saviour  {Isa.  xliii. 
1,3). 

As  for  our  Redeemer,  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel  {Isa.  xlvii.  4). 

Thus  said  Jehovah,  your  Redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  {Isa.  xliii. 
14 ;  xlviii.  17). 

Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name,  and  thy  Redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel  {Isa.  liv.  5). 

They  tempted  God  and  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  {Ps.  Ixxviii.  41). 

They  have  forsaken  Jehovah,  they  have  provoked  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel  {Isa.  i.  4). 

They  said.  Cause  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  to  cease  from  before  us.  Where- 
fore thus  said  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  {Isa.  xxx.  11,  12). 

Who  say.  Let  Him  hasten  His  work  that  we  may  see ;  and  let  the 
counsel  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  draw  nigh  and  come  {Isa.  v.  19). 

In  that  day  they  shall  stay  upon  Jehovah,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  in 
truth  {Isa.  x.  20). 

Cry  out  and  shout,  thou  inhabitant  of  Zion  ;  for  great  is  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel  in  the  midst  of  thee  {Isa.  xii.  6). 

The  God  of  Israel  said.  In  that  day  His  eyes  shall  look  to  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel  {Isa.  xvii.  6,  7). 

The  poor  of  men  shall  rejoice  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  {Isa.  xxix.  19 ; 
xli.  16). 

The  land  is  full  of  guilt  against  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  {Jer.  li.  5). 
(See  also  Isa.  Iv.  5  ;  Ix.  9 ;  and  elsewhere.) 


JiliiiiaiMiftiBifaaaaSiBaBafeaaais^^^^ 


136 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  II. 


Thus  ^^  the  Holy  One  of  IsraeP'  means  the  Lord  in  respect  to 
His  Divine  Human,  since  the  angel  said  to  Mary : — 

The  Holy  thing  that  shall  be  bom  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of 
God  {Luke  i.  35). 

That  Jehovah  and  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  are  one,  although  the 
names  are  different,  is  also  made  clear  by  the  passages  here 
quoted  which  state  that  Jehovah  is  that  Holy  One  of  Israel. 
It  is  also  made  evident  from  numerous  passages  that  the  Lord 
is  called  the  God  of  Israel  (as  Isa.  xvii.  G;  xxi.  10,  17;  xxiv. 
15 ;  xxix.  23 ;  Jer.  vii.  3 ;  ix.  15 ;  xi.  3 ;  xiii.  12 ;  xvi.  9 ;  xix.  3, 
15 ;  xxiii.  2  ;  xxiv.  5 ;  xxv.  15,  27  ;  xxix.  4,  8,  21,  25 ;  xxx.  2 ; 
xxxi.  23 ;  xxxii.  14,  15,  36 ;  xxxiii.  4 ;  xxxiv.  2, 13 ;  xxxv.  13, 
17,  18,  19;  xxxvii.  7;  xxxviii.  17;  xxxix.  16;  xlii.  9,  15,  18; 
xliii.  10 ;  xliv.  2,  7,  11,  25 ;  xlviii.  1 ;  1.  18 ;  li.  33 ;  L'zek.  viii. 
4 ;  ix.  3 ;  x.  19,  20 ;  xi.  22 ;  xliii.  2 ;  xliv.  2 ;  Zej>h,  ii.  9 ;  Fs. 
xli.  13 ;  lix.  5 ;  Ixviii.  8). 

94.  In  the  Christian  churches  of  the  present  day  it  is  cus- 
tomary to  call  the  Lord  our  Saviour  the  son  of  Mary,  and  rarely 
the  Son  of  God,  except  when  a  Son  of  God  born  from  eternity 
is  meant.  This  is  because  the  Roman  Catholics  have  made 
I^Iary  the  mother  more  holy  than  all  others,  and  have  exalted 
her  as  a  goddess  or  queen  over  all  their  saints.  When,  how- 
ever, the  Lord  glorified  His  Human  He  put  off  everything  be- 
longing to  His  mother,  and  put  on  everything  belonging  to 
His  Father.  This  shall  be  fully  shown  in  subsequent  pages 
of  this  work.  From  this  saying,  so  common  with  all,  that  the 
Lord  is  the  son  of  Mary,  many  enormities  have  flowed  into  the 
church ;  especially  with  those  who  have  not  taken  into  consid- 
eration what  is  said  of  the  Lord  in  the  Word;  as  that  the  Father 
and  He  are  one,  that  He  is  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in 
Him,  that  all  things  of  the  Father  are  His,  that  He  called 
Jehovah  His  Father,  and  that  Jehovah  the  Father  called  Him 
His  Son.  These  enormities  that  have  flowed  into  the  church 
as  a  result  of  His  being  called  the  son  of  Mary,  and  not  the 
Son  of  God,  are,  that  the  idea  of  Divinity  in  respect  to  the  Lord 
perishes,  and  with  it  all  that  is  said  of  Him  in  the  Word  as  the 
Son  of  God  ;  also  that  through  this,  Judaism,  Arianism,  Socin- 
ianism,  Calvinism,  as  it  was  at  its  beginning,  gain  entrance,  and 


N.  94] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


137 


at  length  Naturalism,  and  with  it  the  insane  notion  that  He 
was  the  son  of  Mary  by  Joseph,  and  that  His  soul  was  from 
the  mother;  and  therefore  that  He  is  not  the  Son  of  God,  al- 
though He  is  so  called.  Let  every  one,  whether  clergyman  or 
layman,  question  himself  whether  he  has  conceived  and  cher- 
ishes any  other  idea  of  the  Lord  as  the  son  of  Alary  than  that 
He  was  merely  man.  Because  even  in  the  third  century,  when 
Arianism  arose,  such  an  idea  had  begun  to  prevail  among  Chris- 
tians, the  Nicene  Council,  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  the 
Divinity  of  the  Lord,  fabricated  a  Son  of  God  born  from  eter- 
nity. By  this  fiction  the  Human  of  the  Lord  was  then  ex- 
alted, and  with  many  is  still  exalted,  to  Divinity ;  but  it  is  not 
so  exalted  with  those  who  by  the  hypostatic  union  understand 
a  union  like  that  between  two  beings,  one  of  whom  is  superior 
and  the  other  inferior.  Yet  what  else  results  from  this  than 
the  destruction  of  the  entire  Christian  church,  which  was 
founded  solely  upon  the  worship  of  Jehovah  in  the  Human, 
consequently  upon  the  God-Man  ?  That  no  one  can  see  the 
Father,  or  can  know  Him,  or  come  to  Him,  or  believe  in  Him, 
except  through  His  Human,  the  Lord  declares  in  many  places. 
If  He  is  not  thus  approached  all  the  noble  seed  of  the  church 
is  changed  into  ignoble,  the  seed  of  the  olive  into  the  seed  of 
the  pine,  the  seed  of  the  orange,  lemon,  apple,,  and  j^ear,  into 
the  seed  of  the  willow,  the  elm,  the  linden,  and  the  oak ;  the 
vine  into  the  bulrush  of  the  swamp,  wheat  and  barley  into 
chaff ;  in  fact,  all  spiritual  food  becomes  like  dust  on  which  ser- 
pents feed;  for  the  spiritual  light  in  man  then  becomes  na- 
tural, and  at  length  sensual-corporeal,  which  viewed  in  itself 
is  a  delusive  light ;  man  then  becomes  even  like  a  bird  that 
while  flying  on  high,  being  deprived  of  its  wings,  falls  to  the 
ground,  and  walking  there  sees  around  it  only  what  lies  at  its 
feet;  and  he  then  thinks  about  the  spiritual  things  of  the 
church,  which  should  make  for  life  eternal,  no  otherwise  than  as 
a  soothsayer  thinks.  Such  are  the  results,  when  man  regards 
the  Lord  God,  the  Redeemer  and  Saviour,  as  a  mere  son  of 
Mary,  that  is,  as  a  mere  man.  i 

95.  (5)  Through  the  acts  of  Redemption  the  Lord  made  Him' 
self  Righteousness.  It  is  said  and  believed  in  Christian  churches 
at  this  day  that  the  Lord  alone  has  merit  and  i-ighteousness 


138 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  U. 


through  the  obedience  which  He  rendered  to  God  the  Father 
while  in  the  world,  and  especially  through  the  passion  of  the 
cross.  But  it  is  asserted  that  the  essential  act  of  redemption 
was  the  passion  of  the  cross.  This,  however,  was  not  an  act 
of  redemption,  but  an  act  of  the  glorification  of  His  Human, 
a  subject  that  will  be  considered  in  the  succeeding  chapter  on 
Eedemption.  The  acts  of  redemption  whereby  the  Lord  made 
Himself  righteousness  were  as  follows :  He  executed  the  final 
judgment,  which  took  place  in  the  spiiitual  world;  at  that 
time  He  sejjarated  the  evil  from  the  good  and  the  goats  from 
the  sheep ;  He  expelled  from  heaven  those  who  made  one  with 
the  beasts  of  the  dragon ;  He  formed  out  of  the  worthy  a  new 
heaven,  and  out  of  the  unworthy  a  hell ;  in  both  heaven  and 
hell  He  gradually  restored  all  things  to  order ;  and  to  crown 
all,  He  established  a  new  church.  These  acts  were  the  acts 
of  redemption  whereby  the  Lord  made  Himself  righteousness. 
For  righteousness  is  doing  all  things  in  accordance  with  Di- 
vine order,  and  restoring  to  order  whatever  has  fallen  from 
order ;  since  righteousness  is  Divine  order  itself.  This  is  what 
is  meant  by  these  words  of  the  Lord  : — 

It  becometh  Me  to  fulfill  all  the  righteousness  of  God  {Matt,  iii.  15); 

and  bv  these  words  in  the  Old  Testament : — 

Behold,  the  days  come  when  I  will  raise  up  unto  David  a  righteous 
Branch  ;  and  He  shall  reign  as  King,  and  shall  execute  righteousness  in 
the  land.  And  this  is  His  name,  Jehovah  our  Righteousness  {Jer.  xxiii. 
5,  6 ;  xxxiii.  15,  16). 

I  that  speak  in  righteousness,  mighty  to  save  {Isa.  Ixiii.  1). 

He  shall  sit  upc^n  the  throne  of  David,  to  establish  it  in  judgment  and 
righteousness  {Isa.  ix.  7). 

Zion  shall  be  redeemed  in  righteousness  {Isa.  i.  27). 

96.  But  quite  otherwise  do  those  who  bear  rule  in  the  church 
in  our  time  describe  the  Lord's  righteousness  ;  they  also  make 
their  faith  a  saving  faith  by  the  inscription  of  His  righteous- 
ness upon  man ;  when  the  truth  is  that  the  Lord's  righteous- 
ness, being  such  in  its  nature  and  origin,  and  being  in  itself 
purely  Divine,  cannot  be  conjoined  to  any  man,  and  thus  can- 
not effect  salvation  any  otherwise  than  as  the  Divine  life  can, 
which  is  Divine  love  and  Divine  wisdom.  With  these  the  Lord 
enters  into  every  man ;  but  unless  man  is  living  in  accordance 


N.  96] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


139 


with  order,  that  life,  although  it  is  in  him,  contributes  nothing 
whatever  to  his  salvation ;  it  imparts  merely  an  ability  to  un- 
derstand truth  and  do  good.  To  live  according  to  order  is  to 
live  according  to  God's  commandments ;  and  when  man  so  lives 
and  so  does,  he  acquires  for  himself  righteousness — not  the 
righteousness  of  the  Lord's  redemption,  but  the  Lord  Himself 
as  righteousness.     Such  are  described  in  these  words  : — 

Except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  the  heavens  {Matt. 
v.  19,  20). 

Blessed  are  they  who  endure  persecution  for  righteousness'  sake,  for 
theire  is  the  kingdom  of  the  heavens  {Matt.  v.  10). 

At  the  end  of  the  age  the  angels  shall  go  forth  and  separate  the  wicked 
from  the  midst  of  the  righteous  {Matt.  xiii.  49) ; 

and  elsewhere.  In  the  Word  by  "  the  righteous"  those  are  meant 
who  have  lived  in  accordance  with  Divine  order,  since  the  Di- 
vine order  is  righteousness.  The  righteousness  itself  which  the 
Lord  became  through  the  acts  of  redemption  can  be  ascribed  to 
man,  inscribed  upon  man,  adapted  and  conjoined  to  man,  only 
as  can  light  to  the  eye,  sound  to  the  ear,  will  to  the  muscles  in 
action,  thought  to  the  lips  in  speaking,  air  to  the  lungs  in 
breathing,  heat  to  the  blood,  and  so  on ;  and  every  one  perceives 
of  himself  that  these  flow  in  and  adjoin  and  conjoin  them- 
selves. Righteousness  is  acquired  only  so  far  as  man  practices 
righteousness ;  and  this  he  does  so  far  as  he  acts  towards  the 
neighbor  from  a  love  of  what  is  righteous  and  true  ;  and  right- 
eousness has  its  abode  in  the  good  itself  or  use  itself  which  he 
performs.  For  the  Lord  says  that  every  tree  is  known  by  its 
fruit.  Does  not  every  one  know  another  from  his  works,  if  he 
attends  to  them  with  reference  to  the  end  and  purpose  of  his 
will,  and  the  intention  and  reason  from  which  they  are  done  ? 
To  these  things  all  angels  direct  their  attention,  as  well  as  all 
in  our  own  world  who  are  wise.  In  general,  every  product  and 
growth  from  the  earth  is  known  by  its  flower  and  seed  and  by 
its  use  ;  every  metal  by  its  excellence ;  every  stone  by  its  char- 
acter ;  every  field,  every  kind  of  food,  every  beast  of  the  earth, 
and  every  bird  of  the  air,  each  by  its  quality — and  why  not 
man  ?  But  in  the  chapter  on  Faith  the  source  of  the  quality 
of  man's  works  shall  be  explained. 


140 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  II. 


97.  (6)  Through  the  same  acts  the  Lord  united  Himself  to 
the  Father  and  the  Father  united  Himself  to  Him.  This  union 
was  effected  by  the  acts  of  redemption,  because  the  Lord  per- 
fonned  these  acts  from  His  Human,  and  as  He  did  this,  the 
Divine  which  is  meant  by  the  Father  drew  nearer,  and  aided, 
and  co-operated,  and  finally  they  so  conjoined  tliemselves  as  to 
be  not  two  but  one  ;  whioli  union  is  the  glorification  which  will 
be  treated  of  in  what  follows. 

98.  That  the  Father  and  the  Son,  that  is,  the  Divine  and  the 
Human,  became  united  in  the  Lord  like  soul  and  body,  is  in 
agreement  with  the  belief  of  the  church  at  this  day  and  also 
with  the  Word ;  and  yet  scarcely  five  in  a  hundred,  or  fifty  in 
a  thousand,  know  it.  This  is  because  of  the  doctrine  of  justifi- 
cation by  faith  alone,  to  which  most  of  the  clergy  who  are  seek- 
ing a  reputation  for  learning  with  a  view  to  honor  or  wealth, 
devote  themselves  with  great  zeal,  until  at  present  their  whole 
mind  has  become  seized  and  possessed  by  that  doctrine.  And 
because  that  doctrine,  like  the  vinous  spirit  called  alcohol,  has 
intoxicated  their  thoughts,  they,  like  drunken  men,  have  failed 
to  see  this  most  essential  truth  of  the  church,  that  it  was  Jeho- 
vah God  who  descended  and  assumed  a  Human ;  and  yet  it  is 
only  by  means  of  this  union  that  a  conjunction  of  man  with  God 
is  possible,  and  by  conjunction,  salvation.  That  salvation  de- 
pends upon  a  knowledge  and  acknowledgment  of  God,  can  be 
seen  by  any  one  who  reflects  that  God  is  the  All  in  all  things 
of  heaven,  and  therefore  the  All  in  all  things  of  the  church, 
consequently  the  All  in  all  things  of  theology.  J3ut  fii-st  it  shall 
here  be  shown  that  the  union  of  the  Father  and  Son,  that  is, 
of  the  Divine  and  the  Human  in  the  Lord,  is  like  the  union  of 
soul  and  body,  and  afterwards  that  this  union  is  reciprocal. 
A  union  like  that  of  soul  and  body  is  established  in  the  Athan- 
asian  Creed,  which  is  accepted  in  the  whole  Christian  world  as 
the  doctrine  respecting  God.  We  there  read :  "  Our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  God  and  Man  ;  and  although  He  is  God  and  Man,  yet 
they  are  not  two,  but  one  Christ.  He  is  one  because  the  Divine 
took  to  Itself  a  Human.  He  is  indeed  wholly  one,  and  is  one 
Person ;  for  as  soul  and  body  are  one  man,  so  is  God  and  Man 
one  Christ."  What  they  understand  by  this  is,  that  there  is 
such  a  union  between  a  Son  of  God  from  eternity  and  a  Son 


N.  98] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


141 


born  in  time ;  but  as  God  is  one  and  not  three,  when  we  under- 
stand a  imion  between  the  one  God  from  eternity  and  the  Son 
born  in  time,  this  doctrine  agrees  with  the  Word.  In  the  Word 
it  is  said : — 

That  He  was  conceived  of  Jehovah  the  Father  {Luke  1.  34,  36); 

this  was  the  source  of  His  soul  and  life  ;  therefore  He  says  : — 

That  He  and  the  Father  are  one  {John  x.  30); 

That  he  that  seeth  and  knoweth  Him  seeth  and  knoweth  the  Father 
{tJolui  xiv.  9); 

If  ye  knew  Me  ye  would  know  My  Father  also  {John  viii.  19); 

He  that  receiveth  Me  receiveth  Him  that  sent  Me  {John  xiii.  20); 

That  He  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  {John  i.  18); 

That  all  things  whatsoever  the  Father  hath  are  His  {John  xvi.  15); 

That  He  is  called  the  Father  of  Eternity  {Isa.  ix.  6) ; 

That  therefore  He  has  power  over  all  flesh  {John  xvii.  2); 

And  all  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth  {Matt,  xxviii.  18). 

From  these  and  many  other  passages  in  the  Word  it  can  be 
clearly  seen  that  the  union  of  the  Father  and  Himself  is  like 
the  union  of  soul  and  body.  Therefore  in  the  Old  Testament 
also  He  is  frequently  called  "  Jehovah,''  "  Jehovah  of  Hosts," 
and  "  Jehovah  the  Kedeemer"  (see  above,  n.  83). 

99.  That  this  union  is  reciprocal  is  clearly  evident  from  the 
following  passages  in  the  Word  : — 

Philip,  believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in 
Me  ?  Believe  Me,  that  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in  Me  (John  xiv. 
10,  11). 

That  ye  may  know  and  believe  that  the  Father  is  in  Me  and  I  in  the 
Father  {John  x.  36,  38). 

That  they  all  may  be  one,  as  Thou,  Father,  art  in  Me  and  I  in  Thee 
(John  x\n.2l). 

Father,  all  things  that  are  Mine  are  Thine,  and  all  things  that  are  Thine 
are  Mine  {John  xvii.  10). 

The  union  is  reciprocal,  because  no  union  or  conjunction  be- 
tween two  persons  is  possible  unless  each  in  turn  approaches 
the  other.  In  the  whole  heaven,  and  in  the  whole  world,  and 
in  the  entire  man,  all  conjunction  has  its  source  in  the  recipro- 
cal approach  of  one  to  another,  each  then  willing  in  oneness 
with  the  other.  From  this  comes  homogeneity  and  sympathy, 
also  unanimity  and  concord,  in  every  particular  of  each.  In 
every  man  there  is  such  a  reciprocal  conjunction  of  souJ  and 


142 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IL 


body ;  such  is  the  conjunction  of  the  spirit  of  man  witli  the 
sensory  and  motor  organs  of  his  body  ;  such  is  the  conjunction 
of  the  heart  and  the  lungs ;  such  is  the  conjunction  of  the  will 
and  the  understanding;  such  is  the  conjunction  in  man  of  all 
the  members  and  viscera  in  themselves  and  with  each  other ; 
the  minds  of  all  who  interiorly  love  each  other  are  so  conjoined, 
for  this  conjunction  is  inscribed  upon  all  love  and  friendship; 
since  love  desires  to  love  xmd  be  loved.  Of  all  things  in  the 
world  that  are  fully  conjoined  one  to  the  other  there  is  a  recip- 
rocal conjunction.  There  is  a  like  conjunction  of  the  sun's  heat 
with  the  heat  of  wood  and  mineral,  of  vital  heat  with  the  heat 
of  all  the  libers  of  animate  things,  of  the  soil  with  the  root, 
through  the  root  with  the  tree,  and  through  the  tree  with  the 
fruit;  a  like  conjimction  of  the  magnet  with  iron;  and  so  on. 
Unless  conjunction  is  effected  by  the  reciprocal  and  mutual  ap- 
proach of  one  to  another,  no  internal  but  only  external  conjunc- 
tion is  effected,  and  this  in  time  is  dissolved  by  mutual  consent, 
sometimes  even  so  far  that  they  no  longer  recognize  each  other. 

100.  Since  then,  no  conjunction  that  is  a  conjunction  is  pos- 
sible unless  it  is  effected  reciprocally  and  mutually,  so  the  con- 
junction of  the  Lord  and  man  is  such,  as  may  be  clearly  seen 
from  these  passages  : — 

He  that  eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My  blood  dwelleth  in  Me  and  I 
in  him  {John  vi.  56). 

Abide  in  Me  and  I  m  you.  He  that  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in  him,  the 
same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit  {John  xv.  4,  5). 

If  any  one  open  the  door  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him 
and  he  with  Me  {Apoc.  iii.  20); 

and  elsewhere.  This  conjunction  is  effected  by  man's  approach- 
ing the  Lord,  and  the  Lord's  approaching  him,  for  it  is  a  sure 
and  immutable  law,  that  so  far  as  man  approaches  the  Lord  so 
far  does  the  Lord  approach  man.  But  more  will  be  seen  on  this 
subject  in  the  chapters  on  Charity  and  Faith. 

101.  (7)  Thus  God  became  Man  and  Man  became  God  in  one 
Person.  That  Jehovah  God  became  Man,  and  IMan  became  God 
in  one  Person,  follows  as  a  conclusion  from  all  the  preceding 
propositions  of  this  chapter,  especially  from  these  two :  that 
Jehovah  the  Creator  of  the  universe  descended  and  assumed  a 
Human  that  He  might  redeem  and  save  men  (see  above,  n.  82- 


N.  101] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


143 


84),  and  that  the  Lord  by  the  acts  of  redemption  united  Him- 
self to  the  Father,  and  the  Father  united  Himself  to  Him,  thus 
reciprocally  and  mutually  (n.  97-100).  From  that  reciprocal 
union  it  is  very  evident  that  God  became  Man  and  Man  became 
God  in  one  Person ;  and  from  the  union  of  the  two  as  being  a 
union  like  that  of  soul  and  body,  the  same  conclusion  follows. 
That  this  is  in  accordance  with  the  faith  of  the  church  at  this 
day,  as  derived  from  the  Athanasian  Creed,  may  be  seen  above 
(n.  98)  ;  that  it  is  also  in  accordance  with  the  faith  of  the  Evan- 
gelical churches  may  be  seen  in  that  chief  of  their  orthodox 
books,  called  the  Formula  Concordia^,  where  it  is  firmly  estab- 
lished, both  from  Sacred  Scripture  and  from  the  Fathers,  as 
also  by  rational  arguments,  that  the  human  nature  of  Christ 
was  exalted  to  Divine  majesty,  omnipotence  and  omnipres- 
ence, and  that  in  Christ  Man  is  God,  and  God  is  Man  (see  pp. 
607,  765).  Moreover,  it  has  been  shown  in  this  present  chap- 
ter that  Jehovah  God  as  to  His  Human  is  called  in  the  Word 
«  Jehovah,"  "  Jehovah  God,"  "  Jehovah  of  Hosts,"  and  "  the 
God  of  Israel."    Therefore  Paul  says  : — 

That  in  Jesus  Christ  dwelleth  all  the  fuhiess  of  Divinity  bodily  {Col. 
ii.  9); 

and  John : — 

Tliat  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  (1 
John  V.  20). 

That  "  the  Son  of  God"  means  strictly  His  Human  may  be  seen 
above  (n.  92  and  the  following  numbers).    Furthermore,  Jeho- 
vah God  calls  both  Himself  and  Him  Lord ;  for  we  read : — 
The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  at  My  right  hand  [Ps.  ex.  1); 

and  in  Isaiah  : — 

For  unto  us  a  Child  is  born,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given ;  whose  name  is 
God,  the  Father  of  Eternity  {ix.  6). 

The  Lord  as  to  His  Human  is  also  meant  by  "the  Son"  in 

David : — 

I  will  declare  the  decree,  Jehovah  said  unto  me,  Thou  art  My  Son,  this 
day  I  have  begotten  Thee.  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  He  be  angrj-,  and  ye  perish 
in  the  way  {Ps.  ii.  7,  12). 

Here  no  Son  from  eternity  is  meant,  but  the  Son  born  in  the 
world;  for  this  is  a  prophecy  about  the  Lord  who  was  to  come; 


144 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IL 


consequently  it  is  called  a  ^'  decree"  which  Jehovah  declared  to 
David  J  and  in  the  same  Psalm  it  is  said  previously  : — 

I  have  anointed  my  King  upon  Zion  (verse  6); 

and  further  on  : — 

I  will  give  to  Him  the  nations  for  an  inheritance  (verse  8). 

Therefore  "this  day"  does  not  mean  from  eternity,  but  in 
time ;  for  with  Jehovah  the  future  is  present. 

102.  It  is  believed  that  the  Lord  as  to  His  Human  not  only 
was,  but  still  is,  the  son  of  Mary ;  but  in  this  the  Christian 
world  is  under  a  delusion.  It  is  true  that  He  was  the  son  of 
Mary,  but  not  true  that  He  still  is ;  for  by  the  acts  of  redemp- 
tion He  put  off  the  human  from  the  mother  and  put  on  a  Hu- 
man from  the  Father ;  and  this  is  why  the  Human  of  the  Lord 
is  Divine,  and  in  Him  God  is  Man,  and  Man  is  God.  That  He 
put  off  the  human  from  the  mother  and  put  on  a  Human  from 
the  Father,  which  is  the  Divine  Human,  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  He  Himself  never  called  Mary  His  mother,  as  can  be  seen 
from  the  following  passages  : — 

The  mother  of  Jesus  said  to  Him,  They  have  no  wine.  Jesus  said  unto 
her,  Woman,  what  to  Me  and  to  thee  ?  Mine  hour  is  not  yet  come  {John 
ii.3,4); 

and  again : — 

"When  Jesus  saw  [from  the  cross]  His  mother,  and  the  disciple  stand- 
ing by  whom  He  loved,  He  saith  unto  His  mother.  Woman,  behold  thy 
son.  Then  saith  He  to  the  disciple.  Behold  thy  mother  {John  xix.  26,  27); 

and  on  one  occasion  He  did  not  acknowledge  her : — 

It  was  told  Jesus  by  some  who  said,  Thy  mother  and  Thy  brethren 
stand  without,  desiring  to  see  Thee.  Jesus  answering  said.  My  mother 
and  My  brethren  are  these  who  hear  the  Word  of  God  and  do  it  {Luke 
viii.  20,  21  ;  Matt.  xii.  46-50  ;  Mark  iii.  31-35). 

Thus  the  Lord  did  not  call  her  mother  but  "  woman,''  and  gave 
her  to  John  as  a  mother.  In  other  places  she  is  called  His 
mother,  but  not  by  His  own  lips.  [2]  This  is  further  con- 
firmed by  the  fact  that  He  did  not  acknowledge  Himself  to  be 
the  son  of  David ;  for  we  read  in  the  Gospels  : — 

Jesus  asked  the  Pharisees,  saying,  How  does  it  seem  to  you  about  the 
Christ  ?  Whose  son  is  He  ?  They  say  unto  Him,  David's.  He  said  unto 
them.  How  then  doth  David  in  spirit  call  Him  his  Lord,  saying.  The  Lord 


N.  102] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


145 


said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  My  right  hand,  till  I  place  Thine  enemies 
as  the  footstool  of  Thy  feet  ?  If  then  David  calls  Him  Lord,  how  is  He 
his  son  ?  And  no  man  was  able  to  answer  Him  a  word  {Matt.  xxii.  41- 
46  ;  Mark  xii.  35-37  ;  Luke  xx.  41-44  ;  Fs.  ex.  1). 

[3]  To  the  above  I  will  add  this,  which  is  new :  Once  it  was 
granted  me  to  speak  with  Mary  the  mother.  On  a  certain  oc- 
casion she  passed  by  and  appeared  in  heaven  above  my  head 
in  white  raiment  like  silk ;  and  then  pausing  a  little  she  said 
that  she  had  been  the  mother  of  the  Lord,  who  was  born  of 
her ;  but  that  He,  having  become  God,  had  put  off  everything 
human  that  He  had  derived  from  her,  and  that  she  therefore 
worshiped  Him  as  her  God,  and  was  unwilling  that  any  one 
should  acknowledge  Him  as  her  son,  because  in  Him  all  is  Di- 
vine. From  all  this  there  now  shines  forth  this  truth,  that 
thus  Jehovah  is  Man  as  in  things  first  so  also  in  things  last, 
according  to  these  passages  : — 

I  am  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  Beginning  and  the  End,  He  who 
is  and  who  was  and  who  is  to  come,  the  Almighty  {Apoc.  i,  8,  11). 

When  John  saw  the  Son  of  Man  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  lampstands 
he  fell  at  His  feet  as  dead  ;  but  He  laid  His  right  hand  upon  him  saying, 
I  am  the  First  and  the  Last  {Apoc.  i,  13,  17  ;  xxi.  6). 

Behold  I  come  quickly,  to  give  every  man  according  to  his  work.  T  am 
the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  Beginning  and  the  End,  the  First  and  the 
Last  {Apoc.  xxii.  12,  13). 

and  in  Isaiah  : — 

Thus  said  Jehovah,  the  King  of  Israel  and  his  Redeemer,  Jehovah  of 
Hosts,  I  am  the  First  and  the  Last  (xliv.  6  ;  xlviii.  12). 

103.  To  this  I  will  add  the  following  arcanum:  The  soul, 
which  is  from  the  father,  is  the  man  himself ;  while  the  body, 
which  is  from  the  mother,  is  not  the  man  in  himself,  but  is 
from  the  man ;  it  is  simply  the  soul's  clothing,  woven  of  such 
things  as  are  from  the  natural  world ;  while  the  soul  is  woven 
of  such  things  as  exist  in  the  spiritual  world.  After  death  every 
man  lays  aside  the  natural  which  he  took  from  the  mother,  and 
retains  the  spiritual  which  is  from  the  father,  together  with  a 
kind  of  border  from  the  purest  things  of  nature  about  it.  With 
those  who  enter  heaven  this  border  is  beneath,  and  the  spirit- 
ual above ;  but  with  those  who  enter  hell  the  border  is  above 
and  the  spiritual  beneath.  In  consequence  of  this  an  angel- 
10 


146 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


man  speaks  from  heaven,  that  is,  what  is  good  and  true ;  while 
a  devil-man  when  he  speaks  from  his  heart  speaks  from  hell, 
but  when  he  speaks  from  his  lips  he  speaks  as  if  from  heaven ; 
the  latter  he  does  abroad,  but  the  former  at  home.  [i2]  Since 
the  soul  of  man  is  the  man  himself,  and  is  spiritual  in  its  ori- 
gin, it  is  evident  why  the  mind,  disposition,  nature,  inclination, 
and  affection  of  the  father^s  love  dwell  in  offspring  after  off- 
spring, and  return  and  display  themselves  from  generation  to 
generation.  Because  of  this  many  families  and  even  nations 
are  recognized  from  their  first  father.  There  is  a  common  like- 
ness which  shows  itself  in  the  face  of  each  descendant ;  and  it 
is  only  by  means  of  the  spiritual  things  of  the  church  that  this 
like:iess  is  changed.  A  common  likeness  of  Jacob  and  Judah 
still  remains  in  their  posterity,  whereby  they  are  distinguished 
from  others,  and  for  the  reason  that  they  have  adhered  firmly 
to  their  religion  even  until  now.  For  in  the  semen  from  which 
every  man  is  conceived  there  exists  a  graft  or  offshoot  of  the 
father's  soul  in  its  fulness,  within  a  sort  of  envelope  formed  of 
elements  from  nature ;  and  by  means  of  this  his  body  is  formed 
in  the  mother's  womb,  which  body  may  become  a  likeness  either 
of  the  father  or  of  the  mother,  the  image  of  the  father  still  re- 
maining within  it  and  constantly  striving  to  put  itself  forth ; 
consequently  if  it  cannot  accomplish  this  in  the  first  offspring 
it  does  in  those  that  follow.  [3]  A  likeness  of  the  father  in 
its  fulness  exists  in  the  semen  for  the  reason,  as  has  been  said, 
that  the  soul  from  its  origin  is  spiritual ;  and  the  spiritual  has 
nothing  in  common  with  space,  and  is  therefore  like  itself  in 
little  compass  as  in  great.  With  respect  to  the  Lord :  While 
He  was  in  the  world  He  put  off  by  the  acts  of  redemption 
everything  of  the  human  from  the  mother,  and  put  on  a  Hu- 
man from  the  Father,  which  is  the  Divine  Human  j  and  this 
is  why  in  Him  jMan  is  God,  and  God  is  Man. 

104.  (8)  The  progress  towards  union  was  His  state  of  Ex- 
inanition  [emptifing  HimseJf~\,  and  the  itnion  itself  is  His  state 
of  Glorification.  It  is  acknowledged  in  the  church  that  when 
the  Lord  was  in  the  world  He  was  in  two  states,  called  the 
state  of  exinanition  and  the  state  of  glorification.  The  prior 
state,  which  was  the  state  of  exinanition,  is  described  in  the 
Word  in  many  places,  especially  in  the  Psalms  of  David  and 


N.  104] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


147 


also  in  the  Projjhets,  and  particularly  in  Isaiah  (chapter  liii.) 
where  it  is  said  : — 

Tliat  He  emptied  His  soul  even  unto  death  (verse  12). 

This  same  state  was  His  state  of  humiliation  before  the  Father; 
for  in  it  He  prayed  to  the  Father ;  and  He  says  that  He  does 
the  Father's  will,  and  ascribes  to  the  Father  all  that  He  did 
and  said. 

That  he  prayed  to  the  Father  is  evident  from  these  places : 
Matt.  xxvi.  39,  44 ;  Mark  i.  35  ;  vi.  46 ;  xiv.  32-39 ;  Luke  v.  16 ; 
vi.  12 ;  xxii.  41-44 ;  John  xvii.  9,  15,  20.  That  He  did  the 
Father's  will :  John  iv.  34  ;  v.  30.  That  He  ascribed  to  the 
Father  all  that  He  did  and  said :  John  viii.  26-28 ;  xii.  49,  50 ; 
xiv.  10.    He  even  cried  out  upon  the  cross : — 

My  God,  My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ?  {Matt,  xxvii.  46  ;  Mark 
XV.  34.) 

Moreover,  except  for  this  state  He  could  not  have  been 
crucified.  But  the  state  of  glorification  is  also  the  state  of 
union.  He  was  in  that  state  when  He  was  transfigured  be- 
fore His  three  disciples,  and  also  when  He  wrought  miracles, 
and  whenever  He  said  that  the  Father  and  He  are  one,  that 
the  Father  is  in  Him  and  He  in  the  Father,  and  that  all  things 
of  the  Father  are  His  ;  and,  when  the  union  was  complete, 
that  He  had  "power  over  all  flesh"  (Jolm  xvii.  2),  and  "all 
power  in  heaven  and  on  earth''  {Matt,  xxviii.  18) ;  besides  other 
things. 

105.  These  two  states,  of  exinanition  and  of  glorification, 
belonged  to  the  Lord  because  there  is  no  other  possible  way  of 
attaining  to  union,  this  being  in  accordance  with  Divine  order, 
which  is  immutable.  The  Divine  order  is  that  man  should  set 
himself  in  order  for  the  reception  of  God  and  prepare  himself 
to  be  a  receptacle  and  abode  into  which  God  may  enter  and  in 
which,  as  in  His  temple,  God  may  dwell.  From  himself  man 
must  do  this,  and  yet  must  acknowledge  that  it  is  from  God. 
This  he  must  ac^^nowledge  because  he  does  not  feel  the  pres- 
ence and  operation  of  God,  although  God  in  closest  presence 
operates  all  the  good  of  love  and  all  the  truth  of  faith  in  man. 
Every  man  progresses  and  must  progress  in  accordance  with 


148 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  II. 


this  order,  if  from  being  natural  lie  is  to  become  spiritual.  In 
like  manner  it  was  necessary  for  the  Lord  to  progress,  in  order 
to  make  Divine  His  natural  human.  This  is  why  He  prayed 
to  the  Father,  did  the  Father's  will,  ascribed  to  Him  all  that 
He  did  and  said,  and  why  He  exclaimed  upon  the  cross,  "  My 
God,  My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  V  For  in  this  state 
God  seems  to  be  absent ;  but  after  this  state  comes  another, 
which  is  the  state  of  conjunction  with  God;  in  which  state 
man  acts  as  before,  but  now  from  God ;  but  he  does  not  now 
need,  as  before,  to  ascribe  to  God  every  good  that  he  wills  and 
does,  and  every  truth  that  he  thinks  and  speaks,  because  this 
is  written  upon  his  heart,  and  thus  is  inwardly  in  all  his  ac- 
tions and  words.  In  like  manner  did  the  Lord  unite  Himself 
to  His  Father,  and  the  Father  to  Himself.  In  a  word.  He 
glorified  His  Human,  that  is,  made  it  Divine,  in  the  same  man- 
ner in  which  He  regenerates  man,  that  is,  makes  him  spiritual. 

That  every  man  who  from  being  natural  becomes  spiritual 
passes  through  two  states,  entering  through  the  first  into  the 
second,  and  thus  from  the  world  into  heaven,  will  be  fully 
shown  in  the  chapters  on  Free  Will,  on  Charity  and  Faith,  and 
on  Reformation  and  Regeneration.  Here  let  it  be  noticed  only 
that  in  the  first  state,  which  is  called  the  state  of  reformation, 
man  has  complete  freedom  to  act  according  to  the  rationality 
of  his  understanding :  and  in  the  second,  which  is  the  state  of 
regeneration,  he  has  the  same  freedom ;  but  he  now  w^ills  and 
acts,  and  thinks  and  speaks,  from  a  new  love  and  a  new  intel- 
ligence, which  are  from  the  Lord.  For  in  the  first  state  the 
understanding  takes  the  chief  part  and  the  will  the  second ; 
while  in  the  following  state  the  will  takes  the  chief  part,  and 
the  understanding  the  second;  nevertheless,  the  understand- 
ing now  acts  from  the  will,  and  not  the  will  through  the  un- 
derstanding. The  conjunction  of  good  and  truth,  of  charity 
and  faith,  and  of  the  internal  and  external,  is  effected  in  the 
same  way. 

106.  These  two  states  are  represented  by  various  things  in 
the  universe,  and  for  the  reason  that  they  are  in  accordance 
with  Divine  order,  and  the  Divine  order  fills  all  things  and  each 
thing  in  the  universe,  even  to  the  utmost  particular.  In  every 
man  the  first  state  is  represented  by  his  state  of  infancy  and 


N.  106] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


149 


childhood  until  the  time  of  puberty,  youth,  and  early  manhood, 
and  this  is  a  state  of  humiliation  before  his  parents,  of  obedi- 
ence, and  also  of  instruction  by  masters  and  tutors ;  while  the 
second  state  is  represented  in  the  state  of  the  same  person 
when  he  becomes  his  own  master  and  chooser,  or  freely  exer- 
cises his  own  will  and  understanding,  and  has  control  in  his 
own  home.    So  the  first  state  is  represented  by  that  of  a  prince 
or  kings  son  or  duke's  son,  before  he  has  become  a  king  or 
a  duke ;  likewise  by  the  state  of  any  citizen  before  he  has  as- 
sumed the  office  of  magistrate ;  of  any  subject  before  he  enters 
upon  the  functions  of  any  office ;  of  any  student  who  is  being 
prepared  for  the  ministry,  before  he  becomes  a  priest ;  and  of 
the  priest  before  he  becomes  a  pastor;  and  of  the  pastor  be- 
fore he  becomes  a  primate ;  also  of  any  virgin  before  she  be- 
comes a  wife,  and  of  any  maidservant  before  she  becomes  a 
mistress ;  and  in  general,  of  any  clerk  before  he  becomes  a  mer- 
chant, of  any  soldier  before  he  becomes  an  officer,  and  of  any 
servant  before  he  becomes  a  master.     The  first  is  a  state  of 
servitude,  the  second  is  the  exercise  of  one's  own  will  and  from 
this  of  one's  own  understanding.     Again,  these  two  states  are 
represented  by  various  things  in  the  animal  kingdom — the  first 
by  beasts  and  birds  while  they  contmue  with  their  parents,  fol- 
lowing them  constantly,  and  being  nourished  and  guided  by 
them ;  and  the  second  when  they  leave  the  old  ones  and  take 
care  of  themselves ;  likewise  by  worms — the  first  state  while 
they  crawl  and  feed  upon  leaves,  and  the  second  when  they 
cast  off  their  coverings  and  become  butterflies.     Still  again, 
these  two  states  are  represented  by  the  subjects  of  the  vege- 
table kingdom — the  first  while  the  plant  is  springing  up  from 
the  seed  and  is  adorned  with  boughs,  twigs,  and  leaves,  the 
second  when  it  bears  fruit  and  produces  new  seed.     This,  too, 
may  be  likened  to  the  conjunction  of  truth  and  good,  since  all 
things  belonging  to  a  tree  correspond  to  truths,  while  the  fruits 
correspond  to  the  various  kinds  of  good.    But  the  man  who  re- 
mains in  the  first  state  and  does  not  enter  the  second,  is  like 
a  tree  that  produces  leaves  only  and  not  fruit,  of  which  it  is 
said  in  the  Word : — 

That  it  must  be  rooted  up  and  cast  into  the  fire  {Matt.  vii.  19  ;  xxi.  19 ; 
Luke  iii.  9  ;  xiii.  6-9  ;  John  xv.  5,  6)  ; 


150 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


and  he  is  like  a  servant  that  did  not  wish  to  be  free,  concern- 
ing whom  it  was  commanded : — 

That  he  should  be  brought  to  the  door  or  to  the  doorpost,  and  his  ear 
be  pierced  with  an  awl  {Exod.  xxi.  6). 

Servants  are  those  who  are  not  conjoined  to  the  Lord;  while 
the  free  are  those  who  are  conjoined  to  Him;  for  the  Lord 
says : — 

If  the  Son  maketh  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed  {John  viii.  36). 

107.  (9)  Hereafter  no  one  from  among  Chidstians  enters  hea- 
ven unless  he  believes  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  and  ap- 
proaches Him  alone.     We  read  in  Isaiah : — 

Behold  I  create  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  and  the  former  things 
shall  not  be  remembered  nor  come  into  mind  ;  and  behold,  I  will  create 
Jerusalem  a  rejoicing  and  her  people  a  joy  (Ixv.  17,  18) ; 

and  in  the  Apocalypse : — 

I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  :  and  I  saw  the  holy  Jerusalem 
coming  down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  made  ready  as  a  bride  for  her  hus- 
band. And  He  that  sat  upon  the  throne  said.  Behold  I  make  all  things 
new  (xxi.  1,  2,  5) ; 

and  in  other  places  : — 

That  no  others  should  enter  heaven  than  those  who  were  written  in 
the  Lamb's  book  of  Life  ^^A^oc.  xiii.  8  ;  xvii.  8  ;  xx.  12,  15  ;  xxi.  27). 

By  the  "heaven"  here  mentioned  the  heaven  visible  to  our 
eyes  is  not  meant,  but  the  angelic  heaven ;  by  "  Jerusalem'^  no 
city  coming  down  out  of  the  sky  is  meant,  but  a  church  that 
is  to  descend  from  the  Lord  out  of  the  angelic  heaven,  and 
"  the  Lamb's  book  of  Life"  means  not  a  book  written  in  heaven, 
which  is  to  be  opened,  but  the  Word,  which  is  from  the  Lord 
and  which  treats  of  the  Lord.  In  the  preceding  sections  of 
this  chapter  it  has  been  proved,  authenticated,  and  established 
that  Jehovah  God,  who  is  called  the  Creator  and  the  Father, 
descended  and  assumed  a  Human  in  order  that  He  might  be 
approached  by  man  and  be  conjoined  to  man.  For  does  any 
one  get  near  to  a  man  by  approaching  his  soul  ?  Can  that  be 
done  ?  It  is  the  man  himself  who  is  approached,  who  is  seen 
face  to  face,  and  who  is  talked  with  mouth  to  mouth.  It  is  the 
same  with  God  the  Father  and  the  Son ;  since  God  the  Father 


N.  107] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


151 


is  in  the  Son  as  a  soul  is  in  its  body.  [2]  That  the  Lord  God 
the  Saviour  is  He  in  whom  men  ought  to  believe,  is  evident 
from  the  following  passages  in  the  Word : — 

For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  Him  may  not  perish,  but  may  have  eternal  life 
{John  iii.  15,  10). 

He  that  believeth  in  the  Son  is  not  judged  ;  but  he  that  believeth  not 
hath  been  judged  already,  because  he  hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of 
the  only  begotten  Son  of  God  {John  iii.  18). 

He  that  believeth  in  the  Son  hath  eternal  life  ;  but  he  that  believeth 
not  the  Sou  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  anger  of  God  abideth  on  him  {John 
iii.  36). 

The  bread  of  God  is  He  that  cometh  down  out  of  heaven,  and  giveth 
life  unto  the  world.  He  that  cometh  to  me  shall  not  hunger ;  and  he  that 
beUeveth  in  Me  shall  never  thirst  (John  vi.  33,  35). 

This  is  the  will  of  Him  who  sent  Me,  that  every  one  who  beholdeth  the 
Son  and  believeth  in  Him  may  have  eternal  life  ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up 
at  the  last  day  (John  vi.  40). 

They  said  to  Jesus,  What  must  we  do  that  we  may  work  the  works  of 
God  ?  Jesus  answered.  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye  believe  in  Him 
whom  He  hath  sent  {John  vi.  28,  29). 

Verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  believeth  in  Me  hath  everlasting  life 
{John  vi.  47). 

Jesus  cried  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  Me  and  drink. 
He  that  believeth  in  Me  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water 
{John  vii.  37,  38). 

Unless  ye  believe  that  I  am,  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins  {John  viii.  24). 

Jesus  said,  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life  ;  he  that  believeth  in  Me, 
though  he  die,  shall  live  ;  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  Me  shall 
never  die  {John  xi.  25,  26). 

Jesus  said,  I  am  come  a  light  into  the  world,  that  whosoever  believeth 
in  Me  may  not  abide  in  darkness  (John  xii.  46  ;  viii.  12). 

While  ye  have  the  light,  believe  in  the  light,  that  ye  may  be  sons  of 
the  light  (John  xii.  36). 

The  Lord  also  said  that  the  disciples  should  abide  in  Him,  and  He  hi 
them  (John  xiv.  20  ;  xv.  1-5  ;  xvii.  23) ; 

which  is  done  by  faith : — 

Paul  testified  both  to  the  Jews  and  also  to  the  Greeks,  repentance  to- 
ward God  and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  (Acts  xx.  21). 

I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  ;  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Fa- 
ther but  by  Me  (John  xiv.  6). 

[3]  That  whosoever  believes  in  the  Son  believes  in  the  Father, 
since,  as  said  above,  the  Father  is  in  Him  as  the  soul  in  the 
body,  is  evident  from  the  following  passages  : — 


152 


THE  TRUE  CHEISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.   II. 


If  ye  had  known  Me  ye  would  have  known  My  Father  also  {John  viii. 
19;  xiv.  7). 

He  that  seeth  Me,  seeth  Him  that  sent  Me  {John  xii.  45). 

He  that  receiveth  Me,  receiveth  Him  that  sent  Me  {John  xiii.  20). 

This  is  because  no  one  can  see  the  Father  and  live  {Exod.  xxxiii.  20). 

Therefore  the  Lord  says  : — 

No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  ;  the  only-begotten  Son  who  is  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Father  He  hath  manifested  Him  {John  i.  18). 

Not  that  any  man  hath  seen  the  Father  save  He  that  is  with  the  Fa- 
ther, He  hath  seen  the  Father  {John  vi.  46). 

Ye  have  neither  heard  the  voice  of  the  Father  at  any  time,  nor  seen 
His  form  {John  v.  37). 

But  those  who  know  nothing  about  the  Lord,  like  most  of  those 
in  the  two  divisions  of  the  globe  called  Asia  and  Africa,  includ- 
ing those  in  the  Indies,  provided  they  believe  in  one  God  and 
live  according  to  the  precepts  of  their  religion,  are  saved  by 
their  faith  and  life ;  for  imputation  has  reference  to  those  who 
know,  not  to  those  who  do  not  know ;  as  when  the  blind  stum- 
ble it  is  not  imputed  to  them ;  for  the  Lord  says : — 

If  ye  were  blind  ye  would  not  have  sin  ;  but  now  ye  say  that  ye  see 
therefore  your  sin  remaineth  {John  ix.  41). 

108.  To  confirm  this  further  I  will  relate  what  I  know,  be- 
cause I  have  seen  it  and  can  therefore  testify  to  it,  namely, 
that  the  Lord  is  at  this  day  forming  a  new  angelic  heaven,  and 
that  it  is  formed  of  those  who  believe  in  the  Lord  God  the 
Saviour,  and  who  approach  Him  directly,  and  that  all  others 
are  rejected.  So  hereafter,  when  any  one  from  Christendom 
goes  into  the  spiritual  world  (as  every  man  does  at  death)  and 
does  not  believe  in  the  Lord  and  approach  Him  alone,  and  is 
then  unable  to  receive  this  faith,  because  he  has  lived  wickedly 
or  has  confirmed  himself  in  falsities,  at  his  first  approach  to- 
ward heaven  he  is  repelled,  and  turns  his  face  away  from  hea- 
ven and  towards  the  lower  earth,  whither  he  goes,  and  joins 
those  who  are  there,  who  are  meant,  in  the  Apocahjpse,  by  "  the 
dragon''  and  the  "  false  prophet."  Moreover,  no  man  hence- 
forth in  Christian  lands  is  listened  to  unless  he  believes  in  the 
Lord ;  his  prayers  become  in  heaven  like  ill-scented  odors,  and 
like  eructations  from  ulcerated  lungs ;  and  even  if  his  appeal 
is  thought  to  be  like  the  fumes  of  incense,  it  ascends  towards 


N.  108] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


153 


the  angelic  heaven  only  like  the  smoke  of  a  conflagration  which 
is  blown  back  into  his  eyes  by  a  downward  gust  of  wind,  or  it 
is  like  the  incense  from  a  censer  hidden  under  a  monk's  cloak. 
Such  is  the  case  hereafter  with  all  piety  that  is  directed  to  a 
divided  trinity,  not  to  a  united  trinity.  To  show  that  the  Di- 
vine trinity  is  united  in  the  Lord  is  the  chief  object  of  this 
work.  To  this  I  will  add  the  following  new  information.  Some 
montlis  ago  the  twelve  apostles  were  called  together  by  the 
Lord,  and  were  sent  forth  through  the  whole  spiritual  world, 
as  they  formerly  were  through  the  whole  natural  world,  with 
the  command  to  preach  this  gospel ;  and  to  each  apostle  was 
assigned  a  particular  province;  and  this  command  they  are 
executing  with  great  zeal  and  industry.  But  on  these  subjects 
more  will  be  said  in  the  last  chapter  of  this  book,  where  the 
Consummation  of  the  Age,  the  Lord's  Coming,  and  the  New 
Church,  are  specially  treated  of. 


A  CH)ROLLARY. 

109.  All  the  churches  that  existed  before  the  Lord's  com- 
ing were  representative  churches ;  and  only  in  shadow  could 
Divine  truths  be  seen  by  them.  But  after  the  Lord's  coming 
into  the  world  a  church  was  established  by  Him  which  saw,  or 
rather  was  able  to  see.  Divine  truths  in  light.  The  difference 
is  like  that  between  evening  and  morning;  likewise  in  the 
Word  the  state  of  the  church  before  the  Lord's  coming  is  called 
evening,  and  the  state  after  His  coming  is  called  morning.  Be- 
fore the  Lord  came  into  the  world  He  was  present  with  men 
of  the  church,  but  only  mediately,  through  angels  who  repre- 
sented Him ;  but  since  His  coming  He  is  present  with  men  of 
the  church  immediately ;  and  this  for  the  reason  that  in  the 
world  He  put  on  also  a  Divine  Natural  in  which  He  is  present 
with  men.  The  glorification  of  the  Lord  is  the  glorification  of 
His  Human,  which  He  assumed  in  the  world ;  and  the  Lord's 
glorified  Human  is  the  Divine  Natural.  The  truth  of  this  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  the  Lord  rose  from  the  tomb  with 
the  whole  of  the  body  that  He  had  in  the  world,  leaving  noth- 


154 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


Chap.  II. 


ing  in  the  tomb,  and  therefore  took  with  Him  from  the  tomb 
the  Katural  Human  itself  from  the  firsts  to  the  lasts  of  it.  So 
after  the  resurrection  when  His  disciples  thought  that  what 
they  saw  was  a  ghost,  He  said  to  them : — 

See  My  hands  and  My  feet,  that  it  is  I  Myself ;  handle  Me  and  see ; 
for  a  ghost  hath  not  flesh  and  bones  as  ye  see  Me  have  (Lukexxiv.  37,  39). 

This  makes  it  clear  that  by  means  of  His  glorification  His  nat- 
ural body  was  made  Divine.     Therefore  Paul  says : — 

That  in  Christ  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily  {Col.  ii.  9) ; 

and  John : — 

That  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God  is  the  true  God  (1  JoJm  v.  20). 

From  all  this  the  angels  are  aware  that  in  the  whole  spiritual 

world  the  Lord  alone  is  complete  Man. 

[2]  In  the  church  it  is  well  known  that  with  the  Israel- 

itish  and  Jewish  nation  all  worship  was  merely  external,  and 

shadowed  forth  an  internal  worship  which  the  Lord  opened  up ; 

thus  before  the  Lord's  coming  worship  consisted  in  types  and 

figures  which  represented  true  worship  in  its  faithful  imagery. 

The  Lord  Himself  was  indeed  seen  by  the  ancients ;  for  He 

said  to  the  Jews : — 

Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  My  day  ;  and  he  saw  and  was 
glad.    I  say  unto  you,  Before  Abraham  was,  I  am  {John  viii.  56,  58). 

But  as  the  Lord  in  those  times  was  merely  represented  (which 
was  done  by  means  of  angels),  so  all  things  of  the  church  with 
them  were  made  representative ;  but  after  the  Lord  had  come 
into  the  world  those  representations  vanished.  The  interior 
reason  of  this  was  that  in  the  world  the  Lord  put  on  also  a 
Divine  Natural,  and  from  this  not  only  is  the  internal  spii'it- 
ual  man  enlightened,  but  also  the  external  natural ;  and  unless 
these  two  are  simultaneously  enlightened,  man  is,  as  it  were, 
in  shadow ;  but  when  both  are  enlightened,  he  is,  as  it  were, 
in  the  light  of  day.  For  when  the  internal  man  alone  is  en- 
lightened, and  not  the  external  also,  or  when  the  external  man 
alone  is  enlightened  and  not  the  internal  also,  it  is  as  when 
one  sleeps  and  dreams,  and  as  soon  as  he  wakes  remembers  his 
dream,  and  from  it  draws  various  conclusions,  but  all  imagi- 
nary.   Or  he  is  like  one  walking  in  his  sleep,  and  fancying  that 


N.  109] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


155 


the  objects  he  sees  are  seen  by  daylight.  [3]  Again,  the  dif- 
ference between  the  state  of  the  church  before  the  Lord's  com- 
ing, and  after  it,  is  like  the  difference  between  reading  at  night 
by  the  light  of  the  moon  and  stars,  and  reading  by  the  light  of 
the  sun.  Evidently,  in  the  former  light,  which  is  a  purely 
white  light,  the  eye  sees  amiss,  while  in  the  latter,  which  is 
also  flame-like,  it  does  not.    So  we  read  respecting  the  Lord : — 

The  God  of  Israel  said,  the  Rock  of  Israel  spake  to  Me,  He  shall  be  as 
the  light  of  the  morning,  when  the  sun  risetli,  a  morning  without  clouds 
(2  Sam.  xxiii.  3,  4); 

"the  God  of  IsraeP'  and  "the  Kock  of  Israel"  meaning  the 
Lord.     And  again  : — 

The  light  of  the  moon  shall  be  as  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  the  light  of 
the  sun  shall  be  sevenfold,  as  the  light  of  seven  days,  in  the  day  when 
Jehovah  shall  bind  up  the  breach  of  His  people  {Isa.  xxx.  20). 

All  this  is  said  of  the  state  of  the  church  after  the  Lord's 
coming.  In  a  word,  the  state  of  the  church  before  the  Lord's 
coming  may  be  compared  to  an  old  woman  whose  face  has 
been  painted  and  who  because  of  the  glow  of  the  paint  seems 
to  herself  to  be  beautiful ;  while  the  state  of  the  church  after 
the  Lord's  coming  may  be  likened  to  a  maiden  who  is  beauti- 
ful from  the  native  glow  of  her  complexion.  Again,  the  state 
of  the  church  before  the  Lord's  coming  may  be  likened  to  the 
skin  of  any  fruit  (as  an  orange,  an  apple,  a  pear,  or  a  grape) 
and  the  taste  of  the  skin ;  while  its  state  after  His  coming 
may  be  likened  to  the  insides  of  these  fruits  and  their  taste ; 
with  other  like  things ;  and  this  for  the  reason  that  the  Lord 
having  now  put  on  also  the  Divine  natural,  enlightens  both  the 
internal  spiritual  man  and  the  external  natural  man ;  for  when 
only  the  internal  man  is  enlightened,  and  not  the  external  as 
well,  there  is  shadow ;  and  the  same  is  true  when  the  external 
man  is  enlightened  and  not  the  internal. 

110.  Let  these  Memorable  Relations  be  added.  First : — 
I  once  saw  in  the  spiritual  world  an  i(/nis  fatuus  in  the  air 
with  a  glow  about  it,  falling  toward  the  earth.  It  was  a  me- 
teor, such  as  the  common  people  call  a  dragon.  I  noted  the 
place  where  it  fell ;  but  it  disappeared  in  the  twilight  before 
^iunrise,  as  every  ignis  fatuus  does. 


156 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  II. 


After  dawn  I  went  to  the  place  where  I  had  seen  it  fall  in 
the  night,  and  behold,  the  ground  there  was  a  mixture  of  sul- 
phur, iron  chips,  and  clay ;  and  suddenly  there  appeared  two 
tents,  one  directly  over  the  place,  and  the  other  at  one  side  to- 
wards the  south ;  and  looking  upwards  I  saw  a  spirit  fall  like 
lightning  from  heaven,  and  he  struck  within  the  tent  that  stood 
directly  over  the  place  where  the  meteor  fell ;  I  myself  being 
in  the  other  that  was  near  it  towards  the  south,  and  as  I  stood 
in  the  door  I  saw  the  spirit  standing  in  the  entrance  of  the 
other  tent. 

Therefore  I  asked  him  why  he  had  so  fallen  from  heaven ; 
and  he  answered  that  he  had  been  cast  down  as  an  angel  of 
the  dragon  by  the  angels  of  JMichael,  because  he  had  said  some- 
thing about  the  faith  in  which  he  had  confirmed  himself  while 
in  the  world ;  among  other  things,  that  God  the  Father  and 
God  the  Son  are  not  one  but  two ;  for  at  this  day  in  the  hea- 
vens all  believe  that  these  are  one,  like  soul  and  body;  and 
whatever  contradicts  this  is  like  a  pungent  odor  in  their  nos- 
trils, or  like  an  awl  boring  through  their  ears,  which  causes 
disturbance  and  pain;  therefore  any  one  so  contradicting  is 
ordered  to  leave  ;  and  if  he  refuses  is  cast  out. 

[2]  Hearing  this  I  said  to  him,  "  Why  did  you  not  believe 
as  they  do  ?" 

He  replied  that  after  leaving  the  world  no  one  is  able  to  be- 
lieve anything  different  from  what  he  had  before  impressed 
upon  himself  by  confirmation ;  this  remains  fixed  in  him,  and 
can  not  be  removed,  especially  that  which  he  has  confirmed  in 
himself  respecting  God,  since  in  the  heavens  every  one  has  his 
place  according  to  his  idea  of  God. 

I  asked  him  further,  by  what  means  he  had  confirmed  the 
notion  that  the  Father  and  Son  are  two. 

He  said,  "  By  the  statements  in  the  Word,  that  the  Son 
prayed  to  the  Father,  both  before  and  during  the  passion  of 
the  cross  ;  also  that  He  humiliated  Himself  before  His  Father : 
how  then  can  they  be  one,  as  soul  and  body  are  one  in  man  ? 
Who  prays  as  if  to  another  and  humiliates  himself  as  if  before 
another,  when  that  other  is  in  fact  himself  ?  No  one  does  so, 
much  less  the  Son  of  God.  Moreover,  in  my  time  the  entire 
Christian  church  divided  the  Godhead  into  persons ;  and  each 


N.  110] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


157 


person  is  one  by  Himself,  and  is  defined  as  being  what  is  self- 
subsistent.'' 

[3]  Hearing  this  I  replied,  "  From  what  you  say  I  perceive 
that  you  do  not  know  at  all  how  God  the  Father  and  the  Son 
are  one ;  and  not  knowing  this  you  have  confirmed  yourself 
in  the  falsities  respecting  God  which  the  church  still  holds  to. 
Do  you  not  know  that  when  the  Lord  was  in  the  world  He  had 
a  soul  like  every  other  man  ?     Whence  had  He  that  soul,  un- 
less from  God  the  Father  ?     The  truth  of  this  is  abundantly 
evident  from  the  Word  of  the  Gospels.    What  then  is  that 
which  is  called  the  Son  but  a  Human  that  was  conceived  from 
the  Divine  of  the  Father  and  born  of  the  virgin  Mary  ?    The 
mother  cannot  conceive  the  soul.     This  would  be  totaUy  op- 
posed to  the  order  in  accordance  with  which  every  man  is  born. 
Neither  could  God  the  Father  impart  from  Himself  a  soul  and 
then  withdraw  from  it,  as  is  done  by  every  father  in  the  world, 
because  God  is  His  own  Divine  essence,  and  this  is  one  and 
indivisible ;  and  being  indivisible,  it  is  Himself.    This  is  why 
the  Lord  declares  that  the  Father  and  He  are  one,  and  that  the 
Father  is  in  Him  and  He  in  the  Father,  and  other  like  things. 
The  framers  of  the  Athanasian  creed  saw  this  remotely,  and 
therefore,  after  dividing  God  into  three  persons,  they  still  main- 
tained that  in  Christ,  God  and  Man,  that  is,  the  Divine  and  the 
Human,  are  not  two,  but  are  one,  like  soul  and  body  in  man. 
[4]  The  Lord's  praying  to  the  Father  as  to  another  when  He 
was  in   the  world,  and  His  humiliating  Himself  before  the 
Father  as  before  another,  was  in  accordance  with  the  order  es- 
tablished at  creation.     That  order  is  immutable,  and  in  accord- 
ance therewith  must  be  every  one's  progress  towards  conjunc- 
tion with  God.     That  order  is,  that  so  far  as  man  conjoins 
himself  to  God  by  a  life  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  order, 
which  are  God's  commandments,  does  God  conjoin  Himself  to 
man,  and  change  man  from  natural  to  spiritual.    It  was  in  this 
way  that  the  Lord  made  Himself  one  with  His  Father,  and 
God  the  Father  made  Himself  one  with  Him.   ^Yhen  the  Lord 
was  an  infant  was  He  not  like  any  other  infant,  and  when  a 
boy  like  any  other  boy  ?   Do  we  not  read  that  He  increased  in 
wisdom  and  favor,  and  that  afterwards  He  asked  the  Father  to 
glorify  His  name,  that  is,  His  Himian  ?    To  glorify  is  to  make 


158 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


N.  110] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


159 


Divine  by  oneness  with  Himself.  This  makes  clear  why  the 
Lord  prayed  to  His  Father  whilst  in  His  state  of  exinanition, 
which  was  the  state  of  His  progress  towards  union.  [5]  This 
same  order  is  inscribed  upon  every  man  by  his  creation.  In 
the  precise  degree  in  which  man  prepares  his  understanding  by 
means  of  truths  from  the  Word  does  he  adapt  his  understand- 
ing to  receive  faith  from  God,  and  precisely  as  he  prepares  his 
will  by  means  of  works  of  charity  does  he  fit  his  will  for  the  re- 
ception of  love  from  God,  as  when  a  workman  cuts  a  diamond 
he  fits  it  to  receive  and  emit  the  glow  of  light ;  and  so  on.  One 
prepares  himself  to  receive  God  and  to  be  conjoined  with  Him 
by  living  in  accordance  with  the  Divine  order;  and  the  laws 
of  order  are  all  the  commandments  of  God.  These  the  Lord 
fulfilled  to  every  tittle,  and  so  made  Himself  a  receptacle  of 
Divinity  in  all  fulness.     Therefore  Paul  says  : — 

That  in  Jesus  Christ  dwells  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily  {Col.  ii.  9). 

And  the  Lord  Himself  says  : — 

That  all  things  that  the  Father  hath  are  His  {John  xvi.  15). 

[6]  "  Furthermore,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  in  man  the 
Lord  alone  is  active  and  man  of  himself  is  merely  passive  ;  and 
that  it  is  by  means  of  the  influx  of  life  from  God  that  man  is 
also  active.  It  is  because  this  influx  from  God  is  unceasing 
that  it  seems  to  man  as  if  he  were  active  from  himself ;  and  it 
is  because  of  this  appearance  that  man  has  f i-ee-will ;  and  this 
is  o-iven  him  that  he  may  prepare  himself  for  receiving  the 
Lord  and  thus  for  conjunction  with  Him,  which  would  not  be 
possible  unless  the  action  were  reciprocal ;  and  it  becomes  re- 
ciprocal when  man  acts  from  his  freedom,  and  yet  from  faith 
ascribes  all  his  activity  to  the  Lord." 

[7]  After  this  I  asked  him  whether  he,  like  the  others  his 
companions,  confessed  that  God  is  one.  He  replied  that  he 
did.  Then  I  said,  "  But  I  am  afraid  that  the  confession  of  your 
heart  is  that  there  is  no  God.  Does  not  every  word  uttered  by 
the  mouth  go  forth  from  the  thought  of  the  mind  ?  Must  not, 
then,  the  lip-confession  of  God's  oneness  banish  from  the  mind 
the  thought  that  there  are  three ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  must 
not  this  thought  of  the  mind  banish  from  the  lips  the  confes- 
sion that  He  is  one ;  and  what  else  can  result  from  this  than 


that  there  is  no  God  ?     Is  not  the  whole  interval,  from  the 

thought,  thus  made  a  vacuum  ?  And  what  conclusion  can  the 
mind  then  form  about  God  than  that  nature  is  God ;  and  about 
he  Lord  than  that  His  soul  was  eitlier  from  the  mother  or 
from  Joseph  ?  From  these  two  idea^  all  the  angels  of  heaven 
turn  away  as  from  things  horrible  and  abominable." 

All  this  having  been  said,  that  spirit  was  sent  away  into  the 
abyss  (spoken  of  m  Apoc.  ix.  2  and  following  verses),  where  the 
Sn  ™  '^^°''  *^''™^'  ^^^  mysteries  of  their  faith. 

[8]  The  next  day,  when  I  looked  towards  the  same  place  I 
saw  instead  of  the  tents  two  statues  in  the  likeness  of  human 
beings,  made  of  the  dust  of  the  earth  that  was  a  mixture  of 
sulphur,  iron,  and  clay.     One  statue  seemed  to  have  a  scepter 
in  Its  left  hand,  a  crown  on  its  head,  a  book  in  its  right  hand 
and  a  stomacher  with  an  oblique  band  tied  across,  set  with  pre! 
cious  stones,  and  behind  a  robe  that  spread  towards  the  other 
statue.   But  these  decorations  of  the  statue  were  induced  upon 
It  by  fantasy   A  voice  from  some  draconic  spirit  was  then  heard 
proceeding  from  it,  saying,  "This  statue  represents  our  faith 
as  a  queen,  and  the  one  behind  it  represents  charity  as  her 
maidservant.     This  latter  was  made  of  a  similar  mixture  of 
dust  and  was  placed  at  the  extremity  of  the  robe  tliat  spread 
out  behind  the  queen,  and  it  held  in  its  hand  a  paper,  on  which 

'T  I^^k"'  "^^*'f '^^"1  "«t  to  come  so  near  as  to  touch  the 
robe.  Then  a  sudden  shower  fell  from  heaven  and  penetrated 
both  statues,  which  being  made  of  a  mixture  of  sulphur  iron 
and  clay,  began  to  effervesce,  as  a  mixture  of  those  ingredients 
does  when  w^ter  is  poured  upon  it;  and  so  burning  as  it  were 
with  inward  iire  they  melted  into  heaps,  which  afterwards  stood 
out  above  the  ground  there  like  sepulchral  mounds. 

111.  Second  aiemorable  Relation  : 

In  the  natural  world  man's  speech  is  twofold,  because  his 
thought  IS  twofold,  external  and  internal ;  for  he  can  speak  sim- 
ultaneously from  internal  thought  and  from  external  thou-ht  • 
and  he  can  speak  from  external  thought  and  not  from  internal 
thought,  and  even  contrary  to  internal  thought ;  and  this  is  the 
source  of  pretenses,  flattery,  and  hypocrisy.  But  this  twofold 
speech  man  does  not  have  in  the  spiritual  world ;  his  speech 


160 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  II. 


N. Ill] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


161 


there  is  single ;  he  speaks  as  he  thinks ;  or  if  not,  the  tone  of 
his  voice  is  grating  and  hurts  the  ear.  Nevertheless,  he  can 
be  silent  and  not  divulge  the  thoughts  of  his  mind.  So  when 
a  hypocrite  gets  among  wise  men  he  either  leaves  or  betakes 
himself  to  a  corner  of  the  room  and  avoids  notice  and  keeps 

silent.  1    1  •      u  ^A 

[2]  At  one  time  a  large  number  had  assembled  m  the  world 

of  spirits,  and  were  talking  together  about  this  matter,  saying 
that  to  be  able  to  speak  only  as  one  thinks  is  a  hardship  to 
such  as  have  not  thought  rightly  about  God  and  the  Lord  when- 
ever they  come  into  association  with  the  good.  In  the  midst 
of  the  assembly  were  the  Reformed  and  some  of  their  clergy, 
and  next  to  them  the  Papists  with  their  monks.  The  clergy 
and  the  monks  spoke  first,  saying,  "  This  is  not  a  hardship ; 
what  need  is  there  for  any  one  to  speak  otherwise  than  as  he 
thinks  ?  If  perchance  he  does  not  think  rightly,  can  he  not 
close  his  lips  and  keep  silent  ?  And  a  clergyman  said,  "  ^Tio 
does  not  think  rightly  about  God  and  about  the  Lord  ?'' 

But  some  of  the  assembly  said, "  Let  us  try  them."  And  they 
asked  those  who  had  confirmed  themselves  in  a  trinity  of  per- 
sons in  the  Godhead  to  say  from  their  thought  one  God ;  and 
they  could  not.  They  twisted  and  folded  their  lips  in  various 
ways,  but  were  unable  to  articulate  a  sound  into  any  words  ex- 
cept such  as  were  harmonious  with  the  ideas  of  their  thought, 
which  were  of  three  persons,  and  consequently  of  three  Gods. 
[3]  Again,  those  who  had  confirmed  themselves  in  faith  apart 
from  charity  were  asked  to  utter  the  name  Jesus  ;  but  they 
could  not ;  although  they  could  all  say  Christ,  and  also  God  the 

Father. 

They  wondered  at  this,  and  inquired  the  cause ;  and  they 
found  it  to  be  that  they  had  prayed  to  God  the  Father  for  the 
sake  of  the  Son,  but  had  not  prayed  to  the  Saviour  Himself ; 
and  Jesus  signifies  Saviour. 

[4]  Again,  from  their  thought  of  the  Lord's  Human  they 
were  asked  to  say  Divine  Human  ;  but  not  one  of  the  clergy 
there  present  could  do  so,  though  some  of  the  laity  could ;  and 
therefore  this  fact  was  made  a  subject  of  serious  discussion. 

First,  the  following  passages  from  the  Gospels  were  read  to 
them : — 


r 


The  Father  hath  given  all  things  into  the  hand  of  the  Son  (John  iii.  35) ; 
The  Father  hath  given  to  the  Son  power  over  all  flesh  {John  xvii.  2) ; 
All  things  are  delivered  unto  Me  by  the  Father  [Matt.  xi.  27) ; 
All  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  in  earth  {MaU.  xxviii.  18) ; 

and  they  were  asked  to  keep  in  their  thought  from  these  pas- 
sages that  Christ,  both  as  to  His  Divine  and  as  to  His  Hu- 
man, is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  then  to  pronounce 
the  words  Divine  Human  ;  but  still  they  could  not.  They  said 
that  although  from  these  passages  they  retained  from  the  un- 
derstanding some  thought  about  the  matter,  they  still  had  no 
acknowledgment  of  it,  and  therefore  they  coidd  not  bring  it 
into  speech. 

[5]  (ii.)  Afterwards  there  was  read  to  them  from  Luke  (i.  32, 
34,  35)  that  the  Lord  as  to  His  Human  was  the  Son  of  Jeho- 
vah God,  and  is  there  called  "  the  Son  of  the  Most  High,"  and 
in  many  other  places,  "  the  Son  of  God"  and  also  "  the  Only- 
begotten  ;"  and  they  were  asked  to  retain  this  in  their  thought, 
as  also  that  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God  bom  in  the  world 
could  not  but  be  God,  as  the  Father  is  God,  and  then  to  utter 
the  words  Divine  Human.  But  they  said,  "  We  cannot,  because 
our  spiritual  thought,  that  is,  our  more  internal  thought,  does 
not  admit  into  the  thought  which  lies  nearest  to  speech  any 
other  ideas  except  those  that  are  in  harmony  with  the  internal 
thought ;  and  from  this  we  perceive  that  we  are  not  now  per- 
mitted, as  we  were  in  the  natural  world,  to  divide  our  thoughts. 

[6]  (iii.)  Therefore,  the  Lord's  words  to  Philip  were  read  to 

them : — 

Philip  said,  Lord,  show  us  the  Father.  And  the  Lord  said.  He  that 
seeth  Me  seeth  the  Father.  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father 
and  the  Father  in  Me  ?  {John  xiv.  8-11)  ; 

and  also  other  passages,  as  : — 

That  the  Father  and  He  are  one  {John  x.  30) ; 

and  they  were  asked  to  retain  this  in  thought  and  then  to  say, 
Divine  Human  ;  but  because  that  thought  was  not  rooted  in  the 
acknowledgment  that  the  Lord  is  God  even  in  respect  to  the 
Human,  they  twisted  their  lips  into  folds  till  they  grew  angry, 
desiring  to  force  their  mouths  to  speak  the  words  :  but  they  did 
not  succeed ;  and  for  the  reason  that  with  those  who  are  in  the 
11 


^fe^i^3».-a.,ai.«^.»^-^^^.» 


162 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  U. 


spiritual  world  the  ideas  of  thought  which  flow  from  acknowl- 
edgment make  one  with  the  words  of  speech ;  and  where  these 
ideas  do  not  exist  words  cannot  be  had ;  for  in  speaking,  ideas 
become  words. 

[7]  (iv.)  Still  again,  there  was  read  to  them  the  following 
from  the  doctrine  accepted  throughout  the  Christian  world: 
The  Divine  and  Human  in  the  Lord  are  not  two,  but  one,  even 
one  person,  united  like  soul  and  body  in  man.  This  is  from  the 
Athanasian  Greedy  and  has  been  recognized  by  the  councils ; 
and  it  was  said  to  them,  "  From  this  certainly  you  can  gain  an 
idea  grounded  in  acknowledgment  that  the  Human  of  the  Lord 
is  Divine,  since  His  soul  is  Divine ;  for  this  statement  is  from 
the  doctrine  of  your  church  which  you  accepted  while  in  the 
world ;  moreover,  the  soul  is  the  very  essence  of  the  man,  and 
the  body  is  the  form  of  this  essence;  and  essence  and  form 
make  one  like  esse  and  existere,  or  like  the  effecting  cause  of  the 
effect  and  the  effect  itself."  This  idea  they  retained,  and  from 
it  wished  to  utter  the  words  Divine  Human  ;  but  they  could 
not ;  for  their  more  internal  idea  of  the  Human  of  the  Lord 
banished  and  erased  this  new  adscititious  idea,  as  they  called  it. 

[8]  (v.)  Once  again,  this  passage  from  John  was  read  to 
them : — 

The  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  be- 
came flesh  (i.  1, 14). 

Also  this : — 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  (1  John  v.  20). 

Also  from  Paul: — 

In  Jesus  Christ  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Divinity  bodily  {Col.  ii.  9); 

and  they  were  requested  to  think  accordingly,  namely,  that 
God  who  was  the  Word  became  Man,  that  He  was  the  true 
God,  and  that  in  Him  dwelt  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily. 
This  they  did,  but  only  in  external  thought ;  and  therefore,  be- 
cause of  the  resistance  of  internal  thought,  they  were  unable 
to  pronounce  the  words  Divine  Human ;  and  they  said  frank- 
ly, "  We  can  form  no  idea  of  a  Divine  Human,  because  God  is 
God,  and  man  is  man,  and  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  we  have  always 
thought  of  spirit  as  being  wind  or  ether.'' 


N.  Ill] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


163 


L^J  (vi.)  Finally,  it  was  said  to  them,  You  know  that  the 
Lord  said : — 

Abide  in  Me,  and  I  in  you.  He  that  abideth  in  Me,  and  I  in  hun,  the 
same  beareth  much  fruit ;  for  without  Me  ye  can  do  nothing  {John  xv. 
4,5). 

And  as  there  were  some  of  the  English  clergy  present,  the  fol- 
lowing from  one  of  their  exhortations  at  the  Holy  Communion 
was  read  to  them :  "  For  when  we  spiritually  eat  the  flesh  and 
drink  the  blood  of  Christ,  then  we  dwell  in  Christ,  and  Christ 
in  us."  And  it  was  said,  "  If  your  thought  now' is  that  this  is 
not  possible  unless  the  Lord's  Human  is  Divine,  pronounce  the 
words  Dicine  Human  from  acknowledgment  in  thought."  But 
still  they  could  not,  so  deeply  impressed  upon  them  was  the  idea 
that  the  Divine  could  not  be  Hmnan,  nor  the  Human  be  Di- 
vine, and  that  the  Lord's  Divine  was  from  the  Divine  of  a  Son 
born  from  eternity,  and  His  Human  like  that  of  any  other  man. 
They  were  asked,  "How  can  you  think  thus ?  Can  a  rational 
mind  ever  conceive  of  a  Son  born  of  God  from  eternity  ?" 

[lO]  (vii.)  Then  the  inquirers  turned  to  the  Evangelicals, 
saying  that  the  AugsJmrg  Confession  and  Luther  taught  that 
the  Son  of  God  and  the  Son  of  man  in  Christ  is  one  Person ; 
and  that  He,  even  as  to  His  Human  nature,  is  omnipotent  and 
omnipresent,  and  as  to  that  nature  sits  at  the  right  hand  of 
God  the  Father,  governs  all  things  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  fills 
all  things,  is  present  with  us,  and  dwells  and  operates  in  us ; 
also  that  there  is  no  difference  of  adoration,  because  the  Divin- 
ity that  is  not  discerned  is  worshiped  through  the  nature  that 
is  discerned ;  and  that  in  Christ  God  is  Man,  and  Man  is  God. 
Hearing  this  they  said,  "  Can  this  be  so  ?"  And  they  looked 
around  and  said  presently,  "  We  did  not  know  this  before ; 
therefore  we  are  unable  to  say  Divine  HumanP  And  first  one 
and  then  another  said,  "  We  have  read  this,  and  we  have  writ- 
ten it ;  and  yet  when  we  thought  about  it  in  our  minds  it  was 
mere  words,  of  which  we  had  no  interior  idea." 

[11]  (viii.)  Finally  they  turned  to  the  Papists  and  said, 
"  Perhaps  you  can  say  Divine  Humane  since  you  believe  that 
Christ  is  wholly  present  in  the  bread  and  wine  of  your  Euchar- 
ist, and  in  every  part  of  them ;  and  you  also  worship  Him  as 
God  most  holy  when  you  exhibit  and  carry  about  the  host ;  also 


164 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  II. 


N.  112] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


165 


because  you  call  Mary  '  Deipara/  that  is, '  Mother  of  God ;'  con- 
sequently you  acknowledge  that  she  gave  birth  to  God,  that  is, 
to  the  Divine  Hmnan."  Then  they  wished  to  pronounce  it,  but 
they  could  not,  because  a  material  idea  of  Christ's  body  and 
blood  then  suggested  itself,  and  also  a  belief  that  His  Human 
is  separable  from  the  Divine,  and  with  the  pope  is  actually  so 
separated,  since  to  him  the  human  power  only,  and  not  the  Di- 
vine, was  transferred.  Then  one  of  the  monks  arose  and  said 
that  he  could  conceive  of  a  Divine  Human  with  reference  to  the 
most  holy  virgin  IMary,  and  also  with  reference  to  the  saint  of 
Ms  monastery.  And  another  monk  came  forward  and  said, 
«  From  an  idea  of  my  thought  which  I  now  entertain  I  am  able 
to  say  Divine  Human,  but  with  reference  to  his  holiness  the 
pope  rather  than  in  reference  to  Christ."  But  some  of  the  Par 
pists  pulled  him  back,  saying,  "  For  shame  !" 

[12]  After  this  heaven  was  seen  open,  and  tongues  like  lit- 
tle flames  were  seen  descending  and  alighting  upon  some ;  and 
they  then  celebrated  the  Divine  Human  of  the  Lord,  saying, 
«  Have  done  with  the  idea  of  three  Gods,  and  believe  that  in 
the  Lord  dwells  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily,  that  the 
Father  and  He  are  one,  as  soul  and  body  are  one,  and  that  God 
is  not  wind  or  ether,  but  a  Man,  then  you  will  be  conjoined 
with  heaven,  and  from  the  Lord  you  will  be  able  to  speak  the 
name  Jesus,  and  to  say  Divine  HumanP 

112.  Third  Memorable  Relation  : — 

Awaking  once  soon  after  daybreak,  I  went  out  into  the  gar- 
den in  front  of  my  house,  and  saw  the  sun  rising  in  his  glory, 
and  round  about  him  a  halo,  at  first  faint,  but  afterwards  more 
distinct,  and  beaming  like  gold,  and  beneath  its  border  was  a 
rising  cloud,  which  from  the  sun's  rays  glowed  like  a  carbuncle. 
It  set  me  thinking  about  the  fables  of  the  most  ancient  people 
which  depicted  Aurora  with  wings  of  silver  and  countenance 

of  gold. 

With  my  mind  immersed  in  the  delights  of  these  medita- 
tions, I  came  into  the  spirit ;  and  I  heard  certain  spirits  con- 
versing, who  said, "  0  that  we  might  be  permitted  to  talk  with 
the  innovator  who  has  thrown  among  the  leaders  of  the  church 
that  apple  of  discord  after  which  so  many  of  the  laity  have 
been  running,  and  which  they  have  picked  up  and  held  up  for 


1 


us  to  look  at."  By  that  apple  they  meant  the  little  work,  en- 
titled, A  Brief  Exposition  of  the  Doctrine  of  the  New  Church. 
And  they  said,  "  It  is  certainly  a  schismatical  writing,  such  as 
no  man  ever  before  conceived  of.'^  And  then  I  heard  one  of 
them  exclaim,  "  Schismatical  ?  It  is  heretical  !*'  But  some  of 
those  beside  him  said,  "  Hush  !  Hold  your  tongue  !  It  is  not 
heretical ;  he  gives  an  abundance  of  quotations  from  the  Word ; 
and  to  these  our  neophytes,  by  whom  we  mean  the  laity,  give 
heed  and  assent." 

[2]  Hearing  this  I  came  forward,  being  in  the  spirit,  and 
said,  "  Here  I  am ;  what  is  the  matter  ?" 

At  once  one  of  them,  a  German,  as  I  afterwards  heard,  a 
native  of  Saxony,  said  in  an  authoritative  tone,  "How  dare 
you  turn  upside  down  the  worship  established  in  the  Christian 
world  for  so  many  centuries,  which  teaches  that  God  the  Father 
should  be  invoked  as  the  Creator  of  the  universe,  His  Son  as 
the  Mediator,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  Operator  ?  ^loreover, 
you  divest  the  first  and  the  last  God  of  the  personality  we 
ascribe  to  them,  although  the  Lord  Himself  says,  '  When  ye 
pray,  pray  thus.  Our  Father  who  art  in  the  heavens ;  hallowed 
be  Thy  Name;  Thy  Kingdom  come.'  Therefore  are  we  not 
commanded  to  invoke  God  the  Father  ?" 

After  this  there  was  silence,  and  all  who  favored  the  speaker 
stood  like  brave  seamen  on  their  warships  when  they  sight  the 
enemy,  and  stand  by  to  shout,  "  Now,  have  at  them ;  victory  is 
sure." 

[3]  Then  I  rose  to  speak ;  and  said,  "  Who  among  you  is 
not  aware  that  God  came  down  from  heaven  and  became  Man  ? 
For  we  read,  <  The  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the  Word, 
and  the  Word  became  flesh.'"  Then,  looking  towards  the 
Evangelicals,  among  whom  was  that  dictator  who  had  just  ad- 
dressed me,  I  said,  "  Who  among  you  does  not  know  that  in 
Christ,  who  was  born  of  Mary  the  Virgin,  God  is  Man  and  Man 
is  God  ?"  But  at  this  the  assembly  made  a  great  noise ;  there- 
fore I  said,  "  Do  you  not  know  this  ?  It  is  according  to  the 
doctrine  of  your  confession  which  is  called  the  Formula  Con- 
cordice,  where  this  is  afiirmed  and  fully  corroborated." 

Then  the  dictator  turned  to  the  assembly  and  asked  if  they 
were  aware  of  thisj  and  they  answered,  "As  to  the  person 


166 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


N.  112] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


167 


of  Christ  we  have  given  the  book  very  little  study,  but  we 
have  worked  hard  at  the  part  on  Justification  by  Faith  Alone ; 
if,  however,  it  is  so  written  in  that  book,  we  acquiesce." 
Then  one  of  them  remembering,  said,  "That  is  the  way  it 
reads;  and  it  says  furthermore  that  the  Human  nature  of 
Christ  has  been  exalted  to  Divine  majesty  and  all  its  attri- 
butes ;  also  that  in  that  nature  Christ  sits  at  the  right  hand  of 

the  Father." 

[4]  Hearing  this  they  were  silent ;  and  as  it  was  undisputed 
I  spoke  again,  and  said,  "This  being  so,  what  then  is  the 
Father  but  the  Son,  and  what  is  the  Son  but  the  Father  also  ?" 
Yet  as  this  again  offended  their  ears,  I  continued,  "  Hear  the 
very  words  of  the  Lord  and  attend  to  them  now,  if  you  never 
have  before ;  for  He  said, '  I  and  My  Father  are  one ;'  a  am  in 
the  Father  and  the  Father  in  Me ;'  '  Father,  all  Mine  are  Thine 
and  Thine  are  Mine ;'  '  He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the 
Father.'   What  do  these  things  mean,  but  that  the  Father  is  in 
the  Son  and  the  Son  in  the  Father,  and  that  they  are  one  as 
the  soul  and  body  in  man  are  one,  and  thus  that  they  are  one 
person  ?    And  must  not  this  be  your  belief,  if  you  believe  in 
the  Athanasian  creed,  where  nearly  the  same  things  are  said  ? 
But  from  the  passages  quoted  take  this  one  saying  of  the  Lord, 
*  Father,  all  Mine  are  Thine,  and  all  Thine  are  Mine.'    What 
else  does  this  mean  than  that  the  Divine  of  the  Father  belongs 
to  the  Human  of  the  Son,  and  the  Human  of  the  Son  to  the 
Divine  of  the  Father,  consequently  that,  in  Christ,  God  is  Man 
and  Man  is  God,  and  thus  that  they  are  one  as  soul  and  body 
are  one  ?  [5]  Every  man  may  say  the  same  of  his  own  soul  and 
body,  namely, '  AU  mine  are  thine,  and  aU  thine  are  mine ;  thou 
art  in  me  and  I  in  thee ;  he  that  seeth  me,  seeth  thee ;  we  are 
one  in  person  and  in  life.'    This  is  because  the  soul  is  in  the 
man,  both  in  the  whole  and  in  every  part  of  him,  for  the  life  of 
the  soul  is  the  life  of  the  body,  and  between  the  two  there  is  a 
mutuality.    All  this  makes  clear  that  the  Divine  of  the  Father 
is  the  soul  of  the  Son,  and  the  Human  of  the  Son  the  body  of 
the  Father.    From  where  does  the  soul  of  an  offspring  come  un- 
less from  its  father,  and  its  body  unless  from  its  mother  ?    The 
expression  is  the  Divine  of  the  Father ;  but  the  Father  Him- 
self is  what  is  meant,  since  He  and  His  Divme  are  the  same ; 


^ 


and  this  Divine  is  one  and  indivisible.  That  this  Is  true  is  evi- 
dent also  from  the  words  of  the  angel  Gabriel  to  Mary,  *  The 
power  of  the  Most  High  shall  overshadow  thee,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  shall  come  upon  thee ;  and  the  Holy  Thing  that  shall  be 
born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God.'  And  just  above 
He  is  called  *tlie  Son  of  the  Most  High,'  and  elsewhere  Hhe 
only-begotten  Son.'  But  you,  who  call  Him  merely  the  Son 
of  Mary,  destroy  the  idea  of  His  Divinity ;  yet  it  is  only  the 
learned  among  the  clergy  and  the  scholars  among  the  laity 
who  destroy  this  idea,  for  these,  when  they  raise  their  thoughts 
above  the  sensual  things  pertaining  to  their  bodies,  regard  the 
glory  of  their  reputation  ;  and  this  not  only  obscures  but  extin- 
guishes the  light  whereby  the  glory  of  God  enters.  [6]  But  let 
us  return  to  the  Lord's  Prayer,  where  it  says,  '  Our  Father 
who  art  in  the  heavens ;  hallowed  be  Thy  Name ;  Thy  kingdom 
come.'  By  these  words  you  who  are  present  understand  the 
Father  in  His  Divine  alone ;  but  I  understand  the  Father  in  His 
Human.  Moreover,  this  Human  is  the  name  of  the  Father ;  for 
the  Lord  said,  ^  Father,  glorify  Thy  name,'  that  is,  Thy  Human; 
and  when  this  is  done  the  kingdom  of  God  comes.  And  the 
reason  why  this  Prayer  was  commanded  for  the  present  time  is 
evident,  namely,  that  through  His  Human  an  approach  may  be 
had  to  God  the  Father.  The  Lord  also  said,  ^No  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father  but  by  Me ;'  and  in  the  Prophet,  *  Unto  us  a 
Child  is  born,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given,  and  His  name  is  God, 
Mighty,  Father  of  Eternity ;'  and  elsewhere,  ^  Thou,  Jehovah, 
art  our  Father,  our  Redeemer,  from  everlasting  is  Thy  name ;' 
besides  many  other  places  where  the  Lord  our  Saviour  is  called 
Jehovah.  This  is  the  true  explanation  of  the  words  of  that 
Prayer." 

[7]  When  I  had  said  all  this,  I  looked  at  them  and  noted 
the  changes  in  their  countenances  according  to  changes  in  the 
states  of  their  minds,  some  favoring  me  and  looking  toward 
me,  and  some  not  favoring  and  turning  themselves  away.  And 
then  on  the  right  I  saw  a  cloud  of  opal  color,  and  on  the  left 
a  dusky  cloud,  and  under  each  the  appearance  of  a  shower. 
That  under  the  dusky  cloud  was  like  a  rain  at  the  close  of  au- 
tumn, and  that  under  the  opal  cloud  was  like  the  fall  of  dew 
in  early  spring. 


168 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


Then  suddenly  I  came  out  of  the  spirit  into  the  body,  and 
thus  returned  from  the  spiritual  world  into  the  natural  world. 

113.  Fourth  Memorable  Relation : — 

I  looked  into  the  world  of  spirits  and  saw  an  army  mounted 
on  red  and  black  horses.  The  riders  looked  like  apes,  with  face 
and  breast  turned  toward  the  horse's  tail,  and  the  hinder  part 
of  the  head  and  the  back  toward  the  horse's  neck  and  head, 
and  the  bridle-rein  thrown  over  the  rider's  neck ;  and  they  were 
shouting  at  other  riders  mounted  on  white  horses,  and  were  jerk- 
ing the  reins  with  both  hands,  thus  pulling  back  their  horses 
from  the  battle ;  and  this  they  did  continuously. 

Then  two  angels  descended  from  heaven,  and  approaching  me 
said,  "  What  do  you  see  ?" 

I  told  about  the  ludicrous  company  of  horsemen  that  I  saw, 
and  asked  what  it  meant  and  who  they  were. 

The  angels  answered,  "  They  are  from  the  place  called  Arma- 
geddon (Apoc,  xvi.  16),  where  they  have  assembled  to  the  num- 
ber of  several  thousands,  to  fight  against  those  who  belong 
to  the  Lord's  Xew  Church,  which  is  called  the  Kew  Jerusa- 
lem. They  were  talking  there  about  the  church  and  about  re- 
ligion ;  and  yet  there  was  nothing  of  the  church  among  them, 
because  they  had  nothing  of  spiritual  truth,  and  nothing  of 
religion,  because  they  had  no  spiritual  good.  About  both  of 
these  they  were  talking  with  their  mouths  and  lips ;  but  their 
aim  was  to  acquire  dominion  by  means  of  them,  [i^]  In  their 
youth  they  had  learned  to  confirm  the  doctrine  of  faith  alone, 
and  something  about  God ;  and  when  they  had  been  advanced 
to  higher  offices  in  the  church,  they  held  on  to  these  teach- 
ings for  a  time,  but  having  ceased  to  think  any  longer  about 
God  and  heaven,  but  only  about  themselves  and  the  world,  thus 
not  about  eternal  blessedness  and  happiness,  but  only  about 
temporal  eminence  and  wealth,  the  doctrinal  principles  which 
in  youth  they  had  drawn  from  the  interiors  of  the  rational 
mind,  which  communicate  with  heaven  and  therefore  are  in 
the  light  of  heaven,  were  cast  out  into  the  exteriors  of  the  ra- 
tional mind,  which  communicate  with  the  world  and  are  there- 
fore in  the  light  of  the  world ;  and  finally  these  principles  were 
thrust  down  into  the  region  of  the  natural  senses ;  and  as  a 
consequence  the  doctrines  of  the  church  became  with  them  a 


N.  113] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


169 


mere  matter  of  words,  and  no  longer  of  thought  from  reason, 
much  less  of  affection  from  love.  And  having  made  themselves 
such,  they  grant  no  admittance  to  that  Divine  truth  which  con- 
stitutes the  church,  nor  to  that  genuine  good  that  constitutes 
religion.  The  interiors  of  their  minds  have  become  like  bottles 
filled  with  a  mixture  of  iron  chips  and  sulphur,  upon  which,  if 
water  is  poured,  there  is  first  produced  heat  and  then  a  flame, 
whereby  the  bottles  are  burst.  8o  when  they  hear  anything 
about  the  living  water,  which  is  the  genuine  truth  of  the  Word, 
and  it  finds  entrance  through  their  ears,  they  become  violently 
heated  and  inflamed,  and  reject  it  as  a  thing  that  would  burst 
their  heads.  [3]  These  are  they  that  appeared  to  you  like 
apes  riding  horses  red  and  black,  and  facing  toward  the  tail, 
and  the  bridle-rein  around  the  rider's  neck.  Men  that  do  not 
love  the  truth  and  good  of  the  church  derived  from  the  Word 
never  wish  to  look  toward  the  forward  parts  of  a  horse,  but 
only  toward  his  hinder  parts.  For  a  horse  signifies  understand- 
ing of  the  Word — a  red  horse  that  understanding  when  de- 
stroyed in  respect  to  good,  and  a  black  horse  when  destroyed 
in  respect  to  truth.  They  were  shouting  for  battle  against  the 
riders  on  the  white  horses,  because  a  white  horse  signifies  un- 
derstanding of  the  Word  in  respect  to  truth  and  good.  They 
seemed  to  pull  their  horses  backward  by  the  neck,  because  they 
dreaded  the  battle,  and  feared  that  the  truth  of  the  Word 
might  be  reaching  many  and  might  thus  come  to  light.  This 
is  the  interpretation." 

[4]  The  angels  further  said,  "We  are  from  a  society  of 
heaven  which  is  called  Michael,  and  we  were  commanded  by 
the  Lord  to  descend  to  the  place  Armageddon,  from  which  the 
horsemen  that  you  saw  broke  forth.  With  us  in  heaven  Ar- 
mageddon signifies  a  state  of  mind  and  a  disposition  (arising 
from  a  love  of  ruling  and  being  eminent  over  all  others)  to 
fight  from  truths  falsified ;  and  as  we  perceive  in  you  a  desire 
to  learn  about  this  kind  of  contest,  we  will  relate  to  you  a  cer- 
tain matter.  On  descending  from  heaven  we  came  to  that  place 
called  Armageddon,  and  there  saw  several  thousands  assem- 
bled. We  did  not  enter  this  crowd ;  but  on  the  southern  side 
of  the  place  there  stood  several  houses  where  there  were  lads 
with  their  teachers ;  we  entered  these,  and  were  kindly  received. 


170 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II 


We  were  delighted  with  their  company.  From  the  life  in  their 
eyes  and  the  eagerness  displayed  in  their  talk  their  faces  were 
beautiful.  The  life  in  their  eyes  came  from  perceiving  what  is 
true,  and  the  eagerness  in  their  talk  from  the  alfection  for  what 
is  good.  Because  of  this  we  presented  them  with  caps,  the 
borders  of  which  were  ornamented  with  bands  of  gold  lace  in 
which  pearls  were  interwoven,  also  with  garments  of  white  and 
blue  commingled. 

"  We  asked  them  if  they  had  ever  looked  in  upon  the  so- 
called  Armageddon,  near  by.  They  said  that  they  had,  through 
a  window  under  the  roof,  and  had  seen  an  assembly  there, 
but  the  shapes  of  the  people  were  changeable ;  sometimes  they 
looked  like  men  of  lofty  stature,  and  sometimes  like  statues  and 
carved  idols,  with  a  crowd  on  bended  knees  around  them.  To 
ourselves  as  well  they  appeared  under  various  forms ;  some  like 
men,  others  like  leopards,  and  others  again  like  goats,  the  lat- 
ter with  horns  projecting  downward,  with  which  they  tore  up 
the  ground.  We  interpreted  these  transformations,  and  showed 
what  classes  they  represented,  and  what  things  they  signified. 

[5]  «  But  to  return : — When  those  assembled  there  heard  of 
our  having  entered  the  houses  they  said  to  one  another,  <  What 
are  they  doing  among  those  lads  ?  Let  us  send  some  of  us 
thither  and  put  them  out.'  They  did  send  a  number,  and  when 
these  came  they  said,  *  What  took  you  into  these  houses  ? 
Where  do  you  come  from  ?    By  authority  we  order  you  to  leave.' 

"  But  we  answered,  *  You  cannot  give  that  order  by  author- 
ity. In  your  own  eyes,  indeed,  you  seem  like  Anakim,  and  we 
here  like  dwarfs ;  yet  here  you  have  no  power  or  authority  ex- 
cept by  cunning,  and  that  will  not  prevail.  Go,  then,  and  tell 
your  comrades  that  we  are  sent  here  from  heaven  to  find  out 
if  you  have  religion  or  if  you  have  none ;  and  if  none,  you  will 
be  cast  out  of  this  place.  Go,  then,  and  put  to  them  this  ques- 
tion, which  contains  the  veriest  essential  of  the  church  and 
of  religion :  In  the  Lord's  Prayer  what  mean  the  words  *  Our 
Father  who  art  in  the  heavens  ;  hallowed  be  Thy  Name  ;  Thy 
kingdom  come  ?^ 

"  Hearing  this,  they  said  at  first,  *  What  is  all  that  ?'  And 
then  they  consented  and  went  away  and  told  their  companions 
what  had  been  said,  who  replied,  *  What  sort  of  a  proposal  is 


N,  113] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


171 


that  ?'  But  they  guessed  what  was  behind  the  question,  namely, 
that  we  wished  to  know  if  they  thought  that  these  words  con- 
firmed what  their  faith  taught  about  the  way  to  approach  God 
the  Father.  Therefore  they  said,  '  The  words  are  clear  that  we 
ought  to  pray  to  God  the  Father;  and  as  Christ  is  our  Media- 
tor, that  we  ought  to  pray  to  God  the  Father  for  the  sake  of 

the  Son.' 

"  And  at  once  in  their  indignation  they  resolved  to  come  to 
us  and  say  this  to  our  faces,  and  they  added  that  they  would 
pull  our  ears.  So  they  left  that  place,  and  went  into  a  grove 
near  the  houses  where  the  lads  and  their  teachers  were.  In 
the  center  of  this  was  an  elevated  spot  like  a  place  for  games ; 
and  joining  hands  they  came  there.  We  were  there  also,  and 
were  waiting  for  them.  The  ground  was  thrown  up  into  little 
green  mounds,  as  it  were,  upon  which  they  reclined,  saying  to 
one  another,  *  We  will  not  stand  in  their  presence ;  we  will  sit.' 

"  Then  one  of  them  who  could  make  himself  appear  like  an 
angel  of  light,  and  who  had  been  deputed  by  the  others  to  speak 
with  us,  said,  <  You  have  proposed  that  we  open  our  minds  as 
to  our  understanding  of  the  first  words  of  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
Therefore  I  say  to  you  that  this  is  our  understanding  of  them, 
that  we  ought  to  pray  to  the  Father ;  and  as  Christ  is  our  Me- 
diator,  and  as  it  is  through  His  merit  that  we  are  saved,  that  we 
ought  to  pray  to  God  the  Father  from  faith  in  Christ's  merit.' 

[6]  «  But  then  we  said  to  them,  *  We  are  from  the  heaven- 
ly society  called  Michael,  and  have  been  sent  to  see  you  and 
inquire  whether  you  who  were  assembled  yonder  have  any  re- 
ligion or  not ;  for  the  idea  of  God  enters  into  everything  of 
religion,  and  by  means  of  it  man  is  conjoined  with  God,  and 
by  means  of  conjunction  is  saved.  We  in  heaven  say  that 
Prayer  daily  in  the  same  way  as  men  do  on  earth,  and  in  do- 
ing so  we  are  not  thinking  of  God  the  Father,  for  He  is  invis- 
ible ;  but  we  think  of  Him  in  His  Divine  Human,  because  in 
that  He  is  visible,  and  in  that  He  is  by  you  called  Christ,  but 
by  us  is  called  the  Lord ;  in  this  way  it  is  that  to  us  the  Lord 
is  the  Father  in  the  heavens.  Moreover,  the  Lord  has  taught 
that  He  and  the  Father  are  one ;  that  the  Father  is  in  Him 
and  He  in  the  Father ;  and  that  whosoever  sees  Him  sees  the 
Father;  and  again,  that  no  one  comes  to  the  Father  except 


172 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


I 


N.  113] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


173 


through  Him .  also  that  it  is  the  will  of  the  Father  that  men 
should  believe  in  the  Son,  and  that  whosoever  believes  not 
in  the  Son  shall  not  see  life ;  and  even  that  the  wrath  of  God 
abides  upon  him.  All  this  makes  it  clear  that  approach  to  the 
Father  is  through  the  Son  and  in  the  Son.  And  because  this 
is  so  He  has  also  taught  that  to  Him  all  power  has  been  given 
in  heaven  and  on  earth.  In  that  Prayer  it  is  said,  '  Hallowed 
be  Thy  Name,  Thy  kingdom  come ;'  and  we  have  shown  from 
the  Word  that  the  Father's  name  is  the  Divine  Human  of  the 
Lord,  and  that  the  kingdom  of  the  Father  comes  when  the 
Lord  is  approached  directly,  and  comes  not  at  all  when  God 
the  Father  is  approached  directly.  For  this  reason,  too,  the 
Lord  commanded  His  disciples  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God ; 
and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  this  very  thing.' 

[7]  "  Having  heard  this,  our  antagonists  said,  <  You  quote 
many  passages  from  the  Word ;  and  such  perhaps  we  may  have 
read  there — we  do  not  remember ;  therefore  open  the  AA'ord  here 
before  us,  and  read  them  from  it ;  especially  the  statement  that 
the  Father's  kingdom  comes  when  the  Lord's  kingdom  comes.' 
And  they  said  to  the  lads,  '  Bring  the  Word.'  And  the  lads 
brought  it,  and  we  read  from  it  as  follows : — 

John  preached  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  said.  The  time  is  ful- 
filled, the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand  {Mark  i.  14,  15 ;  Matt.  in.  2). 

Jesus  Himself  preached  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  that  the  king- 
dom of  God  was  at  hand  {Matt.  iv.  17,  23  ;  ix.  35). 

Jesus  commanded  His  disciples  to  preach  and  declare  the  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  {Mark  xvi.  15 ;  Luke  viii.  1 ;  ix.  60) ;  as  also  the  sev- 
enty whom  He  sent  forth  {Luke  x.  9,  11). 

(And  elsewhere,  as  in  Matt.  xi.  5 ;  xvi.  27,  28 ;  Mark  viii.  35 ;  ix.  1, 
47;  X.  29,  30;  xi.  10;  Luke  i.  19;  ii.  10,  11;  iv.  43;  vii.  22;  xvii.  20^ 
21  ;  xxi.  31  ;  xxii.  18). 

The  kingdom  of  God,  of  which  the  good  tidings  were  preached, 
was  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord,  and  thus  the  kingdom  of  the 
Father.    This  is  evident  from  the  following  statements  : 

The  Father  gave  all  things  into  the  hand  of  the  Son  {John  iii.  35). 
The  Father  gave  the  Son  power  over  all  flesh  {John  xvii.  2). 
All  things  have  been  delivered  unto  Me  of  My  Father  {Matt.  xi.  27). 
All  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  on  earth  {Matt,  xxviii.  18). 

Also  from  the  following : — 


Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name,  and  thy  Redeemer  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel ;  the  God  of  the  whole  earth  shall  He  be  called  {Isa.  liv.  5). 

I  saw,  and  behold  one  like  unto  the  Son  of  man  ;  and  there  was  given 
Him  dominion  and  gloiy  and  a  kingdom,  and  all  people  and  nations  shall 
worship  Him  ;  His  dominion  is  an  everlasting  dominion  which  shall  not 
pass  away,  and  His  kingdom  that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed  {Dan.  vii. 
13,  14). 

When  the  seventh  angel  sounded  there  came  great  voices  in  the  heavens, 
saying,  The  kingdoms  of  the  world  are  become  our  Lord's  and  His  Christ's, 
and  He  shall  reign  unto  the  ages  of  the  ages  {Apoc.  xi.  15 ;  xii.  10). 

[8]  "We  showed  them  still  further  from  the  Word  that  the 
Lord  came  into  the  world  not  only  in  order  that  angels  and  men 
might  be  redeemed,  but  also  that  through  Him  and  in  Him 
they  might  be  made  one  with  God  the  Father ;  for  He  taught : — 

That  those  who  believe  in  Him  are  in  Him,  and  He  in  them  (John  vi. 
66  ;  xiv.  20  ;  xv.  4,  5). 

"  Having  heard  these  things  they  asked,  ^  How  then  can  your 
Lord  be  called  the  Father  ?'  We  replied,  *  Because  of  what  we 
have  just  read,  and  also  the  following  passages  : — 

Unto  us  a  Child  is  bom,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given  ;  and  His  name  is  God, 
Mighty,  Father  of  Eternity  {Isa.  ix.  C). 

Thou  art  our  Father  ;  Abraham  knoweth  us  not,  and  Israel  doth  not 
acknowledge  us  ;  Thou  Jehovah  art  our  Father,  our  Redeemer,  from  ever- 
lasting is  Thy  name  {Isa.  Ixiii.  1(1). 

Did  He  not  say  to  Philip,  who  wished  to  see  the  Father : — 

Hast  thou  not  known  Me,  Phillip  ?  He  that  seeth  Me  seeth  the  Father 
{John  xiv.  9  ;  xii.  45). 

What  other  Father  then  is  there  than  He  whom  Philip's  eyes 
were  seeing  ?' 

"  To  this  we  added,  *  It  is  said  in  the  Christian  world  that 
those  who  are  of  the  church  constitute  the  body  of  Christ  and 
are  in  His  body ;  how  then  can  the  man  of  the  church  approach 
to  God  the  Father  except  through  Christ,  in  whose  body  he 
resides  ?  Otherwise  he  must  pass  entirely  out  of  that  body  in 
order  to  approach  the  Father.'  In  concluding  we  informed 
them  that  at  this  day  the  Lord  is  establishing  a  New  Church, 
which  is  meant  by  the  New  Jerusalem  in  the  Apocalypse,  in 
which  there  will  be,  as  in  heaven,  the  worship  of  the  Lord 


174 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap    U 


alone,  and  that  thus  everything  which  is  contained  in  the  Lord's 
Prayer  from  beginning  to  end  will  be  fullilled. 

"  All  this  we  confirmed  so  copiously  from  the  Word,  in  the 
Gospels  and  Prophets  and  in  the  Apocalypse,  where  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  that  church  is  treated  of,  that  they  grew 
tii-ed  of  listening. 

[9]  «  The  Armageddons  heard  all  this  with  indignation,  and 
wished  constantly  to  interrupt  our  speaking ;  and  at  last  they 
did  break  in,  exclaiming,  *  You  have  spoken  contrary  to  the 
doctrine  of  our  church,  which  teaches  that  men  must  approach 
God  the  Father  directly  and  must  believe  in  Him ;  thus  have 
you  made  yourselves  guilty  of  a  violation  of  our  faith.  Get 
you  gone,  therefore ;  if  not,  you  will  be  put  out  by  force.'  And 
their  passions  being  aroused,  from  threats  they  proceeded  to 
the  attempt ;  but  by  power  given  us  we  smote  them  with  blind- 
ness, and  not  seeing  us  they  rushed  away  and  ran  about  wan- 
dering in  all  directions.  Some  fell  into  the  abyss  spoken  of 
in  the  Apocalypse  (ix.  2),  which  is  now  in  the  southern  quarter 
toward  ±he  east,  and  is  occupied  by  those  who  confirm  the  doc- 
trine of  justification  by  faith  alone.  Those  there  who  confirm 
that  doctrine  by  the  Word  are  banished  to  a  desert,  where  they 
are  driven  to  the  boundary  of  the  Christian  realm,  and  are 
mingled  with  the  heathen. '^ 


REDEMPTION. 

114.  It  is  known  in  the  church  that  there  are  two  offices 
belonging  to  the  Lord,  that  of  priest  and  that  of  king ;  but  as 
few  know  in  what  each  office  consists  this  shall  be  explained. 
From  His  priestly  office  the  Lord  is  called  Jesus,  and  from  his 
kingly  office,  Christ ;  also  from  His  priestly  office  He  is  called 
in  the  Word,  Jehovah  and  Lord,  and  from  His  kingly  office 
He  is  called  God  and  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  as  well  as  King. 
These  two  offices  are  distinguished  from  each  other,  like  love 
and  wisdom,  or  what  is  the  same,  like  good  and  truth ;  conse- 
quently whatever  the  Lord  did  and  effected  from  Divine  love 
or  Divine  good  was  done  and  effected  from  His  priestly  office ; 


N.  114] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


175 


but  whatever  He  did  and  effected  from  Divine  wisdom  or  Di- 
vine truth  was  done  and  effected  from  His  kingly  office.  More- 
over, in  the  Word  priest  and  priesthood  signify  the  Divine  good; 
while  king  and  royalty  signify  the  Divine  truth,  and  these 
two  were  represented  by  priests  and  kings  in  the  Israelitish 
church.  Redemption  pertains  to  both  offices  ;  and  what  part  of 
it  to  one  and  what  to  the  other  will  be  disclosed  in  what  fol- 
lows. And  that  the  particulars  of  the  subject  may  he  clearly 
seen,  the  explanation  shall  be  divided  into  the  following  heads 
or  sections  : — 

(1)  Redemption  itself  was  a  subjugation  of  the  hells,  a  re- 
storation of  order  in  the  heavens,  and  by  means  of  these  a  pre- 
paration for  a  new  spiritual  church. 

(2)  Without  that  redemption  no  man  could  have  been  saved, 
nor  could  the  angels  have  continued  in  a  state  of  integrity. 

(3)  In  this  wise  not  only  men  but  the  angels  also  were  re- 
deemed by  the  Lord. 

(4)  Redemption  was  a  work  purely  Divine. 

(5)  This  redemption  itself  could  not  have  been  accom- 
plished except  by  God  incarnated. 

(6)  The  passion  of  the  cross  was  the  last  temptation  which 
the  Lord,  as  the  greatest  Prophet,  endured ;  also  it  was  a  means 
of  glorifying  His  Human,  that  is,  of  uniting  it  with  the  Divine 
of  the  Father;  but  it  was  not  redemption. 

(7)  The  belief  that  the  passion  of  the  cross  was  redemption 
itself  is  the  fundamental  error  of  the  church ;  and  this  error, 
together  with  the  error  respecting  three  Divine  Persons  from 
eternity,  has  perverted  the  whole  church  to  such  an  extent  that 
nothing  spiritual  is  left  in  it. 

These  statements  shall  now  be  unfolded  one  by  one. 

115.  (1)  Redemption  itself  was  a  syhjicgatlon  of  the  hells,  a 
restoration  of  order  in  the  heavens,  and  hy  tneans  of  these  a  pre- 
paration for  a  new  spiritual  churcli.  That  these  three  things 
are  redemption  I  can  affirm  with  all  certainty,  since  at  this  day 
also  the  Lord  is  effecting  a  redemption,  which  began  in  1757, 
together  with  a  final  judgment  which  was  then  accomplished. 
This  redemption  has  been  going  on  up  to  the  present  time,  and 
for  the  reason  that  at  this  day  is  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord, 
and  a  new  church  is  now  to  be  established ;  and  this  could  not 


17G 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


be  done  without  a  previous  subjugation  of  the  hells  and  a  re- 
storation of  order  in  the  heavens.  And  as  it  has  been  granted 
to  me  to  see  all  this,  I  am  able  to  describe  how  the  hells  were 
subjugated,  and  the  new  heaven  established  and  arranged :  but 
this  would  require  a  whole  volume.  But  how  the  final  judg- 
ment was  accomplished  I  have  made  known  in  a  little  work 
published  at  London  in  1758.  Redemption  was  a  subjugation 
of  the  hells,  a  restoration  of  order  in  the  heavens,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  new  church,  because  without  these  no  one  could 
have  been  saved.  Moreover,  they  follow  in  order ;  for  the  hells 
must  be  subjugated  before  a  new  angelic  heaven  can  be  formed ; 
and  this  must  be  formed  before  a  new  church  can  be  estab- 
lished on  earth ;  because  men  in  the  world  are  so  closely  con- 
nected with  angels  of  heaven  and  spirits  of  hell  as  on  both  sides 
to  be  one  with  them  in  the  interiors  of  their  minds.  But  this 
subject  will  be  explained  in  the  last  chapter  of  this  work,  where 
the  Consummation  of  the  Age,  the  Coming  of  the  Lord,  and 
the  Kew  Church,  will  be  treated  of  in  detail. 

116.  That  when  the  Lord  was  in  the  world  He  fought  against 
the  hells,  and  conquered  and  subdued  them,  and  so  reduced 
them  to  obedience,  is  evident  from  many  passages  in  the  Word, 
from  which  I  will  present  the  few  which  follow.    In  Isaiah : — 

Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  His  garments  sprinkled  from 
Bozrah  ?  this  that  is  glorious  in  His  apparel,  walking  in  the  multitude 
of  His  strength  ?  I  that  speak  in  righteousness,  mighty  to  save.  Where- 
fore art  thou  red  in  Thine  apparel,  and  Thy  garments  like  his  that 
treadeth  in  the  wine-fat  ?  I  have  trodden  the  wine-press  alone  ;  and  of 
the  people  not  a  man  was  with  Me  ;  therefore  have  I  trodden  them  in 
Mme  anger,  and  trampled  them  in  My  wrath  ;  therefore  their  victory  is 
sprinkled  upon  My  garments.  For  the  day  of  vengeance  is  in  My  heart, 
and  the  year  of  My  redeemed  hath  come.  Mine  arm  brought  salvation 
to  Me  ;  I  have  made  their  victory  to  go  down  into  the  earth.  He  said, 
Surely  they  are  My  people,  children  ;  so  He  became  a  Saviour  for  them. 
Because  of  His  love  and  His  pity  He  redeemed  them  (Ixiii.  1-9). 

This  refers  to  the  Lord's  combat  against  the  hells.  The  "  ap- 
parel'' in  which  He  was  glorious,  and  which  was  red,  means 
the  Word,  to  which  the  Jewish  people  had  done  violence ;  His 
combat  against  the  hells  and  His  victory  over  them  are  de- 
scribed by  His  "  treading  the  people  in  His  anger,  and  tramp- 
ling them  in  His  wrath ;"  that  He  fought  alone  from  His  own 


N.  110] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


177 


power  is  described  by  the  words, "  of  the  people  not  a  man  was 
with  Me ;  Mine  arm  brought  salvation  to  Me ;  I  have  made  their 
victory  to  go  down  to  the  earth ;"  that  thereby  He  wrought 
salvation  and  redemption  is  declared  in  the  words, "  So  He  be- 
came a  Saviour  for  them ;  because  of  His  love  and  His  pity 
He  redeemed  them."  That  this  was  the  reason  of  His  coming 
is  meant  by  the  words,  "  the  day  of  vengeance  is  in  My  heart, 
and  the  year  of  My  redeemed  hath  come."'  [2]  Again  in  Isa- 
iah : — 

He  saw  that  there  was  no  man,  and  wondered  that  there  was  no  inter- 
cessor ;  therefore  His  arm  brought  salvation  unto  Him,  and  his  righteous- 
ness sustained  Him.  For  He  put  on  righteousness  as  a  breastplate,  and  a 
helmet  of  salvation  upon  His  head  ;  and  He  put  on  the  garments  of  ven- 
o-eance,  and  clothed  Himself  with  zeal  as  with  a  robe.  Then  the  Redeemer 
came  to  Zion  (lix.  IG,  17,  20). 

In  JereiYi'iah : — 

They  were  dismayed,  their  mighty  ones  were  beaten  down,  they  fled 
apace  and  looked  not  back.  For  this  is  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jehovih  of 
Hosts,  a  day  of  vengeance  that  He  may  avenge  Him  of  His  adversaries ; 
and  the  sword  shall  devour  and  it  shall  be  satiate  (xlvi.  5,  10). 

Both  of  these  passages  refer  to  the  Lord's  combat  against  the 
hells  and  His  victory  over  them.    In  David : — 

Gird  the  sword  upon  the  thigh,  O  mighty  One.  Thine  arrows  are  sharp  ; 
the  people  shall  fall  under  Thee,  enemies  of  the  king  from  the  heart ;  Thy 
throne  is  for  the  age  and  for  eternity ;  Thou  hast  loved  righteousness, 
therefore  God  hath  anointed  Thee  [Ps.  xlv.  3-7) ; 

also  in  many  other  places.  [3]  Because  the  Lord  conquered 
the  hells  alone,  with  no  help  from  any  angel,  He  is  called : — 

Mighty  and  a  man  of  war  {Isa.  xlii.  13  ;  ix.  G) ; 

The  King  of  glory,  Jehovah  the  Mighty,  Mighty  in  battle  {Ps.  xxiv. 
8,  10)  ; 

The  Mighty  One  of  Jacob  {Ps.  cxxxii.  2)  ; 

and  in  many  places  "  Jehovah  of  Hosts,"  that  is,  Jehovah  of 
armies ;  and  His  coming  is  called  the  day  of  Jehovah,  terrible, 
cruel,  the  day  of  indignation,  of  wrath,  of  anger,  of  vengeance, 
of  destruction,  of  war,  of  a  trumpet,  of  a  noise,  of  a  tmnult,  and 
so  on.    And  we  read  in  the  Gospels  : — 

Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world  ;  now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world 
be  cast  out  {John  xii.  31). 
12 


178 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


N.  117] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


179 


The  prince  of  this  world  hath  been  judged  {John  xvi.  11). 
Be  of  good  cheer  ;  I  have  overcome  the  world  {John  xvi.  33). 
I  beheld  Satan  as  lightning  falling  from  heaven  {Luke  x.  18). 

"  The  world/'  "  the  prince  of  this  world,"  "  satan/'  and  "  the 
devil,"  mean  hell.     [4]  Moreover,  in  the  Apocalypse  from  begin- 
ning to  end  the  present  character  of  the  Christian  church  is  set 
forth,  also  that  the  Lord  is  to  come  again,  and  is  to  subjugate 
the  hells,  and  form  a  new  angelic  heaven,  and  at  last  establish 
a  new  church  on  earth.    All  these  things  are  there  predicted, 
but  have  not  been  disclosed  until  now.     This  is  because  the 
Apocalypse,  like  all  the  prophetical  parts  of  the  Word,  was 
written  in  pure  correspondences ;  and  unless  these  had  been 
disclosed  by  the  Lord  scarcely  any  one  would  be  able  to  under- 
stand rightly  a  single  verse  in  that  book ;  but  now,  on  account 
of  a  new  church,  all  its  contents  have  been  laid  open  in  the 
Apocalypse  Bevealed  (Amsterdam,  1766) ;  and  will  be  seen  by 
those  who  believe  the  AVord  of  the  Lord  in  Matt,  xxiv.,  about  the 
present  state  of  the  church,  and  His  coming.    But  this  is  as  yet 
only  a  vacillating  belief  with  those  who  have  impressed  on  their 
hearts,  so  deeply  that  it  cannot  be  rooted  out,  the  faith  of  tlie 
church  at  this  day  in  three  Divine  persons  from  eternity,  and 
in  Christ's  passion  as  being  redemption  itself.     But  such  (as 
has  been  said  in  the  Memorable  Relation  above,  n.  113)  are  like 
bottles  filled  with  iron  chips  and  pulverized  sulphur,  in  which, 
if  water  be  added,  first  heat  is  produced,  and  then  flame,  which 
bursts  the  bottles.     So  when  these  hear  anything  about  the 
living  water,  which  is  genuine  truth  from  the  Word,  and  that 
truth  enters  their  minds  through  the  eyes  or  ears,  they  become 
violently  excited  and  inflamed,  and  reject  the  truth  as  some- 
thing that  might  split  their  heads. 

117.  The  subjugation  of  the  hells,  the  restoration  of  order 
in  the  heavens,  and  the  institution  afterwards  of  a  church,  is  a 
work  that  may  be  illustrated  by  various  similitudes.  It  may 
be  illustrated  by  comparison  with  an  army  of  robbers  or  rebels 
who  invade  a  kingdom  or  a  city,  and  set  fire  to  its  dwellings, 
plunder  its  inhabitants,  divide  the  spoil  among  themselves,  and 
then  rejoice  and  exult;  while  redemption  itself  may  be  com- 
pared to  the  lawful  king  who  advances  against  these  rebels  with 
his  army,  puts  some  to  the  sword,  and  some  in  prison,  recovers 


the  booty,  and  restores  it  to  his  subjects,  thereafter  establish- 
ing order  in  his  kingdom,  and  rendering  it  secure  against  like 
assaults.    It  may  also  be  illustrated  by  comparison  with  a  troop 
of  wild  beasts  issuing  from  a  forest,  attacking  flocks  and  herds 
i^nd  even  human  beings,  so  that  nobody  dares  to  go  outside  of 
the  walls  of  his  city  to  till  the  ground,  and  therefore  the  fields 
become  deserts,  and  the  townsmen  are  threatened  with  starva- 
tion ;  while  redemption  may  be  compared  to  the  slaughteruig 
and  scattering  of  these  wild  beasts,  and  the  protection  of  the 
fields  from  any  such  irruption  thereafter.     It  may  be  likened 
also  to  locusts  consuming  every  green  thing  of  the  ground,  and 
to  the  means  to  prevent  their  further  progress ;  and  again,  to 
worms  in  early  summer,  which  strip  the  trees  of  their  foliage 
and  thus  of  their  fruit,  so  that  they  stand  bare  as  in  midwinter, 
and  to  the  extermination  of  the  worms,  and  the  consequent  re- 
storation of  the  garden  to  its  state  of  bloom  and  fruitfulness. 
Thus  would  it  be  with  the  church,  if  the  Lord  had  not  by  re- 
demption separated  the  good  from  the  evil,  casting  the  evil  into 
heil  and  raising  the  good  to  heaven.    What  would  become  of  an 
empire  or  kingdom  if  by  the  exercise  of  justice  and  judgment 
the  evil  were  not  separated  from  the  good,  and  the  good  pro- 
tected from  violence,  so  that  every  one  might  dwell  safely  in 
his  own  home,  or,  as  is  said  in  the  Word,  sit  in  peace  under  his 
own  vine  and  fig  tree  ? 

118.  (2)  Without  that  redemption  no  man  coidd  have  been 
saved,  nor  could  the  angels  have  continued  in  a  state  of  integ- 
rity. It  shall  be  told  first  what  redemption  is.  To  redeem 
means  to  liberate  from  damnation,  to  deliver  from  eternal  death, 
to  rescue  from  hell,  and  to  release  from  the  hand  of  the  devil 
the  captive  and  the  bound.  This  the  Lord  did  by  subjugating 
the  hells  and  establishing  a  new  heaven.  Man  could  have  been 
saved  in  no  other  way,  for  the  reason  that  the  spiritual  world 
and  the  natural  are  so  closely  connected  that  they  cannot  by 
any  means  be  separated.  This  connection  is  especially  in  the 
interiors  of  men,  which  are  called  their  souls  and  minds,  the  in- 
teriors of  the  good  being  connected  with  the  souls  and  minds 
of  angels,  and  of  the  wicked  with  the  souls  and  minds  of  infer- 
nal spirits.  This  union  is  such  that  if  angels  and  spirits  were 
taken  away  from  man  he  would  drop  dead  as  a  log.     In  like 


1 


180 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


manner  angels  and  spirits  could  not  continue  to  exist  if  men 
were  taken  away  from  under  them.  This  makes  clear  why  re- 
demption was  effected  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  why  it  was 
necessary  that  heaven  and  hell  should  be  reduced  to  order  be- 
fore a  church  could  be  established  on  earth.  That  this  is  so  is 
very  evident  from  the  Apocalypse,  where  it  is  said  that  after 
the  new  heaven  had  been  formed,  the  New  Jerusalem,  whi(ih 
is  the  Xew  Church,  descended  from  it  (xxi.  1,  2). 

119.  Unless  the  Lord  had  wrought  redemption  the  angels 
could  not  have  continued  to  exist  in  a  state  of  integrity,  for 
the  reason  that  the  whole  angelic  heaven  together  with  the 
church  on  earth  is  in  the  Lord's  sight  like  one  man,  the  angelic 
heaven  constituting  his  internal,  and  the  church  his  external ; 
or  more  particularly,  the  highest  heaven  constituting  his  head, 
the  second  and  lowest  heaven  his  breast  and  the  middle  region 
of  his  body,  and  the  church  on  earth  his  loins  and  feet,  while 
the  Lord  Himself  is  the  soul  and  life  of  the  whole  man.    There- 
fore if  the  Lord  had  not  wrought  redemption  the  whole  man 
would  have  been  destroyed ;  his  feet  and  loins  by  the  decline 
of  the  church  on  earth,  the  abdominal  region  by  the  decline  of 
the  lowest  heaven,  the  thoracic  by  the  decline  of  the  second 
heaven,  and  then  the  head,  having  no  correspondence  with  the 
body,  would  have  fallen  into  a  swoon.     [2]  But  this  shall  be 
illustrated  by  similitudes.    It  may  be  compared  to  mortifica- 
tion attacking  the  feet  and  gradually  ascending,  infecting  first 
the  loins,  the  abdominal  viscera,  and  finally  the  parts  near  the 
heart,  when,  as  is  well  known,  the  man  dies.     It  may  also  be 
compared  to  diseases  of  the  abdominal  viscera ;  for  when  these 
are  weakened  the  heart  begins  to  palpitate  and  the  lungs  to 
gasp  heavily,  and  finally  the  action  of  both  heart  and  lungs 
ceases.    It  may  also  be  illustrated  by  comparison  with  the 
internal  and  external  man ;  in  that  the  internal  man  is  well  so 
long  as  the  external  obediently  discharges  its  functions  ;  but  if 
the  external  fails  to  obey  and  resists,  and  still  more  if  it  attacks 
the  internal,  the  latter  is  at  length  weakened,  and  at  last  is  so 
far  carried  away  by  the  delights  of  the  external  as  to  favor  it 
and  yield  to  it.   Again,  it  may  be  illustrated  by  comparison  with 
a  man  standing  on  lofty  ground,  who  sees  the  country  below 
him  flooded  and  the  waters  gradually  rising;  and  when  they 


N.  119] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


181 


reach  his  height,  he,  too,  will  be  engulfed  unless  saved  by  some 
boat  washed  to  him  by  the  waves.  Or  it  is  like  one's  seeing 
from  a  mountain  a  dense  fog  rising  higher  and  higher  above  the 
earth  and  hiding  the  fields  and  houses  and  towns ;  and  at  last, 
when  the  fog  gets  up  to  him,  he  can  see  nothing,  not  even 
where  he  is.  [3]  So  is  it  with  the  angels  when  the  church  on 
earth  perishes ;  for  then  the  lower  heavens  also  pass  away ;  and 
for  the  reason  that  the  heavens  consist  of  men  from  the  earth ; 
and  when  there  is  no  longer  any  good  in  the  heart  or  truth  from 
the  Word  left  among  men,  the  heavens  are  inundated  by  the 
rising  flood  of  evils,  and  are  drowned  as  it  were  in  Stygian 
waters.  Those  Avho  are  there,  however,  are  somewhere  hidden 
away  and  preserved  by  the  Lord  until  the  day  of  final  judg- 
ment, and  are  then  raised  up  into  a  new  heaven.  Such  are 
meant  by  those  spoken  of  in  the  ApocaJ tjpse : — 

I  saw  under  the  altar  the  souls  of  those  slain  because  of  the  Word  of 
God,  and  because  of  the  testimony  that  they  held.  And  they  were  cry- 
ing out  with  a  great  voice,  saying,  How  long,  O  Lord,  who  art  holy  and 
true,  dost  Thou  not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  those  that  dwell  on 
the  earth  ?  And  there  was  given  unto  each  one  of  them  white  robes  ; 
and  it  was  said  unto  them  that  they  should  rest  yet  a  little  time,  mitil 
their  fellow-servants  and  their  brethren,  who  were  to  be  killed  as  they 
were,  should  be  fulfilled  (vi.  9-11). 

120.  There  are  several  reasons  why  without  redemption  by 
the  Lord  iniquity  and  wickedness  would  have  pervaded  all 
Christendom,  both  in  the  natural  world  and  in  the  spiritual 
world,  one  of  which  is,  that  every  man  goes  after  death  into  the 
world  of  spirits,  and  there  he  is  wholly  the  same  man  as  before. 
On  entering  that  world,  no  one  can  be  prevented  from  hold- 
ing intercourse  with  departed  parents,  brothers,  relatives,  and 
friends.  Then  every  husband  first  seeks  his  wife,  and  every 
wife  her  husband,  and  by  these  they  are  introduced  into  the  va- 
rious companies  of  those  who  externally  are  lamblike,  but  inter- 
nally are  like  wolves ;  and  by  such  even  those  who  have  lived 
pious  lives  are  led  astray.  As  a  result  of  this  and  of  nefarious 
arts  unknown  in  the  natural  world,  that  world  becomes  as  full 
of  malicious  persons  as  a  green  pond  is  with  the  spawn  of  frogs. 
[2]  That  such  is  the  result  of  association  with  the  evil  there 
is  made  evident  by  the  fact  that  if  one  lives  for  a  time  with 


182 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


\ 


N.  121] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


183 


robbers  and  pirates  he  finally  becomes  like  them ;  or  if  one  lives 
with  adulterers  and  harlots  he  soon  thinks  nothing  of  adultery; 
or  if  he  mingles  with  outlaws  he  soon  thinks  nothing  of  doing 
violence  to  any  one.  For  all  evils  are  contagious,  and  may  be 
compared  to  a  pestilence,  which  is  communicated  merely  by  the 
breath  or  the  effluvia  of  tlie  body ;  also  to  cancer  or  gangrene, 
which  spreads  and  infects  first  the  nearer  and  then  the  remoter 
parts,  until  the  whole  body  is  destroyed.  The  delights  of  evil, 
into  which  every  man  is  born,  are  the  cause.  [3]  From  all  this 
it  can  be  seen  that  without  redemption  by  the  Lord  no  man 
could  be  saved,  nor  could  the  angels  be  continued  in  a  state  of 
integrity.  The  only  refuge  from  destruction  for  any  one  is  the 
Lord,  who  says : — 

Abide  in  Me,  and  I  in  you ;  as  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself 
except  it  abide  in  tlie  vine,  so  neitlier  can  ye  except  ye  abide  in  Me.  I 
am  the  Vine,  ye  are  the  branches  ;  lie  that  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in  him, 
the  same  beareth  much  fruit ;  for  apart  from  Me  ye  can  do  nothing.  If 
a  man  abide  not  in  Me  he  is  cast  forth  and  is  withered,  and  cast  into  the 
fire  and  burned  (John  xv.  4-0). 

121.  (3)  In  this  wise  not  only  men,  hat  the  angels  also,  were 
redeemed  hij  the  Lord.    This  follows  from  what  has  been  said 
in  the  preceding  section,  that  without  redemption  by  the  Lord 
the  angels  could  not  have  continued  to  exist.    To  the  reasons 
above  mentioned  these  may  be  added :— (1)  At  the  time  of  the 
Lord's  first  coming  the  hells  had  increased  to  such  a  height  as 
to  fill  the  whole  world  of  spirits,  which  is  intermediate  between 
heaven  and  hell,  and  thus  had  not  only  thrown  into  disorder 
the  heaven  that  is  called  the  lowest,  but  also  had  attacked  the 
middle  heaven,  which  they  infested  in  a  thousand  ways,  and 
which  would  have  gone  to  destruction  if  it  had  not  been  upheld 
by  the  Lord.     Such  an  uprising  of  the  hells  is  meant  by  the 
tower  built  in  the  land  of  Shinar,  the  head  of  which  was  to 
reach  to  heaven.    But  the  attempt  of  its  builders  was  frustrated 
by  the  confusion  of  tongues ;  and  they  were  dispersed,  and  the 
city  was  called  Babel  {Gen.  xi.  1-9).    What  is  there  meant  by 
the  tower  and  by  the  confusion  of  tongues  is  explained  in  the 
Arcana  Ccelestia  published  at  London.     [2]  The  hells  had  in- 
creased to  such  a  height  because  at  the  time  when  the  Lord 
came  into  the  world  the  whole  earth  had  completely  alienated 


itself  from  God  by  idolatries  and  magic ;  and  the  church  which 
had  existed  among  the  children  of  Israel  and  afterwards  with 
the  Jews,  had  been  utterly  destroyed  by  the  falsification  and 
adulteration  of  the  Word.  All  these,  both  Jews  and  Gentiles, 
had  after  death  streamed  into  the  world  of  spirits,  where  at 
length  their  number  was  so  increased  and  multiplied  that  they 
could  be  driven  out  only  by  a  descent  of  God  Himself  and  then 
only  by  the  strength  of  His  Divine  arm.  How  this  was  done 
has  been  described  in  the  little  work  on  the  Last  Judgment 
(London,  1758).  This  task  was  accomplished  by  the  Lord  when 
He  was  in  the  world.  A  like  work  has  been  done  by  the  Lord 
at  the  present  time,  because,  as  has  been  said  before,  this  is  the 
time  of  His  second  coming  which  is  foretold  through  the  Aj^oca- 
lypse,  and  in  Matthew  (xxiv.  3,  30),  Mark  (xiii.  26),  Luke  (xxi. 
27),  Acts  (i.  11),  and  elsewhere.  The  difference  is,  that  at  the 
Lord's  first  coming  this  increase  of  the  hells  was  the  work  of 
idolaters,  magicians,  and  falsifiers  of  the  Word ;  while  at  His 
second  coming  it  was  the  work  of  so-called  Christians,  both 
those  who  had  imbibed  naturalism,  and  those  who  had  falsified 
the  Word  by  confirmations  of  their  fabulous  faith  in  three  Di- 
vine persons  from  eternity,  and  in  the  passion  of  the  Lord  as  it- 
self constituting  redemption ;  for  it  is  these  who  are  meant  by 
*'  the  dragon  and  his  two  beasts"  {Apoc.  xii.  and  xiii.).  [3]  (2) 
The  second  reason  why  the  Lord  also  redeemed  angels  is,  that 
not  only  every  man  but  also  every  angel  is  withheld  from  evil 
and  held  in  good  by  the  Lord ;  for  no  one,  angel  or  man,  is  in 
good  from  himself,  but  all  good  is  from  the  Lord.  Therefore 
when  the  footstool  of  the  angels,  which  they  have  in  the  world 
of  spirits,  is  plucked  away,  they  become  like  one  seated  upon  a 
throne  when  its  pedestals  are  removed.  That  in  God's  sight 
the  angels  are  not  pure  is  evident  from  the  prophecies  and  also 
from  Job  ;  and  again  from  the  fact  that  there  can  be  no  angel 
who  has  not  previously  been  a  man.  This  confirms  what  has 
been  stated  in  the  Faith  of  the  New  Heaven  and  the  New 
Church  in  its  universal  and  in  its  particular  form,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  work,  namely,  "  The  Lord  came  into  the  world  to 
remove  Hell  from  man,  and  He  did  remove  it  by  means  of 
combats  with  it  and  victories  over  it,  thereby  subduing  it  and 
reducing  it  to  obedience  to  Himself."    And  further,  "  Jehovah 


184 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IL 


I 


N.  123] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


185 


God  came  down  and  took  upon  Him  the  Human  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reducmg  to  order  all  things  in  heaven  and  all  things 
in  the  church  ;  because  at  that  time  the  power  of  the  devil,  that 
is,  of  hell,  prevailed  over  the  power  of  heaven,  and  upon  earth 
the  power  of  evil  over  that  of  good  and  in  consequence  a  total 
damnation  stood  threatening  at  the  door.  This  impending  dam- 
nation Jehovah  God  removed  by  means  of  His  Human,  thus 
redeeming  angels  and  men.  From  this  it  is  clear  that  without 
the  Lord's  coming  no  one  could  have  been  saved.  It  is  the  same 
to-day ;  and  therefore  without  the  Lord's  coming  again  into  the 
world  no  one  can  be  saved"  (see  above,  n.  2,  3). 

122.  That  the  Lord  has  delivered  the  spiritual  world,  and 
through  it  will  deliver  the  church  from  universal  damnation, 
may  be  illustrated  by  comparison  with  a  king  who  by  victories 
over  his  enemy  liberates  his  sons  the  princes,  whom  the  enemy 
had  captured  and  imprisoned  and  bound  in  fetters,  and  restores 
them  to  his  court ;  also  by  comparison  with  a  shepherd,  who  like 
Samson  and  David  rescues  his  sheep  from  the  jaws  of  a  lion  or 
bear ;  or  who  drives  back  those  beasts  when  they  break  forth 
from  the  woods  into  the  fields,  hunts  them  back  to  the  farthest 
boundaries,  and  at  last  drives  them  into  swamps  or  into  des- 
erts; and  then  returns  to  his  sheep,  pastures  them  in  safety, 
and  waters  them  at  limpid  fountains.  It  may  also  be  illus- 
trated by  comparison  with  one  who  sees  a  serpent  coiled  up  ly- 
ing in  the  road  and  ready  to  strike  the  heel  of  a  traveller,  and 
who  seizes  it  by  the  head,  and  although  it  twists  about  his  hand, 
carries  it  home,  cuts  off  its  head,  and  throws  the  body  into  the 
fire ;  also  by  a  bridegroom  or  husband,  who  seeing  an  adulterer 
attempting  violence  to  his  bride  or  wife,  attacks  him,  and  either 
wounds  him  in  the  hand  with  a  sword,  or  belabors  him  with 
blows  on  legs  and  loins,  or  has  his  servants  throw  him  into  the 
street  and  pursue  him  with  cudgels  to  his  home;  while  the 
rescued  one  he  carries  into  his  own  chamber.  In  the  Word, 
"bride"  and  "wife"  mean  the  Lord's  church,  and  "adulterers" 
those  who  violate  the  church,  who  are  such  as  adulterate  His 
Word.  This  the  Jews  did;  and  this  is  why  the  Lord  called 
them  "  an  adulterous  generation." 

123.  (4)  Redemption  ivas  a  work  purely  Divine.  He  who 
knows  what  hell  is,  and  to  what  a  height  it  had  risen  and  how 


i». 


it  had  overflowed  the  whole  world  of  spirits  at  the  time  of  the 
Lord's  coming,  and  with  what  might  the  Lord  cast  it  down  and 
scattered  it,  and  afterwards  brought  into  order  both  hell  and 
heaven,  cannot  but  wonder  and  declare  that  all  this  must  have 
Ix^en  a  purely  Divine  work.  First,  as  to  the  nature  of  hell.  It 
consists  of  myriads  of  myriads,  since  it  consists  of  all  those 
who  from  the  creation  of  the  world  have  alienated  themselves 
from  God  by  evils  of  life  and  falsities  of  belief.  Secondly,  as 
to  the  height  to  which  hell  had  risen,  and  how  it  had  overflowed 
the  entire  world  of  spirits  at  the  time  of  the  Lord's  coming,  some 
explanation  has  been  given  in  the  preceding  sections.  To  what 
extent  this  was  the  case  at  the  time  of  the  Lord's  first  coming 
no  one  knows,  because  it  was  not  revealed  in  the  sense  of  the 
letter  of  the  Word ;  but  the  extent  of  it  at  the  time  of  His  sec- 
ond coming  I  have  been  permitted  to  see  with  my  own  eyes; 
and  from  this  (which  has  already  been  described  in  a  little  work 
on  The  Last  Judgment,  published  at  London  in  1758)  conclu- 
sions may  be  drawn  respecting  the  former  period,  as  also  ivith 
what  power  hell  was  then  cast  down  and  dispersed  by  the  Lord. 
But  there  is  no  need  to  transcribe  here  what  I  witnessed  as  set 
forth  in  that  book,  because  the  work  is  extant,  and  numerous 
copies  of  it  are  still  at  the  printer's  in  London.  Any  one  read- 
ing that  book  can  see  clearly  this  must  have  been  a  work  of  the 
omnipotent  God.  [i^]  Fourthly,  How  the  Lord  afterwards  re- 
duced all  things  to  order,  both  in  heaven  and  in  hell,  I  have  not 
yet  described,  because  the  restoration  of  order  in  the  heavens 
and  in  the  hells  has  continued  since  the  time  of  the  last  judg- 
ment until  now,  and  still  continues ;  but  after  this  book  has 
been  published,  if  it  seems  desirable,  this  information  shall  be 
given  to  the  public.  For  my  own  part,  with  reference  to  this 
matter,  I  have  seen  daily  and  still  see  in  it  the  Lord's  Divine 
omnipotence  as  it  were  face  to  face.  This  latter  work  is  prop- 
erly the  work  of  redemption,  while  the  former  is  properly  that 
of  the  last  judgment.  When  these  two  are  viewed  separately, 
many  things  respecting  them,  which  are  concealed  under  fig- 
ures and  yet  described  in  the  prophecies  of  the  Word,  can  be 
seen,  as  soon  as  by  an  explanation  of  the  correspondences  these 
things  are  brought  forth  into  the  light  of  the  understanding. 
[3]  Neither  of  these  two  Divine  operations  can  be  made  clear 


I 

A 


186 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


N.  124] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


18- 


except  by  comparisons ;  and  then  but  faintly.  This  latter  work 
may  be  compared  to  a  battle  against  an  army  composed  of  all 
the  nations  in  the  whole  world,  armed  with  spears,  shields, 
swords,  muskets,  and  cannon,  led  by  skilful  and  shrewd  generals 
and  other  officers.  This  is  said  because  very  many  in  hell  excel 
in  arts  unknown  in  our  world,  and  practice  them  among  them- 
selves, studying  how  to  advance  against,  to  ensnare,  to  besiege, 
and  to  assault  those  who  are  in  heaven.  W  The  Lord's  com- 
bat against  hell  may  also  be  compared,  though  imperfectly,  to  a 
conflict  with  all  the  wild  beasts  on  the  earth  and  their  slaugh- 
ter and  subjugation,  until  not  one  of  them  dares  comes  forth  to 
attack  any  man  who  is  in  the  Lord ;  so  that  if  the  man  but  shows 
a  threatening  countenance  his  enemy  instantly  shrinks  back 
as  if  he  felt  a  vulture  on  his  breast  striving  to  pierce  him  to 
the  very  heart.  Moreover,  infernal  spirits  are  compared  in  the 
Word  to  wild  beasts ;  and  such  are  meant  by  the  wild  beasts 
with  which  the  Lord  was  for  forty  days  {Mark  i.  13).  [5]  It 
may  also  be  compared  to  resistance  against  the  whole  ocean, 
breaking  in  with  its  waves  over  demolished  barriers  upon  coun- 
tries and  towns ;  and  the  Lord's  subjugation  of  hell  is  meant  by 
His  calming  the  sea  by  saying: — 

Peace,  be  still  {Mark  iv.  38,  39 ;  Matt  viii.  2G ;  Luke  viii.  23,  24)  ; 

for  here,  as  in  many  other  places,  the  "  sea"  signifies  hell.  [6] 
By  a  like  Divine  power  the  Lord  fights  at  this  day  against  hell 
in  every  man  who  is  being  regenerated ;  for  hell  attacks  all  such 
with  diabolical  fury,  and  unless  the  Lord  resisted  and  tamed 
that  fury  man  could  not  but  succumb.  For  hell  is  like  one  mon- 
strous man,  or  like  a  huge  lion,  with  which  indeed  it  is  com- 
pared in  the  Word;  therefore  unless  the  Lord  kept  that  lion  or 
monster  manacled  and  fettered,  a  man  from  himself  must  needs, 
when  rescued  from  one  evil,  fall  into  another,  and  again  into 

others  continually. 

124.  (5)  This  redemption  itself  could  not  have  been  accom- 
plished  except  by  God  incarnated.  It  has  been  sho\vn  in  the 
preceding  article  that  redemption  was  a  work  purely  Divine, 
consequently  that  it  could  have  been  effected  only  by  the  om- 
nipotent God.  It  could  have  been  effected  only  by  God  incar- 
nated, that  is,  made  Man,  because  Jehovah  God,  as  He  is  in 


'ik 


His  infinite  essence,  cannot  come  near  to  hell,  much  less  enter 
into  it;  for  He  is  in  things  purest  and  first.  Therefore  if  Je- 
liovah  as  He  is  in  Himself  were  but  to  breathe  upon  those  who 
are  in  hell  He  would  instantly  destroy  them ;  for  He  said  to 
Moses,  when  Moses  wished  to  see  Him : — 

Thou  canst  not  see  My  face  ;  for  there  shall  no  man  see  Me  and  live 
(Ex.  xxxiii.  20). 

As  Moses,  then,  could  not  see  Him,  still  less  could  those  who 
are  in  hell,  where  all  are  in  things  last  and  grossest,  and  thus 
most  remote,  for  they  are  the  lowest  natural.    For  this  reason, 
if  Jehovah  God  had  not  assumed  a  Human,  and  thus  clothed 
Himself  with  a  body  that  belongs  to  things  lowest.  He  would 
have  undertaken  in  vain  any  redemption.    For  who  can  attack 
an  enemy  without  approaching  him,  or  without  being  armed  for 
the  battle  ?    Or  who  can  disperse  and  destroy  the  dragons,  hy- 
dras, and  basilisks  in  a  desert,  unless  he  covers  his  body  with 
armor  and  his  head  with  a  helmet,  and  takes  a  spear  in  his 
hand?    Or  who  can  capture  whales  in  the  sea  without  a  boat 
and  implements  adapted  to  the  work  ?    The  combat  of  God  Al- 
mighty against  the  hells,  upon  which  He  could  not  have  en- 
tered unless  He  had  first  assumed  a  Human,  may  be  illustrated 
by  these  and  like  things,  though  they  afford  no  adequate  com- 
parison.    [2]  But  it  must  be  understood  that  the  Lord's  com- 
bat against  the  hells  was  not  an  oral  combat,  like  one  between 
reasoners  and  disputants ;  such  a  combat  would  have  no  effect 
whatever  there.    It  was  a  spiritual  combat,  which  is  that  of  Di- 
vine truth  from  Divine  good.    This  truth  was  the  Lord's  very 
life,  the  influx  of  which  through  the  medium  of  sight  no  one  in 
the  hells  can  resist.     There  is  in  it  such  power  that  the  infer- 
nal genii  flee  away  at  the  mere  perception  of  it,  cast  themselves 
into  the  abyss,  and  creep  into  caves  to  hide  themselves.    This 
is  what  is  described  in  Isaiah : — 

They  shall  enter  into  the  caves  of  the  rocks  and  into  the  clefts  of  the 
dust  for  fear  of  Jehovah  when  He  shall  arise  to  terrify  the  earth  (ii.  19). 

And  in  the  Apocah/pse: — 

All  hid  themselves  in  caves  and  in  the  rocks  of  the  mountains  ;  and 
they  said  to  the  mountains  and  rocks,  Fall  on  us  and  hide  us  from  the  face 


188 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


of  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  from  the  anger  of  the  Lamb 
(vi.  15-17). 

[3]  The  kind  of  power  which  the  Lord  possessed  from  Divine 
good  when  He  executed  the  last  judgment,  in  1757,  maybe  seen 
from  the  things  described  in  the  little  work  on  that  judgment; 
as  that  He  tore  up  from  their  places  the  hills  and  mountains 
which  the  infernals  occupied  in  the  world  of  spirits,  dispersed 
them,  and  caused  some  of  them  to  sink.  He  also  deluged  their 
towns  and  houses  and  fields  with  a  flood,  rooted  up  their  lands 
from  their  foundations,  and  hurled  them  with  their  inhabitants 
into  whirlpools,  swamps,  and  marshes ;  and  much  more :  and  all 
this  was  done  by  the  Lord  alone,  by  the  power  of  Divine  truth 
from  Divine  good. 

125.  That  Jehovah  God  could  have  entered  upon  and  have 
accomplished  such  a  work  only  by  means  of  His  Human  may 
be  illustrated  by  various  comparisons ;  as,  that  one  who  is  in- 
visible cannot  shake  hands  or  converse  wdth  another  until  he 
becomes  visible;  thus  an  angel  or  spirit  could  have  no  inter- 
course with  a  man,  even  if  standing  close  to  his  body  and  be- 
fore his  face.  Neither  can  any  one's  soul  converse  with  an- 
other or  act  with  another  except  by  means  of  his  body.  The 
sun  with  its  light  and  heat  can  enter  into  man,  beast,  or  tree 
only  by  first  entering  the  air  and  operating  through  it ;  or  can 
enter  into  a  fish  only  by  means  of  the  water,  since  it  must  act 
through  that  element  in  which  the  subject  resides.  No  one 
can  scale  a  fish  without  a  knife,  or  pluck  a  crow  without  fin- 
gers ;  or  descend  to  the  bottom  of  a  lake  without  a  diving-bell ; 
in  a  word,  any  one  thing  must  be  adapted  to  another  before  it 
can  communicate  with  it  or  operate  with  it  or  against  it. 

126.  (6)  The  passion  of  the  cross  teas  the  last  temptation 
which  the  Lord,  as  the  greatest  Prophet,  endured,  and  ivas  the 
vieans  whereby  His  Human  was  glorified,  that  is,  wJierehij  it  was 
united  with. the  Divine  of  the  Father ;  hut  it  was  not  redemp^ 
t'lon.  There  are  two  things  for  which  the  Lord  came  into  the 
world,  and  by  means  of  which  He  saved  men  and  angels,  name- 
ly, redemption  and  the  glorification  of  His  Human.  These 
two  are  distinct  from  each  other ;  and  yet  in  reference  to  sal- 
vation they  make  one.  It  has  been  shown  in  the  preceding  sec- 
tions \vhat  the  work  of  redemption  was,  namely,  that  it  was  a 


N.  126] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


189 


combat  against  the  hells,  a  subjugation  of  the  hells,  and  a  re- 
storation of  order  in  the  heavens.  But  glorification  is  the  unit> 
ing  of  the  Lord's  Human  with  the  Divine  of  His  Father.  This 
was  effected  gradually,  and  was  completed  through  the  passion 
of  the  cross.  For  every  man  on  his  part  ought  to  draw  near  to 
God ;  and  as  far  as  man  does  draw  near,  God  on  His  part  enters 
into  him.  It  is  the  same  as  with  a  temple,  which  first  must 
be  built,  and  this  is  done  by  the  hands  of  men ;  afterwards  it 
must  be  dedicated ;  and  finally  prayer  must  be  moile  fur  God  to 
be  present  and  there  unite  Himself  with  the  church.  The  imion 
itself  was  made  complete  through  the  passion  of  the  cross,  be- 
cause that  was  the  last  temptation  endured  by  the  Lord  in  the 
world;  and  it  is  by  means  of  temptations  that  conjunction  is 
effected.  For  in  temptations  apparently  man  is  left  to  himself 
alone,  although  he  is  not ;  for  God  is  then  most  nearly  present 
in  man's  inmosts  and  sustains  him ;  therefore  when  man  con- 
quers in  temptation  he  is  inmostly  conjoined  with  God,  as  in 
temptation  the  Lord  was  inmostly  united  to  God  His  Father. 
That  in  the  passion  of  the  cross  the  Lord  w^as  left  to  Himself 
is  evident  from  His  exclamation  upon  the  cross : — 

O  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ?  {Matt  xxvii.  46) ; 
as  also  from  these  words  of  the  Lord : — 

No  man  taketh  My  life  from  Me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  Myself  ;  I  have 
power  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again.  This  command- 
ment received  I  from  My  Father  {John  x.  18). 

From  all  this  it  can  now  be  seen  that  it  was  not  in  respect  to 
His  Divine  but  in  respect  to  His  Human  that  the  Lord  suffered ; 
and  that  thereby  an  inmost  and  thus  a  complete  union  was 
effected.  This  may  also  be  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  when  a 
man  suffers  in  body  his  soul  does  not  suffer,  but  only  grieves ; 
and  after  the  victory  God  takes  away  this  grief  and  wipes  it 
away  as  one  wipes  away  tears  from  the  eyes. 

127.  These  two  things,  redemption  and  the  passion  of  the 
cross,  must  be  seen  to  be  distinct;  otherwise  the  human  mind, 
like  a  vessel,  strikes  upon  sand-banks  or  rocks  and  is  lost,  with 
pilot,  captain,  and  crew  together ;  that  is,  it  errs  in  all  things 
pertaining  to  salvation  by  the  Lord.  For  without  an  idea  of 
these  two  things  as  distinct,  man  is  as  if  in  a  dream,  and  sees 


190 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  II. 


imaginary  things,  and  from  these  draws  conclusions,  supposing 
them  to  be  real  when  yet  they  are  fantastic ;  or  he  is  like  one 
walking  in  the  dark,  who  takes  hold  of  the  leaves  of  some  tree 
and  thinks  them  to  be  the  hair  of  a  man,  and  going  nearer  en- 
tangles his  own  hair  in  the  branches.  But  although  redemp- 
tion and  the  passion  of  the  cross  are  two  distinct  things,  yet 
in  reference  to  salvation  they  make  one ;  since  it  was  by  union 
with  His  Father,  which  was  completed  through  the  passion  of 
the  cross,  that  the  Lord  became  the  Redeemer  to  eternity. 

128.  In  respect  to  glorification,  which  means  the  uniting  of 
the  Lord's  Divine  Human  with  the  Divine  of  the  Father,  which 
union  was  fully  completed  through  the  passion  of  the  cross, 
the  Lord  Himself  thus  speaks  in  the  Gospels  : — 

When  Judas  was  gone  out  Jesus  said,  Now  is  the  Son  of  man  glorified, 
and  God  is  glorified  in  Him.  If  God  be  gloritied  in  Him  God  shall  also 
glorify  Him  in  Himself,  and  shall  straightway  glorify  Him  {John  xui.  31, 
32). 

Here  glorification  is  predicated  both  of  God  the  Father  and  of 
the  Son ;  for  it  is  said,  "  God  is  glorified  in  Him,"  and  "  shall 
glorify  Him  in  Himself."  Evidently  this  means  being  united  :— 

Father,  the  hour  is  come  ;  glorify  Thy  Son,  that  Thy  Son  also  may 
glorify  Thee  {John  xvii.  1,  5). 

This  is  so  said  because  the  uniting  was  reciprocal,  as  it  was 
also  said  that  the  Father  was  in  Him  and  He  in  the  Father  :— 

Now  is  My  soul  troubled.  And  He  said.  Father,  glorify  Thy  Name. 
Then  there  came  a  voice  out  of  heaven,  I  have  both  glorified  it  and  will 
glorify  it  again  {John  xii.  27,  28). 

This  was  said  because  the  uniting  was  effected  gradually  :— 

Behooved  it  not  the  Christ  to  suffer  these  things  and  to  enter  into  His 
glory  ?  (Luke  xxiv.  26). 

In  the  Word,  when  "  glory"  is  predicated  of  the  Lord  it  signi> 
fies  Divine  truth  united  to  Divine  good.  From  all  this  it  is 
clearly  evident  that  the  Lord's  Human  is  Divine. 

129.  The  Lord  was  willing  to  be  tempted  even  to  the  pas- 
sion of  the  cross,  because  He  was  the  essential  Prophet ;  and 
the  prophets  formerly  signified  the  doctrine  of  the  church  from 
the  Word,  and  therefore  the  state  of  the  church  was  repre- 


N.  129] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


191 


sented  by  them  in  various  ways,  some  of  which  were  unjust, 
grievous,  and  abominable,  and  these  representations  were  en- 
joined upon  them  by  God.  But  because  the  Lord  was  the  Word 
itself,  He,  as  the  essential  Prophet,  represented  in  the  passion 
of  the  cross  the  Jewish  church  in  its  ways  of  profaning  the 
Word.  To  this  reason  another  may  be  added,  namely,  that 
thereby  He  might  be  acknowledged  in  the  heavens  as  the 
Saviour  of  both  worlds ;  for  all  things  pertaining  to  His  pas- 
sion signified  things  pertaining  to  the  profanation  of  the  Word ; 
and  while  men  of  the  church  understand  these  naturally  the 
angels  understand  them  spiritually.  That  the  Lord  was  the 
essential  Prophet  is  evident  from  the  following  passages : — 

The  Lord  said,  A  prophet  is  not  without  honor  save  in  his  own  coun- 
try and  in  his  own  house  {Matt.  xiii.  57  ;  Mark  vi.  4  ;  Luke  iv.  24). 

Jesus  said.  It  is  not  meet  that  a  prophet  perish  out  of  Jerusalem  {Luke 
xiii.  33). 

Fear  took  hold  on  all,  praising  God,  and  saying  that  a  great  prophet  is 
risen  up  among  us  {Luke  vii.  16). 

They  said  of  Jesus,  This  is  the  prophet  of  Nazareth  {Matt.  xxi.  11 ; 
John  vii.  40,  41). 

That  a  prophet  was  to  be  raised  up  from  the  midst  of  the  brethren  to 
whose  words  they  should  hearken  {Deat.  xviii.  15-19). 

130.  That  the  prophets  represented  the  state  of  their  church 
in  respect  to  doctrine  from  the  Word  and  life  according  to  it, 
is  evident  from  the  following  passages.  The  prophet  Isaiah 
was  commanded. 

To  loose  the  sackcloth  from  off  his  loins,  and  to  put  off  the  shoe  from 
his  foot,  and  to  go  naked  and  barefoot  three  years,  for  a  sign  and  a  wonder 
{Isa.  XX.  2,  3). 

The  prophet  Ezekiel  was  commanded  to  represent  the  state  of 
the  church. 

By  preparing  stuff  for  a  journey,  and  by  removing  to  another  place  in 
the  sight  of  the  children  of  Israel ;  and  by  bringing  forth  the  stuff  by 
day,  and  going  forth  at  even  through  a  hole  in  the  wall ;  and  by  cover- 
ing his  face  that  he  might  not  see  the  ground ;  that  he  might  be  for  a 
sign  unto  the  house  of  Israel,  and  say.  Behold,  I  am  your  sign  ;  like  as  I 
have  done  so  shall  it  be  done  unto  you  {Ezek.  xii.  3-7,  11). 

The  prophet  Hosea  was  commanded  to  represent  the  state  of 
the  church, 


1 


192 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  II. 


By  taking  to  himself  a  harlot  for  a  wife  ;  and  he  did  so  ;  and  she  bore 
to  Mm  thref  children,  one  of  xvhom  was  called  Jezreel,  another,  Loruha- 
mah  0>ot  ^be  pitied)!  and  the  thini  Lo-ammi  (not  my  Peop  e)  ^  ^^^  aga.n 
he  was  commanded  to  go  and  love  a  woman  beloved  of  a  f  nend,  and  an 
adulteress,  whom  he  also  took  to  himself  {Hos.  i.  2-9 ;  lu.  2,  i). 

One  prophet  was  even  commanded, 

To  put  ashes  upon  his  eyes,  and  to  permit  himself  to  be  stmck  and 
wounded  (1  Kings  xx.  35,  38). 

The  prophet  Ezekiel  was  commanded  to  represent  the  state  of 
the  church, 

By  Uking  a  tile  and  portraying  upon  it  Jemsalem  ;  by  ''^y'j;^? J^l^f^"^ 
casTh."  a  rampart  and  mound  against  it ;  by  setting  an  iron  pan  between 
Wm "nd  the  city  ;  by  lying  upon  his  left  -^<'' ^^^^^Z'^Z^X^^ 
Also  bv  Ukin"  wheat,  barley,  beans,  millet,  and  fetches,  and  maKin„  oreau 
^f  them  also  by  making  barley  cakes  to  be  baked  with  human  excrement 
?but  b^c'a^  I'e  P^*y«d  th^t  this  might  not  be  he  was  penn.tted  to  a«, 
low's  ~nste^)  It  w>is  said  to  him.  Lie  thou  also  upon  thy  eft  side, 
andlav  the  iniquity  of  the  house  of  Israel  upon  it ;  according  to  the  num- 
ber of  the  days  thkt  thou  Shalt  lie  upon  it  thou  shalt  bear  their  iniquity. 
For  I  will -ive  thee  the  years  of  their  iniquity  according  to  the  number 
S^hekK  three  hundred  and  ninety  days  ;  so  shalt  thou  hear  the  ini- 

tlieir  aa>  ^^^^^  ^^^  accomphshed  them 

Cshi  ifue'r^n  IthTright  side,  that  thou  mayest  bear  the  iniquity 
of  the  house  of  Judah  (Ezek.  iv.  1-15). 

rai  That  the  prophet  by  these  means  bore  the  iniquities  of  the 
louse  of  Israil  a^d  tlie  house  of  Judah,  but  did  not  take  them 
X  and  thus  expiate  tliem,but  only  represented  and  pointed 
them  out,  is  evident  from  the  following  :— 

n^v.       oith  Tphovah  The  sons  of  Israel  shall  eat  their  bread  unclean  ; 
Jc^d^wUb^ikttesUff:fbread,thattl.eymaywantb 
and  be  made  desolate,  a  m_an  with  his  brother,  and  pme  away  for  their 
iniquity  {Ezek.  iv.  13, 10, 17). 
The  same  is  meant  in  respect  to  the  Lord  where  it  is  said  :- 

c  1  ^To  hnth  horn  our  ^rrief  s  and  carried  our  sorrows  ;  Jehovah  hath 
1  jr  [l[l^  ttliSirof  us  all .  by  H3^-oj>ed^  -  ^  ^'^ 
many,  in  that  He  hath  borne  their  iniquities  (Isa.  Im.  4,  0,  U). 

This  whole  chapter  treats  of  the  Lord's  passion.  [3]  That  the 
Lo  d  as  the  essential  Prophet  represented  the  state  of  the  Jew- 
ish  church  with  regar<l  to  the  Word  is  evident  from  the  par- 
ticulars of  His  passion;  as  that  He  was  betrayed  by  Juda«; 


N    130] 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


193 


was  seized  and  condemned  by  the  chief  priests  and  elders ;  that 
they  buffeted  Him ;  smote  Him  on  the  head  with  a  reed ;  put  a 
crown  of  thorns  on  His  head,  divided  His  garments,  and  cast 
lots  for  His  vesture ;  crucified  Him ;  gave  Him  vinegar  to  drink 
and  pierced  His  side ;  that  He  was  buried ;  and  that  He  rose 
again  the  third  day.  His  betrayal  by  Judas  signified  that  He 
was  betrayed  by  the  Jewish  nation,  which  then  possessed  the 
Word  (for  Judas  represented  that  nation) ;  His  seizure  and  con- 
demnation by  the  chief  priests  and  elders  signified  that  this  was 
done  by  the  whole  Jewish  church ;  their  buffeting  Him,  spitting 
in  His  face,  scourging  Him,  and  smiting  Him  on  the  head  w^ith 
a  reed,  signified  that  they  did  like  things  to  the  Word  in  respect 
to  its  Divine  truths ;  their  putting  a  crow^n  of  thorns  upon  His 
head  signified  that  they  falsified  and  adulterated  those  truths; 
their  dividing  His  garments  and  casting  lots  upon  His  vesture 
signified  that  they  dispersed  all  the  truths  of  the  Word,  but 
not  its  spiritual  sense,  the  Lord's  vesture  signifying  that  sense ; 
their  crucifying  Him  signified  that  they  destroyed  and  pro- 
faned the  whole  Word;  their  offering  Him  vinegar  to  drink 
signified  that  the  truths  they  had  were  wholly  falsified,  and 
therefore  He  did  not  drink  the  vinegar;  their  piercing  His  side 
signified  that  they  wholly  extinguished  everything  true  and 
good  in  the  Word ;  His  burial  signified  the  rejection  of  every- 
thing that  was  left  in  Him  from  the  mother;  His  resurrection 
on  the  third  day  signified  His  glorification,  or  the  union  of  His 
Human  with  the  Divine  of  the  Father.  Evidently,  then,  "  bear- 
ing iniquities"  does  not  mean  taking  them  away,  but  it  means 
representing  the  j)rofanation  of  the  truths  of  the  Word. 

131.  This,  too,  may  be  illustrated  by  comparisons;  and  this 
shall  be  done  for  the  sake  of  the  simple-minded,  who  see  better 
by  comparisons  than  by  analytically  formed  deductions  from 
the  Word  and  from  reason.  Every  citizen  or  subject  is  united 
to  his  king  by  obeying  his  commands  and  precepts ;  and  more 
so  if  he  endures  hardships  for  him ;  and  still  more  if  he  suffers 
death  for  him,  as  men  do  in  war.  In  the  same  way  friend  is 
united  to  friend,  son  to  father,  and  servant  to  master,  by  acting 
according  to  their  wishes ;  still  more  by  defending  them  against 
enemies ;  and  more  yet  by  fighting  for  their  honor  Is  not  one 
united  to  the  maiden  whom  he  is  wooing  when  he  fights  with 
13 


194 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IL 


those  who  defame  her,  and  contends  even  to  wounds  with  his 
rival?  It  is  according  to  an  inherent  law  of  nature  that  they 
are  united  by  such  means.     The  Lord  says : — 

I  am  the  good  shepherd  ;  the  good  shepherd  layeth  down  his  life  for 
the  slieep.     Therefore  doth  My  Father  love  Me  {John  x.  11,  17). 

132.  (7)  The  belief  that  the  jmssion  of  the  cross  was  redeinp- 
tion  itself  is  the  fundamental  error  of  the  church  ;  and  this  er- 
ror ^  together  with  the  error  respecting  three  Divine  persons  from 
eternity^  has  perveHed  the  whole  church  to  such  an  extent  that 
there  is  nothing  spiritual  left  in  it.  AVhat  at  the  present  day 
more  fills  and  crams  the  books  of  the  orthodox,  or  what  is  more 
zealously  taught  and  inculcated  in  the  schools,  or  what  is  more 
frequently  preached  and  proclaimed  from  the  pulpit,  than  that 
God  the  Father,  being  angi-y  with  the  human  race,  not  only  put 
it  away  from  Himself,  but  also  included  it  under  a  universal 
damnation,  and  thus  excommunicated  it;  but  being  gracious, 
He  persuaded  or  inspired  His  Son  to  descend  and  take  upon 
Himself  this  determined  damnation,  and  thus  appease  the  an- 
ger of  His  Father;  and  that  under  no  other  conditions  could 
the  Father  look  with  favor  upon  mankind?  And  further,  that 
this  was  actually  done  by  the  Son ;  in  that  by  taking  upon  Him- 
self the  damnation  of  the  human  race  He  suffered  Himself  to 
be  scourged,  to  be  spit  upon,  and  finally  crucified  by  the  Jews 
as  one  "accursed  of  God''  {Deut,  xxi.  23);  and  after  this  had 
been  done  the  Father  was  propitiated,  and  from  love  for  His 
Son  canceled  the  damnation,  but  only  on  behalf  of  those  for 
whom  the  Son  might  intercede,  and  that  the  Son  thus  became 
a  Mediator  perpetually  before  His  Father.  [2]  The  churches 
of  the  present  day  resound  with  these  and  like  ideas ;  they  are 
reverberated  from  the  walls  like  echoes  from  the  forests,  and  fill 
the  ears  of  all  there.  But  cannot  every  one  whose  reason  has 
been  enlightened  and  made  sane  by  the  Word  see  that  God  is 
mercy  itself  and  pity  itself,  because  He  is  love  itself  and  good 
itself,  and  that  these  are  His  essence  ?  It  is  therefore  a  contra- 
diction to  say  that  essential  mercy  or  good  can  look  upon  man 
with  anger  and  determine  upon  his  damnation,  and  continue  to 
be  its  own  Divine  Essence.  Such  things  can  hardly  be  ascribed 
to  a  good  man,  but  only  to  a  bad  man,  nor  can  they  be  ascribed 


N.  132J 


THE  LORD  THE  REDEEMER 


195 


to  an  angel  of  heaven,  but  only  to  a  spirit  of  hell.  It  is  there- 
fore horrible  to  ascribe  them  to  God.  [3]  But  if  it  is  asked  why 
this  has  been  done  the  answer  is,  that  the  passion  of  the  cross 
has  been  taken  for  redemption  itself ;  and  from  this  these  ideas 
have  flowed  forth,  as  from  one  falsity  falsities  flow  forth  in  a 
continuous  series,  or  as  from  a  cask  of  vinegar  nothing  but 
vinegar  can  flow,  or  from  an  insane  mind  nothing  but  insanity 
can  flow.  For  from  a  single  conclusion  kindred  principles  flow ; 
these  lie  hidden  in  the  conclusion,  and  grow  out  of  it  one  after 
another;  and  from  the  doctrine  that  the  passion  of  the  cross 
was  redemption  there  may  proceed  or  be  drawn  many  other 
things  that  are  scandalous  and  dishonoring  to  God,  until  the 
saying  in  Isaiah  comes  to  pass : — 

The  priest  and  the  prophet  err  through  strong  drink  ;  they  stumble 
_in  judgment;  for  all  tables  are  full  of  the  vomit  of  tilthiness  (xxviii. 
7,8). 

133.  From  this  idea  of  God  and  redemption  all  theology  from 
being  spiritual  has  become  in  the  lowest  degree  natural,  and 
this  because  merely  natural  properties  have  been  attributed  to 
God ;  and  yet  on  the  idea  of  God  and  the  idea  of  redemption, 
which  makes  one  with  salvation,  everything  pertaining  to  the 
church  depends-  For  this  idea  is  like  the  head  from  which  all 
parts  of  the  body  proceed;  therefore  when  this  is  a  spiritual 
idea  everything  pertaining  to  the  church  becomes  spiritual,  and 
when  it  is  a  natural  idea  everything  pertaining  to  the  church 
becomes  natural;  consequently,  as  the  idea  of  God  and  redemp- 
tion has  become  purely  natural,  that  is,  sensual  and  corporeal, 
so  all  things  that  have  been  taught  and  are  taught  by  the  heads 
and  members  of  the  church  in  their  dogmatic  theology  are  pure- 
ly natural.  And  nothing  but  falsities  can  be  hatched  from  this 
theology,  for  the  reason  that  the  natural  man  acts  constantly 
against  the  spiritual,  and  therefore  regards  what  is  spiritual 
as  something  spectral,  or  as  an  airy  phantasm.  And  in  conse- 
quence it  may  be  said  that  owing  to  this  sensual  idea  of  redemp- 
tion, and  thus  of  God,  the  ways  to  heaven,  which  are  the  ways 
to  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  are  beset  by  thieves  and  robbers 
(John  X.  1,  8,  9) ;  arid  that  the  doors  of  the  churches  are  thrown 
down,  giving  entrance  to  dragons,  owls,  and  the  wild  beasts  of 


196 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  II. 


the  deserts  and  the  islands,  which  sing  together  there  in  hor- 
rible discord.     It  is  known  that  this  idea  of  redemption  and  of 
God  pervades  the  faith  of  the  present  day,  which  is,  that  men 
should  beseech  God  the  Father  to  pardon  their  offences  for  the 
sake  of  the  cross  and  blood  of  His  Son,  and  beseech  God  the 
Son  to  pray  and  intercede  for  them,  and  God  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  justify  and  sanctify  them.    What  is  this  but  praying  to  three 
Gods  in  their  order  ?    And  wherein  does  this  conception  of  the 
Divine  government  differ  from  that  of  an  aristocracy  or  a  hie- 
rarchy, or  such  a  triumvirate  as  once  existed  at  Rome,  except 
that  instead  of  a  triumvirate  it  may  be  called  a  tripersonate  ? 
And  then  what  is  easier  than  for  the  devil  -to  "  divide  and  rule,'' 
as  the  saying  is,  that  is,  to  distract  men's  minds,  and  to  excite 
rebellious  movements,  now  against  one  God  and  now  against 
another,  as  has  been  done  from  the  time  of  Arius  until  now; 
which  is  equivalent  to  hurling  from  His  throne  the  Lord  God 
the  Saviour,  who  has  all  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth  (Matt. 
xxviii.  18),  and  seating  upon  that  throne  some  of  the  devil's 
own  minions  and  offering  worship  to  him;  or  because  worship 
is  taken  from  him,  taking  it  away  also  from  the  Lord  Himself  ? 
134.  To  this  shall  be  added  these  Memorable  Eelations. 

First : — 

I  once  entered  a  temple  in  the  world  of  spirits  where  many 
were  assembled.  Before  the  sermon  began  they  were  discuss- 
ing with  each  other  the  subject  of  Kedemption.  The  temple 
was  square,  with  no  windows  in  the  walls ;  but  in  the  center  of 
the  roof  there  was  a  large  opening,  through  which  light  from 
heaven  entered,  making  it  lighter  than  if  there  had  been  win- 
dows at  the  sides. 

And  behold,  in  the  midst  of  their  talk  about  redemption  a 
black  cloud  floating  from  the  north  suddenly  covered  the  open- 
ing, causing  such  darkness  that  they  could  not  see  each  other, 
and  could  scarcely  see  their  own  hands. 

While  they  were  standing  amazed  at  this,  behold,  the  black 
cloud  parted  in  the  middle,  and  through  the  parting  angels  sent 
down  from  heaven  appeared,  who  dispelled  the  cloud  to  both 
sides,  and  again  the  temple  was  filled  with  light.  The  angels 
then  'sent  down  one  of  their  number  into  the  temple,  who  m 
their  name  asked  the  congregation  what  they  were  contending 


N.  134] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


19^ 


about  to  cause  so  dense  a  cloud  to  overshadow  them,  take  away 
the  light,  and  bring  on  darkness. 

They  answered  that  it  was  about  redemption,  as  having  l)een 
wrought  by  the  Son  of  God  through  the  passion  of  the  cross, 
whereby  He  made  expiation,  and  delivered  the  human  race  froiii 
damnation  and  eternal  death. 

To  this  the  angel  who  had  been  sent  down  said,  "Why 
through  the  passion  of  the  cross  ?  Explain  why  through  that." 

[2]  Then  a  priest  came  forward  and  said,  "I  will  explain  in 
order  what  we  know  and  believe,  which  is.  That  God  the  Father, 
being  angry  with  the  human  race,  condemned  it,  shut  it  out 
from  His  elemenc}',  and  declared  all  men  doomed  and  accursed, 
and  consigned  them  to  hell;  and  that  He  wished  His  Son  to 
take  upon  Himself  that  condemnation,  and  the  Son  consented, 
and  for  that  purpose  came  down  and  assumed  the  human,  suf- 
fered Himself  to  be  crucified,  and  tlius  transferred  to  Himself 
the  condemnation  of  the  human  race ;  for  we  read,  ^  Cursed  is 
every  one  that  hangeth  on  the  wood  of  a  cross.'  Thus  did  the 
Son  by  interceding  and  mediating  propitiate  the  Father;  and 
then  the  Father,  moved  by  love  for  His  Son,  and  by  witnessing 
His  anguish  upon  the  wood  of  the  cross,  determined  to  forgive 
men ;  '  but  only  those  to  whom  I  impute  Thy  righteousness ; 
these  I  will  chancre  from  children  of  wrath  and  malediction  to 
children  of  grace  and  benediction,  and  will  justify  and  save 
them ;  the  rest,  as  before  determined,  may  remain  children  of 
wrath.'  This  is  our  faith,  and  these  things  are  our  righteous- 
ness, which  God  the  Father  implants  in  our  faith,  which  alone 
justifies  and  saves." 

[3]  When  the  angel  had  heard  this  he  was  silent  for  some 
time,  for  he  was  motionless  with  amazement ;  but  afterwards  he 
broke  silence  and  said,  "  Can  the  Christian  world  be  so  insane, 
and  wander  away  from  sound  reason  into  such  madnesses,  and 
from  such  paradoxes  draw  conclusions  about  the  fundamental 
doij^ma  of  salvation  ?  Who  does  not  see  that  these  things  are 
diametrically  opposed  to  the  very  Divine  essence,  that  is,  to 
God's  Divine  love  and  Divine  wisdom,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
His  omnipotence  and  omnipresence  ?  No  good  master  could  so 
deal  with  his  manservants  and  maidservants,  nor  even  a  wild 
beast  or  a  bird  of  prey  with  its  young.    It  is  horrible.    Is  it  not 


198 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


contrary  to  God's  Divine  essence  to  annul  that  call  which  has 
been  made  to  the  whole  human  race  and  to  each  individual  i* 
Is  it  not  contrary  to  the  Divine  essence  to  change  the  order  es- 
tablished from  eternity,  which  is,  that  every  man  is  to  be  judged 
by  his  life  ?  Is  it  not  contrary  to  the  Divine  essence  to  with- 
draw its  love  and  mercy  from  any  man,  still  more  from  the 
whole  human  race  ?  Is  it  not  contrary  to  the  Divine  essence 
that  it  should  be  brought  back  to  mercy,  and  as  mercy  is  the 
very  essence  of  God,  that  it  should  be  brought  back  to  its  own 
essence,  by  witnessing  the  anguish  of  the  Son  ?  Is  it  not  abom- 
inable to  imagine  that  He  ever  departed  from  that  essence, 
since  that  essence  is  Himself  from  eternity  to  eternity  ?  [4] 
Furthermore,  is  it  not  impossible  to  introduce  into  such  a  thing 
as  your  faith  is,  the  righteousness  of  redemption  (which  in 
itself  belongs  to  the  Divine  omnipotence),  and  to  impute  and 
ascribe  it  to  man,  and  without  any  further  means  to  declare 
him  righteous,  pure,  and  holy  ?  Is  it  not  impossible  to  remit 
sins  to  any  one,  and  to  renew,  regenerate,  and  save  him,  by 
mere  imputation,  whereby  unrighteousness  is  turned  into  right- 
eousness, and  a  curse  into  a  blessing  ?  Would  it  not  be  possi- 
ble in  this  way  to  change  hell  into  heaven  and  heaven  into 
hell,  or  the  dragon  into  Michael  and  Michael  into  the  dragon, 
and  so  end  the  war  between  them  ?  Is  anything  needed  but 
to  withdraw  the  imputation  of  your  faith  from  one  and  bestow 
it  upon  the  other?  Thus  would  you  compel  us  who  are  in 
heaven  to  live  for  ever  in  constant  fear.  Neither  is  it  in  ac- 
cordance with  justice  and  judgment  for  one  person  to  take 
upon  himself  the  guilt  of  another,  and  for  the  guilty  thus  to  be 
made  innocent  and  have  his  guilt  washed  away.  Is  not  this 
opposed  to  both  Divine  and  human  justice  ?  The  Christian 
world  does  not  yet  know  that  there  is  an  order,  still  less  what 
that  order  is,  which  God  introduced  into  the  world  simultane- 
ously with  the  creation  of  it ;  and  that  God  cannot  act  con- 
trary to  that  order,  since  He  would  then  be  acting  contrary  to 
Himself ;  for  God  is  order  itseK.'^ 

[5]  The  priest  understood  what  was  said  by  the  angel,  be- 
cause the  angels  who  were  above  let  in  light  from  heaven ;  and 
presently  he  sighed  and  said,  "  What  is  to  be  done  ?  At  this  day 
all  men  so  preach  and  pray  and  believe.    It  is  in  every  mouth, 


N.  134] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


199 


'  Good  Father,  have  mercy  upon  us ;  forgive  us  our  sins  for  the 
sake  of  Thy  Son's  blood,  which  He  poured  out  for  us  upon  the 
cross.'  And  to  Chi'ist  they  pray,  ^Lord,  intercede  for  us.'  And 
to  this  we  priests  add,  ^  Send  us  the  Holy  Spirit.' " 

The  angel  then  said,  "  I  have  observed  that  from  the  Word 
not  interiorly  understood  the  priests  prepare  an  eyesalve  which 
they  apply  to  the  eyes  that  are  blinded  by  their  faith ;  or  they 
make  from  it  a  sort  of  plaster  which  they  spread  upon  the 
womids  inflicted  by  their  dogmas ;  and  yet  they  fail  to  heal 
those  wounds,  because  they  are  chronic  sores.  Therefore  go  to 
him  who  stands  yonder,"  pointing  his  linger  towards  me,  "  and 
he  will  teach  you  from  the  Lord  that  the  passion  of  the  cross 
was  not  redemption,  but  the  uniting  of  the  Lord's  Human  with 
the  Divine  of  the  Father;  while  redemption  was  the  subjuga- 
tion of  the  hells  and  the  restoration  of  order  in  the  heavens ; 
and  unless  this  had  been  done  by  the  Lord  when  He  was  in 
the  world  there  would  be  no  salvation  for  any  one  on  the  earth 
or  in  heaven.  He  will  also  teach  you  the  order  established  from 
creation,  to  live  according  to  which  is  to  be  saved,  those  who 
live  according  to  it  being  numbered  among  the  redeemed,  and 
called  the  elect." 

When  all  this  had  been  said,  windows  were  formed  in  the 
walls  of  the  temple  through  which  there  flowed  in  an  illumina- 
tion from  the  four  quarters  of  that  world,  and  cherubs  appeared 
flying  in  the  brightness  of  the  light ;  and  the  angel  was  taken 
up  to  his  comj)anions  above  the  opening;  and  we  went  away 
delighted. 

135.   Second  Memorable  Relation: — 

One  morning  as  I  awoke  from  sleep,  the  sun  of  the  spiritual 
world  appeared  to  me  in  its  glory ;  and  as  far  below  it  as  our 
earth  is  from  its  sun  I  saw  the  heavens ;  and  presently  there 
were  heard  from  the  heavens  words  ineffable,  the  sum  of  which 
found  utterance  in  this  declaration,  "There  is  one  God,  who 
is  Man ;  and  His  abode  is  in  that  sun."  This  utterance  passed 
down  through  the  middle  heavens  to  the  lowest,  and  from  that 
into  the  world  of  spirits  where  I  was;  and  I  perceived  that 
the  angels'  idea  of  the  one  God,  in  its  descent  by  degrees, 
was  changed  into  the  idea  of  three  Gods.  Observing  this  I 
went  forward  to  speak  with  those  whose  thought  was  of  three 


200 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


I 


N.  135] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


201 


Gods,  saying,  "  What  a  monstrous  idea  !  Where  did  you  get 
it?" 

They  replied,  "  We  think  of  three  from  our  way  of  conceiv- 
ing of  the  Triune  God ;  nevertheless  this  idea  does  not  fall  into 
our  utterance.  When  we  speak  we  always  declare  emphatically 
that  God  is  one.  If  there  is  a  different  idea  in  our  minds,  let 
it  be,  provided  it  does  not  come  forth  and  sever  the  idea  of  the 
unity  of  God  in  our  speech.  Still  it  does  come  forth  from  time 
to  time,  because  it  is  within;  and  if  at  such  times  we  should 
speak  plainly  we  should  declare  that  there  are  three  Gods. 
But  we  guard  against  this,  lest  we  should  be  laughed  at  by 
those  hearing  us.^^ 

[2]  Then  they  spoke  openly  from  their  thought,  saying,  "  Are 
there  not  three  Gods,  since  there  are  three  Divine  persons,  each 
of  whom  is  God  ?  We  cannot  think  otherwise  when  a  leader 
of  our  church,  speaking  from  his  collection  of  holy  dogmas,  as- 
cribes to  one  creation,  to  another  redemption,  and  to  the  third 
sanctification ;  and  when  furthermore  he  ascribes  to  them  cer- 
tain attributes,  to  each  one  His  own,  which  he  asserts  are  in- 
communicable;  and  these  include  not  only  creation,  redemp- 
tion, and  sanctification,  but  also  imputation,  mediation,  and  op- 
eration. Is  there  not,  then,  one  who  creates  us,  and  He  also 
imputes ;  and  is  there  not  another  who  redeems  us,  and  He  also 
mediates ;  and  a  third  who  effects  the  mediated  imputation,  and 
He  also  sanctifies  ?  Who  does  not  know  that  the  Son  of  God 
was  sent  into  the  world  by  God  the  Father  to  redeem  the  hu- 
man race,  and  thus  become  the  Expiator,  Mediator,  Propitiator, 
and  Intercessor  ?  And  as  He  was  one  with  the  Son  of  God  from 
eternity,  are  not  the  Father  and  Son  two  distinct  persons  ?  And 
as  these  two  are  in  heaven,  one  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
other,  must  there  not  be  a  third  person  to  carry  out  in  the  world 
what  is  decreed  in  heaven  ?" 

[3]  Hearing  this  I  was  silent,  and  thought  to  myself,  0  what 
folly!  They  have  no  idea  of  what  is  meant  in  the  Word  by 
mediation. 

And  presently,  at  the  Lord's  command,  three  angels  descend- 
ed from  heaven  and  were  associated  with  me,  in  order  that  I 
might  speak  from  interior  perception  with  those  who  were  in 
the  idea  of  three  Gods,  particularly  in  respect  to  mediation,  in- 


tercession, propitiation,  and  expiation,  which  they  attribute  to 
the  second  person,  that  is,  the  Son,  but  not  until  after  He  had 
become  Man;  and  He  became  Man  many  centuries  after  crea- 
tion, and  during  this  time  these  four  means  of  salvation  did  not 
exist,  and  thus  God  the  Father  was  not  propitiated,  no  expia- 
tion was  made  for  the  human  race,  and  no  one  was  sent  from 
heaven  to  intercede  and  mediate. 

[4]  Then  from  an  inspiration  that  came  upon  me  I  spoke 
with  them,  saying,  "Draw  near,  as  many  of  you  as  can,  and 
hear  what  is  meant  in  the  Word  by  mediation,  intercession,  ex- 
piation, and  propitiation.  These  are  the  four  predicates  of  the 
grace  of  the  one  God  in  His  Human.  God  the  Father  can  in  no 
way  be  approached,  nor  can  He  approach  any  man,  because  He 
is  the  Infinite,  and  is  in  His  own  Esse  which  is  Jehovah;  and 
if  from  His  Esse  He  were  to  approach  man  He  would  consume 
him  as  fire  consumes  wood  and  reduces  it  to  ashes.  This  is  evi- 
dent from  what  He  said  to  jNIoses  when  Moses  wished  to  see 
God:— 

That  no  man  could  see  Him  and  live  {Ex,,  xxxiii.  20). 

And  the  Lord  says  : — 

That  no  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time,  except  the  Son  who  is  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father  {John  i.  18  ;  Matt.  xi.  27). 

Again : — 

That  no  one  hath  either  heard  the  Father's  voice  or  seen  His  shape 
{Johi  V.  37). 

We  read,  indeed,  that  Moses  saw  Jehovah  face  to  face,  and 
spoke  with  Him  mouth  to  mouth ;  but  this  was  done  through  an 
angel,  as  was  the  case  also  with  Abraham  and  Gideon.  Such, 
then,  being  the  nature  of  God  the  Father  in  Himself,  it  pleased 
Him  to  assume  a  Human,  and  in  that  to  become  accessible  to 
men,  and  thus  hear  them  and  speak  with  them ;  and  that  Hu- 
man is  what  is  called  the  Son  of  God;  and  it  is  that  which 
mediates,  intercedes,  propitiates,  and  expiates.  I  will  therefore 
explain  the  signification  of  these  four  things  which  are  predi- 
cated of  the  Human  of  God  the  Father.  [5]  Mediation  means 
that  this  Human  is  the  medium  througli  which  man  is  enabled 
to  approach  God  the  Father,  and  God  the  Father  to  approach 


iiaa?gi(iBte:.i<fc 


202 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  U. 


man,  and  to  so  teach  and  lead  man  that  he  may  be  saved. 
Therefore  the  Son  of  God,  by  which  is  meant  the  Human  of 
God  the  Father,  is  called  the  Saviour,  and  in  the  world,  Jesus, 
that  is.  Salvation.  Intercession  means  unceasing  mediation ;  for 
love  itself,  which  is  the  source  of  mercy,  clemency,  and  grace, 
unceasingly  intercedes,  that  is,  mediates  in  behalf  of  those  who 
keep  His  commandments,  whom  He  loves.  Expiation  means 
the  removal  of  the  sins  into  which  man  would  rush  if  Jehovah 
unclothed  should  be  approached.  Propitiation  means  the  oper- 
ation of  clemency  and  grace  to  prevent  man's  bringing  himself 
by  sin  into  condemnation;  also  p^'otection,  to  prevent  hun  from 
profaning  holiness.  This  was  the  signiiication  of  the  mercy- 
seat  over  the  ark  in  the  tabernacle.  [6]  It  is  known  that  in  the 
Word  God  has  spoken  according  to  appearances,  as  that  He  be- 
comes angry,  takes  revenge,  tempts,  punishes,  casts  into  hell, 
damns,  and  even  does  what  is  evil;  when  in  fact  He  is  angry 
with  no  one,  neither  does  He  take  revenge,  tempt,  punish,  cast 
into  hell  or  damn.  All  these  things  are  as  far  from  God  as  hell 
is  from  heaven,  and  infinitely  farther;  consequently  they  are 
forms  of  speech  to  express  the  appearance.  Expiation,  propi- 
tiation, intercession,  and  mediation,  are  also  forms  of  speech  to 
express  the  appearance  in  another  sense,  since  these  are  to  be 
understood  as  predications  of  approach  to  God  and  of  receiving 
grace  from  God  through  His  Human.  But  these  terms  not  hav- 
ing been  understood,  men  have  divided  God  into  three,  and  up- 
on these  three  have  based  the  entire  doctrine  of  the  church,  and 
have  thus  falsified  the  Word.  From  this  has  come  *  the  abom- 
ination of  desolation'  foretold  by  the  Lord  in  Daniel,  and  again 
in  Mattliew  (xxiv.)." 

When  I  had  said  this  the  crowd  of  spirits  withdrew  from 
about  me,  and  I  noticed  that  those  whose  thought  was  actually 
of  three  Gods  looked  towards  hell ;  while  those  whose  thought 
was  of  one  God,  in  whom  is  a  Divine  trinity,  and  that  this  trin- 
ity is  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  looked  towards  heaven ;  and 
these  beheld  the  sun  of  heaven,  in  which  Jehovah  in  His  Hu- 
man dwells. 

136.  Third  Memorable  Eelation: — 

I  saw  at  a  distance  five  gymnasia,  each  one  surrounded  by  a 
light  from  heaven.   A  purple  light,  such  as  there  is  in  the  clouds 


N.  136] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


203 


in  the  morning  before  sunrise  on  earth,  surrounded  the  first ;  a 
yellowish  light,  like  that  in  the  east  after  sunrise,  surrounded 
the  second ;  a  bright  light,  like  that  of  noonday  in  the  world, 
surrounded  the  third ;  and  a  moderate  light,  like  daylight  when 
it  begins  to  be  tempered  by  the  shades  of  evening,  surrounded 
the  fourth.  The  fifth  stood  in  the  actual  shade  of  evening. 
Gymnasia  in  the  spiritual  world  are  halls  where  the  learned  as- 
semble and  discuss  various  arcana  that  are  serviceable  to  their 
knowledge,  intelligence,  and  wisdom. 

Seeing  these  gymnasia  I  felt  a  strong  desire  to  visit  one  of 
them,  and  went  hi  spirit  to  the  one  that  was  surrounded  by  the 
moderate  light ;  and  entering  I  saw  an  assembly  of  the  learned, 
who  were  discussing  with  one  another  what  is  involved  in  the 
statement  that  the  Lord  was  taken  up  to  heaven  d,nd  sits  at  the 
right  hand  of  God  {Mark  xvi.  19). 

[2]  The  greater  part  of  the  assembly  said  that  this  should 
be  understood  in  accordance  with  the  very  words,  that  the  Son 
does  so  sit  beside  the  Father ;  and  it  was  asked  why  He  did  so. 

Some  said  that  the  Son  had  been  placed  by  the  Father  at 
His  right  hand  on  account  of  the  redemption  He  had  accom- 
plished ;  others  said  that  it  was  from  love  that  He  sat  there ; 
others  that  it  was  in  order  that  He  might  be  the  Father's  coun 
selor ;  and  being  such,  that  He  might  be  honored  by  the  angels ; 
others  that  it  was  because  it  had  been  granted  Him  by  the 
Father  to  rule  in  His  stead,  for  it  is  written  that  all  power  was 
given  to  Him  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  But  the  greater  number 
said  that  it  was  in  order  that  He  might  hear,  from  the  right 
hand,  those  for  whom  He  intercedes ;  for  in  the  church  at 
the  present  day  all  approach  God  the  Father,  and  pray  to  Him 
to  be  merciful  for  the  Son's  sake ;  and  this  causes  the  Father 
Himself  to  turn  to  the  Son,  that  He  may  receive  the  Son's 
mediation.  Some,  however,  said  that  it  is  only  the  Son  of  God 
from  eternity  who  sits  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  that 
He  may  impart  His  Divinity  to  the  Son  of  man  born  in  the  . 
world. 

[3]  Hearing  this,  I  was  greatly  astonished  that  learned  men, 
Avho  had  already  been  living  for  some  time  in  the  spiritual  world, 
should  be  so  ignorant  of  heavenly  things ;  but  I  perceived  why 
it  was  so,  namely,  that  from  confidence  in  theii*  own  intelligence 


'■ji:'il'>l«i^''''itijd,^iH,i:aiilMki^ 


204 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


they  had  not  suffered  themselves  to  be  taught  by  the  wise. 
But  that  they  might  no  longer  remain  ignorant  of  the  meaning 
of  the  Son's  sitting  at  the  Father's  right  hand  I  raised  my 
hand,  asking  them  to  give  ear  to  a  few  words  that  I  wished  to 
say  on  that  subject;  and  as  they  assented  I  said,  "Do  you  not 
know  from  the  Word  that  the  Father  and  the  Son  are  one,  that 
the  Father  is  in  the  Son,  and  the  Son  in  the  Father  ?  This  the 
Lord  plainly  says  (in  John  x.  30,  and  xiv.  10,  11).  If  you  do 
not  believe  this  you  divide  God  into  two;  and  when  this  is 
done  you  are  unable  to  think  about  God  otherwise  than  natu- 
rally, sensually,  and  even  materially ;  and  this  has  been  done 
in  the  world  since  the  time  of  the  Council  of  Nice,  which  in- 
troduced the  doctrine  of  three  Divine  persons  from  eternity, 
and  thereby  turned  the  church  into  a  theater  furnished  with 
painted  hangings,  wherein  the  actors  were  representing  new 
plays.  AVho  does  not  know  and  acknowledge  that  God  is  one  ? 
If  you  acknowledge  this  in  heart  and  spirit;  all  that  you  have 
just  said  is  of  itself  dissipated,  or  rebounds  into  the  air  like 
nonsense  from  the  ear  of  a  wise  man.'' 

[4]  At  these  remarks-  many  were  incensed,  and  burned  to 
pull  my  ears  and  order  me  to  be  silent.  But  the  president  of 
the  congi-egation  said  with  indignation,  "  This  discussion  is  not 
about  the  unity  and  plurality  of  God,  for  we  believe  in  both, 
but  about  what  is  involved  in  the  statement  that  the  Son  sits 
at  His  Father's  right  hand ;  if  you  know  anything  about  this, 
speak."' 

I  replied, "  I  will  speak,  but  I  pray  you  to  suppress  the  noise." 
And  I  said,  "  ^  To  sit  at  the  right  hand'  does  not  mean  to  sit 
at  the  right  hand,  but  it  means  God's  omnipotence  through  the 
Human  that  He  assumed  in  the  world.  By  means  of  this  He 
is  in  things  last  as  well  as  in  things  first ;  by  means  of  this  He 
entered  and  overthrew  and  subjugated  the  hells ;  by  means  of 
this  He  restored  order  in  the  heavens ;  and  thus  by  means  of 
this  He  redeemed  both  men  and  angels,  and  will  continue  to 
redeem  for  ever.  If  you  consult  the  Word,  and  are  capable  of 
enlightenment,  you  will  perceive  that  *  right  hand'  means  here 
omnipotence,  as  it  does  in  Isaiah : — 

My  hand  hath  founded  the  earth,  and  My  right  hand  hath  spanned  the 
heavens  (xlviii.  13). 


N.  136] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


205 


Jehovah  hath  sworn  by  His  right  hand  and  by  the  arm  of  His  strength 
(Ixii.  8). 

Thy  right  hand  doth  hold  Me  up  {Ps.  xviii.  35). 

Look  to  the  Son  that  Thou  madest  strong  for  Thyself  ;  let  Thy  hand 
be  for  the  man  of  the  right  hand,  for  the  Son  of  man  whom  Thou  madest 
stroi^g  for  Thyself  {Ps.  Ixxx.  15,  17). 

From  this  it  is  plain  how  the  following  is  to  be  understood : — 

The  saying  of  Jehovah  to  my  Lord,  Sit  Thou  at  My  right  hand  imtil  I 
make  Thine  enemies  a  footstool  for  Thy  feet.  Jehovah  shall  send  the  staff 
of  Thy  strength  out  of  Zion ;  rule  Thou  in  the  midst  of  Thine  enemies 
{Ps.  ex.  1,  2). 

This  whole  Psabn  treats  of  tiie  Lord's  combat  against  the  hells, 
and  His  subjugation  of  them.  As  *  the  right  hand  of  God'  sig- 
nifies omnipotence  : — 

The  Lord  says  that  He  is  to  sit  at  the  right  of  power  {Matt.  xxvi.  63, 
64); 

And  at  the  right  hand  of  the  power  of  God"  {Luke  xxii.  60). 

[5]  But  at  this  the  assembly  became  tumultuous,  and  I  said, 
^^  Take  heed ;  for  a  hand  may  appear  from  heaven,  and  when 
it  appears  (as  it  had  appeared  to  me),  it  strikes  the  beholder 
with  an  incredible  terror  of  its  power ;  and  this  has  been  to  me 
a  proof  that  ^  the  right  hand  of  God'  signifies  omnipotence." 

Scarcely  had  I  spoken  when  beneath  heaven  an  outstretched 
hand  was  seen,  at  the  appearance  of  which  such  terror  seized 
them  that  they  rushed  in  crowds  toward  the  doors,  and  some 
to  the  windows  to  throw  themselves  out,  and  some  fell  down 
unable  to  breathe.  But  I  remained  unterrified,  and  went  out 
calmly  after  them ;  and  when  some  distance  away  I  turned  and 
saw  the  building  enveloped  in  a  dense  cloud,  and  was  told  from 
heaven  that  this  was  done  because  they  had  spoken  from  a  be- 
lief in  three  Gods,  and  that  the  former  light  would  return  when 
those  who  were  more  sane  should  meet  there. 

137.  Fourth  Memorable  Belation  : — 

I  heard  that  a  synod  had  been  convoked  of  those  celebrated 
for  their  writings  and  learning  in  respect  to  the  faith  of  the 
present  day  and  the  justification  of  the  elect  thereby.  This 
was  in  the  world  of  spirits ;  and  it  was  granted  me  to  be  pre- 
sent in  spirit ;  and  I  saw  an  assembly  of  the  clergy,  both  those 
of  like  belief  and  those  of  differing  beliefs.    On  the  right  stood 


206 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chai'.  II. 


those  who  were  called  in  the  world  the  Apostolic  Fathers,  who 
had  lived  in  the  centuries  preceding  the  Nicene  Council ;  on  the 
left  stood  men  renowned  in  the  succeeding  centuries  for  their 
printed  or  manuscript  works.  Many  of  these  latter  had  no 
beards,  and  wore  curled  wigs  made  of  women's  hair ;  and  s.ome 
of  them  wore  ruffled  collars  with  points ;  while  the  former  had 
beards  and  wore  their  natural  hair. 

In  front  of  them  all  stood  a  man  (a  judge  and  a  critic  of  the 
writings  of  the  present  century),  with  a  staff  in  his  hand.    He 
struck  the  floor  and  caused  silence.     He  then  ascended  the 
upper  step  of  the  pulpit  and  breathed  out  a  sigh,  and  wished  to 
follow  it  up  by  a  loud  exclamation ;  but  the  sighing  breath  kept 
back  the  sound  in  his  throat.    [2]  At  length  he  spoke  and  said, 
"0  what  an  age,  my  brethren!     There  has  risen  up  from  the 
herd  of  the  laity  one  having  neither  gown,  tiara,  nor  laurel, 
who  has  plucked  our  faith  from  heaven  and  hurled  it  into 
the  Styx.     O  horrible !    And  yet  that  faith  alone  is  our  star, 
shining  like  Orion  in  the  night,  and  like  Lucifer  in  the  morn- 
ing.    That  man,  though  advanced  in  years,  is  wholly  blind  to 
the  mysteries  of  our  faith,  because  he  has  not  investigated  it 
and  seen  in  it  the  righteousness  of  the  Lord  our  Saviour  and 
His  mediation  and  propitiation ;  and  as  he  has  not  seen  these 
neither  has  he  seen  the  wonders  of  its  justification,  which  are 
the  remission  of  sins,  regeneration,  sanctification,  and  salvation. 
This  man,  in  place  of  our  faith — which,  being  a  faith  in  three 
Divine  persons  and  therefore  in  the  whole  Deity,  is  saving  to 
the  utmost — has  transferred  faith  to  the  second  person ;  yet  not 
even  to  Him,  but  to  His  Human  which  we  call  Divine  because 
of  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  from  eternity ;  but  is  there  any 
one  who  thinks  of  it  as  any  thing  more  than  merely  human  ? 
From  this  what  else  can  result  but  a  faith  from  Avhich  natural- 
ism flows  as  from  a  fountain  ?     And  such  a  faith,  not  being 
spiritual,  differs  but  little  from  faith  in  a  pope  or  in  a  saint. 
You  know  what  Calvin  said  in  his  time  about  worship  from  that 
kind  of  faith.   And  pray  tell  me,  any  one  of  you,  whence  comes 
faith.    Must  it  not  be  directly  from  God  to  thus  have  in  it  all 
things  of  salvation  ?" 

[3]  At  this  his  companions  on  the  left,  who  had  shaven  faces, 
curly  wigs,  and  collars  about  their  necks,  clapped  their  hands 


N.  137] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


207 


and  shouted,  "  You  have  spoken  most  wisely.  We  know  that 
we  can  take  nothing  that  is  not  given  us  from  heaven.  If  this 
is  not  faith,  let  that  prophet  tell  us  where  faith  comes  from 
and  what  it  is.  It  cannot  be  any  thing  else  or  from  any  other 
source.  To  set  forth  any  faith  that  is  a  faith,  other  than  this, 
is  as  impossible  as  for  one  to  ride  on  horseback  to  some  con- 
stellation in  heaven,  and  to  take  a  star  from  it  and  hide  it  in 
his  pocket  and  bring  it  down."  This  they  said  to  make  their 
companions  laugh  at  any  new  belief. 

[4]  Hearing  this,  the  men  on  the  right,  who  had  bearded 
chins  and  wore  their  natural  hair,  were  indignant.   And  one  of 
them  rose  up  (an  old  man,  although  he  afterwards  looked  like 
a  young  man,  for  he  was  an  angel  from  heaven,  where  those  of 
all  ages  become  youthful) ;  and  he  spoke  and  said,  "  I  have 
heard  what  your  faith  is,  which  the  man  in  the  pulpit  has  so 
magnified ;  but  what  is  such  a  faith  but  our  Lord's  sepulchre 
after  the  resurrection,  when  it  had  been  closed  again  by  Pilate's 
soldiers  ?     I  have  explored  it  and  have  seen  nothing  in  it  but 
tlie  juggler's  rods  with  which  the  magicians  in  Egypt  wrought 
miracles.     Indeed,  externally  your  faith  in  your  eyes  is  like  a 
shrine  of  molten  gold  set  with  precious  stones,  but  when  opened 
it  is  found  empty,  except,  perhaps,  for  a  little  dust  in  the  cor- 
ners from  Papal  relics,  since  that  church  has  the  same  faith ; 
only  with  them  at  the  present  day  it  is  overlaid  with  external 
sanctities.    Your  faith,  if  I  may  indulge  in  further  comparisons, 
is  like  a  vestal  virgin  among  the  ancients  who  has  been  buried 
alive  for  letting  the  sacred  fire  go  out.     And  I  can  assure  you 
that  in  my  eyes  it  is  like  the  golden  calf  around  which  the 
children  of  Israel  danced  when  Moses  had  gone  away,  and  had 
ascended  Mount  Sinai  to  Jehovah.     [5]  Be  not  surprised  that 
I  use  such  comparisons  in  speaking  of  your  faith ;  for  so  we 
speak  of  it  in  heaven.    Our  faith  on  the  other  hand  is,  was,  and 
for  ever  will  be,  a  faith  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  whose  Hu- 
man is  Divine  and  whose  Divine  is  Human ;  thus  it  is  adapted 
to  reception,  and  by  it  the  Divine  spiritual  is  imited  to  the 
natural  of  man,  and  a  spiritual  faith  is  formed  in  the  natural, 
and  from  the  spiritual  light  in  which  our  faith  is  the  natural 
becomes  as  it  were  transparent.    The  truths  of  which  our  faith 
consists  are  as  many  as  the  verses  in  the  sacred  Volume ;  these 


208 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


truths  are  all  like  stars,  which  by  their  light  make  the  faith 
manifest  and  give  it  form.  Man  acquires  this  faith  from  the 
Word  by  means  of  his  natural  light,  in  which  light  it  is  knowl- 
edge, thought,  and  persuasion  ;  but  the  Lord  causes  it,  in  those 
who  believe  in  Him,  to  become  conviction,  trust,  and  confi- 
dence ;  thus  faith  becomes  spiritual-natural,  and  by  means  of 
charity  becomes  living.  With  us  this  faith  is  like  a  queen 
adorned  with  precious  stones,  as  numerous  as  those  in  the  wall 
of  the  holy  Jerusalem  (Apoc.  xxi.  17-20).  [6]  But  lest  you 
may  look  upon  what  I  have  said  as  mere  boasting,  and  worthy 
of  iittle  regard,  I  will  read  to  you  some  passages  from  the  Holy 
Word,  from  w^hich  it  wdll  be  evident  that  our  faith  is  not  faith 
in  a  man,  as  you  suppose,  but  in  the  true  God,  in  whom  is  the 
entire  Divine.    John  says  that : — 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  true  God,  and  eternal  Ufe  (1  John  v.  20). 

Paul  says  that : — 

In  Christ  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Divinity  bodily  (Col.  ii.  9)  ; 
and  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles: — 

That  he  preached  both  to  Jews  and  to  Greeks  repentance  toward  God 
and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  (xx.  21).    . 

And  the  Lord  Himself  says : — 

That  there  was  given  to  Him  all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth  {Matt. 
xxviii.  18). 

These  are  but  a  few  of  such  passages." 

[7]  After  this  the  angel  looked  at  me  and  said,  "  You  know 
what  those  who  are  called  Evangelical  believe,  or  are  expected 
to  believe,  about  the  Lord  the  Saviour.  Recite  some  of  these 
things,  that  we  may  see  whether  they  are  so  foolish  as  to  be- 
lieve that  His  Human  is  merely  human,  or  whether  they  attrib- 
ute to  Him  something  of  the  Divine,  and  how." 

And  then,  in  the  presence  of  those  assembled,  I  read  the  fol- 
lowing passages  from  their  standard  work  called  the  Formula 
(7oricor^;a>,  published  at  Leipsicin  1756:  In  Christ  the  Divine 
and  the  Human  Natures  are  so  united  as  to  make  one  person 
(pp.  606,  762).    Christ  is  truly  God  and  Man  in  one  undivided 


N.  137] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


209 


person,  and  so  remains  for  ever  (pp.  609,  673,  762).  In  Christ 
God  is  Man,  and  Man  is  God  (pp.  607,  760).  Christ's  Hu- 
man Nature  is  exalted  to  all  Divine  Majesty;  this  also  from 
many  of  the  Fathers  (pp.  844-852,  860-865,  869-878).  As  to 
His  Human  nature  Christ  is  omnipresent,  and  fills  all  things  (pp. 
768,  783-785).  In  Christ,  as  to  His  Human  nature,  resides  all 
power  in  heaven  and  on  earth  (pp.  775,  776,  780).  As  to  His 
Iluman  nature  Christ  sits  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father  (pp. 
608,  764)..  Christ,  as  to  His  Human  nature,  is  to  be  invoked; 
there  proved  by  quotations  from  the  Scriptures  (p.  226).  The 
Augustan  Confession  especially  endorses  this  doctrine  (p.  19). 

[8]  When  I  had  read  these  passages  I  turned  to  the  presi- 
dent and  said,  "  I  know  that  all  here  present  are  associated  with 
their  like  in  the  natural  world ;  tell  me,  I  pray,  do  you  know 
with  whom  you  are  associated  T^ 

He  answered  in  a  grave  tone,  "  I  do ;  I  am  associated  with  a 
celebrated  man,  a  leader  of  a  host  in  the  army  of  illustrious  men 
in  the  church.'' 

As  he  answered  in  so  grave  a  tone  I  said, "  Pardon  me  if  I 
ask  whether  you  know  where  that  celebrated  leader  lives." 

He  answered,  "I  do ;  he  lives  not  far  from  the  tomb  of  Lu- 
ther." 

At  this  I  smiled  and  said,  "  Why  do  you  mention  the  tomb  ? 
Do  you  not  know  that  Luther  has  risen,  and  has  now  renounced 
his  erroneous  ideas  of  justification  by  faith  in  three  Divine  per- 
sons from  eternity,  and  therefore  has  been  placed  among  the 
blessed  in  the  new  heaven,  and  sees  and  laughs  at  those  who 
run  mad  after  him  ?" 

He  replied,  ^'  I  know,  but  what  is  that  to  me  ?" 

I  then  addressed  him  in  a  grave  tone  like  his  own,  saying, 
"Inspire  your  celebrated  man  with  whom  you  are  associated 
with  this.  Whether  there  is  not  reason  to  fear  that  in  writing 
as  he  did  against  the  worship  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  he  at 
the  same  time  robbed  the  Lord  of  His  Divinity,  contrary  to  the 
orthodoxy  of  his  church,  or  allowed  his  pen  to  plough  a  furrow 
in  which  he  thoughtlessly  sowed  naturalism." 

To  this  he  replied,  "That  I  cannot  do,  because  he  and  I  in 
that  matter  are  almost  of  one  mind ;  but  what  I  say  he  does  not 
understand,  while  all  that  he  says  I  understand  clearly."  This 
14 


a^aaMawfin&iUw 


aai 


■iiitrimi«iiaft\»whfcifaBa»>iidaiti>arihf 


210 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  U. 


is  because  the  spiritual  world  enters  into  the  natural  and  per- 
ceives the  thoughts  of  men  there,  but  not  the  reverse ;  such  is 
the  condition  of  association  of  spirits  and  men. 

[9]  As  I  had  begun  to  talk  with  the  president  I  continued, 
"If  I  may  be  permitted  I  will  throw  in  still  another  query, 
Whether  you  are  aware  that  the  orthodoxy  of  the  Evangelicals, 
in  the  manual  of  their  church  called  the  Formula  Concordicp, 
.caches  that  in  Christ  God  is  Man,  and  Man  is  God,  and  that 
His  Divine  and  Human  are  and  will  for  ever  remain  one  undi- 
vided Person  ?  How  then  could  he  and  how  can  you  defile  the 
worship  of  the  Lord  with  naturalism  ?'' 

To  this  he  replied,  "I  know  that,  and  yet  I  do  not  know  it." 
I  therefore  continued,  <'  Lei  me  ask  him,  or  you  in  his  place, 
since  he  is  absent,  from  whom  did  the  Lord  our  Saviour  derive 
His  soul?    If  you  say  from  the  mother,  you  are  irrational;  if 
from  Joseph,  you  profane  the  Word ;  if  from  the  Holy  Spirit, 
you  say  truly,  provided  that  by  the  Holy  Spirit  you  mean  the 
proceeding  and  operating  Divine,  thus  that  He  is  the  Son  of  Je- 
hovah God.     [lO]  Again,  I  ask.  What  is  the  hypostatic  union  ? 
If  you  reply  that  it  is  a  union  as  between  two  persons,  a  super- 
ior and  an  inferior,  you  are  irrational ;  for  thus  you  might  make 
God  the  Saviour  two  persons,  as  you  make  God  three;  but  if 
you  say  that  it  is  a  personal  union  like  that  of  soul  and  body, 
you  say  rightly:  and  this  is  in  harmony  with  your  doctrine, 
also  with  that  of  the  Fathers.     Consult  the  Formula  Concor- 
dice  (pp.  765-768),  also  the  Athanasian  creed,  where  this  is  said, 
*  The  correct  faith  is  that  we  believe  and  confess  that  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  God  and  Man ;  who  although  He  be  God  and 
Man,  yet  is  not  two,  but  is  one  Christ,  one  altogether,  not  by 
confusion  of  substance  but  by  unity  of  Person ;  for  as  the  rea- 
sonable soul  and  flesh  are  one  man,  so  God  and  Man  is  one 
Christ.'    [11]  I  ask  still  further.  What  else  was  the  damnable 
heresy  of  Arius,  on  account  of  whom  the  Kicene  Council  was 
convened  by  the  Emperor  Constantine  the  Great,  than  his  de- 
nial of  the  Divinity  of  the  Lord's  Human  ?    Tell  me,  moreover, 
whom  you  understand  by  these  words  in  Jeremiah : — 

Behold,  the  days  come  that  I  will  raise  unto  David  a  righteous  Branch, 
and  He  shall  reign  as  King,  and  this  is  His  name,  Jehovah  our  Right- 
eousness (xxiii.  5,  6 ;  xxxiii.  15,  16). 


N.  137] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


211 


If  you  say  a  Son  born  from  eternity,  you  are  irrational ;  that 
was  not  the  Redeemer ;  but  if  you  say  the  Son  born  in  time, 
who  was  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God  {John  i.  18 ;  iii.  16),  you 
say  rightly ;  He  through  redemption  became  the  righteousness 
upon  which  you  build  your  faith.  Eead  also  Isaiah  ix.  6,  be- 
sides other  passages  in  which  it  is  foretold  that  Jehovah  Him- 
self would  come  into  the  world.'' 

At  this  the  president  was  silent,  and  turned  away. 

[12]  When  all  this  had  occurred  the  president  wished  to 
dismiss  the  synod  with  a  prayer ;  but  just  then  a  man  started 
up  from  the  company  on  the  left,  with  a  turban  on  his  head 
and  a  cap  over  the  turban ;  and  he  touched  his  cap  with  his 
hnger,  and  said,  <^  I  also  am  associated  with  a  man  in  your 
world,  who  there  occupies  a  position  of  great  honor;  this  I 
know  because  I  speak  from  him  as  from  myself." 

I  asked  where  that  eminent  man  lived. 

He  answered,  "  At  Gottenburg ;  and  from  him  I  at  one 
time  thought  that  your  new  doctrines  favored  of  JVIohamme- 
danism." 

I  saw  that  on  hearing  this  all  those  on  the  right,  where  the 
Apostolic  Fathers  stood,  were  thunderstruck,  and  their  coun- 
tenances changed,  and  I  heard  such  exclamations  as  these  issu- 
ing from  their  minds  through  their  mouths,  "  0  horrible !"  "  0 
what  an  age !'' 

But  to  calm  their  just  indignation  I  stretched  forth  my  hand 
and  begged  a  hearing;  which  being  granted  I  said,  "I  know 
that  a  man  of  that  eminence  wrote  something  of  the  kind  in  a 
letter  which  was  afterwards  printed;  but  if  he  had  then  known 
what  blasphemy  it  was  he  would  certainly  have  torn  the  letter 
to  pieces  and  thrown  it  into  the  fire.  A  slander  like  that  is 
meant  by  the  Lord's  words  to  the  Jews,  when  they  said  that 
Christ  wrought  miracles  by  other  than  Divine  power  {Matt  xii. 
22-32) ;  and  in  addition  to  this  the  Lord  there  says  : — 

He  that  is  not  with  Me  is  against  Me,  and  he  that  gathereth  not  with 
Me  scattereth  abroad"  (verse  30). 

At  these  words  the  countenance  of  the  associate  spirit  fell ; 
but  presently  he  looked  up  and  said,  "  I  have  now  heard  worse 
things  from  you  than  ever.'' 


212 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  II. 


But  I  continued,  '^  There  are  two  items  in  this  charge- 
naturalism  and  Mohammedanism — which  are  wicked  lies  and 
crafty  inventions ;  and  two  deadly  stigmas,  designed  to  turn 
aside  the  wdlls  of  men  and  to  deter  them  from  the  holy  wor- 
ship of  the  Lord."  And  I  turned  to  the  latter  associate  spirit 
and  said,  ^^Tell  the  man  at  Gottenburg,  if  you  can,  to  read  what 
is  said  by  the  Lord  in  vi/>oc.  iii.  18,  and  also  in  ii.  16.'^ 

[13J  At  these  remarks  a  tumult  arose ;  but  it  was  quieted 
by  light  sent  down  from  heaven,  in  consequence  of  which  many 
of  those  on  the  left  passed  over  to  those  on  tlie  right,  those  only 
remaining  who  thought  superhcially,  and  therefore  depended 
on  the  word  of  some  master,  also  those  who  thouglit  of  the 
Lord  as  merely  human.  From  both  of  these  classes  the  light 
sent  down  from  heaven  appeared  to  be  thrown  back,  but  to  fall 
upon  those  who  had  passed  over  from  the  left  to  the  right. 


N.  138] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


213 


CHAPTEPv  IIL 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  AND  THE  DIVINE  OPERATION  • 

138.  All  those  of  the  clerical  order  who  have  cherished  any 
right  idea  of  the  Lord  our  Saviour,  when  they  enter  the  spir- 
itual workl  (which  generally  takes  place  on  the  third  day  after 
death),  receive  instruction  at  first  about  the  Divine  trinity,  and 
particularly  about  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  it  is  not  a  God  by  itself, 
but  that  the  Divine  operation  proceeding  from  the  one  and 
omnipresent  God  is  what  is  meant  in  the  AVord  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.     They  are  thus  particularly  instructed  about  this,  be- 
cause very  many  enthusiasts  after  death  fall  into  the  insane 
phantasy  that  they  themselves  are  the  Holy  Spirit;  also  be- 
cause many  belonging  to  the  church  who  had  believed  while  in 
the  world  that  the  Holy  Spirit  spoke  through  them,  terrify 
others  with  the  words  of  the  Lord  in  Matthew  (xii.  31,  32), 
claiming  that  to  speak  against  what  the  Holy  Spirit  has  in- 
spired into  them  is  the  unpardonable  sin.     Those  who  after 
instruction  relinquish  the  belief  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  a  God 
by  itself  are  then  taught  that  the  unity  of  God  is  not  divided 
into  three  persons,  each  one  of  w^hom  is  singly  God  and  Lord, 
according  to  the  Athanasian  creed ;  but  that  the  Divine  trinity 
is  in  the  Lord  the  Saviour,  like  the  soul,  the  body,  and  the  pro- 
ceeding energy  in  every  man.    After  this  they  are  prepared  for 
receiving  the  faith  of  the  new  heaven ;  and  when  so  prepared 
a  way  is  opened  for  them  to  a  society  in  heaven  where  a  like 
faith  prevails,  and  an  abode  is  given  them  among  brethren, 
with  whom  they  are  to  live  in  blessedness  to  eternity.    As  God 
the  Creator  and  the  Lord  the  Kedeemer  have  already  been 
treated  of,  it  is  now^  necessary  to  treat  also  of  the  Holy  Spirit; 
and  this  subject,  like  the  others,  shall  be  considered  under  ap- 
propriate heads,  as  follows  : — 

(1)  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Divine  Truth  and  also  the  Di- 
vine Energy  and  Operation  proceeding  from  the  one  God  in 
whom  is  the  Divine  Trinity,  that  is,  from  the  Lord  God  the 
Saviour 


214 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IU. 


(2)  The  Divine  Energy  and  Operation,  which  are  meant  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  are,  in  general,  reformation  and  regeneration ; 
and  in  accordance  with  these,  renovation,  vivification,  sanctiti- 
cation,  and  justification ;  and  in  accordance  with  these  latter, 
purification  from  evils  and  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  finally  sal- 
vation. 

(3)  The  Divine  Energy  and  Operation  which  are  meant  by 
the  "  sending  of  the  Holy  Spirit,''  are,  with  the  clergy  espe- 
cially, enlightenment  and  instruction. 

(4)  The  Lord  makes  these  energies  operative  in  those  who 
believe  in  Him. 

(5)  The  Lord  operates  of  Himself  from  the  Father,  and  not 
the  reverse. 

(6)  The  spirit  of  man  is  his  mind  and  whatever  proceeds 
from  it. 

139.  (1)  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Divine  Truth  and  also  the 
Divine  Energy  and  Operation  proceeding  from  the  one  God  in 
whom  is  the  Divine  Trinity,  that  is,  from  the  Lord  God  the 
Saviour.  The  Holy  Spirit  signifies  strictly  the  Divine  truth, 
thus  also  the  Word ;  and  in  this  sense  the  Lord  Himself  is  the 
Holy  Spirit.  But  since  in  the  church  at  this  day  the  Divine 
operation,  which  is  actually  justification,  is  what  is  meant  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  this  is  here  taken  to  be  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
is  what  is  chiefly  treated  of.  This  is  done  for  the  further 
reason  that  the  Divine  operation  is  effected  by  means  of  the 
Divine  truth  which  goes  forth  from  the  Lord ;  and  that  which 
goes  forth  is  of  one  and  the  same  essence  with  Him  from  whom 
it  goes  forth,  as  the  three  things,  soul,  body,  and  what  goes 
forth  from  them,  together  constitute  one  essence,  which  in  man 
is  purely  human,  but  in  the  Lord  is  Divine  and  Human  at  the 
same  time ;  and  these  after  glorification  are  united  as  what  is 
prior  is  with  its  posterior,  or  as  essence  is  with  its  form.  Thus 
the  three  essentials,  called  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  are  one 
in  the  Lord.  [2]  That  the  Lord  is  the  Divine  truth  itself,  or 
the  Divine  verity,  has  been  shown  above.  That  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  the  same  is  manifest  from  the  following  passages  : — 

There  shall  go  forth  a  Shoot  out  of  the  stock  of  Jesse  ;  the  spirit  of 
Jehovah  shall  rest  upon  Him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  of  understanding, 
the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might ;  and  He  shall  smite  the  land  with  the  rod 


K.  130] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


216 


of  His  mouth,  and  with  the  breath  of  His  lips  shall  He  slay  the  wicked  ; 
and  righteousness  shall  be  the  girdle  of  His  loins,  and  truth  the  girdle  of 
His  thighs  {Isa.  xi.  1,  2,  4,  5). 

He  shall  come  like  a  narrow  flood  ;  the  Spirit  of  Jehovah  shall  lift  up 
a  standard  against  him ;  then  a  Redeemer  shall  come  to  Zion  {Isa.  lix. 
19,  20). 

The  spirit  of  the  Lord  Jehovih  is  upon  Me  ;  therefore  Jehovah  hath 
anointed  Me,  He  hath  sent  Me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the  poor  {Isa. 
Ixi.  1 ;  Luke  iv.  18). 

This  is  My  covenant ;  My  spirit  that  is  upon  thee,  and  My  words  shall 
not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth  from  henceforth  and  for  ever  {Isa.  lix.  21). 

[3]  As  the  Lord  is  truth  itself,  all  that  goes  forth  from  Him 
is  truth,  and  this  is  what  is  meant  by  the  Comforter,  who  is 
also  called  the  Spirit  of  truth  and  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  is 
evident  from  the  following  passages  : — 

I  tell  you  the  truth :  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away  ;  for  if  I 
go  not  away  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you,  but  if  I  go  away  I 
will  send  Him  unto  you  {John  xvi.  7). 

When  He,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  He  will  guide  you  into  all 
truth  ;  for  He  will  not  speak  from  Himself,  but  whatsoever  things  He 
shall  hear  shall  He  speak  {John  xvi.  13). 

He  shall  glorify  Me  ;  for  He  shall  take  of  Mine  and  shall  declare  it 
unto  you.  All  things  whatsoever  the  Father  hath  are  Mine  ;  therefore 
said  I  that  He  shall  take  of  Mine  and  shall  declare  it  unto  you  {John  xvi. 
14,  15). 

I  will  ask  the  Father  to  give  you  another  Comforter,  the  Spirit  of 
tnith  ;  whom  the  world  cannot  receive  because  it  seeth  Him  not,  neither 
knoweth  Him  ;  but  ye  know  Him,  for  He  abideth  with  you  and  shall  be 
in  you.  I  will  not  leave  you  orphans ;  I  come  to  you :  and  ye  shall  see 
Me  {John  xiv.  16-19). 

When  the  Comforter  is  come  whom  I  will  send  unto  you  from  the 
Father,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  He  shall  bear  witness  of  Me  (John  xv.  26). 

He  is  called  the  Holy  Spirit  {John  xiv.  2(j). 

[4]  That  by  "  the  Comforter"  or  "  the  Holy  Spirit"  the  Lord 
meant  Himself,  is  evident  from  His  words,  that  the  world  had 
not  yet  known  Him  : — 

But  ye  know  Him  ;  I  will  not  leave  you  orphans  ;  I  come  to  you ;  ye 
shall  see  Me  {John  xiv.  17-19) ; 

and  in  another  passage  : — 

Lo  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  consummation  of  the  age 
{Matt,  xxviii.  20); 


216 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IIL 


also  from  these  words,  "  He  shall  not  speak  from  Himself,"  but 
«  He  shall  take  of  Mine." 

140.  Since,  then,  by  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Divine  truth  is 
meant,  and  the  Divine  truth  was  in  the  Lord  and  was  the  Lord 
Himself  (John  xiv.  6),  and  since  the  Holy  Spirit  could  there- 
fore proceed  from  no  other  source,  it  is  said : — 

The  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet,  because  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified  {John 
vii.  39) ; 

and  after  the  (glorification  : — 


He  breathed  upon  His  disciples  and  said,  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Spirit 
{John  XX.  22). 

The  Lord  breathed  upon  His  disciples  and  said  this  because 
*' breathing  upon  (as/>/raf/o)"  was  an  outward  symbol  represen- 
tative of  the  Divine  breathing-into  (Insjuratio).  Breathing-into 
effects  insei-tion  into  angelic  societies.  From  all  this  the  under- 
standing can  comprehend  what  was  said  by  the  angel  Gabriel 
respecting  the  conception  of  the  Lord  : — 

The  Holy  Spirit  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Most  High 
shall  overshadow  thee  ;  therefore  that  holy  thing  which  shall  be  born  of 
thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God  {Luke  i.  35). 

And  again : — 

The  angel  of  the  Lord  said  to  Joseph,  in  a  dream,  Fear  not  to  take 
unto  thee  Mary  thy  bride ;  for  that  which  is  conceived  in  her  is  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  And  Joseph  touched  her  not  until  she  had  brought  forth 
her  firstborn  Son  {Matt.  i.  20,  25). 

Here  the  "  Holy  Spirit"  means  the  Divine  truth  going  forth 
from  Jehovah  the  Father;  and  this  going  forth  is  the  power  of 
the  Most  High  which  then  overshadowed  the  mother.  This, 
therefore,  agrees  with  what  is  said  in  John : — 

The  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the  Word.  And  the  Word  be- 
came flesh  (i.  1,  14). 

That  by  "  the  AYord"  here  the  Divine  truth  is  meant  may  be 
seen  above  (n.  3)  on  The  Faith  of  the  New  Church. 

141.  That  the  Divine  trinity  is  in  the  Lord  has  been  shown 
above,  and  will  be  shown  more  fully  hereafter  when  that  sub- 
ject is  treated  of  in  detail.  Here  only  some  inconsistencies 
resulting  from  a  division  of  the  trinity  into  persons  will  be 


gmi 


N.  141] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


217 


pointed  out.     Such  a  trinity  would  be  like  one  minister  of  a 
church  teaching  from  the  pulpit  what  must  be  believed  and 
what  must  be  done,  with  another  minister  standing  by  him, 
whispering  in  his  ear,  "  You  say  truly,  add  something  more  y' 
and  these  saying  to  a  third,  standing  on  the  steps  of  the  pul- 
pit, "  Go  down  into  the  church,  open  the  ears  of  the  people, 
and  pour  these  things  into  their  hearts,  and  cause  them  to  be 
pure,  holy,  and  pledges  of  righteousness."    Again,  a  Divine  trin- 
ity divided  into  persons,  each  one  of  whom  singly  is  God  and 
Lord,  is  like  three  suns  in  a  single  solar  system,  one  near  to 
another  on  high,  and  below  these  a  third,  which  pours  forth  its 
rays  upon  angels  and  men,  conveying  the  heat  and  light  of  the 
other  two  with  all  power  to  their  minds,  hearts,  and  bodies ;  en- 
kindling, clarifying,  and  refining  them,  as  fire  does  with  sub- 
stances in  a  retort.    Who  cannot  see  that  if  this  were  done  men 
would  be  burned  to  a  cinder  ?    Again,  the  rule  of  three  Divine 
persons  in  heaven  would  be  like  the  rule  of  three  kings  in  one 
kingdom ;  or  of  three  counnanders  having  equal  authority  over 
one  army;  or  rather  like  the  Roman  government  before  the 
times  of  the  Caesars,  which  was  composed  of  a  consulate,  a  sen- 
ate, and  a  tribunate  of  the  commons,  among  whom  the  power 
was  distributed,  but  with  the  supreme  authority  residing  in  all 
together.    Who  does  not  see  the  absurdity,  folly,  and  madness 
of  introducing  such  a  form  of  government  into  heaven  ?    But 
this  is  done  when  an  authority  like  that  of  the  higher  consu- 
late is  ascribed  to  God  the  Father,  an  authority  like  that  of 
the  senate  to  the  Son,  and  an  authority  like  that  of  the  tribu- 
nate of  the  commons  to  the  Holy  Spirit.     This  is  done  when 
a  function  peculiar  to  Himself  is  attributed  to  each;  and  espe- 
cially when,  in  addition  to  this,  their  attributes  are  not  com- 
municable. 

142.  (2)  The  Dunne  Energj/  and  Operation,  which  are 
meant  by  the  Hohj  Spirit,  are,  in  general,  reformation  and  regen- 
eration ;  and  in  accordance  with  these,  renovation,  vivification, 
sanctification  and  justification  ;  and  in  accordance  with  these 
latter,  purification  from  evils,  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  finally 
salvation.  These  in  their  order  are  the  energies  made  opera- 
tive by  the  Lord  in  those  who  believe  in  Him,  and  who  adjust 
and  dispose  themselves  for  His  reception  and  indwelling ;  and 


218 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  HI. 


this  is  done  by  means  of  Divine  truth,  and  with  Christians  by 
means  of  the  Word ;  for  the  Word  is  the  sole  medium  through 
which  man  draws  near  to  the  Lord,  and  into  which  the  Lord 
enters.  For,  as  said  above,  the  Lord  is  Divine  truth  itself,  and 
whatever  goes  forth  from  Him  is  Divine  truth.  But  Divine 
truth  from  good  must  be  understood,  which  is  the  same  as  faith 
from  charity,  since  faith  is  nothing  but  truth,  and  charity  is 
nothing  but  goodness.  It  is  by  means  of  Divine  truth  from 
good,  that  is,  by  means  of  faith  from  charity,  that  man  is  re- 
formed and  regenerated,  and  also  renewed,  vivihed,  sanctified, 
justified,  and  according  to  the  progress  and  growth  of  these  is 
purified  from  evils ;  and  purification  from  evils  is  remission  of 
sins.  But  these  operations  of  the  Lord  cannot  now  be  all  ex- 
plained one  by  one,  because  each  one  calls  for  its  own  analysis, 
confirmed  by  the  A\'ord  and  rationally  illustrated,  for  which  this 
is  not  the  place ;  therefore  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  chapters 
following  in  order  in  this  work,  which  treat  of  Charity,  Faith, 
Free  Will,  Eepentance,  and  Reformation  and  Regeneration.  It 
must  be  understood  that  these  saving  graces  are  continually 
made  operative  by  the  Lord  in  every  man ;  since  they  are  the 
steps  to  heaven,  and  the  Lord  desires  the  salvation  of  all.  Thus 
the  salvation  of  all  is  His  end ;  and  he  who  wills  an  end  wills 
also  the  means.  The  Lord's  coming,  redemption,  and  the  pas- 
sion of  the  cross  were  for  the  sake  of  man's  salvation  (Matt. 
xviii.  11 ;  Luke  xix.  10).  And  as  man's  salvation  was  and  eter- 
nally is  the  Lord's  end,  it  follows  that  the  above  mentioned 
operations  are  mediate  ends,  and  salvation  the  final  end. 

143.  The  operation  of  these  energies  is  the  Holy  Spirit, 
which  the  Lord  sends  to  those  who  believe  in  Him  and  who 
prepare  themselves  to  receive  Him.  This  is  what  is  meant  by 
the  "  spirit"  in  the  following  passages  : — 

I  will  give  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit ;  and  I  will  put  My  spirit 
within  you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  My  statutes  {Ezek.  xxxvi.  26,  27  ; 
xi.  19). 

Create  in  us  a  clean  heart,  O  God,  and  renew  a  steadfast  spirit  within 
me.  Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  Thy  salvation,  and  let  a  willing  spirit 
uphold  me  {Ps.  li.  10,  12). 

Jehovah  forraeth  the  spirit  of  man  within  him  {Zech.  xii.  1). 

With  my  soul  have  I  waited  for  Thee  in  the  night ;  yea,  with  my  spirit 
within  me  have  I  waited  for  Thee  in  the  morning  {Isa.  xxvi.  9). 


N.  143] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


219 


Make  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit ;  why  will  ye  die,  O  house  of 
Israel  ?  {Ezek.  xviii.  31)  ; 

and  elsewhere.  In  these  passages  "  a  new  heart"  means  a  will  of 
good,  and  "  a  new  spirit"  an  understanding  of  truth.  That  the 
Lord  operates  these  in  such  as  do  good  and  believe  the  truth, 
that  is,  in  those  who  are  in  the  faith  of  charity,  is  clearly  evi- 
dent from  what  is  said  above — that  God  gives  a  soul  to  those 
who  walk  in  His  statutes;  also  from  the  words,  "a  willing 
spirit."  And  that  man  must  operate  on  his  part  is  evident  from 
the  words,  "  Make  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit ;  why  will 
ye  die  O  house  of  Israel  ?" 
144.  We  read : — 

Tliat  when  Jesus  was  baptized  the  heavens  were  opened,  and  John 
saw  the  Holy  Spirit  descending  like  a  dove  {Matt.  iii.  16 ;  Mark  i.  10  ; 
Luke  iii.  21,  22  ;  John  i.  32,  33). 

This  took  place  because  baptism  signifies  regeneration  and  pu- 
rification ;  and  a  dove  has  the  same  signification.  Who  cannot 
see  that  the  dove  was  not  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  not  the  dove  ?  Doves  often  appear  in  heaven ;  and 
whenever  they  appear  the  angels  know  that  they  are  corre- 
spondences of  the  affections  and  the  consequent  thoughts  con- 
cerning regeneration  and  purification  of  some  who  are  near  by ; 
therefore  as  soon  as  these  are  approached  and  are  spoken  to 
about  some  other  subject  than  was  in  their  thoughts  when  that 
appearance  took  place  the  doves  instantly  vanish.  This  is  like 
many  things  seen  by  the  prophets ;  as  that  John  saw  a  lamb 
standing  upon  Mount  Zion  (Jpoc.  xiv.  1) ;  and  elsewhere.  Who 
does  not  know  that  the  Lord  was  not  that  lamb,  and  was  not  in 
the  lamb,  but  the  lamb  was  a  representation  of  His  innocence  ? 
This  shows  clearly  the  error  of  those  who  deduce  a  trinity  of 
three  persons  from  the  dove  seen  descending  upon  the  Lord 
when  He  was  baptized,  and  from  the  voice  heard  out  of  heaven 
saying,  "This  is  My  beloved  Son."  That  the  Lord  regenerates 
man  by  means  of  faith  and  charity  is  meant  by  what  John  the 
Baptist  said: — 

I  baptize  you  with  water  unto  repentance  ;  but  He  that  cometh  after 
me  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  tire  {Matt.  iii.  11 ; 
Mark  i.  8  ;  Luke  iii.  16). 


220 


THE  TKUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 


N.  146] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIl 


221 


"  To  baptize  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  fire''  means  to  re- 
generate by  the  Divine  truth  that  belongs  to  faith  and  the  Di- 
vine good  that  belongs  to  charity.  The  same  is  meant  by  these 
words  of  the  Lord: — 

Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  [John  iii.  5). 

"  Water/'  here  as  elsewhere  in  the  Word,  signifies  truth  in  the 
natural  or  external  man ;  and  "  spirit"  signifies  truth  from  good 
in  the  spiritual  or  internal  man. 

145.  Since,  then,  the  Lord  is  Divine  truth  itself  from  Divine 
good,  and  this  is  His  very  essence,  and  since  it  is  from  one's 
essence  that  he  does  what  he  does,  it  is  obvious  that  the  Lord 
wills  unceasingly  (nor  can  He  will  otherwise)  to  implant  truth 
and  good,  or  faith  and  charity,  in  every  man.  This  may  be  illus- 
trated by  many  things  in  the  world ;  as  that  every  man's  voli- 
tion and  thought,  and  as  far  as  it  is  allowable  his  speech  and 
acts,  are  ^rom  his  own  essence;  for  example, a  faithful  man  has 
faithful  thoughts  and  intentions ;  an  honest,  upright,  pious,  and 
religious  man  has  honest,  upright,  pious,  and  religious  thoughts 
and  intentions ;  and  conversely,  a  proud,  cunning,  wily,  and  ava- 
ricious man  has  thoughts  and  intentions  that  make  one  with 
his  essence ;  a  fortune-teller  desires  only  to  tell  fortunes ;  a  fool 
has  no  wish  but  to  babbie  against  the  things  of  wisdom ;  in  a 
word,  an  angel  meditates  and  strives  after  nothing  but  heavenly 
things,  and  a  devil  nothing  but  infernal  things.  It  is  the  same 
with  every  subject  of  lower  rank  in  the  animal  kingdom,  as 
bird,  beast,  fish,  worm,  or  insect — each  is  known  by  its  essence 
or  nature ;  and  its  instinct  is  from  that  nature  and  in  accord 
therewith.  Likewise  in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  every  tree, 
shrub,  and  plant  is  known  by  its  fruit  and  its  seed,  in  which 
its  essence  is  innate ;  nor  can  anything  be  produced  from  it  ex- 
cept what  is  like  it  and  what  is  its  own ;  yea,  every  kind  of  soil 
and  marl,  every  stone  both  precious  and  common,  and  every 
mineral  and  metal,  is  judged  according  to  its  essence. 

146.  (3)  The  Divine  Energy  and  Operation,  which  are  meant 
by  the  '^  sending  of  the  Holy  Spirif^  are,  with  the  clergy  espe- 
cially, enlightenment  and  instrnction.  The  operations  of  the 
Lord  enumerated  in  the  preceding  proposition,  namely,  refor- 


mation, regeneration,  renewal,  vivification,  sanctification,  justi- 
fication, purification,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  finally  salva- 
tion, flow  in  from  the  Lord  both  with  the  clergy  and  the  laity, 
and  are  received  by  those  who  are  in  the  Lord,  and  in  whom' 
the  Lord  is  (John  vi.  56 ;  xiv.  20 ;  xv.  4,  5).  But  enlightenment 
and  instruction  are  communicated  especially  to  the  clergy,  be- 
cause these  belong  to  their  ofiice,  and  inauguration  into'  the 
ministry  carries  these  along  with  it.  Moreover,  when  preach- 
ing from  zeal  they  believe  themselves  to  be  inspired,  like  the 

Lord's  disciples  upon  whom  He  breathed,  saying : 

Receive  ye  the  Holy  Spirit  {John  xx.  22  ;  see  also  Mark  xiii.  11). 

Some  aftirm  even  that  they  have  felt  the  influx.     But  they 
should  be  very  careful  not  to  i)ersuade  themselves  that  the  zeal 
by  which  many  are  carried  away  while  preaching  is  the  Divine 
operation  in  their  hearts;  for  a  like  and  even  warmer  zeal  pre- 
vails with  enthusiasts,  as  also  with  those  who  are  in  the  utmost 
falsities  of  doctrine ;  and  even  with  those  who  despise  the  AVord 
and  worship  nature  instead  of  God,  and  fling  faith  and  charity, 
as  it  were,  into  a  bag  on  the  back;  but  when  preaching  or 
teaching  they  hang  it  before  them  like  a  sort  of  ruminatoiy 
stomach,  from  which  they  draw  out  and  disgorge  such  things 
as  they  know  will  serve  as  food  for  their  hearers.    For  zeal,  in 
itself  considered,  is  a  glow  of  the  natural  man.    If  it  has  within 
it  a  love  of  truth  it  is  like  the  sacred  fire  that  descended  upon 
the  apostles,  as  described  in  the  Acts : 

There  appeared  unto  them  tongues  parting  asunder,  like  as  of  fire ; 
and  It  sat  upon  each  of  them ;  and  they  were  all  tilled  with  the  Holv 
Spirit  (ii.  3,  4).  ^ 

But  if  within  that  zeal  or  glow  a  love  of  falsity  is  concealed,  it 
is  like  a  fire  imprisoned  in  wood,  which  bursts  forth  and  con- 
sumes the  house.  You  who  deny  the  holiness  of  the  Word  and 
the  Divinity  of  the  Lord,  take,  I  pray,  the  bag  from  your  back 
and  open  it,  as  you  freely  do  in  your  privacy,  and  you  will  see. 
I  know  that  those  who  are  meant  by  "  Lucifer"  in  Isaiah,  who 
are  such  as  belong  to  Babylon,  when  they  enter  a  church,  and 
still  more  when  they  ascend  the  pulpit  (especially  those  who  call 
themselves  members  of  the  Society  of  Jesus),  are  swept  away 
by  a  zeal  which  with  many  springs  from  infernal  love,  and  from 


222 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  m. 


N.  148] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


223 


it  declaim  more  vehemently,  and  from  their  breasts  draw  deeper 
sighs,  than  those  who  are  zealous  from  heavenly  love.  With  the 
clergy  there  are  two  other  spiritual  operations  (as  may  be  seen 

below,  n.  155). 

147.  It  is  as  yet  scarcely  known  in  the  church  that  in  all  of 
man's  will  and  thought  and  his  consequent  action  and  speech, 
there  is  an  internal  and  an  external,  and  that  from  infancy  man 
is  carefully  taught  to  speak  from  the  external,  however  the  in- 
ternal may  dissent ;  and  that  this  is  the  origin  of  simulation, 
flattery,  and  hypocrisy ;  and  thus  man  becomes  double-minded. 
But  he  alone  is  singlerminded  whose  external  thinks  and  speaks 
and  wills  and  acts  from  the  internal ;  and  such  are  meant  by  the 
<'  simple  [single]"  in  the  Word  (as  in  Luke  viii.  15;  xi.  34;  and 
elsewhere).    Nevertheless  these  are  wiser  than  those  who  are 
double-minded.    The  doubleness  and  tripleness  in  every  created 
thing  is  evident  in  the  parts  of  the  human  body.    Every  nerve 
therein  consists  of  iibers,  and  every  fiber  of  fibrils  ;  every  mus- 
cle consists  of  bundles  of  fibers,  and  these  of  motor  fibers ; 
every  artery  of  coats  in  a  triple  series.     It  is  the  same  in  the 
human  mind,  whose  spiritual  organization  is  of  like  character, 
because,  as  said  already,  it  is  divided  into  three  distinct  regions ; 
of  which  the  highest,  which  is  also  the  inmost,  is  called  the 
celestial,  the  middle  is  called  the  spiritual,  and  the  lowest  the 
natural.     It  is  in  this  lower  region  that  the  minds  of  all  men 
who  deny  the  holiness  of  the  Word  and  the  Divinity  of  the 
Lord  carry  on  thought.    But  because  such  have  learned  also 
from  infancy  the  spiritual  things  pertaining  to  the  church,  and 
accept  these,  but  place  them  beneath  natural  things  (that  is, 
scientific,  political,  and  civil-moral  matters  of  various  kmds), 
also  because  these  spiritual  things  occupy  the  lowest  part  of  the 
mind,  which  is  nearest  to  speech,  it  comes  to  pass  that  when 
such  persons  speak  in  churches  and  public  assemblies  they 
speak  from  these ;  and  what  is  wonderful,  they  are  quite  un- 
aware at  the  time  that  they  are  not  speaking  and  teachmg  from 
a  belief  in  them.    But  when  they  are  in  freedom,  as  they  are  ni 
privacy,  the  door  that  has  closed  the  internal  of  their  mmd  is 
opened,  and  then  at  times  they  laugh  at  what  they  had  before 
preached  publicly,  saying  in  their  hearts  that  theology  is  a 
specious  snare  for  catching  doves. 


148.  The  internal  and  external  of  such  men  may  oe  likened 
to  poisons  coated  with  sugar;  also  to  those  wild  gourds  which 
the  sons  of  the  proi)hets  collected  and  put  into  pottage  and 
ate  them,  and  then  cried  out,  -  There  is  death  in  the  pot''  (2 
Kings  IV.  38-41).  They  may  also  be  compared  to  the  beast 
commg  up  out  of  the  sea,  which  had  two  horns  like  a  lamb  and 
spoke  like  a  dragon  (Apoc.  xiii.  11)  ;  and  afterwards  that  beast 
is  called  "the  false  prophet.-  They  are  also  like  robbers  in  a 
city  where  they  dwell  as  citizens,  acting  morally  and  talking 
rationally ;  but  when  they  return  to  the  forests  they  are  wild 
beasts.  Or  they  are  like  pirates,  who  on  the  shore  are  human 
bemgs,  but  at  sea  are  very  crocodiles.  These  when  on  land  or 
in  a  city  go  about  like  panthers  clothed  in  sheep-fleeces,  or  like 
apes  m  men's  clothing  and  wearing  a  mask  like  the  face  of  a 

'''^.^*  J^^^^  "^""^  ^^^"^  ^^  ^^^^"^^'^  ^^  "^  ^^^^^0^^  ^^1^0  anoints  herself 
with  balsam,  paints  her  face  with  rouge,  and  clothes  herself  in 
white  Silk  mterwoven  with  flowers,  but  when  she  returns  home 
denudes  herself  before  her  visitors,  and  infects  them  with  her 
diseases.  That  such  is  the  character  of  those  who  in  heart  de- 
tract  from  the  holiness  of  the  Word  and  the  Divinity  of  the 
Lord  It  has  been  granted  me  to  know  by  years  of  experience  in 
the  spiritual  world ;  for  there  all  at  first  are  kept  in  their  ex- 
ternals,  but  afterAvards  their  externals  are  taken  awav  and  thev 
are  introduced  into  their  internals;  and  then  their^comedy  is 
turned  into  a  tragedy.  ^ 

149.  (4)  The  Lord  wakes  these  energies  operative  in  those 
who  heheve  ^nH^m.  That  these  energies,  which  are  meant  by 
the  sending  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  are  made  operative  by  the  Lord 
m  those  who  believe  in  Him,  that  is,  that  such  are  reformed 
regenerated,  renewed,  vivified,  sanctified,  justified,  purified  f  roin 
evils,  and  at  length  are  saved  by  the  Lord,  is  evident  from  all 
those  passages  m  the  Word  quoted  above  (n.  107)  which  prove 
that  those  who  believe  in  the  Lord  have  salvation  and  eternal 
liie ;  also  especially  from  this  : 

hi/hpTv'?;''!',  fl'  '^'^''  ^'^^T'^  ^"  ^^^'  ""^  *^^  ^^^^Pture  hath  said,  Out  of 
his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water.    But  this  spake  He  of  the  Spirit 
which  they  that  believed  in  Him  were  to  receive  [John  vii.  38%9) 
And  from  this : — 

The  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the  spirit  of  prophecy  [Apoc.  xix.  10). 


224 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  HI. 


"  The  spirit  of  prophecy"  means  truth  of  doctrine  from  the 
Word,  ^'  prophecy"  signifying  doctrine,  while  "  to  prophesy ' 
signifies  to  teach  doctrine ;  and  "the  testimony  of  Jesus"  means 
confession  from  faith  in  Him.  "  His  testimony"  has  a  similar 
meaning  in  the  following  passage : — 

The  angels  of  Michael  overcame  the  dragon  through  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb  and  through  the  word  of  their  testimony.  And  the  dragon  went 
away  to  make  war  with  the  rest  of  her  seed  who  kept  the  commandment 
of  God  and  have  the  testunony  of  Jesus  Christ  {Apoc.  xii.  11,  1<)- 

150.  Those  who  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  re- 
ceive these  spiritual  energies  for  the  reason  that  He  Himself 
is  salvation  and  eternal  life.    He  is  salvation  since  He  is  the 
Saviour ;  and  this  is  the  meaning  of  His  name  Jesus ;  He  is 
eternal  life  since  those  in  whom  He  is  and  who  are  in  Him  have 
eternal  life  ;  therefore  He  is  called  "eternal  life"  (1  John  v.  20). 
Since,  then,  He  is  salvation  and  eternal  life,  it  follows  that  He 
is  also  aU  that  whereby  salvation  and  eternal  life  are  obtained, 
consequently  He  is  the  all  of  reformation,  regeneration    re- 
newal, vivification,  sanctification,  justification,  purification  from 
evils,  and  finally  salvation.    These  are  made  operative  by  the 
Lord  in  every  man,  that  is,  the  Lord  strives  to  impart  them ; 
and  He  does  impart  them  when  man  adapts  and  disposes  him- 
self for  reception.    The  essential  active  force  by  which  adapta. 
tion  and  disposition  are  effected  is  from  the  Lord ;  but  unless 
man  receives  these  operations  with  a  free  spirit  the  Lord  cannot 
go  beyond  the  effort,  which,  however,  unceasingly  continues. 

151  Believing  in  the  Lord  is  not  merely  acknowledging  Him 
but  also  doing  His  commandments ;  for  simply  acknowledging 
Him  is  solely  a  matter  of  thought,  arising  from  somewhat  of  the 
understanding;  but  doing  His  commandments  is  also  a  matter 
of  acknowledgment  from  the  will.  IMan's  mind  consists  of  un- 
derstanding and  will ;  and  as  the  understanding  deals  with 
thinking  and  the  will  with  doing,  so  when  man's  acknowledg- 
ment is  merely  from  the  thought  of  the  understanding  he  comes 
to  the  Lord  with  only  half  of  his  mind ;  but  when  there  is  do- 
ing he  comes  with  all  of  it ;  and  this  is  to  believe.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  man  is  able  to  divide  his  heart,  and  to  force  the 
outermost  of  his  nature  to  soar  aloft,  the  flesh  in  him  mean- 
while turning  downward ;  thus  he  flies  like  an  eagle  between 


N.  151] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


225 


heaven  and  hell.  And  yet,  the  man  himself  does  not  follow  his 
[upward]  look,  but  the  delight  of  his  flesh;  and  this  he  does  be- 
cause he  is  in  hell ;  therefore  to  hell  he  flies ;  and  when  he  has 
there  sacrificed  to  his  voluptuous  pleasures  and  poured  out  liba- 
tions to  demons,  he  puts  on  a  countenance  of  merriment,  and 
his  eyes  sparkle  with  fire,  and  so  he  feigns  himself  an  angel  of 
^ight.  Such  satans  do  those  become  after  death  who  acknowl- 
edge the  Lord  but  do  not  keep  His  commandments. 

152.  Under  the  preceding  proposition  it  has  been  shown 
that  the  salvation  and  eternal  life  of  men  are  the  first  and  last 
end  of  the  Lord ;  and  as  the  first  and  last  end  contain  within 
them  the  mediate  ends,  it  follows  that  the  above  mentioned 
spiritual  energies  are  together  in  the  Lord,  and  from  the  Lord 
in  man,  although  they  come  forth  successively.  For  the  human 
mind  grows  like  its  body,  the  latter  growing  in  stature  while 
the  former  grows  in  wisdom.  So,  too,  is  the  mind  exalted  from 
one  region  to  another,  that  is,  from  the  natural  to  the  spiritual, 
and  from  the  spiritual  to  the  celestial.  In  this  celestial  region 
man  is  wise,  in  the  spiritual  he  is  intelligent,  and  in  the  lowest 
knowing.  But  this  exaltation  of  the  mind  is  effected  only  from 
tune  to  time,  and  as  man  acquires  for  himself  truths  and  con- 
joins them  with  good.  It  is  the  same  with  one  who  builds  a 
house;  he  first  procures  the  materials  for  it,  such  as  bricks, 
tiles,  boards,  and  beams,  and  thus  lays  the  foundations,  raises 
the  walls,  divides  off  the  rooms,  furnishes  them  with  doors,  puts 
windows  in  the  walls,  and  constructs  stairs  from  one  story  to 
another.  All  these  things  are  together  in  the  end,  which  is  the 
convenient  and  worthy  dwelling  he  foresees  and  provides  for. 
It  is  the  same  in  the  building  of  a  church,  every  thing  pertain- 
ing to  its  construction  is  included  in  the  end,  which  is  the  wor- 
ship of  God.  So  is  it  with  every  thing  else,  as  with  gardens 
and  fields,  and  also  with  employments  and  business,  for  which 
the  end  itself  procures  for  itself  the  accessories. 

153.  (5)  The  Lord  operates  of  Himself  from  the  Father,  and 
not  the  reverse.  To  operate  here  means  the  same  as  sending 
the  Holy  Spirit,  since  the  above  mentioned  operations  (which, 
in  general,  are  reformation,  regeneration,  renewal,  vivification, 
sanctification,  justification,  purification  from  evils,  and  forgive- 
ness of  sins  and  salvation),  which  are  at  this  day  attributed  to 

15 


226 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  HI. 


the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  God  by  Himself,  are  operations  of  the  Lord. 
That  these  are  of  the  Lord  from  the  Father  and  not  the  reverse, 
shall  first  be  proved  from  the  \^^ord,  and  afterwards  illustrated 
by  various  things  that  appeal  to  the  reason.  From  the  Word 
by  the  following  passages : — 

When  the  Comforter  is  come  whom  I  will  send  unto  you  from  the 
Father,  the  Spirit  of  truth  that  goes  forth  from  the  Father,  He  shall  bear 
witness  of  Me  {John  xv.  20). 

If  I  go  not  away  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you ;  but  if  I  go 
away  I  will  send  Him  mito  you  {John  xvi.  7). 

The  Comforter,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  shall  not  speak  from  Himself,  but 
He  shall  take  of  Mine  and  shall  declare  it  unto  you.  All  things  whatso- 
ever the  Father  hath  are  ISIine  ;  therefore  said  I  that  He  shall  take  of 
Mine  and  shall  declare  it  unto  you  {John  xvi.  13-1.5). 

The  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet,  because  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified  {John 
vii.  39). 

Jesus  breathed  on  the  disciples  and  said,  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Spirit 
(John  XX.  22). 

Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  My  name,  that  will  I  do,  that  the  Father 
may  be  glorified  in  the  Son.  If  ye  shall  ask  anything  in  My  name  I  will 
do  it  {John  xiv.  13,  14). 

[2]  From  these  passages  it  is  very  evident  that  the  Lord  sends 
the  Holy  Spirit,  that  is,  effects  those  things  which  at  this  day 
are  ascribed  to  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  God  by  Himself ;  for  He 
says  that  '•  He  will  send  the  Comforter  from  the  Father,"  that 
"He  will  send  it  to  them,"  that  "the  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet 
because  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorilied  ;*'  and  after  the  glorification 
He  breathed  on  the  disciples  and  said,  "  Eeceive  ye  the  Holy 
Spirit  f  also  that  He  said,  "  Whatsoever  ye  shalf  ask  in  My 
name,  that  will  I  do  f  and  that  the  Comforter  "  shall  take  of 
Mine  what  He  is  to  declare."  That  the  Comforter  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  are  the  same  see  John  xiv.  2^.  That  God  the  Father 
does  not  operate  these  energies  of  Himself  through  the  Son, 
but  that  the  Son  operates  them  of  Himself  from  the  Father,  is 
evident  from  the  following : — 

No  one  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  ;  the  only-begotten  Son,  who  is  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Father,  He  hath  brought  Him  forth  to  view  {John  i.  18). 

And  elsewhere  : — 

Ye  have  neither  heard  the  Father's  voice  at  any  time  nor  seen  His 
form  {John  v.  37). 


N.  153] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


227 


[3]  From  all  this  it  follows  that  God  the  Father  operates  in 
and  into  the  Son,  but  not  through  the  Son ;  also  that  the  Lord 
operates  of  Himself  from  His  Father ;  for  He  says  :^ — 

All  things  of  the  Father  are  Mine  {John  xvi.  15). 

The  Father  hath  given  all  things  into  the  hand  of  the  Son  {Johniii.  35). 

Again  : — 

As  the  Father  hath  life  in  Himself  so  hath  He  given  to  the  Son  to  have 
life  in  Himself  {John  v.  20). 

And  again  : — 

The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you  are  spirit  and  are  life  {John  vi.  63). 

The  Lord  declares  that  the  Spirit  of  truth  goes  forth  from  the 
Father  i^John  xv.  26),  because  it  goes  forth  from  God  the  Father 
into  the  Son,  and  out  of  the  Son  from  the  Father.  Therefore 
He  also  says : — 

In  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  the  Father  is  in  Me  and  I  am  in  the 
Father,  and  ye  in  Me  and  I  in  you  {John  xiv.  11,  20). 

From  these  plain  declarations  of  the  Lord  an  error  of  the  Chris- 
tian world  is  clearly  manifest,  namely,  that  God  the  Father 
sends  the  Holy  Spirit  to  man;  also  the  error  of  the  Greek 
Church,  which  is,  that  God  the  Father  sends  the  Holy  Spirit 
directly.  The  truth  that  the  Lord  of  Himself  from  God  the 
Father  sends  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  not  the  reverse,  is  from 
heaven.  The  angels  call  this  an  arcanum  because  it  has  not 
before  been  disclosed  to  the  world. 

154.  All  this  may  be  made  clear  by  various  rational  consid- 
erations ;  as  for  example,  it  is  know^n  that  when  the  Apostles 
had  received  from  the  Lord  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  they 
preached  the  gos|)el  through  a  great  part  of  the  world,  promul- 
gating it  both  by  speech  and  by  writing ;  and  this  they  did  of 
themselves  from  the  Lord.  For  Peter  taught  and  wrote  in  one 
manner,  James  in  another,  John  in  another,  and  Paul  in  an- 
other, each  according  to  his  own  intelligence.  The  Lord  filled 
them  all  with  His  Spirit;  but  the  measure  in  which  each  partook 
of  it  was  in  accordance  with  the  character  of  his  perceptions ; 
and  this  was  made  use  of  in  accordance  with  the  character  of 
his  ability.    The  Lord  fills  all  the  angels  in  the  heavens,  for 


228 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  IH. 


N.  154] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


229 


they  are  in  the  Lord  and  the  Lord  is  in  them ;  and  yet  each  one 
speaks  and  acts  in  accordance  with  the  state  of  his  own  mind, 
some  with  simplicity  and  some  with  wisdom,  thus  with  infinite 
variety;  nevertheless  every  one  speaks  of  himself  from  the 
Lord.     [2]  It  is  the  same  with  every  minister  of  the  church, 
whether  he  be  in  truths  or  in  falsities ;  each  one  has  his  own 
utterance  and  his  own  intelligence,  and  each  one  speaks  from 
his  own  mind,  that  is,  from  the  spirit  he  possesses.    So  with  all 
Protestants,  whether  called  Evangelical  or  Reformed,  after  they 
have  been  instructed  in  the  dogmas  taught  by  Luther,  Melanc- 
thon  or  Calvin.    It  is  not  these  leaders  or  their  dogmas  that 
speak  of  themselves  through  their  followers ;  but  their  followers 
speak  of  themselves  from  the  leaders  or  the  dogmas.    Further- 
more, each  dogma  may  be  explained  in  a  thousand  ways,  for  each 
is  like  a  cornucopia  from  which  every  one  draws  what  favors 
and  is  suited  to  his  genius,  and  explains  it  according  to  his 
talent.     [3]  This  may  be  illustrated  by  the  action  of  the  heart 
in  and  upon  the  lungs,  and  by  the  reaction  of  the  lungs  of  them- 
selves from  the  heart,  the  two  being  distinct,  and  yet  recipro- 
cally united.    The  lungs  breathe  of  themselves  from  the  heart ; 
but  the  heart  does  not  breathe  through  the  lungs ;  if  this  should 
take  place  they  would  both  cease  to  act.     It  is  the  same  again 
with  the  action  of  the  heart  in  and  into  the  viscera  of  the  whole 
body.    The  heart  sends  out  the  blood  in  all  directions,  and  the 
viscera  draw  from  it  each  one  its  portion  in  accordance  with  the 
nature  of  the  use  it  performs,  and  in  accordance  with  that  use 
it  acts,  thus  each  in  its  own  way.     [4]  The  same  truth  may  be 
illustrated  also  by  the  evil  derived  from  parents,  which  is  called 
hereditary  evil ;  this  acts  in  and  into  man ;  in  like  manner  good 
from  the  Lord  acts,  the  good  acting  above  or  within,  and  the 
evil  acting  below  or  without.    If  the  evil  acted  through  man  he 
would  neither  be  capable  of  reformation  nor  be  culpable ;  or  if 
the  good  from  the  Lord  acted  through  man  he  would  be  incap- 
able'^of  reformation  ;  but  as  both  good  and  evil  depend  on  man's 
free  choice  he  becomes  guilty  when  he  acts  of  himself  from 
evil,  and  is  blameless  when  he  acts  of  himself  from  good.   And 
since  evil  is  the  devil,  and  good  is  the  Lord,  man  becomes  guilty 
when  he  acts  from  the  devil,  and  is  blameless  when  he  acts  from 
the  Lord.    It  is  from  this  free  choice,  which  every  man  has,  that 


^ 

4 


man  is  capable  of  reformation.  [5]  It  is  the  same  with  the  en- 
tire internal  and  the  entire  external  in  man.  These  two  are  dis- 
tinct, and  yet  are  reciprocally  united.  The  internal  acts  in  and 
into  the  external,  but  not  through  it ;  for  the  internal  meditates 
a  thousand  things,  and  from  these  the  external  chooses  only 
such  as  are  suited  to  its  use.  For  in  man's  internal  (by  which 
is  meant  his  volimtary  and  perceptive  mind)  there  are  volumi- 
nous heaps  of  ideas,  and  if  these  were  to  flow  forth  through 
man's  mouth  it  would  be  like  a  blast  from  a  bellows.  As  the 
internal  deals  with  universals  it  may  be  compared  to  an  ocean 
or  flower  bed  or  garden,  from  which  the  external  selects  just 
what  is  sufficient  for  its  use.  Again,  the  Word  of  the  Lord  is 
like  an  ocean  or  a  flower  bed  or  a  garden,  in  that  when  it  has 
place  in  man's  internal  in  any  degree  of  fulness  it  does  not  act 
through  man,  but  man  speaks  and  acts  of  himself  from  the 
Word.  The  same  is  true  of  the  Lord,  because  He  is  the  Word, 
that  is,  the  Divine  truth  and  Divine  good  that  are  in  it.  The 
Lord  acts  from  Himself  or  from  the  Word  in  and  into  man, 
and  not  through  him,  since  man  acts  and  speaks  from  the  Lord 
freely  when  he  acts  and  speaks  from  the  Word.  [6]  But  this 
may  be  illustrated  more  closely  by  the  mutual  intercourse  of 
the  soul  and  body,  which  are  two  distinct  things,  and  yet  are 
reciprocally  united.  The  soul  acts  in  and  into  the  body,  not 
through  it ;  the  body  acts  of  itself  from  the  soul.  The  soul  does 
not  act  through  the  body,  for  the  two  do  not  consult  and  delib- 
erate each  with  the  other,  nor  does  the  soul  command  or  ask 
the  body  to  do  this  or  that,  or  to  speak  from  its  mouth ;  neither 
does  the  body  demand  or  beg  the  soul  to  give  or  supply  any- 
thing ;  for  every  thing  that  belongs  to  the  soul  belongs  also  to 
the  body,  mutually  and  interchangeably.  It  is  the  same  with 
the  Divine  and  the  Human  of  the  Lord,  for  the  soul  of  His 
Human  is  the  Divine  of  the  Father,  and  the  Human  is  His 
body ;  and  the  Human  does  not  ask  its  own  Divine  to  teU  it 
what  to  say  or  do.    Therefore  the  Lord  says  : — 

In  tliat  day  ye  shall  ask  in  My  name  ;  and  I  say  not  unto  you  that  I 
will  pray  the  Father  for  you,  for  the  Father  Himself  loveth  you  because 
ye  have  loved  Me  (John  xvi.  26,  27). 

"  In  that  day"  means  after  His  glorification,  that  is,  after  His 
perfect  and  absolute  union  with  the  Father.    This  arcanum  is 


230 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IIL 


from  the  Lord  Himself,  given  for  those  who  wiU  be  of  His  new 

church.  .  . 

155.  It  has  been  shown  above,  under  the  third  proposition, 
that  the  Divine  energy,  meant  by  the  operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  with  the  clergy  especially,  is  enlightenment  and  instruc- 
tion ;  but  in  addition  to  these  there  are  two  intermediate  oper- 
ations, which  are  perception  and  disposition.    Thus  there  are 
four  things  that  with  the  clergy  follow  in  order :  Enlightenment, 
Perception,  Disposition,  and  Instruction.  Enlightenment  is  from 
the  Lord.     Perception  pertains  to  man,  and  is  in  accordance 
with  the  state  of  mind  formed  in  him  by  doctrinnls.    If  these 
doctrinals  are  true  his  perception  becomes  clear  from  the  light 
that  enlightens ;  but  if  they  are  false  his  perception  becomes 
obscure,  although  from  confirmations  it  may  seem  to  be  clear, 
this  arising  from  a  fatuous  light  which  to  the  merely  natural 
vision  resembles  clearness.    Disposition  is  from  the  affection  of 
the  will's  love,  and  that  which  disposes  is  the  delight  of  that 
love.    If  it  is  a  delight  of  the  love  of  evil  and  of  falsity  there- 
from, it  excites  a  zeal  which  is  outwardly  harsh,  rough,  burning, 
and  fiery,  while  inwardly  it  is  anger,  ferocity,  and  unmerciful- 
ness.    But  if  it  is  a  delight  of  the  love  of  good  and  of  truth 
therefrom  it  is  outwardly  mild,  smooth,  resounding,  and  glow- 
ing, while  within  it  is  charity,  grace,  and  mercy.    Instruction 
follows  from  these  as  an  effect  from  causes.    Thus  m  each  man 
enlightenment,  which  is  from  the  Lord,  is  turned  into  various 
kinds  of  light  and  heat  in  accordance  with  the  state  ot  his 

mind. 

156  (6)  The  spirit  of  man  is  his  mind  and  whatever  pro- 
ceeds  from  it.  In  the  concrete,  man's  spirit  means  simply  Ins 
mmd ;  for  this  it  is  that  lives  after  death,  and  it  is  then  called  a 
spirit— if  good,  an  angelic  spirit  and  afterwards  an  angel,  if  evil, 
a  Satanic  spirit  and  afterwards  a  satan.  The  mind  of  every  one 
is  his  internal  man,  which  is  actually  the  man,  and  resides  with- 
in the  external  man  which  constitutes  his  body  ;  consequently 
when  the  body  is  cast  off,  which  is  effected  by  its  death,  the  in- 
ternal is  in  a  complete  human  form.  Therefore  they  err  who 
believe  that  man's  mind  resides  only  in  the  head ;  it  is  there  m 
principles  only,  from  which  everything  that  man  thinks  from 
his  understanding  or  does  from  his  will  first  proceeds ;  but  in 


N.  156] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


231 


the  body  it  is  in  derivatives,  which,  are  formed  for  sensation  and 
action.  And  because  the  mind  invariably  adheres  to  the  bodily 
structures  it  imparts  to  them  sensation  and  motion ;  and  it  also 
inspires  them  with  a  perception  that  the  body  thinks  and  acts 
of  itself,  although  this  latter  is  a  fallacy,  as  every  wise  man 
knows.  Since,  then,  the  spirit  of  man  thinks  from  the  under- 
standing and  acts  from  the  will,  and  since  the  body  acts  not 
from  itself  but  from  the  spirit,  it  follows  that  the  spirit  of  man 
means  his  intelligence  and  his  love's  affection  and  whatever 
goes  forth  and  operates  from  these.  That  "  the  spirit  of  man" 
signifies  such  things  as  pertain  to  the  mind  is  evident  from 
many  passages  in  the  Word.  That  this  is  their  meaning  any 
one  can  see  as  soon  as  they  are  presented.  The  following  are 
a  few  passages  from  among  many  : — 

Bozaleel  was  filled  with  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding  and 
knowledge  {Exod.  xxxi.  3). 

Nebuchadnezzar  said  of  Daniel  that  an  excellent  spirit  of  knowledge 
and  understanding  and  w'isdom  was  found  in  him  {Dan.  v.  11,  12). 

Joshua  was  full  of  the  spirit  of  wisdom  {Deut.  xxxiv.  9). 

Make  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit  {Ezek.  xviii.  31). 

Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  the  hea- 
vens {Matt.  V.  3). 

I  dwell  in  the  contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the 
humble  {Isa.  Ivii.  15). 

The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit  (Ps.  li.  17). 

I  will  give  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness  {Isa.  Ixi.  3). 
(And  elsewhere.) 

That  "  the  spirit"  signifies  also  such  things  as  pertain  to  a  per- 
verse and  wicked  mind  is  evident  from  the  following : — 

He  said  to  the  foolish  prophets  that  go  away  after  their  own  spirit 
{Ezek.  xiii.  3). 

Conceive  chaff,  bring  forth  stubble  ;  as  to  your  spirit  fire  shall  devour 
you  {Isa.  xxxiii.  11). 

Aman  who  is  a  wanderer  in  spirit  and  uttereth  falsehood  {Micahu.  11). 

A  generation  whose  spirit  is  not  constant  with  God  {Ps.  Ixxviii.  8). 

The  spirit  of  whoredoms  {IIos.  v.  4  ;  iv.  12). 

That  eveiy  heart  may  melt,  and  every  spirit  faint  {Ezek.  xxi.  7). 

That  which  ascendeth  upon  your  spirit  shall  never  come  to  pass  {Ezek. 
XX.  32). 

In  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile  {Ps.  xxxii.  2). 

Pharaoh's  spirit  was  troubled  {Gen.  xli.  8) ; 

So  also  was  Nebuchadnezzar's  {Dan.  ii.  3). 


232 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  HI. 


N.  157] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


233 


From  these  and  numerous  other  passages  it  is  clearly  evident 
that  the  "  spirit"  signifies  the  mind  of  man  and  such  things  as 
pertain  thereto. 

157.  As  man's  spirit  means  his  mind, therefore  "being  in  the 
spirit"  (a  phrase  sometimes  used  in  the  Word)  means  a  state 
of  mind  separate  from  the  body ;  and  because  in  that  state  the 
prophets  saw  such  things  as  exist  in  the  spiritual  world  it  is 
called  "  a  vision  of  God."  The  prophets  were  then  in  a  state 
like  that  of  spirits  and  angels  themselves  in  that  world.  In 
that  state  man's  spirit  like  his  mind  in  regard  to  sight,  may 
be  transferred  from  place  to  place,  the  body  reniaining  mean- 
while in  its  own  place.  This  is  the  state  in  which  I  have  now 
been  for  twenty-six  years,  with  the  difference,  that  I  am  in  the 
spirit  and  in  the  body  at  the  same  time,  and  only  at  times  out 
of  the  body.  That  Ezekiel,  Zecliariah,  Daniel,  and  John  when 
he  wrote  the  Apocalypse,  were  in  that  state  is  evident  from  the 
following  passages.    Ezekiel  says  : — 

The  spirit  lifted  me  up,  and  brought  me  back  in  vision  in  the  spirit  of 
God  into  Chaldea,  to  the  captivity.  So  the  vision  that  I  had  seen  went  up 
from  me  {Ezek.  xi.  1,  24). 

That  the  spirit  lifted  him  up,  and  he  heard  behind  him  an  earthquake 
(Ezek.  iii.  12, 14). 

That  the  spirit  lifted  him  up  between  earth  and  heaven  and  brought 
him  to  Jerusalem,  and  he  saw  abominations  {Ezek.  viii.  3  seq.). 

That  he  saw  four  living  creatuies  that  were  cherubim,  and  various 
things  with  them  (Ezek.  i.,  x.). 

Also  a  new  earth  and  a  new  temple,  and  an  angel  measuring  them  {Ezek. 
xl.-xlviii.). 

That  he  was  then  in  vision  and  in  the  spirit  (Ezek.  xl.  2 ;  xliii.  5). 

[2]  It  was  the  same  with  Zechariah  (in  whom  there  was  then 
an  angel)  when  he  saw : — 

A  man  riding  among  the  myrtle  trees  {Zech.  i.  8  seq.)  ; 

Four  horns,  and  a  man  with  a  measuring  line  in  his  hand  {Zech.  i.  18  ; 
ii.  1,  5  seq.) ; 

Joshua  the  high  priest  {Zech.  iii.  1   seq.) ; 

The  lampstand  and  two  olive  trees  {Zech.  iv.  1  seq.) ; 

A  flying  roll  and  an  ephah  {Zech.  v.  1,  6)  ; 

Four  chariots  going  out  from  between  two  mountains,  and  horses  (Zech. 
vi.  1-3). 

Daniel  vas  in  a  like  state : — 


i 


When  he  saw  the  four  great  beasts  coming  up  from  the  sea,  and  many 
tilings  respecting  them  {Dan.  vii.  1-12) ; 

When  he  saw  the  battles  between  the  ram  and  the  he-goat  (Dan  viii 
1-12);  t,        V        .        . 

All  of  which  he  saw  in  vision  {Dan.  vii.  1, 2,  7, 13  ;  viii.  2  ;  x.  1,  7,  8) ; 
The  angel  Gabriel  appeared  to  him  in  vision  and  talked  with  him  (Dan 
ix.  21).  ^ 

[3]  The  same  occurred  to  John  when  he  wrote  the  Ajjocalf/j^se  ; 
he  said : — 

That  he  was  in  the  spirit  on  the  Lord's  day  (i.  10) ; 

That  he  w^as  carried  away  in  the  spirit  into  the  wilderness  (xvii.  3) ; 

Upon  a  high  mountain  in  spirit  (xxi.  10) ; 

That  he  saw  in  vision  (ix.  17) ; 

and  elsewhere  that  he  saw  the  things  he  described ;  as  when  he 
saw  the  Son  of  man  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  lampstands ;  the 
tabernacle,  the  temple,  the  ark  and  the  altar,  in  heaven ;  a  book 
sealed  with  seven  seals,  and  horses  going  out  of  it ;  four  living 
creatures  around  the  throne ;  the  twelve  thousand  elect  from 
each  tribe ;  the  Lamb  on  Mount  Zion ;  the  locusts  ascending 
from  the  abyss ;  the  dragon,  and  his  combat  with  Michael ;  the 
woman  bringing  forth  a  male  child,  and  fleeing  into  the  desert 
on  account  of  the  dragon ;  the  two  beasts,  one  ascending  out  of 
the  sea  and  the  other  out  of  the  earth;  the  woman  sitting  upon 
the  scarlet  beast ;  the  dragon  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brim- 
stone ;  the  white  horse  and  the  great  supper ;  the  holy  city  Je- 
rusalem descending,  the  gates,  walls,  and  foundations  of  which 
he  described ;  the  river  of  the  water  of  life,  and  the  trees  of 
life  bearing  fruit  every  month ;  and  many  other  things.  Peter, 
James,  and  John  were  in  a  like  state  when  they  saw  Jesus  trans- 
figured, and  Paul  when  he  heard  from  heaven  things  ineffable. 


COKOLLARY. 


158.  As  this  chapter  treats  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  is  worthy 
of  special  notice  that  in  the  Word  of  the  Old  Testament  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  nowhere  mentioned,  and  the  "  Spirit  of  Holiness" 
in  three  places  only,  once  in  David  (Ps.  li.  11);  and  twice  in 
Isaiah  (Ixiii.  10, 11).  But  in  the  Word  of  the  Xew  Testament, 
both  in  the  Gospels  and  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  as  also  in 


234 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  III. 


N.  158] 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


235 


their  Epiistles  it  is  mentioned  frequently.  This  is  because  the 
Holy  Spirit  first  was,  when  the  Lord  had  come  into  the  world ; 
for  it  goes  forth  out  of  Him  from  the  Father ;  for  :— 

The  Lord  alone  is  Holy  {Apoc.  xv.  4) ; 
therefore  also  the  angel  Gabriel  said  to  Mary  the  mother  :— 
The  holy  thing  that  sliall  be  born  of  thee  {Luke  i.  35). 

It  is  said  : — 

The  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet,  because  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified  i^Tohn 
vii.  39) ;  ' 

although  it  is  previously  declared  that  the  Holy  Spirit  tilled 
Elizabeth  (Luke  i.  41),  and  Zacharias  {Luke  i.  67),  as  also  Sim- 
eon (Luke  ii.  25) ;  this  is  because  the  Spirit  of  Jehovah  the 
Father  filled  them,  which  was  called  the  Holy  Spirit  because  of 
the  Lord  who  was  already  in  the  world.    This  is  why  nowhere 
in  the  Word  of  the  Old  Testament  is  it  said  that  the  prophets 
spoke  from  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  from  Jehovah ;  for  everywhere 
we  read,  "  Jehovah  spake  unto  me,"  "  The  Word  of  Jehovah 
came  unto  me,"  "  Jehovah  said,"  '^  Thus  said  Jehovah."    That 
no  one  may  be  in  doubt  about  this  I  will  refer  to  the  passages 
in  Jeremiah  alone,  where  these  expressions  occur :  i.  4,  7,  11- 
14,  19;  ii.  1-5,  9,  19,  22,  29,  31;  iii.  1,  G,  10,  12,  14,  16;  iv. 
1,  3,  9, 17,  27 ;  v.  11,  14, 18,  22,  29 ;  vi.  6,  9, 12, 15  16  21  22 ; 
vii.  1,  3,  11, 13, 19-21 ;  viii.  1,  3,  12,  13;  ix.  3,  7,  9,  13, 15,  17, 
22,  24,  25 ;  x.  1,  2,  18 ;  xi.  1,  3,  6,  9, 11, 17, 18,  21,  22 ;  xii.  14, 
17 ;  xiii.  1,  6,  9,  11-15,  25 ;  xiv.  1,  10,  14,  15 ;  xv.  1-3,  6,  11, 
19,  20 ;  xvi.  1,  3,  5,  9, 14,  16 ;  xvii.  5, 19-21,  24 ;  xvdii.  1  5  6, 
11   13;  xix.  1,  3,  6,  12,  15;  xx.  4;  xxi.  1,  4,  i,  8,  11,  12,  14; 
xxli  2  5,  6, 11  16,  i8,  24,  29,  30;  xxiii.  2,  5,  7,  12, 15,  24  29 
31,  38     xxiv.  3,  5,  8 ;  xxv.  1,  3,  7-9, 15,  27-29,  32 ;  xxvi  12, 
18;  xxvii.  1,  2,  4,  8,  11,  16,  19,  21,  22;  xxvm.  2    12  H  16; 
xxix.  4,  8,  9,  16,  19-21,  25,  30-32 ;  xxx.  1-5,  8,  10-12, 17, 18 ; 
xxxi.  1,  2,  7,  10,  15-17,  23,  27,  28,  31-38;  xxxii.  1,  6,  14,  15, 
25  26,  28,  30,  36,  42,  44;  xxxiii.  1,  2,  4,  10-13,  17,  19,  20,  23, 
25 ;  xxxiv.  1,  2,  4,  8, 12, 13, 17,  22 ;  xxxv.  1, 13,  17-19 ;  xxxvi. 
1   6   27    29,  30;  xxxvii.  6,  7,  9;  xxxviii.  2,  3,  17;  xxxix.  15- 
l'8;'xl.  1;  xlii.  7,  9,  15,  18,  19;  xliii.  8,  10;  xliv.  1,  2,  ^  11, 
24-26,  30 ;  xlv.  2,  5 ;  xlvi.  1,  23,  25,  28 ;  xlvii.  1 ;  xlviii.  1,  8, 


12,  30,  35,  38,  40,  43,  44,  47  ;  xlix.  2,  5-7, 12, 13, 16,  18,  26,  28, 
30,  32,  35,  37-39 ;  1.  1,  4,  10,  18,  20,  21,  30,  31,  33,  35,  40 ;  U. 
25,  33,  36,  39,  52,  58.  The  same  expressions  occur  in  all  the 
other  prophets,  but  nowhere  is  it  said  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
spake  to  them,  or  that  Jehovah  spake  to  them  through  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

159.  To  this  1  will  add  the  following  Memorable  Eelations. 
First:— 

Once  when  in  company  with  the  angels  in  heaven,  I  saw  be- 
low at  some  distance  a  great  smoke,  and  then  tire  breaking  out 
from  it ;  and  I  said  to  the  angels  talking  with  me  that  the  smoke 
seen  in  the  hells,  as  a  few  among  them  knew,  arises  from  falsi- 
ties confirmed  by  reasonings,  and  that  the  fire  is  burning  anger 
against  those  who  contradict ;  and  I  added,  ''  In  this  world,  as 
in  mine  where  I  live  in  the  body,  it  is  unlmown  that  flame  is 
simply  smoke  on  fire.  That  such  is  the  fact  1  have  often  proved 
by  experiment ;  for  I  have  seen  streaks  of  ^moke  rising  from 
wood  on  the  hearth,  and  when  I  set  fire  to  them  with  a  brand  1 
have  seen  them  turn  to  flames,  which  assumed  a  shape  like  that 
of  the  smoke ;  for  the  separate  particles  of  smoke  become  little 
sparks  which  blaze  up  together,  like  gunpowder  when  it  is  ig- 
nited. So  is  it  with  the  smoke  we  see  below.  This  consists  of 
an  equal  number  of  falsities ;  and  the  fire  breaking  out  like 
flames  is  the  glow  of  zeal  in  behalf  of  those  falsities." 

[ii]  Then  the  angels  said  to  me,  "  Let  us  ask  the  Lord  for 
leave  to  go  down  and  draw  towards  the  smoke,  that  we  may 
perceive  what  those  falsities  are  that  so  smoke  and  blaze  with 
those  there." 

This  was  granted ;  and  lo,  there  appeared  round  about  us  a 
column  of  light  reaching  continuously  to  the  place.  And  then 
we  saw  four  crowds  of  spirits,  who  were  strenuously  maintain- 
ing that  it  is  God  the  Father  who  should  be  approached  and 
worshiped,  because  He  is  invisible,  and  not  His  Son  born  in 
the  world,  since  He  is  a  man  and  is  visible. 

Looking  towards  the  sides  I  saw  on  the  left  some  learned  men 
of  the  clergy,  and  behind  these  the  unlearned ;  and  on  the  right 
the  learned  of  the  laity,  and  behind  these  the  unlearned ;  while 
between  us  and  these  there  was  a  yawning  gulf,  whieh  was  im- 
passable. 


236 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  III. 


N.  159] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


237 


[3]  But  we  turned  our  eyes  and  ears  to  the  left,  where  were 
the  learned  of  the  clergy,  and  behind  them  the  unlearned,  and 
we  heard  them  reasoning  about  God  in  this  wise,  ^'  From  the 
doctrine  of  our  church  respecting  God  which  is  the  same  every- 
where in  Europe,  we  know  that  God  the  Father  ought  to  be  ap- 
proached, because  He  is  invisible,  and  at  the  same  time  God  the 
Son  and  God  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  are  also  invisible,  being  co- 
eternal  with  the  Father  ;  also  God  the  Father,  being  the  Creator 
of  the  universe,  and  therefore  in  the  universe,  is  present  wher- 
ever we  turn  our  eyes ;  and  whenever  we  pray  to  Him  He  gra- 
ciously listens,  and  after  accepting  the  mediation  of  the  Son 
He  sends  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  implants  in  our  hearts  the  glory 
of  His  Son's  righteousness  and  bestows  blessedness  upon  us. 
We  who  have  been  made  doctors  in  the  church  have  felt  in  our 
breasts,  when  preaching,  the  holy  operation  of  that  sending, 
and  from  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  in  our  minds  have  then 
breathed  forth  devotion.  We  are  thus  affected  because  we  di- 
rect all  our  senses  to  the  invisible  God,  who  operates  not  sin- 
gly upon  the  sight  of  our  understanding,  but  universally  upon 
our  whole  system,  mental  and  corporeal,  by  the  Spirit  He  sends. 
Such  effects  as  these  would  not  result  from  the  worship  of  a 
visible  God,  that  is,  of  a  God  conspicuously  before  the  mind  as 
a  man." 

[4]  When  this  was  said  the  unlearned  of  the  clergy  who 
stood  behind  the  others  applauded,  and  added,  *'  Whence  comes 
what  is  holy  but  from  an  invisible  and  imperceptible  Divine  ? 
At  this,  the  moment  it  touches  the  entrance  to  our  ears,  our 
features  expand,  and  we  are  gladdened  as  by  the  sweetness  of 
a  fragrant  aura,  and  we  smite  upon  our  breasts.  But  it  is  other- 
wise with  a  visible  and  perceptible  Divine ;  when  this  enters 
our  ears  it  becomes  merely  natural,  and  not  Divine.  For  a  like 
reason  the  Koman  Catholics  repeat  their  masses  in  Latin,  and 
the  host  (to  which  they  ascribe  Divine  mystical  properties)  they 
bring  out  from  the  recesses  of  the  altar  and  hold  up  to  sight ; 
whereupon  the  people  fall  on  their  knees  as  before  something, 
most  mysterious,  and  take  in  breaths  of  holiness." 

[5]  After  this  we  turned  to  the  right,  where  the  learned  of 
the  laity  stood,  and  the  unlearned  behind  them ;  and  from  the 
learned  we  heard  the  following :  "  We  know  that  the  wisest  of 


\ 


the  ancients  worshiped  an  invisible  God  whom  thev  called 
Jehovah ;  but  after  them  in  the  succeeding  ages  men  made  for 
themselves  gods  out  of  deceased  rulers,  among  whom  were  Sat- 
urn, Jupiter,  Neptune,  Pluto,  Apollo,  and  also  Minerva,  Diana, 
Venus,  and  Themis ;  and  to  these  they  built  temples  and  of- 
fered divine  worship ;  and  as  in  time  this  worship  degenerated 
It  gave  rise  to  idolatry,  from  which  at  last  the  whole  world  be- 
came fiUed  with  insanity.  We  therefore  agree  unanimously 
with  our  priests  and  elders  that  there  were  and  are  three  Di- 
vine persons  from  eternity,  each  one  of  whom  is  God ;  and  it  is 
enough  for  us  that  they  are  invisible." 

To  this  the  unlearned  behind  them  added,  ''We  agree.  Is  not 
God  God,  and  man  man  ?  Still  we  know  that  if  any  one  should 
set  before  them  a  God-Man,  the  common  people,  who  have  a  sen- 
suous idea  about  God,  would  accept  it." 

[6]  When  they  had  said  this  their  eyes  were  opened  and 
they  saw  us  near  them ;  but  being  indignant  because  we  had 
heard  them  they  became  silent.  But  presently  the  angels,  from 
a  power  given  them,  closed  the  outer  or  lower  things  of  their 
thoughts,  from  which  they  had  been  speaking,  and  opened  the 
inner  or  higher  things,  and  compelled  them  to  speak  from  these 
about  God.  And  speaking  thus  they  said,  ^^  What  is  God  ?  We 
have  neither  seen  His  shape  nor  heard  His  voice.  What,  then, 
is  God  but  nature  in  its  firsts  and  lasts.  Nature  we  have  seen, 
for  she  beams  in  our  eyes ;  and  we  have  heard  her,  for  she 
sounds  in  our  ears." 

On  hearing  this  we  said  to  them,  "  Have  you  ever  seen  Soci- 
nus,  who  acknowledged  God  the  Father  only ;  or  Arius,  who 
denied  the  Divinity  of  the  Lord  our  Saviour,  or  have  you  seen 
any  of  their  adherents  ?"  To  which  they  answered,  "  We  have 
not." 

We  said,  "  They  are  in  the  deep  beneath  you."  And  shortly 
some  of  them  were  summoned  from  the  deep  and  questioned 
about  God ;  and  they  spoke  as  the  others  had  done ;  and  they 
added, "  What  is  God  ?  We  can  make  as  many  gods  as  we  like." 

[7]  And  then  we  said,  "  It  is  useless  to  talk  with  you  about 
the  Son  of  God  born  in  the  world ;  yet  we  will  say  this  much : 
Lest  faith  respecting  God  and  faith  in  God  and  from  God, 
which  in  the  first  two  ages,  from  no  one's  havmg  beheld  God, 


238 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  III. 


had  been  like  a  beautifuUy  colored  bubble  in  the  air,  should 
for  the  same  reason  in  the  third  and  following  age  collapse  to 
nothing,  it  pleased  Jehovah  God  to  descend  and  assume  a  Hu- 
man and  thus  make  Himself  visible,  and  convince  men  that 
He  is  not  a  mere  figment  of  reason,  but  the  Itself,  which  was 
and  is  and  will  be,  from  eternity  to  eternity ;  also  that  God  is 
not  a  mere  word  of  three  letters,  but  is  the  All  of  reality  from 
Alpha  to  Omega,  consequently  the  life  and  salvation  of  all  who 
believe  in  Him  as  visible,  but  not  of  those  who  say  that  they 
believe  in  an  invisible  God.  For  believing,  seeing,  and  know- 
ing make  one.    Therefore  the  Lord  said  to  Philip  :— 

That  whosoever  sees  and  knows  Him  sees  and  knows  the  Father ; 

and  elsewhere  : — 

That  it  is  the  will  of  the  Father  that  men  should  believe  in  the  Son  and 
that  whosoever  believes  in  the  Son  has  eternal  life,  while  he  who  does  not 
believe  in  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abides  on  him 
{John  iii.  15,  10,  30  ;  xiv.  6-15). 

Hearing  this  many  of  the  four  crowds  were  so  enraged  that 
smoke  and  flame  issued  from  their  nostrils ;  we  therefore  left 
them ;  and  the  angels,  after  accompanying  me  home,  ascended 
to  their  heaven. 

160.  Second  Memorable  Relation : — 

At  one  time  in  company  with  some  angels  I  was  walking  in 
the  world  of  spirits  (which  is  intermediate  between  heaven  and 
hell,  and  which  all  men  enter  first  after  death,  the  good  being 
there  made  ready  for  heaven  and  the  evil  for  hell),  and  I  talked 
with  them  on  various  subjects,  on  this  among  others  :— That 
in  the  world  where  I  am  living  in  the  body  there  are  seen  at 
night  innumerable  stars,  larger  and  smaller,  which  are  so  many 
suns,  only  the  light  of  which  reaches  our  solar  system ;  and  I 
added,  "  When  I  saw  that  stars  are  visible  in  your  world  also 
I  supposed  them  to  be  as  numerous  as  those  in  the  world  where 

I  live." 

■  The  angels,  delighted  with  this  conversation,  said,  "  Perhaps 
they  are,  since  every  society  of  heaven,  in  the  sight  of  those 
who  are  under  heaven,  sometimes  shines  like  a  star ;  and  the 
societies  of  heaven  are  numberless,  all  arranged  in  order  ac- 
cording to  the  varieties  of  the  affections  of  the  love  of  good, 


N.  160] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


239 


which  affections  in  God  are  infinite,  and  thus  from  Him  are 
numberless ;  and  as  these  were  all  foreseen  before  creation,  I 
suppose  that  in  accord  with  their  number  there  have  been  pro- 
vided, that  is,  created,  an  equal  number  of  stars  in  the  world 
where  the  men  live  who  were  to  be  natural-material  bodies." 

[2]  While  we  were  talking  together  in  this  way  I  saw  in  the 
north  a  levelled  way,  so  crowded  with  spirits  that  there  was 
scarcely  room  to  step  between  any  two ;  and  I  said  to  the  an- 
gels that  I  had  already  seen  this  way,  with  spirits  thronging  it 
like  an  army;  and  that  I  had  heard  that  this  is  the  way  by 
which  all  pass  when  departing  from  the  natural  world.  And 
the  way  is  covered  with  such  a  vast  number  of  spirits  because 
many  thousands  of  men  die  every  week,  and  after  death  they 
all  pass  into  this  world. 

The  angels  added,  *'  This  road  terminates  in  the  middle  of 
this  world  where  we  now  are — in  the  middle  because  on  the 
sides  towards  the  east  there  are  societies  who  are  in  love  to  God 
and  love  towards  the  neighbor,  and  to  the  left  towards  the  west 
societies  of  those  who  are  opposed  to  these  loves ;  while  in  front 
towards  the  south  are  societies  of  those  who  are  more  intelli- 
gent than  the  others.  This  is  why  the  new-comers  from  the 
natural  world  move  first  to  this  point.  When  here,  they  are 
in  the  externals  in  which  they  had  last  been  in  the  former 
world.  Afterwards  they  are  gradually  let  into  their  internals, 
and  their  characters  are  examined ;  and  after  the  examination 
the  good  are  borne  to  their  places  in  heaven  and  the  evil  to 
theirs  in  hell." 

[3]  We  stopped  at  the  middle  point,  at  the  termination  of 
this  way  of  entrance,  and  we  said,  "  Let  us  wait  here  awhile 
and  talk  with  some  of  the  new-comers."  And  from  those  ap- 
proaching we  picked  out  twelve,  who  having  just  come  from  the 
natural  world  did  not  know  but  that  they  were  in  it  still.  We 
asked  them  their  views  of  heaven  and  hell  and  the  life  after 
death. 

One  replied,  "  Our  sacred  order  impressed  upon  me  the  be- 
lief that  we  are  to  live  after  death,  and  that  there  is  a  heaven 
and  a  hell ;  and  therefore  I  have  believed  that  all  who  live  a 
moral  life  go  to  heaven ;  and  as  all  do  live  a  moral  life,  that  no 
one  goes  to  hell;  and  therefore  that  hell  is  a  fable  manufac- 


iteji 


240 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 


tured  by  the  clergy  to  frighten  men  from  evil  livmg.  What 
does  it  matter  whether  I  think  about  God  in  this  way  or  that  ? 
Thought  is  only  chaff,  as  it  were,  or  like  a  bubble  on  the  water 
that  bursts  and  passes  away.'^ 

Another  near  him  said,  "  It  is  my  belief  that  there  is  a 
heaven  and  a  hell ;  and  that  God  rules  heaven,  and  the  devil 
rules  hell ;  and  as  they  are  enemies,  and  therefore  opposed  to 
each  other,  one  calls  evil  what  the  other  calls  good ;  also  that  a 
moral  man  who  is  a  dissembler,  and  who  can  make  evil  look 
like  good  and  good  like  evil,  will  side  with  both  parties.  What, 
then,  does  it  matter  whether  I  am  on  the  side  of  one  Lord  or 
the  other,  providing  He  favors  me  ?  Good  and  evil  are  equally 

delightful  to  men." 

[4]  A  third,  standing  beside  him,  said,  "Of  what  conse- 
quence is  it  to  me  to  believe  that  there  is  a  heaven  and  a  hell  ? 
For  who  has  come  from  either  place  and  told  us  of  them  ?  If 
every  man  lives  after  death,  why,  out  of  so  va^t  a  multitude, 
has  no  one  come  back  and  told  us  ?" 

Next  came  a  fourth,  who  said,  « I  mil  tell  you  why  no  one 
has  come  back  and  told.  It  is  because  when  a  man  breathes 
his  last  and  dies,  he  either  becomes  a  ghost  and  is  dissipated, 
or  is  like  the  breath  of  the  mouth,  which  is  merely  wind.  How 
can  a  being  like  that  come  back  and  talk  with  any  one  ? 

The  fifth  took  up  the  matter  and  said, "  Friends,  wait  till  the 
day  of  the  last  judgment;  for  all  will  then  return  into  their 
bodies,  and  you  will  see  and  talk  with  them,  and  each  one  will 

tell  his  fate  to  the  other.''  ,      .  -.      tt 

[5]  A  sixth,  standing  opposite,  laughed  and  said.  How  can 
the  spirit  which  is  wind,  return  into  a  body  that  has  been  eaten 
UP  by  worms,  and  into  its  skeleton  that  has  been  dried  up  by 
the  sun  and  has  crumbled  into  dust  ?  Or  how  is  an  Egyptian, 
who  has  been  made  a  mummy  and  mixed  by  a  quack  with  ex- 
tracts or  emulsions  into  a  potion  or  powder,  to  come  back  and 
tell  anything  ?  Therefore,  if  you  have  the  faith,  wait  till  that 
last  day ;  but  your  waiting  will  be  for  ever,  and  for  ever  m  vam. 

After  him  a  seventh  said,  "  If  I  believed  in  a  heaven  and  a 
hell,  and  therefore  in  a  life  after  death,  I  would  also  believe 
that  birds  and  beasts  live  after  death  likewise.  Are  not  some 
of  these  quite  as  moral  and  as  rational  as  men  ?   It  is  denied 


N.  160] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


241 


that  beasts  live  after  death,  therefore  I  deny  that  men  do.    The 
reasoning  is  equally  good ;  one  follows  from  the  other.    What  is 

man  but  an  animal  ?" 

An  eighth,  standing  at  his  back,  came  forward  and  said, 
«  Believe  in  a  heaven  if  you  will,  but  I  do  not  believe  in  any 
hell.    Is  not  God  omnipotent  and  able  to  save  everybody  ?" 

[6]  Then  a  ninth,  caressing  his  hand,  said, "  God  is  not  only 
omnipotent  He  is  also  gracious ;  and  cannot  send  any  one  into 
eternal  fire ;  and  if  any  one  is  there  He  cajinot  but  take  him 

out  and  raise  him  up." 

A  tenth  ran  out  of  his  place  into  the  midst  and  said,  "Neither 
do  I  believe  in  a  hell.  Did  not  God  send  His  Son,  and  did  He 
not  make  expiation  for  the  sms  of  the  whole  world  and  take 
them  away  ?  What  can  the  devil  do  against  that  ?  And  as  he 
can  do  nothing,  what  then  is  hell  ?" 

An  eleventh,  who  was  a  priest,  took  fire  at  hearing  this,  and 
said,  "  Do  you  not  know  that  those  who  have  attained  to  the 
faith  on  which  Christ's  merit  is  inscribed  are  saved,  and  that 
those  attain  to  that  faith  whom  God  elects.  Does  not  election 
rest  in  the  will  of  the  Almighty,  and  in  His  judgment  as  to  who 
are  worthy  of  it  ?  Who  can  prevail  against  these  ?" 

The  twelfth,  who  was  a  politician,  kept  silent ;  but  being 
asked  to  crown  the  replies,  he  said,  "  From  my  own  thought  I 
will  not  say  anything  about  heaven  and  hell  and  the  life  after 
death,  since  no  one  knows  anything  about  them ;  nevertheless 
you  should  not  blame  the  priests  for  preaching  them;  for  in 
that  way  the  minds  of  the  vulgar  are  kept  bound  by  an  intrisi- 
ble  bond  to  the  laws  and  to  their  rulers.  Does  not  the  public 
welfare  depend  upon  this  ?" 

[7]  We  were  amazed  to  hear  such  things  as  these,  and  we 
said  to  each  other,  "  Although  these  go  by  the  name  of  Chris- 
tians they  are  neither  men  nor  beasts,  but  they  are  men-beasts." 
However,  to  arouse  them  from  their  sleep  we  said,  "  There  is  a 
heaven  and  a  hell  and  a  life  after  death ;  of  this  you  will  be  con- 
vinced when  we  have  dispelled  your  ignorance  of  the  state  of 
life  in  which  you  now  are.  During  the  first  few  days  after 
death  no  one  knows  but  that  he  is  still  living  in  the  same  world 
in  which  he  lived  before ;  for  the  time  that  has  passed  is  like  a 
sleep,  on  being  awakened  from  which  he  had  no  other  feeling 
16 


't-^*>^'iJitii^a^m^ 


242 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 


than  that  he  still  is  where  he  was  before.  So  is  it  with  you 
now ;  and  therefore  you  have  been  speaking  just  as  you  thought 
in  the  former  world." 

The  angels  then  dispelled  their  ignorance  ;  and  they  saw  that 
they  were  in  another  world,  and  among  those  with  whom  they 
were  not  acquainted ;  and  they  cried  out,  "  0  where  are  we  ?" 

We  said,  ''  You  are  no  longer  in  the  natural  world,  but  in  the 
spiritual  world,  and  we  are  angels.^' 

Then,  being  quite  awake,  they  said,  "  If  you  are  angels,  show 
us  heaven." 

We  replied,  "  Wait  here  a  little,  and  we  will  return."  And  re- 
turning after  half  an  hour  we  found  them  waiting  for  us  ;  and 
we  said,  ''  Follow  us  into  heaven."  They  did  so,  and  we  went 
up  with  them,  and  because  we  were  with  them  the  guards 
opened  the  gate  and  admitted  us. 

And  we  said  to  those  who  receive  new-comers  at  the  en- 
trance, "  Examine  these  men." 

And  they  turned  them  about  and  saw  that  the  hinder  parts 
of  their  heads  were  quite  hollow.  They  then  said  to  them, 
«  Go  away  from  here,  for  there  is  in  you  the  delight  of  the 
love  of  doing  evil ;  therefore  you  are  not  in  conjunction  with 
heaven  •  for  in  your  hearts  you  have  denied  God  and  have  de- 
spised religion." 

And  we  said  to  them,  "  Do  not  delay,  or  you  will  be  cast 
out."    So  they  hastened  doT\Ti  and  departed. 

[8]  On  the  way  home  we  talked  about  the  reason  why  in  the 
spiritual  world  the  back  parts  of  the  head  of  those  who  take  de- 
lio-ht  in  doing  evil  are  hollow.  And  I  gave  as  the  reason  that 
man  has  two  brains,  one  behind,  called  the  cerebellum,  and  one 
in  front  called  the  cerebrum ;  and  the  love  of  the  will  dwells 
in  the  cerebellum,  and  the  thought  of  the  understanding  in 
the  cerebrum  ;  and  whenever  the  thought  of  the  understand- 
ing does  not  guide  the  love  of  man's  will  the  inmosts  of  the 
cerebellum,  which  in  themselves  are  heavenly,  collapse ;  hence 
the  hollowness. 

161.  Third  Memorable  Relation : — 

In  the  spiritual  world  I  once  heard  i.  noise  like  that  of  a 
mill ;  it  was  in  the  northern  quarter.  At  first  I  wondered  what 
it  was ;  but  I  called  to  mind  that  the  meaning  of  a  mill  and  of 


N.  161] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


243 


grinding  is  to  seek  from  the  Word  what  is  serviceable  for  doc- 
trine. 1  therefore  went  towards  the  place  where  the  noise  was 
heard,  and  when  I  came  near  it  stopped ;  and  I  then  saw  a 
sort  of  arched  roof  above  the  ground,  to  which  there  was  an 
entrance  through  a  cavern;  seeing  which  I  descended,  and 

entered. 

And  behold,  there  was  a  room  in  which  I  saw  an  old  man 
sitting  among  books,  holding  the  Word  before  him  and  search- 
ing out  from  it  what  would  be  serviceable  for  his  doctrine. 
Pieces  of  paper  were  lying  around,  on  which  he  had  written 
whatever  he  could  use.  In  an  adjoining  room  were  copyists 
who  were  collecting  the  papers  and  copying  what  was  written 
on  them  on  a  full-sized  sheet.    I  first  asked  him  about  the  books 

around  him. 

He  said  that  they  all  treated  of  Justifying  Faith ;  those  from 
Sweden  and  Denmark  profoundly ;  those  from  Germany  more 
profoundly ;  those  from  r>ritain  still  more  so ;  and  most  pro- 
foundly of  all  the  ones  from  Holland.  And  he  added  that  on 
several  points  they  differed ;  but  in  the  article  on  justification 
and  salvation  by  faith  alone  they  all  agreed.  He  afterwards  said 
that  he  was  then  collecting  from  the  Word  this  first  principle 
of  justifying  faith,  that  God  the  Father  ceased  to  be  gracious 
towards  the  human  race  on  account  of  its  iniquities,  and  it  was 
therefore  a  Divine  necessity  for  man's  salvation  that  satisfac- 
tion, reconciliation,  propitiation,  and  mediation  should  be  ef- 
fected by  some  one  who  would  take  upon  himself  the  damnation 
enjoined  by  justice ;  and  that  this  could  never  have  been  done 
except  by  His  only  Son ;  but  having  once  been  done  there  was 
a  way  of  approach  open  to  God  the  Father  for  the  Son's  sake ; 
for  we  pray,  "  Father,  be  merciful  to  us  for  the  sake  of  Thy 
Son."  And  he  said,  "  I  see  and  have  seen,  that  this  is  in  accord- 
ance with  all  reason  and  Scripture.  By  what  other  way  than 
by  faith  in  the  merits  of  His  Son  could  God  the  Father  be 

approached  ?" 

[2]  I  listened  to  this,  and  was.  amazed  that  he  should  declare 
it  to  be  in  accord  with  reason  and  Scripture,  when  yet  it  is  con- 
trary to  both,  and  this  I  plainly  told  him. 

In  the  heat  of  his  zeal  he  then  rejoined,  "How  can  you  say 

that  ?" 


.-<:<.J,...A».«Mt.'-»:»ti 


244 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  IU. 


Therefore  I  opened  my  mind  to  him,  saying,  "  Is  it  not  con- 
trary to  reason  to  think  that  God  the  Father  failed  of  grace 
towards  the  human  race,  and  rejected  and  excommunicated  it  ? 
Is  not  Divine  grace  an  attribute  of  the  Divine  essence  ?  Where- 
fore failing  of  grace  would  be  failing  of  Divine  essence ;  and 
failing  of  His  Divine  essence  would  be  to  be  no  longer  God. 
Is  it  possible  for  God  to  be  alienated  from  Himself  ?  Believe 
me,  as  grace  on  -God's  part  is  infinite,  so  it  is  also  eternal.  On 
men's  part  God's  grace  may  be  lost  if  man  does  not  accept 
it,  [but  never  on  God's  part].  But  if  grace  were  to  depart 
from  God  there  would  be  an  end  to  the  whole  heaven  and  the 
whole  human  race.  AVherefore  on  God's  part  grace  endures 
for  ever,  not  only  towards  angels  and  men,  but  even  towards 
the  devils  in  hell.  Since  this  accords  with  reason,  why  do 
you  say  that  the  only  access  to  God  the  Father  is  through  faith 
in  the  merits  of  the  Son,  when  yet  there  is  perpetually  an 
access  to  Him  through  grace  ?  [3]  But  why  do  you  say,  ac- 
cess to  God  the  Father  for  the  sake  of  the  Son,  instead  of 
through  the  Son  ?  Is  not  the  Son  the  Mediator  and  Saviour  ? 
Why  do  you  not  go  to  the  Mediator  and  Saviour  Himself  ? 
Is  He  not  both  God  and  Man  ?  On  earth  who  goes  directly 
to  an  emperor,  king,  or  prince  ?  Must  there  not  be  some  one 
to  procure  admission  and  introduce  him  ?  Do  you  not  know 
that  the  Lord  came  into  the  world  that  He  might  introduce  men 
to  the  Father,  and  that  only  through  Him  is  there  any  access 
to  the  Father ;  while  this  access  is  perpetual  when  you  go  di- 
rectly to  the  Lord  Himself,  since  He  is  in  the  Father  and  the 
Father  in  Him  ?  Search  now  in  Scripture,  and  you  will  see 
that  this  is  in  accordance  with  Scripture,  while  your  way  to  the 
Father  is  contrary  to  Scripture  as  it  is  contrary  to  reason.  1 
tell  you,  moreover,  it  is  a  presumption  to  climb  up  thus  to  God 
the  Father,  and  not  through  Him  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  and  who  alone  is  present  with  the  Father.  Have  you  not 
read  John  xiv.  6  ?" 

Hearing  this,  the  old  man  became  so  angry  that  he  sprang 
from  his  seat  and  shouted  to  his  copyists  to  put  me  out ;  and 
when  I  had  gone  out  immediately  of  my  own  accord,  he  threw 
after  me  out  of  the  door  a  book  that  he  happened  to  lay  hand 
upon,  and  that  book  was  the  Word. 


N.  162] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


245 


162.  Fourth  Memorable  Kelation  : — 

A  discussion  arose  among  certain  spirits,  whether  one  can 
see  any  doctrinal  truth  of  theology  in  the  Word  except  from 
the  Lord.  They  all  agreed  in  this,  that  no  one  can  except  from 
God,  because : — 

Man  can  receive  nothing  except  it  be  given  from  heaven  {John  iii.  27). 

The  discussion,  therefore,  was  whether  any  one  can  do  this  un- 
less he  go  directly  to  the  Lord. 

On  one  side  it  was  declared  that  the  Lord  must  be  approached 
directly,  because  He  is  the  Word ;  and  on  the  other  that  true 
doctrine  may  also  be  seen  when  God  the  Father  is  approached 
directly.  The  discussion  therefore  first  turned  to  this  point : 
Is  it  permissible  for  any  Christian  to  approach  God  the  Father 
directly,  thereby  climbing  over  the  Lord ;  and  is  not  this  in- 
solence and  audacity  unbecoming  as  well  as  rash,  since  the  Lord 
says  that: — 

No  one  comes  to  the  Father  except  through  Him  [John  xiv.  6)? 

But  they  left  this  point,  and  said  that  man  can  see  true  doc- 
trine from  the  Word  by  his  own  natural  light.  This  was  re- 
jected. Then  they  insisted  that  it  could  be  seen  by  those  who 
pray  to  God  the  Father ;  and  something  from  the  Word  was 
read  to  them,  and  upon  their  knees  they  prayed  God  the  Father 
to  enlighten  them ;  and  they  said  of  what  had  been  read  to  them 
from  the  Word  that  it  contained  such  and  such  truth ;  but  it 
was  falsity.  This  was  repeated  until  it  became  tiresome ;  and 
at  last  they  confessed  that  it  could  not  be  done. 

But  those  on  the  other  side  who  approached  the  Lord  directly 
saw  the  truths,  and  communicated  them  to  the  others. 

[2]  When  this  discussion  had  been  thus  ended,  certain  spir- 
its ascended  from  the  abyss  who  at  first  looked  like  locusts, 
and  afterwards  like  dwarfs.  They  were  such  as  in  the  world 
had  prayed  to  God  the  Father,  and  had  confirmed  themselves 
in  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  alone.  They  were  the 
same  as  those  treated  of  in  the  Apocalypse  (ix.  1-11).  They 
said  that  they  saw  in  clear  light,  and  also  from  the  Word  that 
a  man  is  justified  by  faith  alone  without  the  works  of  the  law. 

They  were  asked,  "  By  what  faith  ?"    They  answered,  "  By 


246 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  III. 


faith  in  God  the  Father.''  But  when  they  had  been  examined 
they  were  told  from  heaven  that  they  did  not  know  a  single  doc- 
trinal truth  from  the  Word.  They  retorted  that  still  they  saw 
their  own  truths  in  light. 

They  were  told  that  it  was  a  fatuous  light  in  which  they  saw 
them.  They  asked,  "  What  is  a  fatuous  light  ?"  They  were  told 
that  a  fatuous  light  is  the  light  of  the  confirmation  of  what  is 
false,  and  that  it  corresponds  to  the  light  in  which  are  owls 
and  bats,  to  which  darkness  is  light  and  light  darkness.  This 
was  confirmed  to  them  by  the  fact  that  when  they  looked  up 
to  heaven,  the  abode  of  light  itself,  they  saw  darkness  ;  and 
when  they  looked  down  to  the  abyss  from  which  they  came  they 
saw  light. 

[3]  Nettled  by  this  confirmation,  they  said  that  light  and 
darkness  then  are  nothing,  being  a  mere  state  of  the  eye,  ac- 
cording to  which  light  is  said  to  be  light  and  darkness  to  be 
darkness.  But  it  was  shown  that  their  light  was  a  fatuous 
light,  which  is  the  light  of  the  continuation  of  what  is  false,  and 
that  it  was  nothing  but  an  activity  of  the  mind,  arising  from 
the  fire  of  their  lusts,  not  unlike  the  light  with  cats,  whose  eyes 
at  night  in  cellars,  from  their  burning  appetite  for  mice,  look 
like  candles. 

Enraged  at  hearing  this,  they  said  they  were  not  cats  and 
were  not  like  cats,  for  they  could  see  if  they  wished  to. 

But  fearing  they  might  be  asked  why  they  did  not  wish  to 
see,  they  withdrew,  and  let  themselves  down  tb  their  abyss. 
Those  in  that  abyss  and  those  like  them  are  called  by  the  an- 
gels owls  and  bats  and  also  locusts. 

[4]  When  they  had  reached  their  companions  in  the  abyss, 
and  had  told  them  that  the  angels  had  said  *'  that  we  know  no 
doctrinal  truth  Avhatever,  not  a  single  one ;  and  they  called  us 
owls,  bats,  and  locusts,''  a  tumult  arose  there.  And  they  said, 
"  Let  us  pray  to  God  for  permission  to  ascend,  and  we  will 
show  clearly  that  we  have  many  doctrinal  truths,  which  the 
archangels  themselves  will  acknowledge."  And  because  they 
prayed  to  God,  permission  was  given  them ;  and  as  many  as 
three  hundred  of  them  ascended. 

And  when  they  appeared  above  the  ground  they  said,  "In 
the  world  we  were  men  of  celebrity  and  renown,  because  we 


«aMMWtBlieA-»».>.»teJ!>=^-^--^^— ■"'^i 


N.  162] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


247 


knew  and  taught  the  mysteries  of  justification  by  faith  alone : 
and  from,  confirmations  we  not  only  saw  light,  but  saw  it  as  a 
glittering  radiance,  and  we  see  it  so  still  in  our  cells ;  and  yet 
we  have  heard  from  our  companions  who  were  still  with  you 
that  that  light  is  not  light  but  darkness,  for  the  reason,  as  you 
say,  that  we  have  no  doctrinal  truth  from  the  Word.   We  know 
that  every  truth  of  the  AVord  shines,  and  we  have  believed  that 
our  radiance,  when  we  meditated  profoundly  upon  our  myste- 
ries, came  from  that  source.    We  will  therefore  demonstrate  to 
you  that  we  have  truths  from  the  Word  in  abundance."    And 
they  said,  "  Have  we  not  this  truth,  that  there  is  a  trinity,  con- 
sisting of  God  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
that  men  ought  to  believe  in  the  trinity  ?    Have  we  not  this 
truth,  that  Christ  is  our  Redeemer  and  Saviour  ?    Have  we  not 
this  truth,  that  Christ  alone  is  righteousness,  and  to  Him  alone 
belongs  merit,  and  that  any  man  who  wishes  to  attribute  to 
himself  any  of  Christ's  merit  and  righteousness  is  himself  un- 
righteous and  impious  ?    Have  we  not  this  truth,  that  no  mor- 
tal man  is  able  of  himself  to  do  any  spiritual  good,  but  that 
from  God  is  all  good  that  is  good  in  itself  ?    Have  we  not  this 
truth,  that  there  are  meritorious  good  and  hypocritical  good, 
and  that  such  goods  are  evil  ?    Have  we  not  this  truth,  that 
good  works  ought  nevertheless  to  be  done  ?    Have  we  not  this 
truth,  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  faith,  and  that  men  ought 
to  believe  in  God,  and  that  every  one  has  life  according  as  he 
believes  ;  besides  many  other  truths  from  the  Word  ?    Which 
of  you  can  deny  a  single  one  of  these  ?    And  yet  you  declared 
that  in  our  schools  we  have  no  truths  at  all,  not  even  a  sin- 
gle one.     Have  you  not  cast  these  charges  against  us  ungrar 

ciously  ?'' 

[5]  But  they  received  this  answer,  "All  these  things  that 
you  have  advanced  are  in  themselves  true ;  but  with  you  they 
are  truths  falsified,  which  are  falsities,  because  they  are  derived 
from  a  false  principle.  That  this  is  so  we  will  make  clear  to 
your  sight.  Not  far  from  here  is  a  place  upon  which  the  light 
of  heaven  falls  directly,  and  in  the  center  of  it  there  is  a  table. 
Whenever  any  paper  upon  which  some  truth  from  the  Word 
has  been  written  is  placed  upon  this  table,  the  paper,  because  of 
the  truth  written  upon  it,  shines  like  a  star.    Therefore  write 


248 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  UI. 


your  truths  on  a  paper,  and  let  the  paper  be  placed  on  the  table, 
and  you  will  see." 

This  they  did,  and  gave  the  paper  to  a  guard,  who  placed  it 
on  the  table  and  said  to  them,  "  Stand  back  and  look  at  the 
table.'' 

They  stood  back  and  looked,  and  lo,  the  paper  shone  like  a 

star. 

Then  the  guards  said,  "  You  see  that  the  things  you  have 
written  on  the  paper  are  truths  j  but  come  nearer  and  fix  your 
gaze  upon  it." 

They  did  so,  and  suddenly  the  light  vanished  and  the  paper 
became  black,  as  if  covered  with  soot  from  a  furnace. 

The  guard  said  further,  ''  Touch  the  paper  with  your  hands, 
but  be  careful  not  to  touch  the  writing." 

And  when  they  did  so  a  flame  broke  out  and  consumed  the 
paper.  When  they  had  seen  this  they  were  told,  "  If  you  had 
touched  the  writing  you  would  have  heard  an  explosion  and 
you  would  have  burned  your  fingers.'^ 

Then  those  standing  behind  them  said,  "  You  now  see  that 
the  truths  which  you  abused  to  confirm  the  mysteries  of  your 
justification  are  truths  in  themselves,  but  that  in  you  they  are 
truths  falsified." 

Then  they  looked  upward,  and  heaven  appeared  to  them  like 
blood,  and  presently  like  thick  darkness  ;  and  in  the  eyes  of  the 
angelic  spirits  they  appeared,  some  like  bats,  and  some  like 
owls,  and  some  like  horned  owls ;  and  they  fled  away  into  their 
own  darkness,  which  to  their  eyes  shone  delusively. 

[6]  The  angelic  spirits  who  were  present  were  astonished, 
for  until  then  they  had  known  nothing  of  that  place  or  of  the 
table  there.  And  a  voice  then  came  to  them  from  the  southern 
quarter,  saying,  "  Come  hither,  and  you  will  see  something  still 
more  wonderful." 

And  they  went,  and  entered  a  chamber,  the  walls  of  which 
shone  like  gold,  and  there  also  they  saw  a  table  on  which  the 
Word  lay,  encircled  with  precious  stones  arranged  in  a  heaven- 
ly form. 

And  the  angel  guard  said,  "  When  the  Word  is  opened  a 
light  of  ineffable  brightness  shines  forth  from  it ;  and  at  the 
same  time  there  is  from  the  precious  stones  the  appearance  of 


N.  162] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


249 


a  rainbow  above  and  round  about  the  Word.  When  an  angel 
from  the  third  heaven  comes  hither  there  appears  above  and 
around  the  Word  a  rainbow  on  a  red  ground ;  when  an  angel 
from  the  second  heaven  comes  and  looks,  a  rainbow  on  an  azure 
ground  appears  ;  when  an  angel  from  the  lowest  heaven  comes 
and  looks,  a  rainbow  on  a  white  ground  appears ;  when  any  good 
spirit  comes  and  looks  a  variegation  of  light  like  marble  ap- 
pears."   That  this  was  so  was  also  showed  to  them  visibly. 

The  angel  guard  said  further,  "  When  any  one  who  has  fal- 
sified the  Word  approaches,  at  first  the  splendor  is  dissipated, 
and  then  if  he  comes  near  and  fixes  his  eyes  on  the  Word,  there 
arises  an  appearance  of  blood  about  it ;  and  he  is  admonished  to 
withdraw  because  there  is  danger." 

[7]  But  a  certain  person  who  in  the  world  had  been  a  lead- 
ing writer  on  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  alone,  came 
up  boldly  and  said,  ''  When  I  was  in  the  world  I  did  not  fal- 
sify the  Word.  Together  with  faith  I  exalted  charity  and 
taught  that  a  man  in  that  state  of  faith  in  which  he  practises 
charity  and  its  works  is  renewed,  regenerated,  and  sanctified 
by  the  Holy  Spirit ;  also  that  faith  does  not  exist  solitary,  that 
is,  separated  from  good  works,  as  there  can  be  no  good  tree 
without  fruit-  no  sun  without  light,  no  fire  without  heat.  I  al- 
so rebuked  those  who  said  that  good  works  are  not  necessary ; 
and  even  obedience  to  the  commandments  of  the  Decalogue  is 
not  necessary ;  and  I  made  repentance  of  great  importance  ;  and 
thus  in  wonderful  manner  applied  everything  in  the  Word  to 
the  subject  of  faith ;  and  yet  I  made  it  clear  and  demonstrated 
that  faith  alone  is  saving." 

Confident  in  this  assertion  that  he  had  not  falsified  the  Word, 
this  man  approached  the  table,  and  in  spite  of  the  warning  of 
the  angel  he  touched  the  Word ;  and  suddenly  out  of  the  Word 
there  went  forth  fire  and  smoke,  and  there  was  an  explosion 
and  a  crash  which  hurled  him  to  a  comer  of  the  room,  where 
he  lay  like  one  dead  for  nearly  an  hour. 

The  angelic  spirits  were  astonished  at  this ;  but  they  were 
told  that  although  this  leader  had  exalted  more  than  others  the 
goods  of  charity  as  proceeding  from  faith,  yet  he  had  meant 
nothing  more  than  political  social  works,  which  are  also  called 
moral  and  civil,  and  which  were  to  be  done  for  the  sake  of  the 


250 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 


world  and  worldly  prosperity,  but  by  no  means  for  the  sake  of 
salvation ;  also  that  he  had  assumed  some  hidden  works  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  of  which  man  knows  nothing,  but  which  are  gen- 
erated in  the  act  of  faith  in  a  state  of  faith. 

[8]  The  angelic  spirits  then  talked  together  about  the  falsi- 
fication of  the  Word ;  and  they  agreed  that  falsifying  the  Word 
is  taking  truths  therefrom  and  applying  them  to  confirm  fal- 
sities ;  whereby  truths  from  the  Word  are  dragged  apart  from 
it  and  slain ;  as  for  example,  when  any  such  truths  as  those 
quoted  above  by  the  spirits  from  the  abyss  are  applied  to  the 
faith  of  the  present  day  and  are  explained  by  that  faith,  which 
is  impregnated  with  falsities,  as  will  be  shown  hereafter ;  or, 
again,  when  one  takes  from  the  Word  the  truth  that  charity 
ought  to  be  exercised,  and  that  good  ought  to  be  done  to  the 
neighbor,  and  then  adds  confirmations  to  show  that  this  ought 
to  be  done,  but  not  for  the  sake  of  salvation  (since  no  good 
done  by  man  is  good,  because  meritorious),  he  drags  that  truth 
from  the  Word  apart  from  the  Word,  and  slays  it.  For  the 
Lord  in  His  Word  enjoins  it  on  every  man  who  wishes  to  be 
saved  that  he  must  love  the  neighbor,  and  from  love  do  good  to 
him.    So  also  with  other  truths. 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY. 

163.  Crod  the  Creator,  together  with  creation,  has  been  treated 
of;  also  the  Lord  the  Redeemer,  together  with  redemption; 
and  lastly  the  Holy  Spirit,  together  with  the  Divine  operation. 
Having  thus  treated  of  the  Triune  God,  it  is  necessary  to  treat 
also  of  the  Divine  trinity,  which  is  known  and  yet  unknown 
in  the  Christian  world ;  for  only  through  this  can  a  right  idea 
of  God  be  acquired;  and  a  right  idea  of  God  in  the  church  is 
like  the  sanctuary  and  altar  in  a  temple,  or  like  the  crown  upon 
the  head  and  the  scepter  in  the  hand  of  a  king  on  his  throne ; 
for  on  a  right  idea  of  God  the  whole  body  of  theology  hangs, 
like  a  chain  on  its  first  link ;  and  if  you  will  believe  it,  every 
one  is  allotted  his  place  in  the  heavens  in  accordance  with  his 
idea  of  God.    For  that  idea  is  like  a  touchstone  by  which  the 


N.  163] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


251 


gold  and  silver  are  tested,  that  is,  the  quality  of  good  and  truth 
in  man.  For  there  can  be  no  saving  good  in  man  except  from 
God,  nor  any  truth  that  does  not  derive  its  quality  from  the 
bosom  of  good.  But  that  it  may  be  seen  with  both  eyes  what 
the  Divine  trinity  is,  the  explanation  of  it  shall  be  divided  into 
sections  as  follov/s  : — 

(1)  There  is  a  Divine  Trinity,  which  is  Father,  Son,  and 

Holy  Spirit. 

(2)  These  three.  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  are  the  three 
essentials  of  one  God,  and  they  make  one  as  soul,  body,  and 
operation  make  one  in  man. 

(3)  Before  the  world  was  created  this  Trinity  was  not ;  but 
after  creation,  when  God  became  incarnate,  it  was  provided  and 
brought  about ;  and  then  in  the  Lord  God  the  Redeemer  and 
Saviour  Jesus  C'hrist. 

(4)  In  the  ideas  of  thought  a  Trinity  of  Divine  Persons  from 
eternity,  or  before  the  world  was  created,  is  a  Trinity  of  Gods ; 
and  these  ideas  cannot  be  effaced  by  a  lip-confession  of  one 

God. 

(5)  A  Trinity  of  Persons  was  unknown  in  the  Apostolic 
church,  but  was  hatched  by  the  Nicene  Council,  and  from  that 
was  introduced  into  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and  from  that 
again  into  the  churches  separated  from  it. 

(6)  From  the  Nicene  Trinity  and  the  Athanasian  Trinity  to- 
gether a  faith  arose  by  which  the  whole  Christian  church  has 
been  perverted. 

(7)  This  is  the  source  of  that  ''  abomination  of  desolation, 
and  that  tribulation  such  as  has  not  been  nor  ever  shall  be," 
which  the  Lord  foretold  in  Daniel  and  in  the  Gospels  and  in 
the  Apocalypse. 

(8r  So  too,  unless  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  church  were  es- 
tablished by  the  Lord  there  could  no  flesh  be  saved. 

(9)  From  a  Trinity  of  Persons,  each  one  of  whom  singly  is 
God,  according  to  the  Athanasian  Creed,  many  discordant  and 
heterogeneous  ideas  respecting  God  have  arisen,  which  are 
phantasies  and  abortions. 

These  propositions  shall  now  be  explained  one  by  one. 

164.  (1)  There  is  a  Divine  Trinity,  which  is  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Spirit,     That  there  is  a  Divine  trinity  of  Father, 


252 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 


Son,  and  Holy  Spirit  is  made  clearly  evident  in  the  Word,  as 
in  the  following  passages  : — 

The  angel  Gabriel  said  to  Mary,  The  Holy  Spirit  shall  come  upon  thee, 
and  the  power  of  the  Most  High  shall  overshadow  thee  ;  therefore  that 
holy  thing  which  shall  be  bom  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God 
{Luke  i.  35). 

Here  three  are  mentioned,  the  Most  High,  who  is  God  the 
Father,  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  Son  of  God : — 

When  Jesus  was  baptized,  Lo,  the  heavens  were  opened,  and  John  saw 
the  Holy  Spirit  descending  as  a  dove  and  coming  upon  Him  ;  and  lo,  a 
voice  out  of  heaven  saying,  This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased  {Matt.  iii.  16,  17  ;  Mark  i.  10,  11  ;  John  i.  32). 

And  still  more  plainly  in  these  words  of  the  Lord  to  His  dis- 
ciples : — 

Go  ye  and  make  disciples  of  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit  {Matt,  xxviii.  19) ; 

and  still  again  in  these  words  in  John : — 

There  are  three  that  bear  witness  in  heaven,  the  Father,  the  Word,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  (1  John  v.  7). 

Furthermore,  the  Lord  prayed  to  His  Father,  and  spoke  of  Him 
and  with  Him,  and  said  that  He  would  send  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  He  did  send  it.  Finally  the  apostles  in  their  Epistles  fre- 
quently mention  the  Father  and  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit. 
From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  there  is  a  Divine  trinity,  which  is 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit. 

165.  But  in  what  manner  these  passages  are  to  be  under- 
stood, whether  as  meaning  that  these  are  three  Gods,  who  in 
essence  and  consequently  in  name  are  one  God ;  or  that  they 
are  three  objects  belonging  to  one  subject,  that  is,  merely  qual- 
ities or  attributes  of  one  God  which  are  so  named ;  or  in  some 
other  way,  the  reason  left  to  itself  is  incapable  of  seeing.  What 
then  is  to  be  done  ?  There  is  no  other  way  than  for  man  to  go 
to  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  and  under  His  auspices  read  the 
Word ;  for  He  is  the  God  of  the  Word ;  and  man  will  then  be 
enlightened  and  will  see  truths  which  reason  also  will  acknowl- 
edge. But  on  the  other  hand,  if  you  do  not  approach  the  Lord, 
though  you  read  the  Word  a  thousand  times,  and  see  therein 


N.  165] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


253 


the  Divine  trinity  and  the  unity  also,  you  will  never  under- 
stand otherwise  than  that  there  are  three  Divine  persons,  each 
one  of  whom  singly  is  God,  and  thus  that  there  are  three  Gods. 
But  because  this  is  repugnant  to  the  common  perception  of  all 
men  throughout  the  world,  to  escape  reproaches  men  have  in- 
vented the  notion  that  although  there  are  in  truth  three  Gods, 
it  is  indispensable  to  faith  that  one  God  only,  and  not  three, 
be  named.    Furthermore,  lest  they  should  be  overwhelmed  with 
censure  it  was  determined  that  on  this  point  especially  the 
understanding  should  be  imprisoned  and  held  bound  under 
obedience  to  faith ;  and  that  this  should  evermore  be  a  sacred 
principle  of  Christian  order  in  the  Christian  church.    [2]  Such 
a  paralytic  birth  resulted  from  their  not  reading  the  Word  un- 
der the  Lord's  auspices ;  for  every  one  who  does  not  read  the 
Word  under  His  auspices  reads  it  under  the  auspices  of  his 
own  intelligence,  which  is  like  an  owl  in  such  things  as  are  in 
spiritual  light,  as  all  the  essentials  of  the  church  are.    And 
when  one  so  reads  in  the  Word  what  is  said  of  the  trinity,  and 
from  what  he  reads  thinks  that  although  there  are  three  Gods 
they  are  still  one,  the  matter  appears  to  him  like  a  response 
from  a  tripod,  which,  because  he  does  not  understand  it  he  rolls 
about  between  his  teeth ;  for  if  he  should  set  it  before  his  eyes 
it  would  become  a  riddle,  which  the  more  he  tries  to  solve  the 
more  he  involves  himself  in  darkness,  until  finally  he  begins 
to  thmk  about  it  without  imderstanding,  which  is  like  seeing 
without  an  eye.    In  short,  those  who  read  the  Word  under  the 
auspices  of  one's  own  intelligence,  as  is  done  by  all  who  do  not 
acknowledge  the  Lord  as  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  and 
therefore  approach  and  worship  Him  alone,  may  be  likened  to 
children  at  play,  who  tie  a  bandage  over  their  eyes  and  try  to 
walk  in  a  straight  line,  and  even  think  that  they  are  going 
straight  ahead,  when  yet  they  turn  step  by  step  to  one  side 
and  finally  go  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  strike  against  a 
stone  and  fall.    [3]  Such  are  also  like  mariners  sailing  without 
a  compass,  who  run  their  vessel  on  the  rocks  and  perish.    They 
are  also  like  a  man  walking  over  a  wide  plain  in  a  thick  fog, 
who  seeing  a  scorpion  takes  it  for  a  bird,  and  attempting  to 
seize  and  pick  it  up  with  his  hand  receives  a  deadly  wound. 
Such  again  are  like  a  waterfowl  or  a  hawk,  which  sees  above 


254 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 


the  water  a  little  of  the  back  of  a  big  lish,  and  darts  down  and 
fixes  its  beak  in  it,  and  is  drawn  under  by  the  lish  and  drowned. 
Again  they  are  like  one  entering  a  labyrinth  without  a  guide 
or  a  cord,  and  the  farther  he  goes  in  the  more  he  loses  sight  of 
the  way  out.  A  man  who  reads  the  Word  not  under  the  Lord's 
auspices  but  under  the  auspices  of  his  own  intelligence,  thinks 
himself  a  lynx  and  better  sighted  than  Argus ;  and  yet  he  in- 
wardly sees  not  a  shred  of  truth,  but  only  what  is  false ;  and 
imder  self-persuasion  this  falsity  seems  to  him  like  a  polar  star 
towards  which  he  directs  all  the  sails  of  his  thought ;  and  then 
he  no  more  sees  truths  than  a  mole  does,  or  if  he  sees  them  he 
bends  them  to  favor  his  phantasies,  and  so  perverts  and  falsi- 
fies the  holy  things  of  the  Word. 

166.  (2)  These  three,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  are  the 
three  essentials  of  the  one  God,  and  they  make  one  as  soul,  body, 
and  operation  make  one  in  man.  In  any  one  thing  there  are 
both  general  and  particular  essentials,  and  these  together  make 
one  essence.  The  general  essentials  of  the  one  man  are  his 
soul,  body,  and  operation.  That  these  constitute  one  essence 
can  be  seen  from  this — that  one  is  from  the  other  and  for  the 
sake  of  the  other  in  an  unbroken  series  ;  for  man  gets  his  begin- 
ning from  the  soul,  Avhich  is  the  very  essence  of  the  semen ;  and 
the  soul  not  only  initiates,  but  also  produces  in  their  order  all 
things  that  pertain  to  the  body,  and  afterward  all  things  that 
proceed  from  the  soul  and  body  together,  which  are  called 
operations.  From  this  production,  therefore,  of  one  from  the 
other,  and  the  consequent  ingrafting  and  conjunction,  it  can 
be  seen  that  these  three  are  of  one  essence,  and  therefore  they 
are  called  three  essentials. 

167.  Every  one  acknowledges  that  these  three  essentials, 
namely,  soul,  body,  and  operation,  both  were  and  are  in  the 
Lord  God  the  Saviour.  That  His  soul  was  from  Jehovah 
the  Father  cannot  be  denied  except  by  Antichrist ;  for  in  the 
W^ord  of  both  Testaments  He  is  called  the  Son  of  Jehovah, 
the  Son  of  the  Most  High  God,  the  Only-begotten ;  conse- 
quently the  Divine  of  the  Father,  like  the  soul  in  man,  is  His 
first  essential.  From  this  it  follows  that  the  Son  whom  Mary 
brought  forth  is  the  body  to  that  Divine  soul;  for  in  the 
mother's  womb  nothing  is  furnished  except  the  body  that  has 


N.  167] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


255 


been  conceived  and  derived  from  the  soul ;  this,  therefore,  is 
His  second  essential.  Operations  constitute  the  third  essen- 
tial, since  these  proceed  from  soul  and  body  together,  and  what 
proceeds  is  of  the  same  essence  as  that  which  produces  it. 
That  the  three  essentials,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  in  the 
Lord  are  one,  like  soul,  body  and  operation  in  man,  is  clearly 
evident  from  the  Lord's  words,  that  the  Father  and  He  are 
one ;  that  the  Father  is  m  Him  and  He  in  the  Father ;  and  in 
like  manner  He  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  since  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
the  Divine  that  goes  forth  out  of  the  Lord  from  the  Father,  as 
fully  shown  above  from  the  Word  (n.  153,  154) ;  therefore  to 
show  it  again  would  be  superfluous,  and  like  loading  a  table 
with  food  after  the  appetite  has  been  satisfied. 

168.  When  it  is  said  that  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit 
are  the  three  essentials  of  the  one  God,  like  soul,  body,  and 
operation  in  man,  it  seems  to  the  human  mind  as  if  these  three 
essentials  are  three  persons,  which  is  impossible.  But  w^hen  it 
is  understood  that  the  Divine  of  the  Father,  which  constitutes 
the  soul,  and  the  Divine  of  the  Son,  which  constitutes  the  body, 
and  the  Divine  of  the  Holy  Spirit  or  the  proceeding  Divine, 
which  constitutes  the  operation,  are  the  three  essentials  of  the 
one  God,  the  statement  is  comprehensible.  For  God  the  Father 
is  His  Divine,  the  Son  from  the  Father  is  His  Divine,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  from  both  is  His  Divine;  and  as  these  are  one  in 
essence  and  one  in  mind  they  constitute  one  God.  But  if  these 
three  Divine  essentials  are  called  persons,  and  if  to  each  person 
is  attributed  his  o^\ti  property,  to  the  Father  imputation,  to  the 
Son  mediation,  and  to  the  Holy  Spirit  operation,  the  Divine  Es- 
sence, which  in  fact  is  one  and  not  divisible,  becomes  divided : 
and  thus  none  of  the  three  is  God  in  fulness,  but  each  has  a 
sub-triple  power ;  and  this  a  sound  understanding  must  needs 
reject. 

169.  From  the  trinity  in  every  man,  then,  who  can  fail  to 
perceive  the  trinity  in  the  Lord  ?  In  every  man  there  is  soul, 
body,  and  operation ;  so  also  in  the  Lord,  "  for  in  the  Lord 
dwells  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily,"  according  to  Paul 
{Col.  ii.  9) ;  therefore  in  the  Lord  the  trinity  is  Divine,  but  in 
man  it  is  human.  In  this  mystical  notion  that  there  are  three 
Divine  persons  and  yet  one  God,  and  that  this  God,  although 


256 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  in. 


one,  is  nevertheless  not  one  person,  every  one  can  see  that 
reason  has  no  part,  but  has  been  lulled  to  sleep,  and  still  it 
compels  the  mouth  to  speak  like  a  parrot.  And  when  reason  is 
put  to  sleep  what  is  speech  from  the  mouth  but  dead  speech  ? 
When  the  mouth  utters  that  which  reason  turns  away  from  and 
dissents  from,  is  not  speech  foolish  ?  At  this  day  human  rea- 
son, in  respect  to  the  Divine  trinity,  is  bound  like  a  man  in 
prison,  manacled  and  fettered ;  and  it  may  be  compared  to  a 
vestal  virgin  buried  alive  for  i)ermitting  the  sacred  lire  to  die 
out;  and  yet  in  the  minds  of  men  of  the  church  the  Divine 
trinity  ought  to  shine  like  a  lamp,  since  God  in  His  trinity  and 
in  the  unity  thereof  is  the  All  in  all  the  sanctities  of  heaven 
and  the  church.  But  if  the  soul  is  made  one  God,  and  the  body 
another,  and  the  operation  a  third,  how  does  this  differ  from 
making  three  parts,  each  distinct  from  the  other,  out  of  these 
three  essentials  of  one  man  ?  And  what  is  that  but  cutting 
him  in  pieces  and  slaying  him  ? 

170.  (3)    Before  the  world  was  created  this   Trinity  was 
not ;  but  after  creation,  when  God  became  incarnate,  it  ivas  pro- 
vided and  brought  about,  and  then  in  the  Lord  God  the  Re- 
deemer  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.    In  the  Christian  church  at 
the  present  day  a  Divine  trinity  existing  before  the  creation  of 
the  world  is  acknowledged ;  that  is,  that  Jehovah  God  begat  a 
Son  from  eternity,  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  then  went  forth 
from  both,  and  that  each  of  these  three  is  by  Himself  or  singly 
God,  because  each  is  one  person  subsistmg  of  Himself.    But  as 
this  is  incomprehensible  to  all  reason  it  is  called  a  mystery, 
which  can  be  penetrated  only  in  this  way — that  these  three  have 
one  Divine  essence,  by  which  is  meant  eternity,  immensity, 
omnipotence,  and  thus  an  equal  Divinity,  glory,  and  majesty. 
But  that  this  trinity  is  a  trinity  of  three  Gods,  and  therefore 
in  no  sense  a  Divine  trinity,  will  be  shown  in  what  follows : 
while  from  all  that  precedes  it  is  evident  that  the  trinity  (which 
is  also  a  trinity  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit)  which  was 
provided  and  brought  about  when  God  became  incarnate,  thus 
after  the  world  was  created,  is  a  Divine  trinity,  because  it  is  a 
trinity  in  one  God.     This  divine  trinity  is  in  the  Lord  God  the 
Redeemer  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  because  the  three  essen- 
tials of  the  one  God,  which  constitute  one  essence,  are  in  Him. 


N.  170] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


257 


That  in  Him  (as  Paul  says)  dwelleth  all  the  fuhiess  of  Divinity 
IS  evident  also  from  the  words  of  the  Lord  Himself,  that  all 
thmgs  of  the  Father  are  His,  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  speaks 
from  Him,  and  not  of  itself ;  and  finally,  that  when  He  arose 
He  took  from  the  sepulchre  His  whole  human  body,  both  the 
flesh  and  the  bones  (3Iatt.  xxviii.  1-8 ;  Mark  xvi.  5,  6 ;  Luke 
XXIV.  1-3;  John  xx.  11-15),  unlike  any  other  man;  of  which 
He  bore  living  witness  to  His  disciples,  saying  :— 

Behold  My  hands  and  My  feet,  that  it  is  I  Myself  ;  handle  Me  and  see  ; 
for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones  as  ye  see  Me  have  {Luke  xxiv.  39). 

.From  this  every  man  may  be  convinced,  if  he  will,  that  the 
Lord's  humanity  is  Divine ;  consequently,  that  in  Him  God  is 
Man  and  jVIan  is  God. 

171.  The  trinity  which  the  present  Christian  church  has  em- 
braced and  brought  into  its  faith,  is  that  God  the  Father  begat 
a  Son  from  eternity,  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  then  went  forth 
from  both,  and  that  each  one  of  Himself  is  a  God.    Human 
minds  can  conceive  of  this  trinity  only  as  a  triarchy,  like  the 
government  of  three  kings  in  one  kingdom,  or  of  three  gener- 
als over  one  army,  or  of  three  masters  in  one  household,  all 
possessing  an  equal  power.    From  this  what  but  destruction 
could  ensue  ?    Or  if  one  wishes  to  figure  or  shadow  forth  this 
triarchy  before  his  mind's  sight,  and  at  the  same  tune  the 
unity  of  its  members,  he  can  present  it  to  contemplation  only 
as  a  man  with  three  heads  on  one  body,  or  as  three  bodies  under 
one  head.    In  such  a  monstrous  image  must  the  trinity  appear 
to  those  who  believe  that  there  are  three  Divine  persons  each 
by  Himself  God,  and  who  join  these  into  one  God,  but  deny 
that  God,  because  He  is  one,  is  therefore  one  person.     That  a 
Son  of  God  begotten  from  eternity  descended  and  assumed  a 
Human  may  be  compared  to  the  fables  of  the  ancients,  that 
hunmn  souls  created  at  the  beginning  of  the  world  enter  into 
bodies  and  become  men  ;  also  to  the  absurd  notion  that  the  soul 
of  one  person  passes  into  another,  as  many  in  the  Jewish  church 
believed ;  for  example,  that  the  soul  of  Elijah  would  pass  into 
the  body  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  that  David  would  return  into 
his  own  or  into  some  other  man's  body,  and  rule  over  Israel 

and  Judah,  because  it  is  said  in  Ezekiel : 

17 


L  A*:>-.>.A*  IJlhfcAf  J 


258 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 


I  will  set  up  one  shepherd  over  them,  and  he  shall  feed  them,  even  My 
servant  David  ;  and  he  shall  be  their  shepherd  ;  and  I  Jehovah  will  be  to 
them  as  God,  and  David  a  prmce  among  them  (xxxiv.  23,  24) ; 

besides  other  passages ;  not  knowing  that  the  Lord  is  there 
meant  by  <'  David." 

172.  (4)  In  the  ideas  of  thought  a  Tnhity  of  Divine  Persons 
from  etemitf/,  or  before  the  world  was  created,  is  a  Trinity  of 
Gods  ;  and  these  ideas  cannot  be  effaced  by  a  lip-confession  of 
one  God.     That  a  trinity  of  Divine  persons  from  eternity  is  a 
trinity  of  Gods  is  clearly  evident  from  the  following  passage  in 
the  Athanasian  Creed ;— "  There  is  one  person  of  the  Father, 
another  of  the  Son,  and  another  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  the  Father- 
is  God  and  Lord ;  the  Son  is  God  and  Lord ;  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  God  and  Lord ;  nevertheless  there  are  not  three  Gods 
and  Lords,  but  one  God  and  Lord ;  for  as  we  are  compelled  by 
the  Christian  verity  to  confess  each  person  singly  to  be  God 
and  Lord,  so  are  we  forbidden  by  the  Catholic  religion  to  say 
three  Gods  or  three  Lords.''    This  creed  is  accepted  as  oecumen- 
ical or  universal  by  the  whole  Christian  church,  and  all  that  is 
at  this  day  known  and  acknowledged  respecting  God  is  from 
it.  That  no  other  trinity  than  a  trinity  of  Gods  was  understood 
by  the  members  of  the  Nicene  Council,  from  which  the  Atha- 
nasian Creed  came  forth  like  a  posthumous  birth,  any  one  can 
see  who  reads  it  with  his  eyes  open.     And  not  only  was  the 
trinity  understood  by  them  to  be  a  trinity  of  Gods,  it  was  so 
understood  by  the  whole  Christian  world  as  well,  for  the  reason 
that  the  whole  Christian  world  derives  all  its  knowledge  of 
God  from  that  source,  and  every  man  clings  to  a  belief  in  its 
words.     [2]  I  appeal  to  every  one,  layman  and  clergyman,  to 
titled  masters  and  professors,  consecrated  bishops  and  arch- 
bishops, purple-robed  cardinals,  and  even  the  Koman  pontiff 
himself,  whether  in  the  Christian  world  to-day  the  trinity  is 
understood  to  be  anything  else  than  a  trinity  of  Gods ;  let  every 
one  of  them  consult  with  himself  and  speak  from  the  things 
that  are  in  his  mind ;  for  from  the  words  of  this  universally 
accepted  doctrine  respecting  God  this  is  as  manifest  and  clear 
as  water  in  a  crystal  goblet,  and  also  that  there  are  three  per- 
sons, each  one  of  whom  is  God  and  Lord ;  and  further  that 
according  to  Christian  verity  each  person  singly  ought  to  be 


N.  172] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


259 


confessed  or  acknowledged  to  be  God  and  Lord,  but  that  the 
Catholic  or  Christian  religion  or  faith  forbids  the  saying  or 
nammg  three  Gods  and  Lords ;  thus  verity  and  religion,  or  ver- 
ity and  faith,  are  not  one  thing  but  two  things,  each  contrary 
to  the  other.    But  lest  all  this  should  be  exposed  to  ridicule 
before  the  whole  world  it  was  added  that  there  are  not  three 
Gods  and  Lords,  but  one  God  and  Lord ;  for  who  would  not 
laugh  at  the  idea  of  three  Gods  ?    And  still  does  not  every  one 
see  the  contradiction  in  this  addition  ?    [3]  if  they  had  said 
indeed,  that  to  the  Father  belongs  the  Divine  essence,  to  the 
hon  the  Divme  essence,  and  to  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Divine  es- 
sence,  and  yet  there  are  not  three  Divine  essences,  but  one  in- 
divisible essence,  that  is  to  say,  if  by  the  Father  there  be  un- 
derstood the  Divine  from  whom  {a  Quo),  by  the  Son  the  Divine 
Human  therefrom,  and  by  the  Holy  Spirit  the  proceeding  Di- 
vme, which  are  the  three  constituents  of  the  one  God,  then  this 
mystery  would  be  explicable.    Or  if  we  understood  by  the  Di- 
vine, of  the  Father  what  is  like  the  soul  in  man,  and  by  the 
Divme  Human  what  is  like  the  body  of  that  soul,  and  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  what  is  like  the  operation  that  proceeds  from  both 
then  three  essences,  which  belong  to  one  and  the  same  person' 
and  so  together  constitute  one  indivisible  essence,  are  under' 
stood. 

173.  The  idea  of  three  Gods  cannot  be  efFaced  by  a  lipKjon- 
f ession  of  one  God,  for  the  reason  that  from  childhood  this  idea 
has  been  implanted  in  the  memory,  and  it  is  from  the  things 
contamed  m  the  memory  that  every  one  thinks.    The  memory 
m  man  is  like  the  ruminatory  stomach  in  birds  and  beasts ;  into 
which  they  thrust  the  food  from  which  they  gradually  derive 
nourishment ;  and  from  time  to  time  they  draw  the  food  from 
It  and  convey  it  to  the  true  stomach,  where  it  is  digested  and 
meted  out  to  the  various  uses  of  the  body.    The  human  under- 
standmg  is  this  latter  stomach,  as  the  memory  is  the  former 
That  the  idea  of  three  Divine  persons  from  eternity,  which  is 
the  same  as  the  idea  of  three  Gods,  cannot  be  effaced  by  a  lip- 
confession  of  one  God,  can  be  seen  by  anybody  from  this  fact 
alone,  that  it  has  not  yet  been  effaced,  and  that  among  the 
notable  there  are  some  who  do  not  wish  it  to  be  effaced  •  for 
while  they  insist  that  the  three  Divine  persons  are  of  one  God 


itaaiAarag-->"^i^^affli|.n.|,  ■  „  ,,■,  m-'ii.Ji^if-iiimh-fti! 


^■^^-'^^^'"'^[iltfil'iHMlflT  If  ■ 


260 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  Chap.  UI. 


they  obstinately  deny  that  God,  on  account  of  being  one  is  one 
person.    But  what  wise  man  does  not  think  within  himself  that 
the  term  person  can  not  in  this  case  mean  person  but  that  it 
predicates  some  quality,  though  what  quaUty  is  not  known  . 
And  this  not  being  known,  what  has  been  nnplanted  in  the 
memory  from  childhood  remains,  as  the  roots  of  a  tree  remain 
in  the  ground,  and  from  them,  even  if  the  tree  be  cut  down,  a 
shoot  wiU  spring  forth.    [3]  But,  my  friend,  not  only  cut  down 
the  tree,  but  also  dig  up  the  root,  and  then  plant  in  your  gai;- 
den  trees  bearing  good  fruit.    Thus  beware  kst  m  your  mind 
there  should  lurk  the  idea  of  three  Gods,  while  your  mouth  ut- 
ters the  words  one  God,  with  no  idea  in  them.    In  that  case  is 
not  the  understanding  (which  above  the  memory  is  thinkmg  of 
three  Gods,  and  at  the  same  time  below  the  memory  is  causing 
the  mouth  to  utter  one  God),  like  a  player  on  the  stage  able  to 
act  two  roles  by  running  from  one  side  to  the  other,  at  one  side 
saving  one  thing  and  at  the  other  just  the  opposite,  and  by 
such  Contradiction  playing  on  the  one  side  the  --«  --•  -^ 
on  the  other  the  fool  ?   What  else  can  result  from  th  s  but  that 
^hen  the  understanding  stands  in  the  center  and  looks  toth 
ways  it  WiU  conclude  that  neither  this  nor  that  amounts  to 
Inything,  and  so,  perhaps,  that  there  is  neither  one  God  nor 
three,  th^s  that  ^here  is  no  God?    The  prevailing  naturalism 
of  the  day  is  from  no  other  source.    In  heaven  no  one  can  ut- 
ter the  words,  A  trinity  of  persons  each  one  of  whom  singly  is 
God;  for  it  is  resisted  by  the  very  aura  of  heaven,  in  which  the 
thoughts  of  those  there  fly  and  undulate,  as  sounds  do  in  our 
air     Such  words  can  be  uttered  only  by  a  hypocrite  and  the 
sound  of  his  speech  grates  in  the  heavenly  aura  like  the  gnash- 
ing of  teeth,  or  is  like  the  croak  of  a  raven  trying  to  imitate  a 
bird  of  song.    Moreover,  I  have  heard  from  heaven  that  to  ef- 
face a  belief  established  in  the  mind  by  confirmations  favoring 
a  trinity  of  Gods,  by  means  of  a  bivconfession  of  one  God,  is 
L  Impossible  as  it  is  to  draw  a  tree  ba.k  through  its  seed,  or 
a  man's  chin  through  a  hair  growmg  out  of  it. 

1 74  C5^  A  Trinity  of  Persons  vas  unknown  tn  the  Apostolic 
Church,  but  u,as  hatched  h,j  the  Nicene  Co>m.,7,  andfror,^  that 
^L  i^rodiiced  into  the  Bo.an  CoilMic  ''^''-^^^f  ^^^^ 
again  into  the  churches  separated  from  it.    By  the  Apostolic 


r 


N.  174] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


261 


church  is  meant  the  church  that  existed  in  various  places  not 
only  in  the  time  of  the  apostles,  but  also  in  the  second  and 
third  centuries  after.  But  at  length  men  began  to  wrench  the 
door  of  the  temple  off  its  hinges,  and  to  break  robber-like  into 
its  sanctuary.  The  temple  is  the  church ;  the  door  is  the  Lord 
God  the  Kedeemer ;  and  the  sanctuary  His  Divinity ;  for  Jesus 
says : — 

Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  entereth  not  by  the  door  into  the  sheep- 
fold,  but  climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the  same  is  a  thief  and  a  rob- 
ber. I  am  the  door ;  by  Me  if  any  man  enter  in  he  shall  be  saved  {John 
X.  1,  9). 

This  crime  was  committed  by  Arius  and  his  followers.  [2]  On 
this  account  a  council  was  convoked  by  Constantine  the  Great 
at  Nice,  a  city  in  Bithynia ;  and  in  order  to  overthrow  the  per- 
nicious heresy  of  Arius  it  was  devised,  decided  upon,  and  rati- 
fied by  the  members  of  the  council  that  there  were  from  eter- 
nity three  Divine  persons,  a  Father,  a  Son,  and  a  Holy  Spirit, 
to  each  one  of  whom  belonged  personality,  existence,  and  sub- 
sistence, by  Himself  and  in  Himself ;  also  that  the  second  per- 
son, or  the  Son,  came  down  and  took  on  a  Human  and  wrought 
redemption ;  and  therefore  His  Human,  by  a  hypostatic  imion, 
possesses  Divinity,  and  through  that  union  He  has  close  rela- 
tionship with  God  the  Father.  From  that  time  heaps  of  abomi- 
nable heresies  about  God  and  the  person  of  Christ  began  to 
spring  up  from  the  earth,  and  Antichrists  began  to  rear  their 
heads  and  to  divide  God  into  three  persons,  and  the  Lord  the 
Saviour  into  two,  thus  destroying  the  temple  set  up  by  the  Lord 
through  the  apostles,  and  this  until  not  one  stone  was  left  upon 
another  that  was  not  thrown  down,  according  to  the  Lord's 
words  (3Iatt.  xxiv.  2),  where  by  "  the  temple"  not  only  the  edi- 
fice at  Jerusalem  is  meant  but  also  the  church,  the  consum- 
mation or  end  of  which  is  treated  of  in  the  whole  chapter.  [3] 
lint  what  else  could  have  been  expected  from  that  council,  or 
from  those  that  followed,  which  in  like  manner  divided  the 
Godhead  into  three,  and  placed  God  in  the  flesh  beneath  them 
on  their  footstool  ?  For  by  climbing  up  some  other  way  they 
took  the  Head  of  the  church  away  from  its  body  ;  that  is,  they 
passed  Him  by,  and  mounted  beyond  to  God  the  Father  as  to 
another,  with  the  mere  mention  on  their  lips  of  Christ's  merit, 


262 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IU. 


that  is,  that  God  on  account  of  it  might  be  merciful,  and  jus- 
tification might  thus  flow  into  them  directly  with  all  that  goes 
with  it,  namely,  remission  of  sins,  renovation,  sanctification, 
regeneration,  and  salvation,  and  this  without  any  meditation  on 

man's  part. 

175.  That  the  Apostolic  church  had  not  the  least  knowledge 
of  a  trinity. of  persons,  or  of  three  persons  from  eternity,  can 
be  clearly  seen  from  the  creed  of  that  church  which  is  called 
the  Apostles'  Creed,  in  which  are  these  words  :— "  I  believe  in 
God  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth ;  and  in 
Jesus  Christ,  His  only  Son,  our  Lord,  who  was  conceived  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  born  of  the  virgin  Mary ;"  and  "  I  believe  in 
the  Holy  Ghost."  Here  no  mention  is  made  of  a  Son  born  from 
eternity,  but  only  of  a  Son  conceived  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
born  of  the  virgin  Mary;  for  they  knew  from  the  apostles : — 

That  Jesus  Christ  was  the  tme  God  (1  John  v.  20) ; 
And  that  in  Him  dwelt  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily  {Col.  ii.  9); 
And  that  the  apostles  preached  faith  in  Him  {Acts  xx.  21); 
And  that  to  Him  was  given  all  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth  {Matt. 
xxviii.  18). 

176.  What  confidence  is  to  be  had  in  councils  when  they  do 
not  go* directly  to  the  God  of  the  church?    Is  not  the  church 
the  Lord's  body,  and  He  its  head  ?    What  is  a  body  without  a 
head  ?    And  what  sort  of  a  body  is  that  upon  which  three  heads 
have  been  put,  under  the  auspices  of  which  men  hold  consul- 
tations and  pass  decrees  ?    Does  not  enlightenment  (which  is 
spiritual  w^hen  it  is  from  the  Lord  alone,  who  is  the  God  of 
heaven  and  the  church,  and  also  the  God  of  the  Word)  then 
become  more  and  more  natural  and  at  length  sensual  ?    And 
then  not  a  single  genuine  theological  truth  in  its  internal  form 
is  perceived  without  being  instantly  cast  out  of  the  thought  of 
the  rational  understanding,  and  like  chaff  from  a  winnowing 
machine  blown  into  the  air.    In  this  state  fallacies  steal  into  the 
mind  instead  of  truths,  and  darkness  instead  of  rays  of  light ; 
and  men  stand  as  if  in  a  cave  with  spectacles  on  the  nose  and 
torch  in  hand,  shutting  their  eyes  to  spiritual  truths,  which  are 
in  the  light  of  heaven,  and  opening  them  to  sensual  truths  be- 
longing to  the  fatuous  light  of  the  bodily  senses.    And  it  is  the 
same  afterwards  when  the  Word  is  read ;  the  mind  is  then  asleep 


N.  176] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


263 


to  truths  and  awake  to  falsities,  and  becomes  like  the  beast 
described  as  rising  up  out  of  the  sea : — 

With  a  mouth  like  that  of  a  lion,  a  body  like  that  of  a  leopard,  and  feet 
like  those  of  a  bear  {Apoc.  xiii.  2). 

It  is  said  in  heaven  that  when  the  IN'icene  Council  had  finished 
its  work,  that  had  come  to  pass  which  the  Lord  foretold  to  His 
disciples  : — 

The  sun  shall  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and 
the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be 
shaken  {Matt.  xxiv.  29); 

and  in  fact  the  Apostolic  church  was  like  a  new  star  appearing 
in  the  starry  heaven.  But  the  church  after  the  two  Nicene 
councils  became  finally  like  the  same  star  darkened  and  lost  to 
view,  as  has  sometimes  happened,  according  to  the  observation 
of  astronomers,  in  the  natural  world.  We  read  in  the  Word 
that : — 

Jehovah  God  dwells  in  light  unapproachable  (1  Tim.  vi.  16). 

Who,  then,  can  approach  Him,  unless  He  take  up  His  abode  in 
light  that  is  approachable,  that  is,  unless  He  come  down  and 
assume  a  Human,  and  in  it  become  the  light  of  the  world  (John 
i.  9 ;  xii.  4G)  ?  Any  one  can  see  that  to  get  near  to  Jehovah  the 
Father  in  His  own  light  is  as  impossible  as  to  take  the  wings 
of  the  morning  and  fly  on  them  to  the  sun,  or  to  feed  upon  the 
siui's  rays  instead  of  material  food,  or  as  for  a  bird  to  fly  in  the 
ether,  or  a  stag  to  run  on  air. 

177.  (6)  From  the  Niceiie  Trinity  and  the  Athanasian  Trin- 
ity together  a  faith  arose  by  which  the  whole  Christian  church 
has  been  perverted.  That  both  the  Nicene  and  Athanasian  trini- 
ties are  a  trinity  of  Gods  can  be  seen  from  the  creeds  above 
quoted  (n.  172).  From  these  the  faith  of  the  present  church 
has  arisen,  which  is  a  faith  in  God  the  Father,  God  the  Son, 
and  God  the  Holy  Spirit, — in  God  the  Father  that  He  will  im- 
pute the  righteousness  of  His  Son  the  Saviour  and  ascribe  it  to 
man,  in  God  the  Son  that  He  will  intercede  and  covenant,  and 
in  the  Holy  Spirit  that  He  will  in  reality  inscribe  upon  man 
the  Son^s  imputed  righteousness,  and  confirm  it  with  a  seal,  by 
justifying,  sanctifying,  and  regenerating  him.    This  is  the  faith 


264 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  III. 


of  the  present  day ;  and  it  is  sufficient  evidence  that  a  trinity  of 
Gods  is  what  is  acknowledged  and  worshiped.    [2]  From  the 
faith  of  any  church  flow  forth  not  only  all  its  worship  but  also 
all  its  dogmas;  thus  it  may  be  said  that  such  as  its  faith  is  such 
is  its  doctrine.    From  this  it  follows  that  inasmuch  as  the  faith 
of  the  present  church  is  a  faith  in  three  Gods,  it  has  perverted 
all  things  belonging  to  the  church ,  for  faith  is  the  first  principle 
and  doctrinals  are  derivatives ;  and  derivatives  derive  their  es- 
sence from  the  first  principle.    If  any  one  will  put  these  doctri- 
nals one  by  one  under  examination,  as  the  doctrine  of  God,  of 
the  person  of  Christ,  of  charity,  repentance,  regeneration,  free- 
will, election,  and  the  use  of  the  sacraments,  baptism  and  the 
Holy  Supper,  he  will  see  plainly  that  there  is  a  trinity  of  Gods 
within  each  one;  and  even  if  it  does  not  actually  appear  within 
each,  they  all  flow  from  it  as  from  their  fountain.    But  as  such 
an  examination  cannot  here  be  made  (and  yet  in  order  that 
man's  eyes  may  be  opened  it  is  well  worth  making),  an  Appen- 
dix shall  be  added  to  this  work  in  which  this  will  be  shown. 
[3]  The  faith  of  the  church  respecting  God  is  like  the  soul 
in  the  body,  and  doctrinals  are  like  the  members  of  the  body. 
Or  again,  faith  in  God  is  like  a  queen,  and  dogmas  like  the  offi- 
cers of  her  court ;  and  as  these  all  hang  upon  the  word  of  the 
queen,  so  do  dogmas  upon  the  utterance  of  faith.    Solely  from 
the  faith  of  a  church  it  can  be  seen  how  the  Word  is  under- 
stood in  that  church ;  for  a  faith  inwardly  adapts  and  draws  to 
itself,  as  if  by  cords,  whatever  things  it  can.    If  the  faith  is  false 
it  plays  the  harlot  with  every  truth  therein,  and  perverts  and 
falsifies  it,  and  in  the  spiritual  things  makes  man  insane.    But 
if  the  faith  is  true  the  whole  Word  sustains  it ;  and  the  God  of 
the  Word,  who  is  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  pours  light  upon 
it  and  breathes  upon  it  His  Divine  assent  and  makes  man  wise. 
[4]  It  will  also  be  seen  in  the  Appendix  that  the  faith  of  the 
present  day  (which  in  its  inward  form  is  a  faith  in  three  Gods, 
but  in  its  outward  form  a  faith  in  one  God)  has  quenched  the 
light  in  the  Word  and  taken  away  the  Lord  from  the  church, 
and  has  thus  changed  its  morning  into  night.    This  was  done 
by  heresies  before  the  council  of  Nice,  and  further  by  heresies 
arising  from  that  council  and  after  it.    But  what  confidence  is 
to  be  placed  in  councils  which : — 


N.  177] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


265 


Enter  not  through  the  door  into  the  sheepf  old  but  climb  up  some  other 
way  (according  to  the  Lord's  words  in  John  x.  1,  9)  ? 

Their  deliberation  is  not  unlike  the  walking  of  a  blind  man  in 
the  daytime  or  of  a  man  not  blind  at  night,  neither  of  whom 
sees  a  ditch  until  he  has  tumbled  into  it.  What  confidence,  for 
example,  can  be  placed  in  councils  that  established  the  vicar- 
ship  of  the  pope,  the  canonization  of  the  dead,  the  invocation 
of  the  dead  as  deities,  the  worship  of  their  images,  the  granting 
of  indulgences,  the  division  of  the  Eucharist,  and  other  things  ? 
Or  what  confidence  is  to  be  placed  in  a  council  that  established 
the  unspeakable  doctrine  of  predestination,  and  hung  it  up  be- 
fore its  church  buildings  as  the  palladium  of  religion  ?  But,  my 
friend,  go  to  the  God  of  the  Word,  and  thus  to  the  Word  itself, 
and  so  enter  through  the  door  into  the  sheepfold,  that  is,  into 
the  church,  and  you  will  be  enlightened ;  and  then  as  from  a 
mountain  top  you  will  see  for  yourself  the  goings  and  wander- 
ings, not  only  of  the  many  but  your  own  also  previously  in  the 
gloomy  forest  below. 

178.  The  faith  of  every  church  is  like  the  seed  from  which 
all  its  dogmas  spring.  It  may  be  compared  to  the  seed  of  a 
tree,  out  of  which  grows  everything  belonging  to  the  tree,  even 
to  its  fruit ;  and  also  to  the  seed  of  man,  from  which  offspring 
and  families  are  begotten  in  successive  series.  Therefore  as 
soon  as  its  leading  tenet,  which  from  its  predominance  is  called 
saving,  is  known,  the  character  of  a  church  is  known.  This 
may  be  illustrated  by  the-foUowing  example.  Suppose  the  faith 
to  be  that  nature  is  the  creator  of  the  universe ;  it  will  follow 
from  this  faith  that  the  universe  is  called  God,  that  nature  is  its 
essence,  that  the  ether  is  the  supreme  Deity  whom  the  ancients 
called  Jove,  that  the  air  is  the  goddess  they  called  Juno  and 
made  the  wife  of  Jove ;  that  the  ocean  is  a  god  below  these, 
which  after  the  manner  of  the  ancients  may  be  called  Neptune ; 
and  as  the  Divinity  of  nature  reaches  to  the  earth's  very  center, 
there  is  a  god  there  also,  who,  as  with  the  ancients,  may  be 
called  Pluto ;  that  the  sun  is  the  court  of  all  the  gods,  where 
they  meet  whenever  Jupiter  calls  a  council ;  moreover,  that  fire 
is  life  from  God;  and  thus  the  birds  fly  in  God,  the  beasts 
walk  in  God,  and  the  fishes  swim  in  God.  It  follows  also  that 
thoughts  are  merely  modifications  of  the  ether,  as  the  words 


26G 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 


1 


flowing  from  them  are  modulations  of  air ;  and  that  love's  affec- 
tions are  occasional  changes  of  state  caused  by  the  influx  into 
them  of  the  sun's  rays ;  and  along  with  these  notions,  that  the 
life  after  death,  together  with  heaven  and  hell,  is  a  fable  con- 
cocted by  the  clergy  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  honors  and 
wealth,  which,  although  a  fable,  is  useful,  and  not  to  be  ridiculed 
openly,  smce  it  serves  the  public  interest  by  keeping  simple 
minds  in  the  bonds  of  obedience  to  magistrates ;  but  those  that 
are  inveigled  by  religion  are  m  fact  men  devoted  to  abstrac- 
tions, their  thoughts  are  fantasies,  their  actions  ludicrous,  and 
they  themselves  drudges  of  the  priests,  believing  in  what  they 
see  not,  and  seeing  what  transcends  the  sphere  of  their  minds. 
The  belief  that  nature  is  the  creator  of  the  universe  includes 
these  consequences,  and  many  more  like  them,  and  they  pro- 
ceed from  that  belief  w^hen  it  is  laid  open.  They  are  presented 
here  to  show  that  within  the  faith  of  the  present  church,  which 
in  its  internal  form  is  a  faith  in  tliree  Gods  and  in  its  external 
form  a  faith  in  one,  there  are  swarms  of  falsities,  and  that  as 
many  falsities  can  be  drawn  out  of  it  as  there  are  little  spiders 
in  the  egg-sac  of  a  single  spider.  Who  that  has  a  mind  truly 
rational  does  not  see  this  by  light  from  the  Lord ;  and  how  can 
any  other  mind  see  it  so  long  as  the  door  to  that  faith  and  its 
offshoots  is  shut  and  bolted  by  the  decree  that  it  is  unlawful  for 
reason  to  look  into  its  mysteries  ? 

179.  (7)  This  is  the  source  of  that  "  abomination  of  desola- 
tion, and  that  tribulation  such  as  has  not  been  nor  ever  shall 
he,'^  which  the  Lord  foretold  in  Daniel,  and  in  the  Gospels,  and 
in  the  Apocali/pse.     In  Daniel  we  read : — 

Upon  the  bird  of  abominations  shall  be  desolation  even  until  the  con- 
summation and  decision,  it  shall  drop  upon  the  devastation  (ix.  27). 

In  the  gospel  of  Mattheiv  the  Lord  says  :— 

Many  false  prophets  shall  arise  and  shall  lead  many  astray.  When, 
therefore,  ye  shall  see  the  abomination  of  desolation  predicted  by  Daniel 
the  prophet  standing  in  the  holy  place,  let  him  that  readeth  note  it  well 
(xxiv.  11,  15)  ; 

and  afterwards  in  the  same  chapter : — 

Then  shall  be  ^eat  tribulation,  such  as  hath  not  been  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world  until  now,  no,  nor  ever  shall  be  (verse  21). 


N.  179] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


267 


This  tribulation  and  that  abomination  are  treated  of  in  seven 
chapters  of  the  A})ocalypse  ;  they  are  what  are  meant : — 

By  the  black  horse,  and  the  pale  horse  going  out  of  the  book,  the  seal 
of  which  the  Lamb  opened  (vi.  5-8). 

Also  by : — 

The  beast  coming  up  out  of  the  abyss  which  made  war  upon  the  two 
witnesses  and  killed  them  (xi.  7  seg.). 

Also  by : — 

The  dragon  which  stood  before  the  woman  about  to  be  delivered,  that 
he  might  devour  her  child,  and  which  pursued  her  into  the  desert  and 
there  from  his  mouth  cast  out  water  as  a  river  that  he  might  drown  her 
(xil.). 

Also  by : — 

The  beasts  of  the  dragon,  one  from  the  sea  and  the  other  from  the  earth 
(xiii.). 

Again  : — 

By  the  three  green  spirits  like  frogs  which  went  forth  out  of  the  mouth 
of  the  dragon,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  beast,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of 
the  false  prophet  (xvi.  13). 

And  finally  by  this  : — 

That  after  the  seven  angels  had  poured  out  the  bowls  of  the  wrath  of 
God,  in  which  were  the  seven  last  plagues,  into  the  earth,  the  sea,  the 
fomitains  and  rivers,  upon  the  sun,  upon  tlie  seat  of  the  beast,  upon  the 
Euphrates,  and  at  length  into  the  air,  there  was  a  great  earthquake,  such 
as  was  not  since  there  were  men  upon  the  earth  (xvi.). 

The  "earthquake''  means  the  overturning  of  the  church,  which 
is  done  by  falsities  and  falsifications  of  truth,  and  this  is  signi- 
fied also  by : — 

The  great  tribulation,  such  as  hath  not  been  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world  i^Matt.  xxiv.  21). 

The  following  w^ords  have  a  like  meaning : — 

And  the  angel  thrust  in  his  sickle  and  gathered  the  \^ieyard  of  the 
earth,  and  cast  it  into  the  great  wine-press  of  the  anger  of  God  ;  and  the 
wine-press  was  trodden  and  there  went  out  blood  even  unto  the  bridles  of 
the  horses  for  a  thousand  and  six  hundred  furlongs  {Apoc.  xiv.  19,  20) ; 

"  blood"  signifymg  truth  falsified.     Besides  other  things  con 
tamed  in  those  seven  chapters. 


268 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IH. 


180.  In  the  Gospels  {Matt,  xxiv.;  Mark  xiii. ;  and  Luke  xxi.) 
the  successive  states  of  decline  and  corruption  in  the  Chris- 
tian church  are  described ;  and  ''  the  great  tribulation  such  as 
hath  not  been  since  the  beginning  of  the  world,  nor  ever  shall 
be"  which  is  there  mentioned  means  (as  in  many  other  places 
in  the  Word)  the  infestation  of  truth  by  falsities,  even  until  no 
truth  remains  that  is  not  falsified  and  consummated.   This  also 
is  meant  by  "  the  abomination  of  desolation''  there  mentioned ; 
and  again  by  "  the  desolation  upon  the  bird  of  abominations" 
and  by  "  the  consummation  and  decision"  in  Daniel ;  and  the 
same  thing  is  described  in  the  Apocalypse  in  the  passages  just 
quoted  from  that  book.     This  has  come  to  pass  because  the 
church,  instead  of  acknowledging  the  unity  of  God  in  trmity 
and  His  trinity  in  unity  in  one  person,  has  acknowledged  these 
in  three  persons  ;  and  in  consequence  the  church  has  been  based 
in  the  mind  upon  the  idea  of  three  Gods,  and  on  the  lips  upon 
the  confession  of  one  God ;  and  thus  men  have  separated  them- 
selves from  the  Lord,  and  at  length  to  such  an  extent  that  no 
idea  of  Divinity  in  His  Human  nature  is  left  with  them,  when 
in  fact  He  is  God  the  Father  in  the  Human,  and  therefore  He 
is  called : — 

The  Father  of  eternity  (Jsa.  ix.  6)  ;  ,       .  ^  r       • 

And  He  said  to  Philip,  He  that  seeth  Me  seeth  the  Father  {John  xiv. 

7   9). 

'  181.  But  it  may  be  asked,  Whence  is  the  very  stream  of  that 
fountain  from  which  has  come  forth  an  abomination  of  deso- 
lation such  as  is  described  in  Daniel  (ix.  27),  and  a  tribu- 
lation such  as  was  not  nor  shall  be  {Matt.  xxiv.  21)  ?  The 
answer  is,  that  it  comes  from  that  same  universal  faith  of  the 
Christian  world,  and  from  its  influx,  operation,  and  imputation 
according  to  traditions.  Wonderful  it  is  that  the  doctrine  of 
iustification  by  that  faith  alone  (which,  however,  is  no  faith  but 
only  a  chimera)  controls  every  point  of  doctrine  in  Christian 
churches ;  that  is,  with  the  clerical  order  it  rules  as  almost  the 
sole  theological  principle.  It  is  what  all  students  of  divinity 
eagerly  learn  in  the  schools  and  drink  in  and  absorb ;  and  after- 
wards, seemingly  inspired  by  heavenly  wisdom,  they  teach  it 
in  the  churches  and  publish  it  in  books ;  and  by  it  they  strive 
after  and  acquire  a  reputation  and  fame  and  praise  for  superior 


N.  181] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


269 


learning;  and  on  account  of  it,  diplomas,  degrees,  and  prizes 
are  bestowed  upon. them ;  and  all  this  is  done,  although  by  that 
same  faith  alone  the  sun  at  tliis  day  is  darkened,  the  moon  is 
robbed  of  her  light,  the  stars  have  fallen  from  heaven,  and  the 
powers  of  the  heavens  have  been  shaken,  according  to  the  words 
of  the  Lord's  prophecy  in  Matthew  (xxiv.  29).  It  has  been 
proved  to  me  that  the  doctrine  of  this  faith  has  to-day  so  dark- 
ened men's  mmds  that  they  are  not  willmg,  and  therefore  as  it 
were  not  able,  to  see  any  Divine  truth  inwardly,  either  in  the 
light  of  the  Sim  or  in  the  light  of  the  moon,  but  only  outwardly 
on  the  mere  rough  surface  by  the  light  on  a  hearth  at  night ; 
and  I  am  therefore  able  to  declare,  that  if  Divine  truths  re- 
specting the  real  conjunction  of  charity  and  faith,  respecting 
heaven  and  hell,  the  Lord,  life  after  death,  and  eternal  happi- 
ness, were  sent  do^vn  from  heaven  written  in  letters  of  silver, 
those  who  hold  to  justification  and  sanctifi cation  by  faith  alone 
would  not  deem  them  worth  reading.  But  it  would  be  wholly 
diiferent  if  a  treatise  on  justification  by  faith  alone  were  sent 
up  from  the  hells ;  this  they  would  receive,  and  would  kiss  it 
and  carry  it  home  in  their  bosoms. 

182.  (8)  So,  too,  unless  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  church  were 
established  by  the  Lord  there  could  no  flesh  be  saved.  It  is  said 
in  Matthew : — 

Then  shall  be  great  tribulation,  such  as  hath  not  been  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world  until  now,  no,  nor  ever  shall  be.  And  except  those  days 
be  shortened  no  flesh  would  be  saved  (xxiv.  21,  22). 

This  chapter  treats  of  "  the  consummation  of  the  age,"  by  which 
the  end  of  the  present  church  is  meant ;  therefore  "  to  shorten 
those  days"  means  to  bring  that  church  to  an  end  and  establish 
a  new  one.  Who  does  not  know  that  unless  the  Lord  had  come 
into  the  world  and  wrought  redemption  no  flesh  could  have 
been  saved  ?  To  work  redemption  means  to  found  a  new  heaven 
and  a  new  church.  That  the  Lord  would  again  come  into  the 
world  He  foretold  in  the  Gospels,  Matt.  xxiv.  30,  31 ;  Mark  xiii. 
26 ;  Luke  xii.  40 ;  xxi.  27 ;  and  in  the  Apocalypse,  particularly 
in  the  last  chapter.  That  He  is  also  effecting  a  redemption  at 
this  day  by  founding  a  new  heaven  and  establishing  a  new 
<^hurch  to  the  end  that  man  may  be  saved^  has  been  shown  above 
in  the  chapter  on  Redemption.    [2]  The  great  mystery  that 


270 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 


N.  183] 


THE  DIVINE  TRINITY 


271 


unless  a  new  church  is  established  by  the  Lord  no  flesh  can  be 
saved,  is  this :  That  so  long  as  the  dragon  with  his  horde  re- 
mains in  the  world  of  spirits  into  which  he  has  been  cast,  no 
Divine  truth  united  to  Divine  good  can  pass  through  that  world 
to  men  on  earth  without  being  perverted  and  falsified,  or  with- 
out its  perishing.  This  is  what  is  meant  in  the  Apocahjpse  by 
the  words  :^— 

The  dragon  was  cast  out  into  the  earth,  and  his  angels  were  cast  out 
with  him.  Woe  to  those  that  inhabit  the  earth  and  the  sea,  for  the  devil 
hae  come  down  unto  them  having  great  anger  (xii.  9,  12,  13). 

But  when  the  dragon  had  been  cast  mto  hell  (xx.  10), 

John  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  and  he  saw  the  New  Jerusalem 
coming  down  from  God  out  of  heaven  (xxi.  1,2); 

"  the  dragon''  meanmg  those  who  are  in  the  faith  of  the  present 
church. 

[3]  111  the  spiritual  world  I  have  several  times  talked  with 
those  who  believe  that  men  are  justified  by  faith  alone ;  and  I 
have  told  them  that  their  doctrine  is  both  erroneous  and  absurd, 
and  induces  upon  men  security,  blindness,  sleep,  and  in  spirit- 
ual things  a  night,  and  consequently  death  to  the  soul ;  and  I 
have  exhorted  them  to  discard  it;  but  I  received  the  answer, 
"  Why  discard  it  ?  Does  not  the  superiority  of  the  learning  of 
the  clergy  over  that  of  the  laity  hang  upon  that  sole  doctrine  ?" 
I  replied,  "  In  that  case  they  do  not  regard  the  salvation  of  souls 
as  any  object,  but  the  superiority  of  their  own  reputation ;  and 
as  they  have  adapted  the  truths  of  the  Word  to  their  false 
principles,  and  have  thus  adulterated  them,  they  are  those  an- 
gels of  the  abyss,  called  Abaddons  and  Apollyons  {Apoc.  ix.  11), 
who  signify  those  that  destroy  the  church  by  a  total  falsifica- 
tion of  the  Word."  But  they  made  answer,  "  What  do  you 
mean?  By  our  knowledge  of  the  mysteries  of  that  faith  we 
are  oracles,  and  from  it  as  from  a  sanctuary  we  give  responses ; 
therefore  we  are  not  Apollyons  but  ApoUos."  Indignant  at  this 
reply  I  said,  "  If  you  are  Apollos  you  are  also  leviathans— your 
leaders  the  crooked  leviathans,  and  the  rest  of  you  the  stretched- 
out  leviathans,  whom  God  will  visit  with  His  sore  and  great 
sword"  {Isa.  xxvii.  1).    But  at  this  they  laughed. 


183.  (9)  From  a  Trinity  of  Persons,  each  one  of  whom  singly 
is  God,  according  to  the  Athanasian  creed,  many  discordant  and 
heterogeneous  ideas  respecting  God  have  arisen,  which  are  phan- 
tasies and  abortions.  From  the  doctrine  of  three  Divine  per- 
sons from  eternity,  which  in  itself  is  the  head  of  all  the  doc- 
trinals  in  the  Christian  churches,  there  have  arisen  many  ideas 
of  God  that  are  unbecoming  and  unworthy  of  the  Christian 
world,  which,  on  the  subject  of  God  and  His  oneness  ought  to 
be  and  might  be  a  light  to  all  peoples  and  nations  in  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe.  All  who  dwell  outside  the  Christian 
church,  both  Mohammedans  and  Jews,  and  besides  these  the 
Gentiles  of  every  cult,  are  averse  to  Christianity  solely  on  ac- 
count of  its  belief  in  three  Gods.  This  its  propagandists  know ; 
and  therefore  they  are  very  cautious  about  divulging  the  doc- 
trine of  a  trinity  of  persons  as  it  is  taught  in  the  Nicene  and 
Athanasian  creeds  ;  for  if  they  did  they  would  be  shunned  and 
ridiculed.  [2]  The  absurd,  ludicrous,  and  frivolous  ideas  that 
have  sprung  up  out  of  the  doctrine  of  three  Divine  persons  from 
eternity,  and  that  still  spring  up  in  every  man  who  retains  a 
belief  in  the  words  of  that  doctrine,  rising  from  his  ears  and 
eyes  into  the  sight  of  his  thought,  are  as  follows :  That  God 
the  Father  sits  on  high  overhead ;  the  Son  at  His  right  hand ; 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  before  them  listening,  and  forthwith  trav- 
ersing the  whole  world,  dispensing  according  to  their  decision 
the  gifts  of  justification,  inscribing  them  upon  men  and  chang- 
ing men  from  children  of  wrath  to  children  of  grace,  and  from 
being  damned  to  being  elect.  I  appeal  to  the  learned  of  the 
clergy  and  well-informed  of  the  laity,  whether  in  their  minds 
they  cherish  any  other  visual  image  than  this,  for  this  flows  of 
itself  from  the  same  doctrine  (see  Memorable  Relation,  n.  16). 
[3]  There  flows  from  it  also  a  curiosity  for  conjecturing  what 
they  conversed  about  before  the  world  was  made,  whether  about 
making  the  world,  or  perchance  about  those  who  according  to 
the  Supralapsarians  were  to  be  predestined  and  justified,  or  al- 
so about  redemption  ;  likewise  what  they  have  been  conversing 
about  among  themselves  since  the  world  was  created — the 
Father  from  His  authority  and  power  to  impute,  the  Son  from 
His  power  to  mediate ;  moreover  that  imputation,  which  is  elec- 
tion, is  from  the  mercy  of  the  Son  who  intercedes  for  all  in 


272 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  HELIGION  [Chap.  IU. 


general  and  for  some  individually,  and  that  the  Father,  being 
moved  by  love  to  the  Son  and  by  the  agony  witnessed  in  Him 
when  on  the  cross,  has  grace  for  such.  But  who  cannot  see  that 
such  things  are  silly  conceits  about  God  ?  And  yet  in  the  Chris- 
tian churches  these  are  the  very  sanctities,  which  are  to  be 
kissed  with  the  lips,  but  not  looked  into  by  any  mental  vision 
because  they  are  above  the  reason,  and  if  they  were  lifted  out 
of  the  memory  into  the  understanding  man  would  become  in- 
sane. This,  however,  does  not  take  away  the  idea  of  three  Gods 
but  induces  a  stupid  faith,  because  of  which  a  man,  when  think- 
ing about  God,  may  be  likened  to  a  sleep-walker  wandering 
about  in  the  darkness  of  night,  or  to  one  blmd  from  birth  wan- 
dering in  the  light  of  day. 

184.  That  a  trinity  of  Gods  is  fixed  in  the  minds  of  Chris- 
tians, although  from  shame  they  deny  it,  is  very  evident  from 
the  ingenuity  of  many  of  them  in  demonstrating  by  means  of 
various  things  in  plain  and  solid  geometry,  in  arithmetic,  and 
in  physics,  and  also  by  foldings  of  cloth  and  paper,  that  the 
three  are  one  and  the  one  is  three.  Thus  they  play  with  the 
Divine  trinity  as  jugglers  play  with  each  other.  Their  juggling 
on  this  subject  may  be  compared  to  the  visions  of  those  suffer- 
ing from  fever,  who  see  one  object  (whether  a  man,  or  a  table 
or  a  candle)  as  three,  or  three  as  one.  It  may  also  be  com- 
pared to  the  tricks  of  those  who  work  soft  wax  with  their  fin- 
gers and  mould  it  into  various  shapes,  now  making  it  triangular 
to  exhibit  the  trinity,  and  again  spherical  to  exhibit  the  unity, 
meanwhile  asking,  "Is  not  the  substance  still  one  and  the 
same  ?"  And  yet  the  Divine  trinity  is  like  the  one  pearl  of 
great  value,  but  when  divided  into  persons  it  is  like  that  pearl 
divided  into  three  parts,  whereby  it  is  utterly  and  manifestly 

ruined. 

185.  To  this  shall  be  added  the  following  ]\Iemorable  Rela- 
tions.   First : — 

In  the  spiritual  world  there  are  climates  and  zones  just  as 
in  the  natural  world.  Nothing  exists  in  this  world  that  does 
not  also  exist  in  that ;  yet  in  origin  they  differ.  In  the  natural 
world  climates  vary  according  to  the  distance  of  the  sun  from 
the  equator ;  in  the  spiritual  world  they  vary  according  to  the 
distances  of  the  will's  affections  and  the  consequent  thought  of 


N.  186] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


273 


« 

^ 


the  understanding  from  true  love  and  true  faith ;  for  of  these 
latter  all  things  in  that  world  are  correspondences. 

In  the  frigid  zones  of  the  spiritual  world  things  appear 
similar  to  those  in  the  frigid  zones  of  the  natural  world ;  lands 
and  waters  alike  are  bound  in  ice  with  snow  upon  them.  Those 
come  hither  and  dwell  here  who  in  the  world  had  lulled  their 
understanding  to  sleep  by  their  indolence  in  thinking  of  spir- 
itual things,  and  who  were  consequently  indolent  in  doing  any- 
thing useful.    Such  are  called  boreal  spirits. 

[2]  On  one  occasion  I  had  a  strong  desire  to  see  some  region 
of  the  frigid  zone  where  these  boreal  spirits  dwell.  I  was  there- 
fore conducted  in  spirit  northward  to  a  region  where  the  whole 
earth  appeared  to  be  covered  with  snow  and  all  the  water  frozen. 
It  was  the  Sabbath  day ;  and  I  saw  men,  that  is,  spirits  similar  in 
stature  to  the  men  of  our  world,  with  their  heads,  owing  to  the 
cold,  covered  with  lions'  skins,  the  mouth  of  the  skin  fitted  to 
their  own ;  while  before  and  behind  and  down  to  the  loins  their 
l)odies  were  clad  with  leopard  skins  and  their  feet  with  bear  skin. 
I  also  saw  many  riding  in  chariots,  and  some  in  chariots  carved 
in  the  form  of  a  dragon  with  the  horns  projecting  forward.  The 
chariots  were  drawn  by  small  horses  with  their  tails  clipped, 
which  ran  like  frightful  wild  creatures,  the  driver  holding  tight 
the  reins  and  continually  speeding  and  whipping  them  to  a  run. 

At  length  I  saw  that  the  crowds  Avere  flocking  towards  a  tem- 
])le,  which  was  invisible  because  it  was  buried  in  snow  ;  but  the 
caretakers  of  the  temple  were  shovelling  away  the  snow  and 
digging  a  path  for  the  coming  worshipers,  who  descended  and 
entered. 

[3]  I  was  permitted  to  see  the  inside  of  the  temple.  It  was 
lighted  with  an  abundance  of  lamps  and  torches.  There  was  an 
Jiltar  of  hewn  stone,  behind  which  hung  a  tablet  with  the  in- 
scription, TJie  Divine  Trinity^  Father^  So7i,  and  Holy  Spirit,  ivho 
(d'e  essentially  one  God,  hut  personally  three. 

At  length  a  priest  who  stood  at  the  altar,  after  kneeling  thrice 
l)ef ore  the  tablet,  went  up  into  the  pulpit  with  a  book  in  his  hand 
and  began  a  discourse  on  the  Divine  trinity.  "  0  how  great  the 
mystery,"  he  exclahned,  "  that  God  in  the  highest  begot  a  Son 
from  eternity,  and  through  Him  sent  forth  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
three  conjoining  themselves  by  their  essence  but  dividing  them- 
18 


274 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  HI. 


selves  by  their  properties,  which  are  imputation,  redemption, 
and  operation !  But  if  we  look  upon  these  things  from  reason 
our  vision  grows  obscure,  and  a  spot  comes  before  it  such  as 
appears  before  the  eye  of  one  who  hxes  his  gaze  upon  the  naked 
sun.  Therefore,  my  hearers,  in  this  matter  let  us  keep  the  un- 
derstanding under  obedience  to  faith.'^ 

[4]  Again  he  exclaimed, ''  0  how  great  a  mystery  is  our  holy 
faith  that  God  the  Father  imputes  the  righteousness  of  His  Son 
and  sends  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  from  that  imputed  righteousness 
works  out  the  evidences  of  justilication  !  These  in  brief  are  for- 
giveness of  sins,  renovation,  regeneration,  and  salvation,  of  the 
influx  of  action  of  which  a  man  is  no  more  conscious  than  the 
statue  of  salt  into  which  Lot's  wife  was  turned ;  and  of  the  in- 
dwelling or  the  state  of  which  he  is  no  more  conscious  than  a 
fish  in  the  sea.  But,  my  friends,  m  this  faith  there  lies  a  treas- 
ure so  enclosed  and  hidden  that  not  a  particle  of  it  can  be  seen ; 
therefore  in  this  matter  also  let  us  keep  the  understanding  un- 
der obedience  to  faith." 

[5]  After  some  deep  sighs  he  again  exclaimed, "  O  how  great 
is  the  mystery  of  election !  He  becomes  one  of  the  elect  to 
whom  God  imputes  that  faith,  which  He  hnparts,  at  His  good 
pleasure  and  out  of  pure  grace,  to  whomsoever  He  wills  and 
when  He  wills,  and  while  it  is  being  poured  into  hun  man  is 
like  a  stock,  but  when  this  has  been  done  he  becomes  like  a 
tree  It  is  true  that  there  are  fruits,  that  is,  good  works,  hang- 
ing upon  the  tree  (which  in  a  representative  sense  is  our  faith)  ; 
but  the  fruit  does  not  cling  to  it,  and  therefore  the  worth  of  the 
tree  is  not  in  the  fruit.  Yet  as  this  sounds  heterodox,  although 
it  is  a  mystical  verity,  let  us,  my  brethren,  keep  the  under- 
standing under  obedience  to  faith  in  it." 

[6]  Then  again,  after  a  brief  pause,  standing  as  if  he  would 
produce  something  further  from  his  memory,  he  continued, 
"  From  the  mass  of  mysteries  I  will  present  one  more,  namely, 
that  in  spiritual  things  man  has  not  a  grain  of  free-will  For 
the  primates  and  rulers  of  our  order  say  in  their  theological 
canons  that  in  matters  pertaining  to  faith  and  salvation,  which 
are  especially  called  spiritual,  man  has  no  ability  to  will,  think 
or  understand  anything,  nor  even  adapt  or  apply  himself  to 
their  reception.    Therefore  of  myself  I  say,  that  a  man  is  no 


N.  185] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


275 


better  able  than  a  parrot  or  a  magpie  or  a  raven  to  think  about 
these  things  from  reason  and  talk  about  them  from  thought ; 
so  that  in.  spiritual  things  man  is  in  fact  an  ass,  and  only  in 
natural  things  is  he  a  man.  But,  my  friends,  lest  this  should 
annoy  your  reason,  let  us  m  this  as  in  the  others  keep  the  un- 
derstanding under  obedience  to  faith.  For  our  theology  is  a 
bottomless  abyss,  and  if  you  let  your  intellectual  vision  down 
into  it  you  will  be  overwhelmed,  and  will  perish  as  by  shi]^)- 
wreck.  And  yet  keep  this  in  mind, — we  are  none  the  less  in 
the  true  light  of  the  Gospel,  which  is  shining  far  above  our 
lieads ;  but  sad  to  say,  the  hairs  of  our  heads  and  the  bones  of 
our  skulls  stand  in  the  way  and  keep  the  light  from  penetrat- 
ing the  recesses  of  our  understanding." 

[7]  Having  said  this  he  came  down  from  the  pulpit;  and 
when  he  had  offered  a  prayer  at  the  altar  and  the  service  was 
over  I  approached  some  who  were  talking  together,  among 
whom  was  the  priest;  and  those  standing  around  him  said, 
"We  give  you  everlasting  thanks  for  a  discourse  so  magnifi- 
cent and  so  rich  in  wisdom." 

But  I  said  to  them,  "  Did  you  understand  anything  ?" 

And  they  answered,  "  We  took  in  everything  with  full  ears ; 
but  why  do  you  ask  whether  we  understand  ?  Is  not  the  mi- 
derstanding  benumbed  by  such  matters  ?" 

And  to  this  the  priest  added,  "  Forasmuch  as  you  have 
heard  and  have  not  understood  you  are  blessed,  for  thereby 
you  have  salvation." 

[8]  Afterwards  I  talked  with  the  priest  and  asked  him 
whether  he  had  a  degree.  He  answered,  "  I  am  a  laurelled 
Master." 

I  then  said,  "  Master,  I  have  heard  you  preaching  mysteries ; 
if  you  know  of  the  mysteries  but  know  nothing  that  they  con- 
tain, you  know  nothing;  for  they  are  like  chests  locked  with 
triple  bolts ;  and  unless  you  open  them  and  look  inside,  which 
must  be  done  by  the  understanding,  you  do  not  know  whether 
the  contents  are  precious  or  whether  they  are  worthless,  or  are 
hurtful.  They  may  contain  vipers'  eggs  or  spiders'  webs,  ac- 
<ording  to  the  description  in  Isaiah'^  (lix.  5). 

At  this  the  priest  looked  at  me  grimly ;  and  the  worshipers 
^vithdrew  and  entered  their  chariots,  drunken  with  paradoxes, 


276 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 


N.  186] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


277 


muddled  with  empty  words,  and  enveloped  in  darkness  re- 
specting all  things  of  faith  and  the  means  of  salvation. 

186.   Second  Memorable  Relation  : — 

I  was  engaged  in  thought  about  what  region  of  the  mind  in 
man  is  occupied  with  theological  matters.  At  first  I  supposed 
that  being  spiritual  and  heavenly  they  occupy  the  highest  re- 
gion. For  the  human  mind  is  divided  into  three  regions,  as 
a  house  into  three  stories,  or  the  angelic  abodes  mto  three 

heavens. 

Then  an  angel  standing  near  said,  "  With  those  who  love 
truth  because  it  is  true,  theological  matters  rise  even  into  the 
highest  region  of  the  mind,  because  in  that  region  is  their 
heaven,  and  they  are  in  the  light  in  which  angels  dwell.    But 
moral  subjects  theoretically  examined  and  perceived  have  their 
place  in  a  second  region  beneath  these,  because  they  communi- 
cate with  things  spiritual.     Beneath  these  in  a  first  region  po- 
litical subjects  have  their  place ;  while  scientific  matters,  which 
are  manifold,  and  may  be  referred  to  genera  and  species,  form 
a  door  to  these  higher  matters.    Those  with  whom  things  spir- 
itual, moral,  political,  and  scientific  are  thus   subordinated, 
think  what  they  think  and  do  what  they  do  from  justice  and 
judgment.    This  is  because  the  light  of  truth,  which  is  also  the 
light  of  heaven,  illuminates  from  the  highest  region  all  things 
that  follow,  as  the  light  of  the  sun,  passing  in  turn  through  the 
ethers  and  through  the  atmospheres  illumines  the  eyes  of  men 
and  beasts  and  fishes.    It  is  different,  however,  in  matters  of 
theology  with  those  who  love  truth  not  because  it  is  true,  but 
only  for  the  glory  of  their  reputation.    With  them  theological 
subjects  have  their  seat  in  the  lowest  region  along  with  scien- 
tific subjects ;  with  some  the  former  are  mingled  with  the  latter  ; 
with  others  the  two  cannot  be  so  mingled.    In  the  same  region 
but  still  lower  are  political  subjects,  and  beneath  these  agam 
moral  subjects,  for  in  such  persons  the  two  higher  regions  are 
not  opened  on  the  right  hand ;  and  in  consequence  they  have 
no  interior  reason  from  judgment  and  no  affection  for  justice, 
but  only  a  cleverness  which  enables  them  to  talk  on  every  sub- 
ject as  if  from  intelligence  and  to  confirm  whatever  presents 
itself  as  if  from  reason ;  but  the  objects  of  reason  which  they 
chiefly  love  are  falsities,  because  these  adhere  to  the  fallacies 


of  the  senses.  This  is  why  there  are  so  many  in  the  world  who 
no  more  see  truths  of  doctrine  from  the  Word  than  those  blind 
can  see;  and  when  such  hear  truths  they  hold  their  nostrils, 
lest  the  scent  of  the  truths  should  disturb  them  and  excite 
nausea ;  while  on  the  other  hand,  they  open  all  their  senses  to 
falsities  and  drink  them  in  as  whales  drink  in  water." 

187.  Third  Memorable  Relation  : — 

Once  when  I  was  meditating  about  the  dragon  and  the  beast 
and  the  false  prophet  spoken  of  in  the  Apocalypse^  an  angelic 
spirit  appeared  to  me  and  asked,  "  What  are  you  meditating 
about  ?"    And  I  said,  "  About  the  false  prophet." 

Then  he  said,  "  I  will  take  you  to  the  place  where  those  are 
who  are  meant  by  the  false  prophet ;"  and  he  added  that  they 
are  the  same  as  are  meant  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the 
Apocalypse  by  "  the  beast  rising  up  out  of  the  earth,"  which 
had  two  horns  like  a  lamb,  and  which  spoke  like  a  dragon. 

I  followed  him,  and  lo,  I  saw  a  great  crowd,  in  the  midst  of 
which  were  leaders  of  the  church  who  taught  that  nothing  saves 
man  but  faith  in  the  merit  of  Christ ;  and  that  works  are  good, 
but  contribute  nothing  to  salvation,  and  yet  should  be  taught 
from  the  Word  in  order  that  the  laity,  especially  the  simple, 
may  be  held  more  firmly  in  the  bonds  of  obedience  to  magis- 
trates, and  may  be  compelled  as  if  from  religion,  and  thus  from 
within,  to  practise  moral  charity. 

[2]  Then  one  of  them,  seeing  me,  said,  "  Would  you  like  to 
see  our  temple,  in  which  there  is  an  image  representative  of 
our  faith  ?" 

I  approached  and  looked,  and  behold  the  temple  was  mag- 
nificent. In  the  center  of  it  was  an  image  of  a  woman  clad  in 
scarlet  robes,  holding  in  her  right  hand  a  golden  coin,  and  in 
her  left  a  chain  of  pearls.  But  both  the  image  and  the  temple 
were  produced  through  phantasy ;  for  through  phantasies  in- 
fernal spirits  are  able  to  represent  magnificent  things  by  clos- 
ing up  the  interiors  of  the  mind  and  opening  the  exteriors  only. 
When,  however,  I  observed  that  these  things  were  such  jug- 
gleries, I  prayed  to  the  Lord,  and  immediately  the  interiors  of 
uiy  mind  were  opened,  and  then  in  place  of  a  magnificent  tem- 
ple I  saw  a  house  full  of  chinks  from  top  to  bottom,  tumbling 
all  to  pieces  j  and  in  place  of  the  woman,  I  saw  hanging  with- 


278  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  III. 

in  the  building  a  figure  with  a  head  like  a  dragon's,  a  body  like 
a  leopard's,  its  feet  like  bear's  feet,  and  its  mouth  like  that  ot 
a  lion  thus  precisely  like  the  beast  described  as  rising  up  out 
of  the  sea  (Apoc.  xiii.  2) ;  and  for  a  floor  there  was  a  bog  with 
a  multitude  of  frogs  in  it,  and  I  was  told  that  underneath 
the  bog  was  a  large  hewn  stone,  with  the  ^\ol•d  hidden  deep 

below  it.  ^     ,,  .  4.      ^1..  9?? 

Seeing  this  I  said  to  the  juggler,  "  Is  this  your  temple  .' 

And  he  said,   « It  is."  ■,        ,  * 

But  suddenly  he,  too,  had  his  inner  sight  opened,  and  from 
it  he  saw  the  same  things  that  I  did,  and  he  cried  out  loudly, 
"  What  is  this,  and  whence  is  it  ?"  ,.,,., 

And  I  said,  "  It  is  from  the  light  of  heaven,  which  discloses 
the  quality  of  every  outward  shape,  and  thus  the  quality  ot 
vour  faith  separate  from  spiritual  charity." 

[3]  And  presently  a  wind  blew  up  from  the  east  and  swept 
away  the  temple  and  the  image  and  dried  up  the  bog  and  thus 
laid  bare  the  stone  beneath  which  the  Word  was  lying.  And 
then  a  warmth  like  that  of  spring  breathed  upon  it  from 
heaven,  and  behold  in  the  same  place  a  tabernacle  simple  in 

outward  form  appeared.  ^  ,    ,  ■,  xi,    4.  i 

\nd  the  angels  who  were  with  me  said,  "Behold  the  tebei- 
na^le  of  Abraham,  as  it  was  when  the  three  angels  came  to  him 
and  foretold  the  birth  of  Isaac.  To  the  eye  it  appears  simple, 
but  it  becomes  more  and  more  magnificent  according  to  the  in- 
flux of  light  from  heaven."        j.  •   ■,  ,         • 

It  was  granted  them  to  open  the  heaven  occupied  by  spir- 
itual angels,  who  are  in  wisdom.  And  at  once  from  the  light 
flowing  in  from  that  heaven  the  tabernacle  appeared  like  a 
temple  similar  to  that  at  Jerusalem.  And  when  I  looked  in- 
side I  saw  the  foundation-stone  under  which  the  \\ord  was  de- 
posited, set  about  with  precious  stones,  and  from  these  a  kind 
of  effulgence  beamed  upon  the  walls,  on  which  were  fig^ires  of 
cherubim,  and  the  glow  beautifully  variegated  the  walls  with 

"""rirWliile  I  wondered  at  these  things  the  angels  said,  «  Yoii 
shall  see  something  still  more  wonderful."  And  it  was  granted 
them  to  open  the  third  heaven,  where  celestial  angels  J^we  1  ^J^o 
are  in  a  sU  of  love  ;  and  then  because  of  the  flamy  light  flow- 


ihamsaifeaiaWiiMiilllfclif? 


N.  187] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


279 


ing  in  from  that  heaven  the  whole  temple  vanished,  and  in  its 
place  the  Lord  alone  was  seen  standing  upon  the  foundation- 
stone,  which  was  the  Word,  appearing  in  the  same  form  in 
which  He  appeared  to  John  (Apoc.  i.).  But  as  the  interiors  of 
the  angels'  minds  were  then  tilled  with  a  holiness  which  im- 
pelled them  to  fall  down  upon  their  faces,  the  way  by  which 
the  light  came  from  the  third  heaven  was  immediately  closed 
by  the  Lord,  and  a  way  was  opened  for  light  from  the  second 
heaven,  and  this  caused  the  temple  to  assume  its  former  as- 
pect, and  also  the  tabernacle,  which  was  now  in  the  center  of 
the  temple. 

This  was  an  illustration  of  what  is  meant  in  the  Apocahjpse 
by  these  words  : — 

Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  He  shall  dwell  with 
them  (xxi.  3). 

And  by  these  words  : — 

I  saw  no  temple  in  the  New  Jerusalem,  for  the  Lord  God  the  Almighty 
is  the  temple  thereof,  and  the  Lamb  (xxi.  22). 

188.  Fourth  IVIemorable  Relation  : — 

As  I  have  been  permitted  by  the  Lord  to  behold  wonderful 
things  in  the  heavens  and  beneath  the  heavens,  it  behooves  me, 
as  commanded,  to  relate  what  has  been  seen. 

There  was  seen  a  magnificent  palace,  and  in  the  innermost 
parts  of  it  a  temple,  and  in  the  center  of  the  temple  a  golden 
table  upon  which  the  Word  was  lying,  and  two  angels  stood  be- 
side it.  Around  the  table  were  seats  in  triple  rows.  The  seats 
of  the  first  row  were  covered  with  cloth  of  pure  silk,  purple- 
colored  ;  those  of  the  second  row  with  cloth  of  sky-blue  silk ; 
and  those  of  the  third  row  with  white  cloth. 

Beneath  the  roof,  high  above  the  table,  a  wide  canopy  was  seen 
ablaze  with  precious  stones,  from  the  glow  of  which  shone  a 
rainbow,  such  as  is  seen  when  the  sky  is  clearing  after  a  shower. 
Presently  a  number  of  the  clergy  equal  to  the  number  of  the 
seats  appeared  and  occupied  the  seats,  all  clothed  in  the  gar- 
ments of  the  priestly  office.  At  one  side  was  a  wardrobe  where 
an  angel  keeper  stood;  and  within  it  arranged  in  beautiful 
order  splendid  robes  were  lying. 


280 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  HI. 


N.  188] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


281 


This  was  a  council  called  together  by  the  Lord ;  and  1  heard 
a  voice  from  heaven  saying,  "  Deliberate." 
But  they  asked,  " On  what  subject?" 

It  was  said,  "On  the  Lord  the  Saviour,  and  on  the  Holy 
Spirit."  But  when  they  began  to  meditate  on  these  subjects 
they  were  not  in  a  state  of  enlightenment ;  therefore  they 
prayeJand  a  light  then  flowed  down  from  heaven ;  and  hrst 
Kl  part  of' their  heads  were  lighted  up,  then  the^^^- 
ples  and  at  last  their  faces.  Then  they  began  to  deliberate, 
and  first,  as  bidden,  in  regard  to  the  Lord  the  ^™'- 

[2]  And  the  first  point  proposed  and  discussed  was,  Who  as- 
sumed the  Human  in  the  Virgin  Mar,,  ? 

And  the  angel  standing  beside  the  table  upon  which  was  the 
Word  read  to  them  the  following  from  Luke  .— 

The'angel  said  to  Mary,  Behold  thou  shalt  «~«  !"  .f™,";'  ^"a 

Lt  is  bom  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God  (..  31,  32,  34,  3o). 
Then  he  read  the  following  from  Matthew  :— 

The  angel  said  to  Joseph  in  a  dream,  Joseph,  thou  son  of  CajjM;;^;; 

iorth  her  firstborn  son  ;  and  he  called  H.s  name  Jesus  (..  20,  2o)^ 
He  also  read  other  passages  from  the  Gospels  (as  !/««.  ni. 
n  xvU.  5 ;  John  i.  18 ;  iii.  10 ;  xx.  31)  ;  and  many  others  else-, 
where  in  which  the  Lord  in  respect  to  His  Human  is  called  the 
Ion  of  God,  and  where  from  His  Human  He  calls  Jel^o-h  «- 
Sther  H;  read  also  from  the  Frophets,  where  it  is  foretold 
thr/ehovah  Himself  would  come  into  the  world ;  among  them 
these  two  passages  from  Isaiah :— 

make  level  in  the  wilderness  a  highway  for  our  God.  ^ J'^'^  *^.^'°7  ' 
(xl.  3,  5,  10,  11). 


[3]  And  the  angel  said, ''  Because  Jehovah  Himself  came  into 
the  world  and  assumed  the  Human  He  is  called  in  the  Prophets 
Saviour  and  Redeemer.  Then  he  read  to  them  the  following 
passages : — 

Among  thee  alone  is  God,  and  there  is  no  God  besides.  Surely  thou 
art  a  hidden  God,  O  God  of  Israel,  the  Saviour  {Isa.  xlv.  14,  15). 

Am  not  I  Jehovah  ?  and  there  is  no  God  else  beside  Me  ;  a  just  God  and 
a  Saviour,  there  is  none  beside  Me  (Isa.  xlv.  21,  22). 

I  am  Jehovah,  and  beside  Me  there  is  no  Saviour  {Isa.  xliii.  11). 

I  am  Jehovah  thy  God,  and  thou  shalt  acknowledge  no  God  beside  Me, 
and  there  is  no  Saviour  beside  Me  {Hos.  xiii.  4). 

That  all  flesh  may  know  that  I  Jehovah  am  thy  Saviour  and  thy  Re- 
deemer {Isa.  xlix.  20 ;  Ix.  16). 

As  for  our  Redeemer,  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name  {Isa.  xlvii.  4). 

Their  Redeemer  is  strong,  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name  {Jer.  1.  34). 

O  Jehovah,  my  rock  and  my  Redeemer  {Ps.  xix.  14). 

Thus  said  Jehovah  thy  Redeemer,  th«  Holy  One  of  Israel,  I  am  Jehovah 
thy  God  {Isa.  xlviii.  17  ;  xliii.  14 ;  xlix.  7  ;  liv.  8). 

Thou,  Jehovah,  art  our  Father  ;  our  Redeemer  from  everlasting  is  Thy 
name  {Isa.  Ixiii.  IG). 

Thus  said  Jehovah  thy  Redeemer,  I  am  Jehovah  that  maketh  all  things, 
even  alone  by  Myself  {Isa.  xliv.  24). 

Thus  said  Jehovah  the  King  of  Israel,  and  his  Redeemer  Jehovah  of 
Hosts,  I  am  the  First,  and  I  am  tb3  Last ;  and  beside  Me  there  is  no  God 
{Isa.  xliv.  G). 

Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name,  and  thy  Redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel ;  the  God  of  the  whole  earth  shall  He  be  called  {Isa.  liv.  5). 

Behold  the  days  come,  when  I  shall  raise  up  unto  David  a  righteous 
Branch,  and  He  shall  reign  as  King,  and  this  is  His  name,  Jehovah,  our 
Righteousness  {Jer.  xxiii.  5,  G  ;  xxxiii.  15,  16). ' 

In  that  day  Jehovah  shall  be  King  over  all  the  earth  ;  in  that  day  Jeho- 
vah shall  be  one,  and  His  name  one  {Zech.  xiv.  9). 

[4]  Strengthened  in  belief  by  all  these  passages,  those  that 
sat  upon  the  seats  unanimously  declared,  that  Jehovah  Him- 
self assumed  the  Human  that  He  might  redeem  and  save  men. 

And  thereupon  from  some  Roman  Catholics  who  had  hidden 
themselves  behind  the  altar  a  voice  was  heard  saying,  "  How 
can  Jehovah  God  become  a  Man?  Is  He  not  the  Creator  of 
the  universe  ?" 

And  one  of  those  on  the  second  row  of  seats  turned  about 
and  said,  "  Who  then  was  it  ?'' 

And  he  who  had  been  behind  the  altar  and  was  now  stand- 
ing near  it  said,  "  The  Son  from  eternity.'^ 


.^M.-.^  J^V-  .<-■■... 


282 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chaf.  Ill 


But  he  received  the  reply,  « Is  not  the  Sou  from  eteruity, 
according  to  your  confessiou  of  faith,  also  the  Creator  of  the 
vuiiverse  ?  Moreover,  what  is  a  Sou  and  a  God  born  from  eter- 
nity ■?  And  how  can  the  Divine  essence,  which  is  one  and  in- 
divisible, be  separated,  and  one  part  of  it  descend  and  not  the 

whole 'at  once  ?"  i      t     ;i 

[5]  The  second  subject  of  discussion  about  the  Lord,  was 
whether  the  Father  and  He  are  thus  one  as  soul  and  body  are 
one ;  and  they  said  that  this  foUows,  because  the  soul  is  from 

the  father.  .        .         j  r  ^^ 

Then  one  of  those  who  sat  on  the  third  row  of  seats  read  from 
what  is  called  the  Athanasian  creed  as  follows :-« Although 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  is  God  and  Man^  ye 
these  are  not  two,  but  one  Christ;  yea,  one  altogether;  He  is 
one  person;  since  as  the  soul  and  body  make  one  man,  so  God 
and  Man  is  one  Christ."  The  reader  said  that  ^his  freed,  in 
which  these  words  are  found,  is  accepted  throughout  the  Chris- 
tinn  world  even  by  the  Koman  Catholics. 

ThTJtLs  said, «  What  more  is  needed  ?  God  the  Father  ajid 
He  are  one  as  soul  and  body  are  one."  And  they  said,  This 
being  so,  we  see  that  the  Lord's  Human  is  Divme  because  i 
is  the  Human  of  Jehovah;  also  that  it  is  the  Lord  as  to  His 
Divine  Human  who  is  to  be  approached,  and  that  thus  and  m 
no  other  way  can  the  Divine  which  is  caUed  the  Father  be  ap- 

^"[S  This  conclusion  of  theirs  the  angel  confirmed  by  many 
passages  from  the  Word,  among  which  were  the  following  :- 

Unto  us  a  Child  is  bom,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given  ;  and  His  name,  Won- 
derM,  Com^elor,  God,  Mighty,  Father  of  Eternity,  l>rmce  of  Peace 
{Isa.  ix.  6). 

In  the  same  : — 

Abraham  knoweth  lis  not,  and  Israel  doth  not  acknowledge  us  ;  Thou, 
JehovS  a"    our  Father,  our  Redeemer  from  everlastmg  is  Thy  name 

(Ixiii.  16). 

And  in  John : — 

Jesus  said,  He  that  believeth  in  Me  believeth  in  Him  that  sent  Me  ;  and 
v.^  fhaf  QPPth  Me  seeth  Him  that  sent  Me  (xu.  44,  4o). 

Sltd  to  J^sik  Show  iLS  the  Father,  Jesus  saith  unto  him.  He  that 
hath  see^M^  hath  seen  the  Father ;  how  sayest  thou  then,  Show  us  the 


N.  188] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


283 


Father  ?  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in 
Me  ?  Believe  Me  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  Me  (xiv.  8- 
11). 

Jesus  said,  I  and  My  Father  are  one  (x.  30). 

Again : — 

All  things  that  the  Father  hath  are  Mine ;  and  all  Mine  are  the  Father's 
(xvi.  15  ;  xvii.  10). 

Finally : — 

Jesus  said,  I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  ;  no  one  cometh  un- 
to the  Father  but  by  Me  (xiv.  6). 

To  all  this  the  reader  added,  that  things  like  those  here  said 
by  the  Lord  about  Himself  and  His  Father  might  also  be  said 
by  man  about  himself  and  his  own  soul.  Having  heard  this 
they  all  with  one  voice  and  one  heart  declared  that  the  Lord's 
Human  is  Divine,  and  that  this  Human  must  be  approached  in 
order  to  approach  the  Father,  since  by  means  of  it  Jehovah 
God  sent  Himself  into  the  world  and  made  Himself  seen  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  men,  and  thus  accessible.  To  the  ancients  in 
like  manner  He  made  Himself  visible,  and  thus  accessible  in  a 
Human  Form ;  but  then  through  an  angel.  But  as  that  form 
was  representative  of  the  Lord  who  was  to  come,  so  with  the  an- 
cients all  things  pertaining  to  the  church  were  representative. 

[7]  This  was  followed  by  a  deliberation  about  the  Holy 
Spirit.  In  the  first  place  there  was  set  forth  the  idea  of  many 
respecting  God  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  name- 
ly, that  God  the  Father  sits  on  high  with  the  Son  at  His  right 
liand,  and  that  the  two  send  forth  from  themselves  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  enlighten,  teach,  justify  and  sanctify  mankind. 

Then  a  voice  from  heaven  was  heard  saying,  "  That  idea  of 
tliought  is  to  us  unbearable.  AVho  does  not  know  that  Jehovah 
God  is  omnipresent  ?  And  whoever  knows  and  acknowledges 
tliis  must  acknowledge  that  He  Himself  enlightens,  teaches, 
justifies,  and  sanctifies ;  and  that  there  is  no  mediating  God 
distinct  from  Him,  still  less  a  God  distinct  from  two  Gods,  as 
one  person  from  another  person.  Therefore  have  done  with  the 
tonner  idea,  which  is  foolish,  and  let  this  which  is  the  right 
idea  be  accepted,  and  you  will  see  the  matter  clearly." 

[8]  Then  a  voice  from  the  Koman  Catholics  who  were  stand- 
ing near  the  altar  of  the  temple  was  heard  saying,  "What, 


284  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  Ill 

then,  is  the  Holy  Spirit  which  is  mentioned  in  the  Word  in  the 
Gosi^ls  and  in  Paul,  by  which  so  many  learned  men  of  the 
clerS,  especiaUy  our  own,  say  they  are  led?  Who  at  this  day 
in  the  Christian  world  denies  the  Holy  Spmt  and  its  opera- 

tions  ?"  ,1  ^4? 

At  these  words  one  of  those  sitting  on  the  second  row  of 

seats  turned  about  and  said,  «  You  say  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
a  person  by  Himself  and  a  God  by  Himself ;  but  what  is  a  per- 
son going  out  of  and  forth  from  a  person  but  an  operation  go- 
ing out  and  forth  ?  One  person  cannot  go  out  of  or  forth  from 
another,  but  operation  can.  Or  what  is  a  God  going  out  of  or 
proceeding  from  God,  but  an  outgoing  and  proceeding  Divine  ? 
One  God  cannot  go  out  of  or  forth  from  another  God  and 
through  still  another,  but  the  Divine  can  go  out  and  forth 

from  one  God."  ,  . 

[9]  On  hearing  these  words  those  sittmg  on  the  seats  unani- 
mously concluded  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  a  person  by  itself 
nor  tL  a  God  by  itself,  but  is  the  Holy  Divine  going  out  °f 
and  forth  from  the  one  only  and  omnipresent  God,  who  ib  the 

^It  this  the  angels  who  stood  near  the  golden  table  upon 
which  was  the  Word  said,  "  It  is  well  Nowhere  does  one  read 
Tthe  Old  Covenant  that  the  prophets  spoke  the  Word  frou 
L  Holy  Spirit,  but  from  Jehovah;  and  in  the  new  Covenant 
wherever  the  Holy  Spirit  is  mentioned  it  means  the  Divine  go- 
Tng  forth,  which  is  the  Divine^enlightening,  teaching,  vivifying, 

reforming,  and  regenerating."  .  ,      .   ,,  „  tt„i„  a^x..-.^ 

riOl  After  this  another  discussion  about  the  Holy  Spu  it 
followed  on  this  point.  From  whom  does  the  Divine  that  is 
m  ant  by'he  Holy  Spirit  go  forth,  whether  from  the  Fattier  or 
TZthl  Lord  ?  While  they  were  discussing  this  subject  a 
gh  rom  heaven  beamed  upon  them  by  which  they  saw  tha 
£  Holy  Divine,  which  is  meant  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  doe  not 
!i  forth  out  of  he  Father  through  the  Lord,  but  out  of  the 
Lord  from  the  Father,  comparatively  as  man's  activity  goes 
forth,  not  from  the  soul  through  the  body,  but  out  of  the  body 

'The  i;"' who  stood  near  the  table  confirmed  this  by  the 
following  passages  from  the  Word  :— 


N.  188] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


285 


He  whom  God  hath  sent,  speaketh  the  words  of  God  ;  for  not  by 
measure  doth  God  give  the  Spirit  unto  Him.  The  Father  loveth  the  Son, 
and  hath  given  all  things  into  His  hand  {John  iii.  34,  35). 

And  there  shall  go  forth  a  Shoot  out  of  the  stock  of  Jesse,  and  the 
Spirit  of  Jehovah  shall  rest  upon  Him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  of  un- 
derstanding ;  the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might  (Isa.  xi.  1,  2). 

That  the  Spirit  of  Jehovah  was  put  upon  Him  and  was  in  Him  {Isa. 
xUi.  1 ;  Ux.  19,  20 ;  Ixi.  1  ;  Luke  iv.  18). 

When  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come,  whom  I  will  send  unto  you  from  the 
Father  {John  xv.  26). 

He  shall  glorify  Me,  for  He  shall  take  of  Mine  and  shall  declare  it  unto 
you.  All  things  whatsoever  the  Father  hath  are  Mine  ;  therefore  said  I 
that  He  shall  take  of  Mine  and  shall  declare  it  unto  you  {John  xvi.  14,  15). 

If  I  go  away  I  will  send  the  Comforter  unto  you  {John  xvi.  7). 
That  the  Comforter  is  the  Holy  Spirit  {John  xiv.  26). 

The  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet,  because  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified  {John 
viii.  39). 

But  after  the  glorification  : — 

Jesus  breathed  upon  the  disciples,  and  said  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the 
Holy  Spirit  {John  xx.  22). 

And  in  the  Apocalypse  : — 

Who  shall  not  glorify  Thy  name,  O  Lord  ?  for  Thou  alone  art  holy 
(XV.  4). 

[11]  As  the  Holy  Spirit  means  the  Lord's  Divine  operation 
from  His  Divine  omnipresence,  so  when  He  spoke  to  His  dis- 
ciples about  the  Holy  Spirit  whom  He  would  send  from  the 
Father  He  also  said : — 

I  will  not  leave  you  orphans.  I  go  away  and  I  come  unto  you.  And 
in  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  My  Father,  and  ye  in  Me,  and  I 
in  you  {John  xiv.  18,  20,  28). 

And  just  before  He  left  the  world  He  said  : — 

Lo,  I  am  with  you  all  the  days,  even  unto  the  consummation  of  the 
age  {Matt,  xxviii.  20). 

Having  read  these  passages  to  them  the  angel  said,  "  From 
these  and  many  other  passages  from  the  Word  it  is  clear  that 
the  Divine  which  is  called  the  Holy  Spirit  goes  forth  out  of 
the  Lord  from  the  Father." 

Hereupon  those  who  sat  upon  the  seats  said,  "This  is  Di- 
vine truth.'' 


THE  TKUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


„  __   _      _  -  Chap.  III. 

286 

ri21  Finally  the  following  decree  was  adopted :— "  From  the 
deliberation  of  this  council  we  have  clearly  seen  and  therefore 
acknowledge  as  holy  truth,  that  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ  there  is  a  Divine  trinity,  namely,  the  Dmne  from 
which  (a  quo),  which  is  called  the  Father,  the  Divme  Human 
which  is  called  the  Son,  and  the  Divine  gomg  forth  which  is 
called  the  Holy  Spirit ;"  and  together  they  cried  out  that  :- 

"  In  Christ  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily  (Col.  ii.  9). 

Thus  in  the  church  God  is  one."  ,    ,  •     xi,  j- 

ri3]  When  this  conclusion  had  been  reached  m  that  mag- 
nificent council  the  members  arose ;  and  an  angel  keeper  came 
from  the  wardrobe  bringing  to  each  one  of  those  occupying  the 
seats  splendid  garments  interwoven  here  and  there  with  golden 
threads ;  and  he  said,  «  Accept  these  wedding  garments.  And 
they  were  conducted  in  glory  to  the  new  Christian  heaven,  with 
which  the  Lord's  church  on  earth,  which  is  the  New  Jerusalem, 
will  be  conjoined. 


N.  189] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


287 


CHAPTER    IV. 
THE   SACRED   SCRIPTURE   OR   WORD   OF   THE  LORD 


I. 

THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE  OR  THE  WORD  IS  DIVIXE  TRUTH  ITSELF. 

189.  It  is  on  every  one's  lips  that  the  Word  is  from  God,  is 
Divinely  inspired,  and  is  therefore  holy  ;  and  yet  it  has  not  been 
known  heretofore  where  in  the  Word  its  Divinity  resides.  For 
in  its  letter  the  Word  appears  like  ordinary  writing,  foreign  in 
style,  neither  lofty  nor  brilliant  as  the  writings  of  the  present 
thne  are  in  appearance.  For  this  reason  the  man  who  worships 
nature  instead  of  God  or  more  than  God,  and  whose  thought 
therefore  is  from  himself  and  his  selfhood  and  not  from  the 
Lord  out  of  heaven,  may  easily  fall  into  error  respecting  the 
AVord,  and  into  contempt  for  it,  and  when  reading  it  may  say 
to  himself,  What  does  this  and  that  mean  ?  Is  this  Divine  ? 
Can  God,  whose  wisdom  is  infinite  speak  thus  ?  Wherein  and 
wherefrom  is  its  holiness,  except  from  some  religious  notion  and 
consequent  persuasion  ? 

190.  But  he  who  so  thinks  does  not  consider  that  Jehovah 
the  Lord,  who  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  spoke  the  Word 
through  Moses  and  the  prophets,  and  therefore  it  cannot  be 
other  than  Divine  truth,  for  what  Jehovah  the  Lord  Himself 
speaks  must  be  such.  Neither  does  he  consider  that  the  Lord 
the  Saviour,  who  is  the  same  with  Jehovah,  spoke  the  Word  in 
tie  Gospels,  much  of  it  by  His  own  mouth,  and  the  rest  of  it 
by  the  breath  of  His  mouth,  which  is  the  Holy  Spirit,  through 
His  twelve  disciples ;  whence  it  is,  as  He  says,  that  in  His  words 
there  is  spirit  and  there  is  life,  and  that  He  is  the  Light  that 
enlightens,  and  that  He  is  the  Truth ;  as  is  evident  from  the  fol- 
lowing passages : — 

Jesus  said,  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you  are  spirit  and  are  life 
{John  vi.  63). 


288 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  191] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


289 


Jesus  said  to  the  woman  at  Jacob's  well,  If  thou  knewest  the  gift  of 
God  aM  who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee  Give  me  to  drink  thou  wouldst  have 
alked  of  Him  and  He  would  give  thee  living  water.  Whosoever  drmketh 
o  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I 
shall  give  him  shall  become  in  him  a  fountain  of  water  sprmgn.g  up  nito 
everlasting  life  {John  iv.  6, 10, 11, 14); 

"Jacob's  well"  signifying  the  Word.  (As  also  in  Deut  xxxiii 
28^    Therefore  the  Lord,  because  He  is  the  Word,  sat  there  and 
talked  with  the  woman.    "  Living  water"  signifies  the  truth  ot 
the  Word : — 

Jesus  said  If  any  man  thirst  let  him  come  unto  Me  and  drink.  He  that 
beltXon  Me,  a.s  the  Scripture  saith,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  nver. 
of  livins  water  {John  vii.  37,  38). 

Peter  said  to  .Ie.sus,  Thou  hast  the  words  of  ^^"^f'f(;^"^;Znnot 
Jesus  said.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  My  words  shall  not 

pass  away  {Mark  xiii.  31). 

The  Lord's  words  are  Truth  and  Life  because  He  is  the  Truth 
and  the  Life,  as  He  teaches  in  John . — 
I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life  (xiv.  6) ; 

and  in  the  same  : — 

In  the  beginnins  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  God 
wsi  tie  Word.    1^  Him  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the  l.ght  of  men  (..  1, 

4)- 

..  The  Word-'  means  the  Lord  in  respect  to  Divine  truth,  m 
whom  alone  there  is  life  and  there  is  light.  For  thts  reason 
the  Word,  which  is  from  the  Lord  and  which  is  the  Lord,  is 
called : — 

The  fountain  of  living  waters  {Jer.  ii.  13  ;  xvii.  13  ;  xxxi.  9) ; 

The  fountain  of  salvation  {Isa.  xu.  3)  ; 

A  fountain  {Zech.  xiii.  1) ;  . 

And  the  river  of  the  water  of  life  {Apoc.  xxu.  1) ; 

and  it  is  said  that : — 

The  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and 
shall  gtiide  them  unto  living  fountains  of  waters  {Apoc.  vu.  17) , 
With  Other  things  also  in  passages  where  the  Word  is  also  called 
«a  sanctuary"  and  "a  tabernacle,"  wherein  the  Lord  d^^ells 
with  man. 


•1 


I: 


191.  Nevertheless,  all  this  does  not  convince  the  natural 
man  that  the  Word  is  Divine  truth  itself,  in  which  there  is 
Pivine  wisdom  and  Divine  life ;  for  he  estimates  it  by  its  style, 
in  which  these  are  not  seen  by  him.  Yet  the  style  of  the  Word 
is  the  Divine  style  itself,  with  which  no  other  style  can  be  com- 
pared, however  sublime  and  excellent  it  may  seem.  The  style 
of  the  Word  is  such  that  there  is  a  holiness  in  every  sentence 
and  in  every  word,  and  even  in  some  places  in  the  very  letters, 
and  thereby  the  Word  conjoins  man  with  the  Lord  and  opens 
heaven.  There  are  two  things  that  go  forth  from  the  Lord,  Di- 
vine love  and  Divine  wisdom,  or  what  is  the  same  thing,  Di- 
viue  good  and  Divine  truth.  In  its  essence  the  Word  is  both 
of  these;  and  because,  as  just  said,  it  conjoins  man  with  the 
Lord  and  opens  heaven  it  fills  man  with  the  goods  of  love  and 
the  truths  of  wisdom — his  will  with  the  goods  of  love  and  his 
understanding  with  the  truths  of  wisdom ;  thus  by  means  of  the 
Word  man  has  life.  But  it  must  be  clearly  understood  that 
those  only  have  life  from  the  Word  who  read  it  for  the  pur- 
pose of  drawing  from  it  Divine  truths  as  from  their  proper 
fountain,  and  at  the  same  time  for  the  purpose  of  applying  to 
the  life  the  truths  drawn  therefrom ;  while  with  those  who  read 
the  Word  solely  with  a  view  to  gaining  worldly  honors  and 
riches  the  opposite  effect  follows. 

192.  Any  man  who  does  not  know  that  there  is  a  certain 
spiritual  sense  contained  in  the  Word,  like  a  soul  in  its  body, 
must  needs  judge  of  it  from  the  sense  of  its  letter;  when  yet 
this  sense  is  like  an  envelope  enclosing  precious  things,  whicK 
are  its  spiritual  sense.  Therefore  when  this  internal  sense  is 
unknown  the  Divine  holiness  of  the  Word  can  be  estimated 
only  as  when  a  precious  stone  is  estimated  from  the  matrix  en- 
closing it,  which  often  appears  like  an  ordinary  stone ;  or  only 
as  when  from  a  casket  made  of  jasper,  lapis-lazuli,  amianthus, 
or  agate,  one  estimates  the  diamonds,  rubies,  sardonyxes,  orien- 
tal topazes,  and  so  on,  lying  in  order  within  it.  So  long  as  its 
(iontents  are  unknown  it  is  not  strange  that  the  casket  is  es- 
teemed only  according  to  the  value  of  its  material  which  is 
visible.  The  same  is  true  of  the  Word  in  respect  to  the  sense 
of  its  letter.  That  men,  therefore,  may  not  continue  to  doubt 
whether  the  Word  is  Divine  and  most  holy,  the  Lord  has  re- 

19 


290 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


vealed  to  me  its  internal  sense,  which  in  its  essence  is  spir- 
itual, and  which  is  within  the  external  sense,  which  is  natural, 
as  the  soul  is  in  the  body.  That  sense  is  the  spirit  that  gives 
life  to  the  letter ;  consequently  that  sense  can  bear  witness  to 
the  Divinity  and  holiness  of  the  Word,  and  convince  even  the 
natural  man,  if  he  is  willing  to  be  convinced. 


IL 


IN    THE    WORD    THERE    IS    A    SPIRITUAL    SENSE    HITHERTO 

UNKNOWN. 

193.  When  it  is  asserted  that  inasmuch  as  the  Word  is  Di- 
vine it  is  in  its  bosom  spiritual,  who  does  not  acknowledge  and 
assent  to  the  statement  ?  But  who  has  known  as  yet  what  the 
spiritual  is,  and  where  in  the  Word  it  is  stored  up  ?  What  the 
spiritual  is  will  be  made  clear  in  the  Memorable  Relation  at  the 
end  of  this  chapter ;  and  where  it  is  hidden  in  the  Word  shall 
be  shown  in  what  now  follows.  The  Word  in  its  bosom  is  spir- 
itual, because  it  descended  from  Jehovah  the  Lord,  and  passed 
through  the  angelic  heavens ;  and  in  its  descent  the  Divine  it- 
self, which  in  itself  is  ineffable  and  unperceivable,  became 
adapted  to  the  perception  of  angels,  and  finally  to  the  percep- 
tion of  men.  From  this  is  the  spiritual  sense,  which  is  inwardly 
in  the  natural,  as  the  soul  is  in  man,  as  the  thought  of  the 
understanding  is  in  speech,  and  as  the  will's  affection  is  in  ac- 
tion ;  and  if  it  is  permissible  to  compare  it  with  such  things  as 
appear  to  the  eye  in  the  natural  world,  the  spiritual  sense  is  in 
the  natural  sense  as  the  whole  brain  is  within  its  meninges  or 
matres,  or  as  a  tree's  branches  are  within  their  barks  and  coats, 
or  as  all  things  needful  for  the  production  of  a  chick  are  with- 
in the  shell  of  the  egg,  and  so  on.  But  that  there  is  'such  a 
spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  in  its  natural  sense  no  one  as  yet 
has  divined ;  and  for  that  reason  it  is  necessary  that  this  arca- 
num (which  in  itself  stands  pre-eminent  over  all  arcana  hith- 
erto disclosed)  should  be  made  clear  to  the  understanding,  as  it 
will  be  when  explained  in  the  following  order : — 

(1)  What  the  spiritual  sense  is. 


N.  193j 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


291 


(2)  This  sense  is  in  each  and  every  part  of  the  Word. 
(o)  It  is  because  of  this  sense  that  the  Word  is  Divinely 
inspired,  and  holy  in  every  word. 

(4)  Heretofore  this  sense  has  been  unknown. 

(5)  Henceforth  it  will  be  given  only  to  such  as  are  in  genuine 
truths  from  the  Lord. 

(())  Wonderful  things  respecting  the  Word,  from  its  spiritual 
sense. 

These  propositions  will  now  be  unfolded  separately. 

194.  (1)  IVhat  the  sjnritiial  sense  is.  The  spiritual  sense  is 
not  the  sense  that  shines  forth  from  the  sense  of  the  letter  of 
the  Word  when  one  is  studying  it  and  so  construing  it  as  to  con- 
firm some  dogma  of  the  church.  That  may  be  called  the  lit- 
eral and  ecclesiastical  sense  of  the  Word.  The  spiritual  sense 
is  not  apparent  in  the  sense  of  the  letter ;  it  is  interiorly  with- 
in it  as  the  soul  is  in  the  body,  as  the  thought  of  the  under- 
standing is  in  the  eyes,  or  the  love's  affection  in  the  face.  It 
is  that  sense  chiefly  that  makes  the  Word  spiritual,  not  only 
for  men  but  for  angels  also;  and  therefore  by  means  of  that 
sense  the  Word  has  communication  with  the  heavens.  As  the 
Word  is  inwardly  spiritual  it  was  written  purely  by  corre- 
spondences ;  and  because  it  was  written  by  correspondences  in 
its  outmost  sense  it  was  written  in  a  style  like  that  of  the 
Prophets,  the  Gospels,  and  the  Apocalypse,  which,  although 
commonplace  in  appearance,  still  conceals  within  it  Divine 
wisdom  and  all  angelic  wisdom.  What  correspondence  is  can 
be  seen  in  the  work  on  Heaven  and  Hell,  (published  in  London, 
1758),  in  the  chapter  on  The  Correspondence  of  all  things  of 
Heaven  with  all  thmgs  in  Man  (n.  87-102) ;  and  on  The  Cor- 
respondence of  all  things  of  Heaven  with  all  things  on  Earth 
(n.  103-115) ;  and  it  will  be  further  explained  by  examples 
from  the  Word  cited  below. 

195.  From  the  Lord  the  Divine  Celestial,  the  Divine  Spir- 
itual, and  the  Divine  Natural  go  forth  one  after  the  other. 
AVhatever  goes  forth  from  the  Lord's  Divine  love  is  called  the 
Divine  Celestial,  everything  of  which  is  good ;  whatever  goes 
forth  from  His  Divine  wisdom  is  called  the  Divine  Spiritual, 
everything  of  which  is  truth ;  the  Divine  Natural  is  from  both 
of  these  and  is  their  complex  in  the  outmost.    The  angels  of  the 


292 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


celestial  kingdom,  who  constitute  the  third  or  highest  heaven, 
are  in  that  Divine  going  forth  from  the  Lord  which  is  called 
celestial,  since  they  are  in  good  of  love  from  the  Lord.  The 
angels  of  the  Lord's  spiritual  kingdom,  who  constitute  the  sec- 
ond or  middle  heaven,  are  in  that  Divine  going  forth  from  the 
Lord  which  is  called  spiritual,  since  they  are  in  Divine  wisdom 
from  the  Lord.  The  angels  of  the  Lord's  natural  kingdom, 
who  constitute  the  first  or  lowest  heaven,  are  in  that  Divine 
going  forth  from  the  Lord  which  is  called  the  Divine  natural, 
and  they  are  in  the  faith  of  charity  from  the  Lord.  Men  of  the 
church  are  in  some  one  of  these  kingdoms  according  to  their 
love,  their  wisdom,  and  their  faith ;  and  whichever  one  they  are 
in,  that  they  enter  into  after  death.  Such  as  heaven  is  such 
also  is  the  Lord's  Word ;  in  its  outmost  sense  it  is  natural,  in 
its  interior  sense  spiritual,  and  in  its  inmost  sense  celestial,  and 
in  each  of  these  senses  it  is  Divine.  Thus  is  it  adapted  to  the 
angels  of  the  three  heavens,  and  also  to  man. 

196.  (2)  The  spiritual  sense  is  in  each  and  every  part  of  the 
Word,  This  can  be  best  seen  by  example,  as  in  the  following. 
In  the  Apocalypse  John  says  : — 

I  saw  heaven  opened,  and  behold  a  white  horse  ;  and  He  that  sat  upon 
him  was  called  faithful  and  true,  and  in  righteousness  He  doth  judge  and 
make  war.  And  His  eyes  are  like  a  flame  of  fire,  and  on  His  head  are 
many  diadems,  having  a  name  written  that  no  man  but  Himself  knoweth. 
And  He  was  clothed  in  a  garment  dyed  in  blood  ;  and  His  name  is  called 
The  Woixi  of  God.  His  armies  in  heaven  were  following  Him  upon  white 
horses,  and  were  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean.  He  hath  on  His 
garment  and  on  His  thigh  a  name  written  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords. 
I  saw  also  an  angel  standing  in  the  sun,  who  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  Come 
and  be  gathered  together  unto  the  great  supper  ;  that  ye  may  eat  the  flesh 
of  kings  and  the  flesh  of  commanders  of  thousands  and  the  flesh  of  mighty 
men,  and  the  flesh  of  horses,  and  of  those  that  sit  on  them,  and  the  flesh 
of  ail,  free  and  bond,  small  and  great  (xix.  11-18). 

What  these  words  signify  no  one  can  see  except  from  the 
spiritual  sense  of  the  Word ;  and  no  one  can  see  the  spiritual 
sense  except  from  a  knowledge  of  correspondences ;  for  all  these 
words  are  correspondences,  and  not  one  of  them  is  void  of  mean- 
ing. The  science  of  correspondences  teaches  the  significance  of 
"the  white  horse,"  of  "Him  who  sat  upon  him,"  of  "His  eyes" 
which  were  "  like  a  flame  of  fire,"  of  "  the  diadems  on  His  head," 


N.  196] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


293 


"  the  garment  dyed  in  blood,"  "  the  white  linen"  with  which 
those  were  clothed  who  belonged  to  His  army  in  heaven,  of  "  the 
aiigel  standing  in  the  sun,"  of  "  the  great  supper"  to  which  the 
fowls  of  heaven  "  came  and  were  gathered  together"  and  of  "  the 
flesh  of  kings  and  commanders  of  thousands"  and  many  others 
whose  flesh  they  were  to  eat.    [2]  But  what  each  particular 
thing  signifies  in  the  spiritual  sense  can  be  seen  explained  in 
the  Apocalypse  Revealed  (n.  820-838)  and  also  in  the  little  work 
on  The  White  Horse  ;  therefore  further  explanation  of  them  is 
unnecessary.    It  is  there  shown  that  it  is  the  Lord  as  to  the 
Word  who  is  described ;  and  that  by  "  His  eyes  which  were  like 
a  flame  of  fire"  the  Divine  wisdom  of  His  Divine  love  is  meant ; 
and  by  "  the  diadems  on  His  head"  and  "  the  name  which  no  one 
but  Hunself  knew"  the  Divine  truths  of  the  Word  from  Him 
are  meant,  and  that  the  nature  of  the  Word  in  its  spiritual  sense 
is  seen  by  none  but  the  Lord  and  him  to  whom  He  reveals  it ; 
also  by  "  His  garment  dyed  in  blood"  the  natural  sense  of  the 
Word  is  meant,  which  is  the  sense  of  the  letter,  to  which  violence 
has  been  done.    It  is  very  clear  that  it  is  the  Word  that  is  thus 
described,  for  it  is  said, "  His  name  is  called  the  Word  of  God." 
That  it  is  the  Lord  who  is  meant  is  equally  clear,  for  it  is  said 
that  the  name  of  the  One  sitting  upon  the  white  horse  was, 
"King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,"  the  same  as  in  Apoc.  xvii. 
14,  where  it  is  said,  "  And  the  Lamb  shall  overcome  them ;  for 
He  is  Lord  of  lords  and  King  of  kings."    [3]  That  the  spiritual 
sense  of  the  Word  is  to  be  opened  at  the  end  of  the  church  is 
signified  not  only  by  what  is  said  of  the  white  horse  and  Him 
who  sat  upon  it,  but  also  by  the  great  supper  to  which  the  angel 
standing  in  the  sun  invited  all  [the  fowls  of  heaven]  to  come, 
and  to  eat  the  flesh  of  kings,  of  commanders  of  thousands,  and 
so  forth ;  by  which  is  signified  the  appropriation  of  all  goods 
from  the  Lord.    All  these  expressions  would  be  empty  words, 
and  without  life  and  spirit,  if  there  were  no  spiritual  sense  with- 
in them  like  the  soul  in  the  body. 

197.  In  the  Apocalypse  the  New  Jerusalem  is  thus  de- 
scribed : — 

That  in  her  there  was  light  like  unto  a  stone  most  precious,  as  it  were 
a  jasper  stone  shining  like  crystal.  And  she  had  a  wall  great  and  high, 
having  twelve  gates,  and  above  the  gates  twelve  angels,  and  the  names 


294 


THE  TRUE  CHKISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  198] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


296 


of  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  sons  of  Israel  written  thereon.  That  the  wall 
was  a  hundred  and  forty  and  four  cubits,  which  was  the  measure  of  a 
man,  that  is,  of  an  angel.  That  the  building  of  the  wall  was  of  jasper, 
and  its  foundations  were  of  every  precious  stone,  jasper,  sapphire,  chal- 
cedony, emerald,  sardonyx,  sardius,  chrysolite,  beryl,  topaz,  chrysoprase, 
hyacinth,  and  amethyst.  That  the  gates  were  twelve  pearls.  That  the 
city  itself  was  pure  gold  like  pure  glass,  and  was  four  scpiare  and  her 
length,  breadth,  and  height  were  equal,  twelve  thousand  furlongs  j  and  so 
forth  (xxi.  11,  12,  10-21). 

That  all  this  is  to  be  understood  spiritually  can  be  seen  from 
what  is  set  forth  in  the  Apocalypse  Revealed  (n.  880),  that 
"  the  New  Jerusalem"  means  a  new  church  that  is  to  l)e  estab- 
lished by  the  Lord.  And  since  "  Jerusalem"  here  signifies  the 
church  it  follows  that  everything  said  of  it  as  a  city,  of  its 
gates,  its  wall,  the  foundations  of  its  wall,  and  also  its  dimen- 
sions contains  a  spiritual  sense,  for  whatever  relates  to  the 
church  is  spiritual.  What  these  things  signify  has  been  shown 
in  the  Apocalypse  Revealed  (n.  89(>-925)  ;  therefore  further  ex- 
planation would  be  superfluous.  It  is  sufficient  to  know  from 
this  that  there  is  a  spiritual  sense  in  every  particular  of  the 
above  description,  like  the  soul  in  the  body,  and  without  that 
sense  nothing  relating  to  the  church  could  l>e  seen  in  what  is 
there  written ;  as,  that  the  city  was  of  pure  gold,  its  gates  of 
pearls,  its  wall  of  jasper,  the  foundations  of  the  wall  of  precious 
stones;  that  the  wall  was  one  hundred  and  forty -four  cubits, 
which  is  the  measure  of  a  man,  that  is,  of  an  angel ;  that  the 
city  was  twelve  thousand  furlongs  in  length,  breadth,  and 
height ;  and  so  on.  But  all  this  is  understood  by  any  one  who 
from  a  knowledge  of  correspondences  is  acquainted  with  the 
spiritual  sense;  as,  that  the  wall  and  its  foundations  signify 
the  doctrinals  of  that  church  dravm  from  the  sense  of  the  let- 
ter of  the  Word ;  also  that  the  numbers  twelve,  one  hundred 
and  forty-four,  and  twelve  thousand,  signify  all  things  of  the 
church,  that  is,  its  truths  and  goods  in  one  complex. 

198.  Where  the  Lord  talks  to  His  disciples  about  the  end  of 
the  age,  that  is,  the  last  time  of  the  church.  He  says,  at  the 
close  of  His  predictions  respecting  its  successive  changes  of 
state : — 

Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days  the  sun  shall  be  dark- 
ened, the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from 


1 


heaven,  and  the  powei-s  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken.  And  then  shall 
appear 'the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man  in  heaven  ;  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes 
of  the  earth  wail,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds 
i,f  heaven  with  power  and  great  glory.  And  He  shall  send  forth  the  an- 
trels  with  a  great  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  together  His 
elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  the  end  of  the  heavens  even  to  the  end 
thereof  {Matt.  xxiv.  29-31). 

When  understood  spiritually  this  does  not  mean  that  the  sun 
and  moon  would  be  darkened,  that  the  stars  would  fall  from 
heaven,  and  that  the  sign  of  the  Lord  was  to  appear  in  the 
heavens  and  that  they  were  to  see  Him  in  the  clouds,  and  also 
angels  with  trumpets ;  but  by  each  particular  word  here  some- 
thing spiritual  pertaining  to  the  church  is  meant,  the  state  of 
the  church  at  its  end  being  here  treated  of.  For  in  the  spirit- 
ual sense  "  the  sun"  that  shall  be  darkened  means  love  to  the 
Lord ;  "  the  moon"  that  shall  not  give  her  light  means  faith  in 
the  Lord ;  "  the  stars"  that  shall  fall  from  heaven  mean  knowl- 
edges of  what  is  true  and  good ;  "  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man 
in  heaven"  means  the  appearing  of  Divine  truth  in  the  Word 
from  Him ;  that  "  the  tril)es  of  the  earth  shall  wail"  means  a 
failing  of  all  truth  pertaining  to  faith,  and  of  all  good  pertain- 
ing to  love ;  "  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven  with  power  and  glory"  means  the  Lord's  presence  in  the 
Word  and  revelation ;  "  the  clouds  of  heaven"  signify  the  sense 
of  the  letter  of  the  Word,  and  "  glory"  signifies  its  spiritual 
sense ;  "  angels  with  the  great  sound  of  a  trumpet"  mean  heaven 
from  whence  comes  Divine  truth ;  "  the  gathering  together  of 
the  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  the  end  of  the  heavens 
even  to  the  end  thereof"  means  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  church 
formed  of  those  who  have  faith  in  the  Lord  and  who  live  ac- 
cording to  His  commandments.  That  this  does  not  mean  the 
darkening  of  the  sun  and  moon  and  the  falling  of  the  stars  to 
the  earth,  is  very  clear  from  like  statements  in  the  prophets 
respecting  the  state  of  the  church,  when  the  Lord  was  about  to 
come  into  the  world  ;  as  in  Isaiah: — 

Behold  the  day  of  Jehovah  shall  come,  cruel  and  of  the  burning  of  an- 
ger. The  stars  of  the  heavens  and  the  constellations  thereof  shall  not 
give  their  light ;  the  sun  shall  be  darkened  in  its  rising,  and  the  moon 
shall  not  make  its  light  to  shine.  I  will  visit  malice  upon  the  world  (xiii. 
9-11  ;  xxiv.  21,  23). 


296 


THE  TKUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


In  Joel : — 

The  day  of  Jehovah  cometh,  a  day  of  darkness  and  of  thick  darkness 
the  sun  and  moon  shall  be  blackened,  and  the  stars  shall  withdraw  their 
shining  (ii.  1,  2,  10 ;  iii.  15). 

In  Ezekiel : — 

I  will  cover  the  heavens,  and  make  the  stars  thereof  dark  ;  I  will  cover 
the  sun  with  a  cloud,  and  the  moon  shall  not  make  her  light  to  shine.  All 
the  luminaries  of  light  will  I  make  dark,  and  I  will  set  darkness  upon  the 
land  (xxxii.  7,  8). 

By  "the  day  of  Jehovah"  the  coming  of  the  Lord  is  meant, 
which  took  place  when  there  no  longer  remained  in  the  church 
any  good  of  love  or  truth  of  faith,  or  any  knowledge  of  the  Lord ; 
therefore  it  is  called  "  a  day  of  darkness  and  of  thick  darkness." 
199.  That  the  Lord  when  in  the  world  spoke  by  correspond- 
ences, that  is,  when  He  spoke  naturally  He  also  spoke  spirit- 
ually, can  be  seen  from  His  parables,  in  each  word  of  which 
there  is  a  spiritual  meaning.  Take  for  example  the  parable  of 
the  ten  virgins.    He  said : — 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  ten  virgins,  who  took  their  lamps  and 
went  forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom.  Five  of  them  were  wise,  but  five  were 
foolish.  They  that  were  foolish  taking  their  lamps  took  no  oil ;  but  the 
wise  took  oil  in  their  lamps.  While  the  bridegroom  tarried  they  all  slum- 
bered and  slept.  But  at  midnight  there  was  a  cry  made.  Behold,  the 
bridegroom  cometh  ;  go  ye  out  to  meet  him.  Then  all  those  virgins  arose 
and  trimmed  their  lamps.  But  the  foolish  said  unto  the  wise.  Give  us  of 
your  oil  for  our  lamps  are  going  out.  But  the  wise  answered  saying  Per- 
adventure,  there  will  not  be  enough  for  us  and  you  ;  go  ye  rather  to  them 
that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves.  But  while  they  went  away  to  buy,  the 
bridegroom  came,  and  they  that  were  ready  went  in  with  Him  to  the  wed- 
ding, and  the  door  was  shut.  Afterward  came  also  the  other  virgins,  say- 
ing Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us.  But  he  answered  and  said,  Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  I  know  you  not  {Matt.  xxv.  1-12). 

That  in  all  these  particulars  there  is  a  spiritual  sense  and 
therefore  a  Divine  holiness,  no  one  sees  except  he  who  knows 
that  the  Word  has  a  spiritual  sense  and  who  knows  what  that 
sense  is.  In  the  spiritual  sense  "  the  kingdom  of  the  heavens" 
means  heaven  and  the  church;  "the  bridegroom"  means  the 
Lord;  "the  wedding"  means  the  marriage  of  the  Lord  with 
heaven  and  the  church,  through  good  of  love  and  truth  of  faith ; 
'*the  virgins"  mean  those  who  constitute  the  church;  "ten" 
means  all ;  "  five"  some  portion ;  "  lamps"  things  pertaining  to 


I 


t 


N.  199] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


297 


faith ;  "  oil"  things  pertaining  to  good  of  love ;  "  to  sleep"  and 
« to  arise"  means  man's  life  in  the  world  which  is  natural,  and 
his  life  after  death  which  is  spiritual ;  "  to  buy"  means  to  pro- 
cure for  oneself ;  "  going  to  those  who  sell  and  buying  oil"  means 
to  procure  for  oneself  good  of  love  from  others  after  death ;  and 
because  good  of  love  is  then  no  longer  to  be  procured,  although 
they  came  to  the  door  where  the  wedding  feast  was  with  their 
lamps  and  the  oil  they  had  bought,  still  the  bridegroom  said  tc 
them,  "  I  know  you  not ;"  this  is  because  man,  after  his  life  in 
the  world,  remains  such  as  he  had  lived  in  the  world.  From  all 
this  it  is  clear  that  the  Lord  spoke  solely  by  correspondences, 
and  this  because  He  spoke  from  the  Divine  that  was  in  Him 
and  was  His.  As  "  virgins"  signify  those  who  constitute  the 
church,  so  the  terms  virgin  and  daughter  of  Zion,  of  Jerusalem, 
of  Judah,  and  of  Israel,  are  frequently  used  in  the  prophetic 
Word.  And  because  "  oil"  signifies  good  of  love,  all  the  sacred 
things  of  the  church  were  anointed  with  oil.  It  is  the  same  with 
the  other  parables,  and  with  all  the  words  spoken  by  the  Lord. 
This  is  why  the  Lord  says  that  His  words  are  spirit  and  are 
life  (John  vi.  03). 

200.  (3)  It  is  because  of  its  Spiritual  Sense  that  the  Word 
is  Divinely  inspired,  and  holy  in  every  word.  In  the  church  it 
is  said  that  the  Word  is  holy  for  the  reason  that  Jehovah  the 
Lord  spoke  it ;  but  inasmuch  as  its  holiness  is  not  apparent  in 
the  mere  sense  of  the  letter,  whoever  is  once  led  on  that  account 
to  doubt  its  holiness  confirms  his  doubts  when  he  subsequently 
reads  the  Word  by  many  things  therein ;  for  he  says  to  him- 
self. Can  this  be  holy  ?  can  this  be  Divine  ?  Lest,  therefore, 
such  thoughts  should  enter  the  minds  of  many,  and  afterwards 
grow  stronger,  and  in  consequence  the  Word  should  be  rejected 
as  a  worthless  writing,  and  by  this  means  the  conjunction  of 
the  Lord  with  man  be  destroyed,  it  has  pleased  the  Lord  to  re- 
veal now  its  spiritual  sense,  that  it  may  be  known  where  in 
the  Word  the  Divine  holiness  lies  concealed.  But  let  examples 
illustrate.  The  Word  treats  sometimes  of  Egypt,  sometimes  of 
Assyria,  and  again  of  Edom,  of  Moab,  of  the  sons  of  Ammon, 
of  the  Philistines,  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  and  of  Gog.  He  who 
does  not  know  that  these  names  signify  things  pertaining  to 
heaven  and  the  church  may  be  led  into  the  error  that  the  Word 


^laiaagAitetoiiaitiBfi^iiKife 


298 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IV. 


N.200] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


299 


has  much  to  say  about  peoples  and  nations  and  but  little  about 
heaven  and  the  church,  thus  much  about  worldly  things  and 
but  little  about  heavenly  things.  But  when  he  knows  what 
those  nations  and  their  names  signify  he  may  be  led  back  from 
error  to  the  truth.  [2]  Likewise  when  he  sees  that  gardens, 
groves,  forests  and  their  trees,  as  the  olive,  the  vine,  the  cedar, 
the  poplar,  the  oak,  are  so  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Word, 
also  the  lamb,  the  sheep,  the  goat,  the  calf,  the  ox ;  also  moun- 
tains, hills,  and  valleys,  and  their  fountains,  rivers,  and  waters, 
and  many  other  such  things,  one  who  knows  nothing  about  the 
spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  cannot  but  believe  that  these  ob- 
jects alone  are  meant ;  for  he  does  not  know  that  "  a  garden," 
"a  grove,"  and  "a  forest,"  mean  wisdom,  intelligence  and 
knowledge ;  that  "  the  olive,"  "  the  vine,"  "  the  cedar,"  "  the  pop- 
lar," and  ^'  the  oak,"  mean  the  good  and  truth  of  the  church,  ce- 
lestial, spiritual,  rational,  natural  and  sensual ;  that  "  a  lamb," 
"  a  sheep,"  "  a  goat,"  "  a  calf,"  and  "  an  ox,"  mean  innocence, 
charity,  and  natural  affection ;  and  that  "  mountains,"  "  hills," 
and  "  valleys,"  mean  the  higher,  the  lower,  and  the  lowest 
things  of  the  church.  [3]  Also  he  does  not  know  that "  Egypt" 
signifies  the  scientific,  "  Assyria"  the  rational,  *'  Edom"  the 
natural,  "  Moab"  the  adulteration  of  good,  *'  the  sons  of  Am- 
mon"  the  adulteration  of  truth,  "the  Philistines"  faith  sepa- 
rate from  charity,  "  Tyre  and  Sidon"  knowledges  of  good  and 
truth,  and  "  Gog"  external  worship  apart  from  internal.  In 
general  "  Jacob"  means  in  the  Word  the  natural  church,  "  Is- 
rael" the  spiritual  church,  and  "  Judah"  the  celestial  church. 
When  man  knows  all  this  he  is  able  to  see  that  the  Word 
treats  of  nothing  but  heavenly  things,  and  that  these  worldly 
things  are  merely  the  subjects  which  contain  the  heavenly.  Let 
this  be  illustrated  by  an  example  from  the  Word.  [4]  We  read 
in  Isaiah : — 

In  that  day  shall  there  be  a  highway  out  of  Egypt  to  Assyria,  that 
Assyria  may  come  into  Egypt  and  Egypt  into  Assyria,  and  the  Egyptians 
may  serve  with  the  Assyrians.  In  that  day  shall  Israel  be  a  third  to 
Egypt  and  to  Assyria,  a  blessing  in  the  midst  of  the  land  ;  whom  Jeho- 
vah of  Hosts  shall  bless,  saying,  Blessed  be  My  people  Egypt,  and  Assyria 
the  work  of  My  hands,  and  Israel  Mine  inheritance  (xix.  23-25). 

In  the  spiritual  sense  this  means  that  at  the  time  of  the  Lord's 


coming  the  scientific,  the  rational  and  the  spiritual  will  make 
one,  and  that  the  scientific  will  then  serve  the  rational,  and 
both  the  spiritual ;  for,  as  said  before,  "  Egypt''  signifies  the 
scientific,  "  Assyria"  the  rational,  and  "  Israel"  the  spiritual. 
"  That  day"  twice  mentioned,  means  the  first  and  the  second 
coming  of  the  Lord. 

201.  (4)  Heretofore  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  has  been 
unknoivn.    That  each  thing  and  all  things  in  nature  correspond 
to  spiritual  things,  and  in  like  manner  each  and  all  things  in 
the  human  body,  has  been  shown  in  the  work  on  Heaven  and 
Hell  (n.  87-105).    But  heretofore  it  has  not  been  known  what 
correspondence  is ;  yet  in  most  ancient  times  it  was  very  well 
known;  for  to  those  who  then  lived,  the  knowledge  of  corre- 
spondences was  the  knowledge  of  knowledges,  and  was  so  uni- 
versal that  all  their  manuscripts  and  books  were  written  by 
correspondences.     The  book  of  Joh^  which  is  a  book  of  the  An- 
cient Church,  is  full  of  correspondences.    The  hieroglyphics  of 
the  Egyptians,  as  well  as  the  fables  of  most  ancient  times,  w^ere 
nothing  but  correspondences.    All  the  ancient  churches  were 
churches  representative  of  spiritual  things ;  their  rites  and  the 
statutes  according  to  which  their  worship  was  established,  con- 
sisted of  pure  correspondences ;  as  did  all  things  of  the  church 
among  the  children  of  Israel.     The  burnt  offerings,  the  sacri- 
fices, the  meat  offerings,  and  the  drink  offerings,  with  all  their 
particulars,  were  correspondences ;  likewise  the  tabernacle  and 
all  things  in  it;  also  their  feast,  as  the  feast  of  unleavened 
bread,  the  feast  of  tabernacles,  and  the  feast  of  the  first-fruits ; 
also  the  priesthood  of  Aaron  and  the  Levites,  and  their  gar- 
ments of  holiness.     What  the  spiritual  things  are  to  which  all 
these  things  corresponded  has  been  shown*  in  the  Arcana  Ccel- 
estia,  published  at  London.     Furthermore  all  the  statutes  and 
judgments  relating  to,  their  worship  and  life  were  correspond- 
ences.   Since  then.  Divine  things  present  themselves  in  the 
world  in  correspondences,  the  Word  was  written  by  pure  corre- 
spondences ;  and  because  the  Lord  spoke  from  the  Divine  He 
spoke  by  means  of  correspondences ;  for  whatever  is  from  the 
Divine  falls  into  such  things  in  nature  as  correspond  to  Divine 
things,  and  these  then  store  up  in  their  bosom  Divine  things, 
which  are  called  celestial  and  spiritual. 


300 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


I 


N.  203] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


301 


202.  I  have  been  informed  that  the  men  of  the  Most  An- 
cient Church  which  existed  before  the  flood,  were  of  a  genius 
so  celestial  that  they  talked  with  the  angels  of  heaven,  and 
were  able  to  talk  with  them  by  means  of  correspondences,  and 
in  consequence  the  state  of  their  wisdom  was  such  that  what- 
ever they  saw  on  earth,  they  thought  of  not  only  naturally, 
but  at  the  same  time  spiritually,  thus  conjointly  with  the  an- 
gels of  heaven.  Furthermore,  I  have  been  informed  that  Enoch 
(who  is  mentioned  in  Gen.  v.  21-24)  and  those  associated  with 
him  collected  correspondences  from  the  lips  of  these  men,  and 
transmitted  this  knowledge  to  their  posterity ;  and  that  from 
this  it  came  to  pass  that  in  many  of  the  kingdoms  of  Asia  the 
knowledge  of  correspondences  both  existed  and  was  cultivated, 
especially  in  the   land  of   Canaan,  in  Egypt,  Assyria,  Chal- 
dea,  Syria,  Arabia,  Tyre,  Sidon,  and  Nineveh,  and  that  it  was 
thence  carried  into  Greece ;  but  was  there  turned  into  myths, 
as  can  be  seen  from  the  writings  of  the  ancient  Greeks. 

203.  To  show  that  a  knowledge  of  correspondences  was  long 
preserved  among  the  nations  of  Asia,  although  among  those 
called  diviners  and  sages,  and  by  some  Magi,  I  will  present  one 
example  from  1  Sam.  v.  and  vi.  It  is  there  recorded  that  the 
ark  containing  the  two  tables  on  which  the  Decalogue  was 
written  was  captured  by  the  Philistines  and  placed  in  the  tem- 
ple of  Dagon  at  Ashdod,  and  that  Dagon  fell  to  the  ground  be- 
fore it,  and  afterwards  his  head  and  the  palms  of  his  hands, 
severed  from  his  body,  lay  upon  the  threshold  of  the  temple ; 
also  that  on  account  of  the  ark  the  men  of  Ashdod  and  Ekron 
were  smitten  by  thousands  with  tumors  and  their  land  laid 
waste  by  mice,  and  that  therefore  the  Philistines  called  together 
their  lords  and  diviners ;  and  to  stay  this  destruction  they  de- 
termined to  make  live  tumors  of  gold  and  five  golden  mice  and 
a  new  cart,  and  upon  the  cart  to  place  .the  ark,  and  beside  it 
the  golden  tumors  and  mice ;  and  by  two  cows,  which  lowed  on 
the  way  before  the  cart,  to  send  it  back  to  the  children  of  Israel, 
by  whom  the  cows  and  the  cart  were  offered  in  sacrifice ;  and 
thus  the  God  of  Israel  was  propitiated.  That  all  these  things 
studied  out  by  the  diviners  of  the  Philistines  were  correspond- 
ences is  evident  from  their  signification,  which  is  as  follows : 
"  The  Philistines"  themselves  signified  those  who  are  in  faith 


separate  from  charity;  "Dagon"  represented  that  religion; 
a  the  tumors"  with  which  they  were  smitten,  signified  natural 
loves,  which  when  separated  from  spiritual  love  are  unclean; 
"the  mice"  signified  the  devastation  of  the  church  by  falsifi- 
cations of  truth ;  "  the  new  cart"  signified  natural  doctrine  of 
the  church  (as  doctrine  from  spiritual  truths  is  signified  in  the 
Word  by  "  a  chariot") ;  "  the  cows"  signified  good  natural  af- 
fections ;  "  the  golden  tumors"  signified  natural  loves  purified 
and  made  good ;  "  the  golden  mice"  signified  the  vastation  of 
the  church  removed  by  means  of  good  ("  gold"  in  the  Word 
signifying  good) ;  "  the  lowing  of  the  cows  on  the  way"  signi- 
fied the  difficult  conversion  of  the  natural  man's  lust  of  evil 
into  good  affections ;  the  offering  of  the  cows  together  with  the 
cart  as  a  burnt  offering,  signified  that  thus  the  God  of  Israel 
was  propitiated.  All  these  things  which  th^  Philistines  did  by 
the  advice  of  their  diviners  were  correspondences  from  which 
it  is  clear  that  that  knowledge  was  long  preserved  among  the 

nations. 

204.  Because  the  representative  rites  of  the  church,  which 
were  correspondences,  in  the  course  of  time  began  to  be  turned 
into  idolatries,  and  also  into  magic,  that  knowledge,  by  the 
Lord's  Divine  Providence,  gradually  perished,  and  with  the 
Israelitish  and  Jewish  nation  was  totally  obliterated.  The  wor- 
ship of  that  nation  did  indeed  consist  solely  of  correspondences, 
and  was  therefore  representative  of  heavenly  things,  but  not  a 
single  thing  did  they  know  the  significance  of,  for  they  were 
wholly  natural  men,  and  consequently  were  neither  willing  nor 
able  to  know  anything  about  things  spiritual  and  celestial,  nor 
therefore  about  correspondences  ;  for  correspondences  are  rep- 
resentations of  things  spiritual  and  celestial  in  things  natural. 

205.  The  idolatries  of  nations  in  ancient  times  originated  in 
a  knowledge  of  correspondences,  since  all  things  visible  on  earth 
correspond;  thus  not  only  trees,  but  all  kind  of  beasts  and 
birds,  also  fishes,  and  all  other  things.  The  ancients,  who  had 
a  knowledge  of  correspondences,  made  for  themselves  images 
corresponding  to  heavenly  things,  and  took  delight  in  them  be- 
cause they  signified  such  things  as  belong  to  heaven  and  the 
church ;  consequently  they  placed  these  images  not  only  in  their 
temples  but  also  in  their  houses,  not  for  worship  but  to  call  to 


302 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  206] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


303 


mind  the  heavenly  things  they  signified.  So  in  Egypt  and  else- 
where there  were  images  of  calves,  oxen,  and  serpents ,  also  of 
boys,  old  men,  and  virgins;  because  calves  and  oxen  signified 
the  affections  and  powers  of  the  natural  man ;  serpents  the  pru- 
dence and  the  cunning  of  the  sensual  man ;  boys  innocence  and 
charity ;  old  men  wisdom,  and  virgins  affections  for  truth ;  and 
so  on.  When  the  knowledge  of  correspondences  had  perished, 
their  posterity,  because  these  images  and  figures  had  been 
placed  by  the  ancients  in  and  near  their  temples,  began  to  wor- 
ship these  as  holy,  and  finally  as  deities.  For  the  same  reason 
the  ancients  worshiped  in  gardens  and  groves,  according  to  the 
different  kinds  of  trees  in  them;  also  on  mountains  and  hills; 
for  gardens  and  groves  signified  wisdom  and  intelligence,  and 
each  tree  signified  something  pertaining  thereto;  thus  the  olive 
signified  the  good  of  love ;  the  vine  truth  from  that  good ;  the 
cedar  rational  good  and  truth ;  a  mountain  the  highest  heaven ; 
and  a  hill  the  heaven  below  it.  That  the  knowledge  of  corre- 
spondences remained  with  many  of  the  people  of  the  East  even 
until  the  advent  of  the  Lord  can  be  seen  also  in  the  coming  of 
the  wise  men  of  the  East  to  the  Lord  when  He  was  born : — 

Therefore  a  star  went  before  them,  and  they  brought  with  them  gifts 
gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh  {Matt.  ii.  1,  2,  9-11) ; 

for  "  the  star"  that  went  before  signified  knowledge  from  hea- 
ven ;  <'  gold''  signified  celestial  good  ;  '^  frankincense"  spiritual 
good ;  and  "  myrrh"  natural  good ;  from  which  three  all  wor- 
ship proceeds.  Nevertheless,  with  the  Israelitish  and  Jewish 
nation  there  was  no  knowledge  whatever  of  correspondences, 
although  every  thing  pertaining  to  their  worship,  and  all  the 
statutes  and  judgments  given  them  by  Moses,  and  all  things 
in  the  Word,  were  pure  correspondences.  This  was  because  in 
heart  the  Jews  were  idolaters,  and  therefore  such  that  they 
were  not  even  willing  to  know  that  any  thing  in  their  worship 
signified  what  is  heavenly  and  spiritual ;  for  they  believed  that 
all  things  of  their  worship  were  holy  in  themselves ;  and  there- 
fore if  things  heavenly  and  spiritual  had  been  disclosed  to  them 
they  would  not  only  have  rejected  them  but  also  have  profaned 
them.  For  this  reason  heaven  was  so  closed  to  them  that  they 
scarcely  knew  that  there  was  any  eternal  life.    The  truth  of 


i 

I 

^ 

A 


this  is  plainly  evident  from  the  fact  that  they  did  not  acknowl- 
ed^'-e  the  Lord,  although  the  whole  Sacred  Scripture  prophesied 
of  Him  and  foretold  His  coming.  They  rejected  Him  solely 
for  the  reason  that  He  taught  them  of  a  heavenly  instead  of 
an  earthly  kingdom;  for  they  wanted  a  Messiah  who  would 
exalt  them  above  all  the  nations  in  the  whole  world,  and  not 
a  Messiah  who  would  have  regard  to  their  eternal  salvation. 

206.  After  these  times  the  knowledge  of  correspondences, 
Avhereby  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  is  communicated,  was 
not  disclosed,  for  the  reason  that  the  Christians  of  the  primi- 
tive church  were  too  simple  to  have  it  disclosed  to  them,  and 
if  it  had  been  it  would  neither  have  been  of  any  use  to  them 
nor  would  have  been  understood.  After  those  times  darkness 
settled  upon  the  whole  Christian  world,  first  because  of  the 
spread  of  many  heresies,  and  soon  after  by  the  deliberations 
and  decrees  of  the  Council  of  Nice  respecting  three  Divine 
persons  from  eternity,  and  respecting  the  person  of  Christ  as 
being  the  Son  of  Mary  and  not  the  Son  of  Jehovah  God.  From 
this  sprang  the  modern  belief  in  justification,  which  teaches 
that  three  Gods  are  to  be  approached  in  their  order,  on  which 
faith  each  and  all  things  of  the  present  church  depend  as  the 
members  of  the  body  dt^end  on  the  head.  And  because  all 
things  of  the  Word  have  been  applied  to  confirm  that  erron- 
eous belief,  the  spiritual  sense  could  not  be  disclosed,  for  if  it 
had  been  they  would  have  applied  that  sense  also  to  the  same 
purpose,  and  thereby  have  profaned  the  very  holiness  of  the 
Word,  and  thus  have  completely  closed  up  heaven  against  them- 
selves, and  have  separated  the  Lord  from  the  church. 

207.  The  knowledge  of  correspondences,  whereby  the  spir- 
itual sense  of  the  Word  is  commimicated,  has  been  at  this  day 
revealed  because  the  Divine  truths  of  the  church  are  now  being 
brought  to  light,  and  these  are  the  truths  of  which  the  spir- 
itual sense  of  the  Word  consists  ;  and  when  these  truths  are  in 
man  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  cannot  be  perverted. 
For  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  may  be  turned  in  any 
direction.  If  it  is  turned  to  what  is  false  its  internal  holiness 
perishes,  and  with  it  its  external  holiness ;  but  if  turned  to 
what  is  true  its  holiness  remains.  But  of  all  this  more  shall 
be  said  in  what  follows.    That  the  spiritual  sense  would  be 


304 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  209] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


305 


opened  at  this  time  is  meant  by  John's  seeing  heaven  opened, 
and  then  seeing  a  white  horse ;  also  by  his  seeing  and  hearing 
an  angel  standing  in  the  sun  calling  all  to  the  great  supper  (on 
which  see  Apoc.  xix.  11-18).  But  that  this  sense  would  not 
for  a  long  time  be  acknowledged  is  meant  by  the  beast  and  the 
kings  of  the  earth  being  about  to  make  war  with  Him  who  sat 
upon  the  white  horse  (Apoc.  xix.  19) ;  also  by  the  dragon's  per- 
secuting the  woman  who  brought  forth  the  man-child,  even  to 
the  wilderness,  where  he  cast  out  of  his  mouth  water  as  a  flood, 
that  he  might  overwhelm  her  (Apoc,  xii.  13-17). 

208.  (5)  Henceforth  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  will  he 
given  only  to  such  as  are  in  genuine  truths  from  the  Lord,  This 
is  because  the  spiritual  sense  can  be  seen  by  no  one  except 
from  the  Lord  alone,  and  unless  he  be  in  Divine  truths  from 
the  Lord ;  for  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  treats  of  the  Lord 
alone  and  His  kingdom ;  and  in  that  sense  are  His  angels  in 
heaven,  for  that  sense  is  His  Divine  truth  in  heaven.  That 
truth  man  can  do  violence  to  when  he  possesses  a  knowledge 
of  correspondences,  and  by  means  of  it  seeks  to  explore  the  spir- 
itual sense  of  the  Word  from  his  own  intelligence ;  since  by  a 
few  correspondences  known  to  him  he  is  able  to  pervert  that 
sense,  and  wrest  it  to  confirm  even  what  is  false ;  thus  he  would 
do  violence  to  Divine  truth,  and  also  to  heaven  in  which  that 
truth  resides.  Therefore  if  any  one  seeks  to  open  that  sense, 
not  from  the  Lord  but  from  himself,  heaven  is  closed;  and  when 
heaven  is  closed  man  either  sees  nothing  of  truth  or  is  spir- 
itually insane.  A  further  reason  is  that  the  Lord  teaches  every 
one  by  means  of  the  Word,  and  teaches  from  those  knowledges 
that  a  man  has,  and  does  not  pour  in  new  knowledges  directly. 
Unless,  therefore,  a  man  is  in  Divine  truths,  or  if  he  is  in  a  few 
truths  only  and  at  the  same  time  in  falsities,  he  may  by  these 
falsities  falsify  the  truths,  as  is  done  by  every  heretic  in  re- 
spect to  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word.  So,  in  order  that 
no  one  may  enter  into  the  spiritual  sense  and  pervert  the 
genuine  truth  which  belongs  to  that  sense,  guards  are  set  by 
the  Lord,  which  are  meant  in  the  Word  by  "  cherubim." 

209.  (6)  Wonderful  things  in  regard  to  the  Word  arising 
from  its  spiritual  sense.  In  the  natural  world  no  wonderful 
things  arise  from  the  Word,  because  the  spiritual  sense  is  not 


i 


there  apparent,  and  such  as  it  is  in  itself  is  not  inwardly  re- 
ceived by  man.  But  in  the  spiritual  world  wonderful  things 
from  the  Word  appear,  because  all  there  are  spiritual  beings, 
and  a  spiritual  man  is  affected  by  spiritual  things  as  a  natui-al 
man  is  by  natural  things.  The  wonderful  things  arising  from 
the  Word  in  the  spiritual  world  are  many,  a  few  of  which  I  will 
here  mention.  In  the  shrines  of  the  temples  there  the  Word  it- 
self shines  before  the  eyes  of  the  angels  like  a  great  star,  some- 
times like  a  sun ;  and  also  from  the  bright  radiance  round  about 
it  there  are  seen  as  it  were  most  beautiful  rainbows.  This  hap- 
pens as  soon  as  the  shrine  is  opened.  [2]  That  each  truth  and 
all  truths  of  the  Word  shine  has  been  made  evident  to  me  by  the 
fact  that  when  any  least  sentence  from  it  is  written  out  upon 
paper,  and  this  is  thrown  into  the  air,  the  very  paper  shines  in 
the  form  in  which  it  has  been  cut.  Thus  by  means  of  the  Word 
spirits  can  produce  a  variety  of  shining  forms,  also  the  forms  of 
birds  and  fishes.  Again,  what  is  still  more  wonderful,  when 
any  one  rubs  his  face,  his  hands,  or  the  clothing  he  has  on, 
with  the  open  Word,  touching  them  with  the  writing,  the  face 
itself,  the  hands,  and  the  clothing  shine  as  though  he  were 
standing  in  a  star  encompassed  by  its  light.  This  I  have  seen 
very  often,  and  wondered  at  it.  Thus  it  was  made  clear  to  me 
how  it  was  that  Moses'  face  shone  when  he  brought  the  tables 
of  the  covenant  down  from  Mount  Sinai.  [3]  Besides  these 
there  are  many  other  wonderful  things  there  which  are  from 
the  Word ;  for  instance,  if  any  one  who  is  in  falsities  looks  to- 
wards the  Word  as  it  lies  in  its  holy  place  a  darkness  comes 
over  his  eyes,  and  in  consequence  the  Word  appears  to  him  to 
be  black,  and  sometimes  as  if  covered  with  soot;  and  if  he 
likewise  touches  the  Word  an  explosion  follows  with  a  crash, 
and  he  is  thrown  to  a  corner  of  the  room,  and  lies  there  for  a 
brief  hour  as  if  dead.  If  something  from  the  Word  is  written 
on  a  paper  by  one  who  is  in  falsities,  and  the  paper  is  thrown 
up  toward  heaven,  a  like  explosion  follows  in  the  air  between 
his  eyes  and  heaven,  and  the  paper  is  torn  to  shreds  and  van- 
ishes ;  the  same  thing  happens  if  the  paper  is  thrown  towards 
an  angel  standing  near.  This  I  have  often  seen.  [4]  It  has 
thus  been  made  clear  to  me  that  those  who  are  in  falsities  of 
doctrine  have  no  communication  with  heaven  through  the  Word, 
20 


306 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IV. 


but  their  reading  of  it  is  dissipated  on  the  way  and  is  lost,  like 
gunpowder  wrapped  in  paper  when  ignited  and  thrown  into 
the  air.  The  opposite  occurs  with  those  who  are  in  truths  of 
doctrine  from  the  Lord  through  the  Word  ;  their  reading  of  the 
Word  penetrates  even  into  heaven  and  effects  conjunction  with 
the  angels  there.  The  angels  themselves,  when  they  descend 
from  heaven  to  discharge  any  duty  below,  appear  surrounded 
with  little  stars,  especially  about  the  head ;  w^hich  is  a  sign  that 
Divine  truths  from  the  Word  are  in  them.  [5]  Furthermore, 
in  the  spiritual  world  things  exist  similar  to  those  on  earth ; 
but  there  each  thing  and  all  things  are  from  a  spiritual  origin. 
Thus  gold  and  silver  exist  there,  and  all  kinds  of  precious 
stones,  and  the  spiritual  origin  of  these  is  the  sense  of  the  let- 
ter of  the  Word ;  and  on  this  account  in  the  Apocalypse  the 
foundations  of  the  wall  of  the  New  Jerusalem  are  described  by 
twelve  precious  stones.  The  reason  of  this  is  that  the  founda- 
tions of  its  wall  signify  the  doctrinals  of  the  New  Church, 
which  are  derived  from  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word. 
For  the  same  reason  there  were  twelve  precious  stones  called 
Urim  and  Thummim  in  Aaron's  ephod,  by  means  of  which  re- 
sponses were  given  from  heaven.  There  are  many  other  won- 
derful things  proceeding  from  the  Word  that  have  relation  to 
the  power  of  the  truth  within  it.  This  power  is  so  great  that  if 
described  it  would  surpass  all  belief;  for  it  is  such  that  it  over- 
turns mountains  and  hills  there,  and  removes  them  afar  oft",  and 
hurls  them  into  the  sea;  and  many  things  besides.  In  short 
the  power  of  the  Lord  proceeding  from  the  Word  is  infinite. 


III. 

THE   SENSE   OF    THE    LETTER    OF    THE   WORD    IS    THE   BASIS,  THE 
CONTAINAXT,    AND    THE    SUPPORT    OF    ITS    SPIRITUAL 

AND    CELESTIAL    SENSE. 

210.  In  everything  Divine  there  is  a  first,  a  middle,  and 
a  last,  the  first  passing  through  the  middle  to  the  last,  and 
so  existing  and  subsisting ;  consequently  the  last  is  the  Basis. 
Again,  the  first  is  in  the  middle,  and  through  the  middle  in  the 
last ;  thus  the  last  is  the  Containant.  And  since  the  last  is  the 
Containant  and  the  Basis,  it  is  also  the  Support.    The  learned 


N.  210] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


307 


can  understand  that  these  three  may  be  called  end,  cause,  and 
effect;  also  being  (esse),  becoming  {fieri)  and  standing  forth 
(exlstere)  ;  and  that  the  end  is  being,  the  cause  is  becoming,  and 
the  effect  is  standing  forth ;  consequently  that  in  every  com- 
plete thing  there  is  a  trine,  which  is  called  the  first,  the  middle, 
and  the  last,  also  end,  cause,  and  effect.  When  this  is  under- 
stood, it  can  also  be  understood  that  every  Divine  work  is  com- 
plete and  perfect  in  its  last ;  also  that  the  whole  is  in  the  last, 
because  in  it  prior  things  are  together. 

211.  This  is  why  the  number  three  in  the  Word  means  in  the 
spiritual  sense  what  is  complete  and  perfect,  also  the  whole 
together  ;  and  this  being  the  signification  of  that  number,  it 
is  "used  in  the  Word  whenever  any  such  thing  is  designated, 
as  in  the  following  instances  : — 

That  Isaiah  went  naked  and  barefoot  three  years  {Isa.  xx.  3). 

That  Jehovah  called  Samuel  three  times,  and  Samuel  three  times  ran 
to  Eli,  and  the  third  time  Eli  understijod  (1  Sam.  iii.  1-8). 

That  Jonathan  told  David  to  hide  himself  in  the  held  three  days,  and 
Jonathan  afterwards  shot  three  arrows  on  the  side  of  the  stone,  and 
thereupon  David  bowed  himself  three  times  before  Jonathan  ( 1  Sam.  xx. 

5,  12-42). 

That   Elijah  stretched  himself  upon  the  widow's  son  three  tmies  (1 

Kings  xvii.  21).  . 

That  Elijah  commanded  them  to  pour  water  upon  the  burnt  ofEermg 

three  times  (1  Kings  xviii.  34). 

That  Jesus  said,  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  leaven,  which  a 
woman  took  and  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal  till  it  was  all  leavened 

{Matt.  xiii.  33). 

That  Jesus  told  Peter  that  he  would  deny  Ilim  three  times  {Matt,  xxvi.34). 
That  three  times  Jesus  said  to  Peter,  Lovest  thou  Me  ?  {Johnxxi.  15-17). 
That  Jonah  was  in  the  whale's  belly  three  days  and  three  nights  {Jonah 

i.  17). 

That  Jesus  said  that  He  would  destroy  the  temple  and  would  rebuild 

it  in  three  days  {John  ii.  10  ;  Matt.  xxvi.  (U). 

That  Jesus  piuyed  in  Gethsemane  three  times  {Matt.  xxvi.  39-44). 
That  Jesus  rose  on  the  third  day  {Matt,  xxviii.  1)  ; 

besides  many  other  passages  Avhere  the  number  three  is  men- 
tioned ;  and  it  is  mentioned  where  a  finished  and  perfect  work 
is  treated  of,  because  this  is  what  that  number  signifies. 

212.  There  are  three  heavens  a  highest,  a  middle,  and  a  low- 
est. The  highest  heaven  forms  the  Lord's  celestial  kingdom, 
the  middle  His  spiritual  kingdom,  and  the  lowest  heaven  His 


308 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


natural  kingdom.  As  there  are  three  heavens  so  there  are  three 
senses  of  the  Word,  a  celestial,  a  spiritual,  and  a  natural ;  and 
this  agrees  with  what  has  been  said  above  (n.  210),  namely, 
that  the  first  is  in  the  middle  and  through  the  middle  in  the 
last,  precisely  as  the  end  is  in  the  cause  and  through  the  cause 
in  the  effect.  This  makes  clear  the  nature  of  the  Word,  namely, 
that  in  the  sense  of  its  letter,  which  is  natural,  there  is  an  inner 
sense  which  is  spiritual,  and  in  this  an  inmost  sense  which  is 
celestial ;  and  thus  that  the  outmost  sense,  which  is  natural  and 
is  called  the  sense  of  the  letter,  is  the  containant,  and  tlius  the 
basis  and  support  of  the  two  interior  senses. 

213.  From  this  it  follows  that  the  Word  without  the  sense 
of  its  letter  would  be  like  a  palace  without  a  foundation,  and 
thus  like  a  palace  in  the  air  instead  of  on  the  earth,  which 
would  be  only  the  shadow  of  a  palace  that  would  vanish  away ; 
or  again,  that  the  Word  without  the  sense  of  its  letter  would 
be  like  a  temple  containing  many  holy  things,  with  a  shrine  in 
the  center  of  it,  but  without  roof  or  wall,  which  are  its  contain- 
ants ;  and  if  these  were  lacking  or  were  taken  away,  its  holy 
things  would  be  seized  upon  by  thieves,  would 'be  desecrated 
by  the  beasts  of  the  earth  and  the  birds  of  heaven,  and  would 
thus  be  dispersed.  It  would  also  be  like  the  tabernacle  of  the 
sons  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness  (in  the  inmost  part  of  whicli 
was  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  and  in  the  middle  the  golden 
candlestick,  the  golden  altar  upon  whicli  was  the  incense,  and 
the  table  with  the  bread  of  faces  upon  it)  without  its  outmosts, 
which  were  curtains,  veils,  and  pillars.  In  fact,  the  Word  with- 
out the  sense  of  its  letter  would  be  like  the  human  body  with- 
out its  coverings  which  are  called  skins,  and  without  its  sup- 
ports which  are  called  bones.  With  both  of  these  absent  all 
its  inner  parts  would  fall  asunder.  Or  again,  it  would  be  like 
the  heart  and  lungs  in  the  thorax  without  their  covering  which 
is  called  the  pleura,  and  their  supports  which  are  called  ribs. 
Or  it  would  be  like  the  brain  without  its  coverings  which  are 
called  the  dura  mater  and  pia  mater,  and  without  their  common 
covering,  containant,  and  support,  which  is  called  the  cranium. 
So  would  it  be  with  the  Word  without  the  sense  of  its  letter ; 
therefore  it  is  said  in  Isaiah  : — 

That  Jehovah  creates  over  all  the  glory  a  covering  (iv.  6). 


N.  214] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


309 


IV. 


IX    THE    SENSE    OF    THE    LETTER    OF    THE    WORD    DIVINE    TRUTH 
IS    IN    ITS    FULNESS,    ITS    HOLINESS,    AND    ITS    POWER. 

214.  In  the  sense  of  the  letter  the  Word  is  in  its  fulness, 
its  holiness,  and  its  power,  because  the  two  prior  or  interior 
senses,  which  are  called  spiritual  and  celestial,  exist  simultan- 
eously in  the  natural  sense  which  is  the  sense  of  the  letter  (as 
stated  above,  n.  210,  212).  How  they  exist  simultaneously  shall 
Ije  further  explained.  In  heaven  and  in  the  world  there  is  suc- 
cessive order  and  there  is  simultaneous  order.  In  successive 
order  one  thing  succeeds  and  follows  another  from  the  highest 
down  to  the  lowest ;  but  in  simultaneous  order  one  thing  stands 
next  to  another  from  inmosts  even  to  outermosts.  Successive 
order  is  like  a  column  arranged  in  steps  from  summit  to  base ; 
while  simultaneous  order  is  like  a  work  coherent  with  the  cir- 
cmnferences  from  the  center  even  to  the  outmost  surface.  I 
will  now  explain  how  successive  order  becomes  simultaneous 
order  in  the  outmost.  It  is  done  as  follows  :  The  highest  things 
of  successive  order  become  the  inmost  things  of  simultaneous 
order;  and  the  lowest  things  of  successive  order  become  the 
outermost  things  of  simultaneous  order;  comparatively  as  a 
column  arranged  in  steps  when  it  subsides  becomes  a  body  co- 
herent in  a  plane.  Thus  is  the  simultaneous  formed  from  the 
successive,  and  this  in  each  and  all  things  both  of  the  natural 
world  and  of  the  spiritual  world ;  for  there  is  everywhere  a  first, 
a  middle,  and  a  last,  and  the  first  tends  and  passes  through  the 
middle  to  its  last.  But  it  must  be  clearly  understood  that  there 
are  degrees  of  purity  in  accordance  with  which  both  of  these 
orders  are  determined.  [2]  Kow  in  respect  to  the  Word :  the 
celestial,  the  spiritual,  and  the  natural  go  forth  from  the  Lord 
in  successive  order;  and  in  the  outmost  they  exist  in  simul- 
taneous order ;  and  thus  the  celestial  and  spiritual  senses  of  the 
Word  exist  simultaneously  in  its  natural  sense.  When  this  is 
comprehended  it  can  be  seen  how  the  natural  sense  of  the  Word 
is  the  containant,  the  basis,  and  the  support  of  its  spiritual  and 
celestial  senses ;  also  how  the  Divine  good  and  truth  are  in  the 
sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  in  their  fulness,  their  holiness 


310 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  216] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


311 


and  their  power.  From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  the  Word  is  the 
real  Word  in  the  sense  of  the  letter,  for  inwardly  in  this  there 
is  spirit  and  life.    This  is  what  the  Lord  says  : — 

The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit  and  they  are  life 
{John  vi.  63) ; 

for  the  words  of  the  Lord  were  spoken  in  the  natural  sense. 
The  celestial  and  spiritual  senses  separated  from  the  natural 
sense  are  not  the  Word ;  for  they  are  like  spirit  and  life  witli- 
out  a  body,  and  are  like  a  palace  without  a  foundation  (as  said 
above,  n.  213). 

215.  In  part  the  truths  of  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word 
are  not  naked  truths,  but  are  appearances  of  truth,  and  are  like 
similitudes  and  comparisons  which  are  taken  from  such  things 
as  exist  in  nature,  and  are  therefore  accommodated  and  adapted 
to  the  capacity  of  the  simple  and  also  of  children.  But  as  these 
are  at  the  same  time  correspondences  they  are  receptacles  and 
abodes  of  genuine  truth,  and  are  vessels  containing  it,  as  a  crys- 
tal cup  contains  noble  wine,  or  a  silver  dish  good  food ;  they  are 
also  like  garments  for  clothing  the  body,  as  swaddling  clothes 
for  an  infant,  or  becoming  garments  for  a  maiden ;  they  are  also 
like  the  knowledges  of  the  natural  man,  which  comprise  within 
them  the  perceptions  and  affections  of  spiritual  truth.  The 
naked  truths  themselves,  which  are  included,  contained,  clothed, 
and  comprised,  are  in  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word,  and  the 
naked  goods  in  its  celestial  sense.  But  this  shall  be  illustrated 
from  the  Word.     [2]  Jesus  said  : — 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  for  ye  cleanse  the  outside  of  the 
cup  and  of  the  platter,  but  within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and  excess. 
Thou  blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  the  inside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter, 
that  the  outside  may  be  clean  also  (Matt,  xxiii.  25,  20). 

Here  the  Lord  spoke  by  similitudes  and  comparisons  that  are 
also  correspondences,  using  the  terms  "  cup"  and  "  platter," 
"cup"  not  only  meaning  but  also  signifying  the  truth  of  the 
Word,  for  by  the  "cup"  wine  is  meant,  and  "wine"  signifies 
truth.  But  by  "  platter"  food  is  meant,  and  food  signifies  good ; 
therefore  "  to  cleanse  the  inside  of  the  cup  and  platter"  signi- 
lies  to  purify  by  means  of  the  Word  the  interiors  of  the  mind, 
which  pertain  to  the  will  and  thought.  "  That  the  outside  may 
thus  be  clean"  signifies  that  the  exteriors,  which  are  the  things 


done  and  said,  are  thus  purified;  for  these  derive  their  essence 
from  the  former.     [3]  Again  Jesus  said  : — 

There  was  a  certain  rich  man  who  was  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen, 
and  fared  sumptuously  every  day  ;  and  there  was  a  certain  beggar  named 
Lazarus,  who  was  laid  at  his  gate,  full  of  sores  {Luke  xvi.  19,  20). 

Here,  too,  the  Lord  spoke  by  similitudes  and  comparisons  that 
were  correspondences  and  that  contained  spiritual  things.  The 
"  rich  man"  means  the  Jewish  nation,  which  is  called  "  rich" 
because  it  had  the  Word,  which  contains  spiritual  riches ;  the 
"  purple  and  fine  linen"  with  which  he  was  clothed,  signify  the 
good  and  truth  of  the  Word,  "  purple"  its  good,  and  "  fine  linen" 
its  truth ;  his  "  faring  sumptuously  every  day"  signifies  their 
satisfaction  in  having  the  Word  and  in  hearing  many  things 
from  it  in  their  temples  and  synagogues  ;  "  the  beggar  Lazarus" 
means  the  Gentiles,  because  they  did  not  have  the  Word ;  that 
these  were  despised  and  rejected  by  the  Jews  is  meant  by  his 
being  "laid  at  the  rich  man's  gate;"  and  his  being  "full  of 
sores"  signifies  that  owing  to  their  ignorance  of  truth  the  Gen- 
tiles were  in  many  falsities.  [4]  The  Gentiles  w^ere  meant  by 
Lazarus,  because  the  Lord  loved  the  Gentiles.    As  : — 

He  loved  the  Lazarus  who  was  raised  from  the  dead  {John  xi.  3,  5, 
36) ;  and  who  is  called  the  Lord's  friend  {John  xi.  11) ;  and  reclined  at  the 
table  with  the  Lord  {John  xii.  2). 

From  the  above  two  passages  it  is  clear  that  the  truths  and 
goods  of  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  are  like  vessels,  or 
like  clothing  for  the  naked  good  and  truth,  both  of  which  lie 
hidden  in  the  spiritual  and  celestial  senses  of  the  Word,  [-j] 
The  Word  in  the  sense  of  the  letter  being  such,  it  follows  that 
those  who  are  in  Divine  truths,  and  in  the  belief  that  the  Word 
inwardly  in  its  bosom  is  the  holy  Divine  and  still  more  those 
who  are  in  the  belief  that  the  Word  is  such  because  of  its  spir- 
itual and  celestial  senses,  w^hen  they  read  the  Word  in  states 
of  enlightenment  from  the  Lord,  see  Divine  truths  in  natural 
light.  For  the  light  of  heaven,  in  which  the  spiritual  sense  is, 
flows  into  the  natural  light  in  which  the  sense  of  the  letter  of 
the  Word  is,  and  illuminates  the  intellectual  faculty  of  man 
which  is  called  his  rational,  causing  it  to  see  and  acknowledge 
Divine  tmths,  both  where  they  stand  forth  and  where  they  lie 


312 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


hidden.    With  some  these  truths  flow  in  at  the  same  time  with 
the  light  of  heaven,  sometimes  even  when  they  are  unconscious 

of  it. 

216.  As  the  Word  in  its  inmost  depths,  because  of  its  celes- 
tial sense,  is  like  a  gentle  flame  that  enkindles,  and  in  its  in- 
termediate depths,  because  of  its  spiritual  sense,  is  like  a  light 
that  enlightens,  so  in  its  outmost  because  of  its  natural  sense 
it  is  like  a  transparent  object  receiving  both  the  flame  and  the 
light;  and  from  the  flame  it  is  ruddy  like  purple,  and  from  the 
light  is  white  like  snow.  Thus  it  is  comparatively  like  a  ruby 
and  a  diamond,  like  a  ruby  from  celestial  flame,  and  like  a  dia- 
mond from  spiritual  light.  The  Word  in  the  sense  of  the  letter 
being  such,  in  this  sense  it  is  meant : — 

(1)  By  the  precious  stones  of  which  the  foundations  of  the 
New  Jerusalem  consisted. 

(2)  By  the  Urim  and  Thiunmim  on  Aaron's  ephod. 

(3)  And  by  the  precious  stones  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  where 
the  King  of  Tyre  is  said  to  have  been. 

(4)  Also  by  the  curtains,  veils,  and  pillars  of  the  tabernacle. 

(5)  Likewise  by  the  externals  of  the  temple  at  Jerusalem. 

(6)  The  Word  in  its  glory  was  represented  in  the  Lord  when 
He  was  transfigured. 

(7)  The  power  of  the  Word  in  its  outmosts  was  represented 
by  the  Nazarites. 

(8)  The  inexpressible  power  of  the  W^ord. 
These  statements  shall  be  illustrated  one  by  one. 

217.  (1)  The  truths  of  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  are 
meant  hy  the  precious  sto7ies  of  which  the  foundations  of  the 
New  Jerusalem  consisted  (Aj^oc  xxi.  17-21).  It  has  been  men- 
tioned above  (n.  209)  that  precious  stones  exist  in  the  spiritual 
world,  as  well  as  in  the  natural  world,  and  that  their  spiritual 
origin  is  the  truths  of  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word. 
This  seems  incredible  and  yet  it  is  true.  And  this  is  why 
precious  stones  are  so  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Word ;  and 
why  in  the  spiritual  sense  they  mean  truths.  From  this  it  fol- 
lows that  the  "  precious  stones"  of  which  the  foundations  of 
the  wall  around  the  city  New  Jerusalem  are  said  to  have  been 
built  signify  the  truths  of  doctrine  of  the  New  Church,  because 
"  the  New  Jerusalem''  means  the  New  Church  in  respect  to  doc- 


N.  217] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


313 


trine  from  the  Word  ;  and  therefore  its  "  wall"  and  the  "  foun- 
dations" of  the  wall,  can  mean  nothing  else  than  the  external 
of  the  Word,  which  is  the  sense  of  the  letter ;  for  it  is  from  this 
sense  that  doctrine  exists,  and  the  church  by  means  of  doctrine ; 
while  the  external  of  the  Word  is  like  a  wall  with  its  founda- 
tions, which  encloses  and  protects  a  city.  Of  the  New  Jerusalem 
and  its  foundations  we  read  in  the  Apocaly^jse : — 

An  angel  measured  the  wall  of  the  city  Jenisalem,  an  hundred  and 
forty  and  four  cubits,  which  was  the  measure  of  a  man,  that  is,  of  an 
angel.  And  the  wall  had  twelve  foundations  adorned  with  every  precious 
stone.  The  first  foundation  was  jasper  ;  the  second,  sapphire  ;  the  third  a 
chalcedony  ;  the  fourth,  emerald  ;  the  fifth,  sardonyx  ;  the  sixth,  sardius ; 
the  seventh,  chrysolite  ;  the  eighth,  beryl ;  the  ninth,  topaz  ;  the  tenth, 
chrysoprasus  ;  the  eleventh,  jacinth  ;  the  twelfth,  amethyst  (xxi.  14,  17- 
20). 

The  wall  had  twelve  foundations  formed  of  as  many  precious 
stones,  because  the  number  "  twelve"  signified  all  things  of 
truth  from  good ;  so  here  all  things  of  doctrine.  But  this  and 
what  precedes  and  follows  in  this  chapter,  may  be  seen  ex- 
plained in  detail  and  confirmed  by  parallel  passages  from  the 
prophetic  Word,  in  our  Apocalypse  Revealed. 

218.  (2)  The  Goods  and  Truths  of  the  Word  in  the  sense  of 
its  letter  are  meant  by  the  Urim  and  Thummim  on  Aaron's 
ejyhod.  The  Urim  and  Thummim  were  on  Aaron's  ephod,  whose 
priesthood  represented  the  Lord  in  respect  to  the  Divine  good 
and  the  work  of  salvation.  The  garments  of  the  priesthood,  or 
of  its  holiness,  represented  the  Divine  truths  from  the  Lord ; 
the  ephod  represented  Divine  truth  in  its  outmost,  and  thus 
the  Word  in  the  sense  of  the  letter,  for  that  is  Divine  truth  in 
its  outmost.  So  the  twelve  precious  stones,  with  the  names  of 
the  two  tribes  of  Israel,  which  composed  the  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim, represented  Divine  truths  from  Divine  good  in  their  whole 
complex.    Concerning  these  we  read  in  Moses  as  follows : — 

They  shall  make  the  ephod  of  gold,  of  blue,  and  of  purple,  of  scarlet 
and  fine-twined  linen  with  cunning  work.  Afterwards  thou  shalt  make  a 
breastplate  of  judgment  according  to  the  work  of  the  ephod  and  thou 
shalt  fill  it  with  a  filling  of  stones,  four  rows  of  stones,  a  sardius,  a  topaz, 
and  a  carbuncle,  the  first  row ;  an  emerald,  a  sapphire,  and  a  diamond 
the  second  row  j  a  jacinth,  an  agate,  and  an  amethyst  the  third  row ;  a 


314 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


beryl,  an  onyx,  and  a  jasper  the  fourth  row.  And  the  stones  shall  be  ac- 
cording to  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel  like  the  engravings  of  a  signet, 
every  one  according  to  his  name  they  shall  be  for  the  twelve  tribes.  And 
Aaron  shall  bear  it  upon  the  breast'plate  of  judgment  the  Urim  and  the 
Thummim  ;  and  let  them  be  upon  Aaron's  heart  when  he  goeth  in  before 
Jehovah  {Ex.  xxviii.  (5,  15-21,  29,  30). 

What  was  represented  by  the  garments  of  Aaron,  his  ephod^ 
robe,  broidered  coat,  miter,  and  girdle  has  been  explained  in 
the  Arcana  Coelestia,  published  at  London,  where  this  chapter 
is  treated  of.  It  is  there  shown  that  the  ephod  represented  Di- 
vine truth  in  its  outmost;  the  precious  stones  in  the  ephod 
represented  truths  translucent  from  good  ;  the  twelve  arranged 
in  four  rows  represented  all  those  truths  from  first  to  last ;  the 
twelve  tribes  represented  all  things  pertaining  to  the  church ; 
the  breastplate  Divine  truth  from  Divine  good  in  the  universal 
sense ;  the  Urim  and  Thummim  the  resplendency  of  Divine 
truth  from  Divine  good  in  outmosts ;  for  in  angelic  language 
Urim  means  shining  fire,  and  Thummim  means  resplendence, 
and  in  the  Hebrew  integrity.  It  is  also  there  shown  that  re- 
sponses were  given  by  variegations  of  light,  and  at  the  same 
time  by  tacit  perception  or  by  a  living  voice ;  besides  other 
things.  From  all  this  it  can  be  seen  that  these  stones  also  sig- 
nified truths  from  good  in  the  outmost  sense  of  the  Word ;  and 
by  no  other  means  are  responses  given  from  heaven,  for  in  that 
sense  is  the  Divine  going  forth  in  its  fulness. 

219.  (3)  Like  things  are  meant  hy  the  precious  stones  in  the 
garden  of  Eden,  where  the  King  of  Tyre  is  said  to  have  been. 
We  read  in  Ezekiel : — 

King  of  Tyre  Thou  sealest  up  thy  measure,  full  of  wisdom,  and  per- 
fect in  beauty.  Thou  hast  been  in  Eden,  the  garden  of  God  ;  every  pre- 
cious stone  was  thy  covering,  the  sardius,  the  topaz,  and  the  diamond, 
the  berji,  the  onyx,  and  the  jasper,  the  sapphire,  the  emerald,  and  the 
carbuncle  and  gold  (xxviii.  12,  13). 

In  the  Word  "  Tyre"  signifies  the  church  in  respect  to  knowl- 
edges of  good  and  truth ;  ''  the  king"  signifies  the  truth  of  the 
church;  "the  garden  of  Eden"  signifies  wisdom  and  intelli- 
gence from  the  Word ;  "  precious  stones"  signify  truths  trans- 
lucent because  of  good,  such  as  are  in  the  sense  of  the  letter  of 
the  Word ;  and  this  being  the  signification  of  these  stones,  they 


N.  219] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


315 


are  called  "his  covering."    That  the  sense  of  the  letter  is  a 
covermg  to  the  interiors  of  the  Word,  may  be  seen  above  (n. 

213). 

220.  (4)    Truths  and  goods  in  outmost^,  such  as  are  con- 
tained in  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word,  were  reiyresented  hy 
the  curtains,  veils,  and  2nllars  of  the  tabernacle.     The  taber- 
nacle built  by  Moses  in  the  wilderness  represented  heaven  and 
the  church,  and  therefore  the  form  of  it  was  shown  by  Jehovah 
on  Mount  Sinai.     As  a  consequence,  all  things  in  that  taber- 
nacle, namely,  the  candlestick,  the  golden  altar  for  incense, 
and  the  table  on  which  was  the  bread  of  faces,  represented  and 
signified  the  holy  things  of  heaven  and  the  church  ;  the  holy  of 
holies,  where  the  ark  of  the  covenant  was  kept,  represented 
and  thus  signified  the  inmost  of  heaven  and  the  church ;  the 
law  itself  written  upon  the  two  tables  signified  the  Word ;  and 
the  cherubs  above  the  ark  signified  guards  to  protect  the  holy 
things  of  the  Word  from  desecration.    Since,  then,  externals  de- 
rive their  essence  from  internals,  and  both  externals  and  inter- 
nals derive  their  essence  from  the  inmost,  which  here  was  the 
law,  so  all  things  belonging  to  the  tal)ernacle  represented  and 
signified  the  holy  things  of  the  Word.     From  this  it  follows 
that  the  outmost  parts  of  the  tabernacle,  its  curtains,  veils  and 
l)illars,  which  were  coverings,  containers,  and  supports,  signi- 
fied the  outmost  things  of  the  Word,  which  are  the  truths  and 
goods  of  the  sense  of  its  letter.    Because  this  was  what  they 
signified : — 

All  the  curtains  and  veils  were  of  fine-twined  linen,  and  blue  and  pur- 
ple and  scarlet  double-dyed,  with  cherubs  {Ex.  xxvi.  1,  31,  30). 

What  was  represented  and  signified  by  the  tabernacle  and  by 
all  things  in  it,  both  in  general  and  in  particular,  has  been  ex- 
plained in  the  Arcana  Coelestia,  where  this  chapter  is  treated  of. 
It  is  there  shown  that  the  curtains  and  veils  represented  the 
externals  of  heaven  and  the  church,  and  thus  also  the  externals 
of  the  Word  ;  and  that  the  "  linen"  (xylinum  sen  byssinum)  sig- 
nified truth  from  a  spiritual  origin ;  "  blue"  truth  from  a  celes« 
tial  origin  ; ''  purple"  celestial  good ;  "  scarlet  double-dyed"  spir- 
itual good ;  and  the  "  cherubs"  guards  of  the  interiors  of  the 
Word, 


316 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


221.  (5)  Likewise  by  the  externals  of  the  temple  at  Jerusa- 
lem. This  is  because  heaven  and  the  church  were  represented 
by  the  temple  as  well  as  by  the  tabernacle,  the  temple  repre- 
senting the  heaven  in  which  spiritual  angels  dwell,  and  the 
tabernacle  the  heaven  where  celestial  angels  dwell.  Spiritual 
angels  are  those  who  are  in  wisdom  from  the  Word,  celestial 
angels  those  who  are  in  love  from  the  Word.  That  the  temple 
at  Jerusalem  signified,  in  the  highest  sense,  the  Lord's  Divine 
Human,  He  teaches  in  JoJin : — 

Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up.  He  spake  of 
the  temple  of  His  body  (ii.  19,  21)  ; 

and  where  the  Lord  is  meant,  the  Word  also  is  meant,  because 
He  is  the  Word.  As  then  the  interiors  of  the  temple  repre- 
sented the  interiors  of  heaven  and  the  church,  thus  also  of  the 
Word,  so  its  exteriors  represented  and  signified  the  exteriors 
of  heaven  and  the  church,  thus  also  of  the  Word,  which  belong 
to  the  sense  of  its  letter.  Of  the  exteriors  of  the  temple  we 
read : — 

That  they  were  built  of  whole  stone  (unhewn)  and  of  cedar  within  : 
and  that  all  its  walls  were  carved  inside  with  cherubs  and  palms  and 
open  flowers ;  and  the  floor  was  covered  with  gold  (1  Kings  vi,  7,  29,  30). 

By  all  these  things  the  externals  of  the  Word,  which  are  the 
holy  things  of  the  sense  of  its  letter,  are  signified. 

222.  (6)  The  Word  in  its  glory  was  represented  in  the  Lord 
when  He  was  transfigured.  Of  the  Lord  when  transfigured  be- 
fore Peter,  James  and  John  we  read : — 

That  His  face  shone  like  the  sun,  and  His  garments  became  as  the  light, 
and  that  Moses  and  Elias  were  seen  talking  with  Him  ;  and  that  a  bright 
cloud  overshadowed  the  disciples,  and  a  voice  was  heard  from  the  cloud, 
saying.  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  hear  ye  Him  {Matt.  xvii.  l-o). 

I  have  been  told  that  the  Lord  then  represented  the  Word. 
His  "  face''  which  <•  shone  like  the  sun,"  represented  the  Di- 
vine good  of  His  Divine  love  ;  His  ''  garments"  which  "  became 
as  the  light,"  represented  the  Divine  truth  of  His  Divine  wis- 
dom ;  "Moses  and  Elias"  the  historic  and  prophetic  Word, 
••  Moses"  the  Word  written  through  him,  and  in  general  the 
historic  Word,  and  "Elias"  the  whole  prophetic  Word;  the 
"  bright  cloud"  which  "  overshadowed  the  disciples"  represented 
the  Word  in  the  sense  of  the  letter ;  so  from  it  a  voice  was 


N.  222] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


317 


heard,  saying,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  hear  ye  Him,"  for  no 
announcements  or  responses  are  ever  made  from  heaven  except 
through  outmosts  such  as  are  in  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the 
Word,  for  they  are  made  by  the  Lord  in  fulness. 

223.  (7)  The  power  of  the  Word  in  its  outmosts  was  repre- 
sented by  the  Nazarites.  In  the  book  of  Judges  we  read  that 
Samson  was  a  Nazarite  from  his  mother's  womb,  and  that  his 
strength  lay  in  his  hair ;  moreover,  "  Nazarite"  and  "  Nazarite- 
ship"  mean  the  hair.  That  his  strength  lay  in  his  hair,  he  him- 
self showed,  when  he  said  : — 

There  hath  not  come  a  razor  upon  mine  head  ;  for  I  have  been  a  Naza- 
rite  from  my  mother's  womb  ;  if  I  be  shaven,  then  my  strength  will  go 
from  me,  and  I  shall  become  weak,  and  I  shall  be  like  any  other  man 
{Judges  xvi.  17). 

No  one  can  know  why  the  Nazariteship,  which  means  the  hair, 
was  instituted,  and  why  Samson's  strength  lay  in  his  hair,  unless 
he  knows  what  is  signified  in  the  AVord  by  the  "  head."  The 
"  head"  signifies  the  intelligence  that  men  and  angels  have  from 
the  Lord  through  Divine  truth ;  and  therefore  the  "  haii*"  signi- 
fies intelligence  from  Divine  truth  in  things  outmost  or  last. 
Because  of  this  signification  of  the  "  hair"  there  was  a  law  for 
the  Nazarites : — 

That  they  should  not  shave  the  hair  of  their  head,  because  that  was  the 
Nazariteship  of  God  upon  their  head  {Num.  vi.  1-21). 

therefore  it  was  also  a  law, 

That  the  high  priest  and  his  sons  should  not  shave  their  heads,  lest 
they  die,  and  lest  wrath  come  upon  the  whole  house  of  Israel  {Lev.  x.  6). 

Because  the  hair,  on  account  of  that  signification,  w^hich  is  from 
correspondence,  was  so  holy,  the  Son  of  Man,  who  is  the  Lord 
in  respect  to  the  Word,  is  described  even  as  to  the  hair : — 

That  it  was  white  as  white  wool,  as  snow  {Apoc.  i.  14). 
Likewise  as  the  Ancient  of  Days  {Dan.  vii.  9). 

Because  the  hair  signifies  truth  in  outmosts,  thus  the  sense 
of  the  letter  of  the  Word,  those  in  the  spiritual  world  who  de- 
spise the  Word  become  bald ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  those  who 
have  held  the  Word  in  high  esteem  and  have  regarded  it  as 
holy  appear  with  comely  hair.  It  was  because  of  this  corre- 
spondence. 


318 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IV. 


That  forty-two  youths  were  torn  to  pieces  by  two  she-bears,  because 
they  called  Elisha  bald-head  (2  Kings  ii.  23,  24) ; 

for  "  Elisha"  represented  the  church  in  regard  to  doctrine  from 
the  Word,  and  "  she-bears*'  signify  the  power  of  truth  in  out- 
niosts.  The  power  of  Divine  truth  or  of  the  Word  is  in  the 
sense  of  its  letter,  because  there  the  Word  is  in  its  fulness,  and 
because  the  angels  of  both  of  the  Lord's  kingdoms  and  men  are 
together  in  that  sense. 

224.  (8)  The  inexpressible  power  of  the  Word.  Hardly  an}^ 
one  at  this  day  knows  that  there  is  any  power  in  truths ;  for 
truth  is  supposed  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  statement  uttered 
by  some  one  in  authority,  which  ought  for  that  reason  to  be 
obeyed ;  thus  truth  is  supposed  to  be  like  a  mere  breath  from 
the  mouth  or  sound  in  the  ear ;  and  yet  truth  and  good  are  the 
principles  of  all  things  in  both  worlds,  the  spiritual  and  the 
natural;  also  they  are  the  means  by  which  the  universe  was 
created,  and  through  which  the  universe  is  preserved,  and  the 
means  as  well  by  which  man  was  created ;  therefore  these  two 
are  the  all  in  all  things.  That  the  universe  was  created  by 
Divine  truth,  is  clearly  declared  in  John : — 

In  the  beginning  wa.s  the  Wryrd,  and  God  was  the  Word  ;  by  It  were 
all  things  made  that  were  made  and  by  It  the  world  was  made  (i.  1,  3, 
10). 

And  in  Da  rid  : — 

By  the  Word  of  Jehovah  were  the  heavens  made  (P.s.  xxxiii.  6). 

In  both  of  these  passages  ^^  The  Word"  means  the  Divine  truth. 
As  the  universe  was  created  by  this  truth,  so  also  was  the  uni- 
verse preserved  by  it ;  for  as  subsistence  is  perpetual  existence, 
so  preservation  is  perpetual  creation.  [2]  It  was  by  means  of 
Divine  truth  that  man  was  made,  because  all  things  in  man 
have  relation  to  understanding  and  will,  the  understanding  be- 
ing the  receptacle  of  Divine  truth,  and  the  will  of  Divine  good ; 
therefore,  the  human  mind,  which  consists  of  those  two  princi- 
ples, is  nothing  but  a  form  of  Divine  good  and  Divine  truth 
spiritually  and  naturally  organized.  The  human  brain  is  that 
form.  And  as  the  whole  of  man  depends  upon  his  mind,  so  all 
things  of  his  body  are  appendages,  which  are  moved  by  these 
two  principles,  and  life  from  them.     [3]  From  all  this  it  can 


N.  224] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


;;i9 


now  be  seen  why  God  came  into  the  world  as  the  Word,  and 
became  IVIan,  namely,  that  the  work  of  redemption  might  be 
accomplished ;  for  God  then,  by  means  of  His  Human,  which 
was  Divine  truth,  put  on  all  power,  overthrew  the  hells  (which 
had  grown  up  even  as  far  as  to  the  heavens  where  the  angels 
were),  and  subjugated  them,  and  reduced  them  to  obedience  to 
Himself ,  and  this  was  done  not  by  a  spoken  word  but  by  the 
Divine  Word  which  is  Divine  truth.  Afterward  He  opened  a 
great  gulf  between  the  hells  and  the  heavens,  which  no  one 
from  hell  can  cross ;  if  any  one  attempts  it,  at  the  first  step  he 
is  tortured  like  a  serpent  laid  on  a  sheet  of  hot  iron,  or  on  an 
ant  hill.  For  at  the  lirst  approach  of  the  odor  of  Divine  truth 
the  devils  and  satans  instantly  cast  themselves  into  the  abyss 
and  throw  themselves  into  caves  and  stop  them  up  so  closely 
that  not  a  crevice  is  visible.  This  is  because  the  will  of  such 
is  in  evils,  and  the  understanding  in  falsities,  that  is,  in  what 
is  opposite  to  the  Divine  good  and  the  Divine  truth.  And  be- 
cause the  whole  of  man,  as  just  said,  consists  of  these  two  prin- 
ciples of  life,  they  are  thus  from  head  to  foot,  completely  and 
grievously  overpowered  in  consequence  of  their  sensation  of  the 
opposite.  W  From  all  this  it  can  be  seen  that  the  power  of 
Divine  truth  is  inexpressible.  And  as  the  Word  which  the 
Christian  church  possesses  is  the  containant  of  Divine  truth  in 
three  degrees,  that  Word  is  evidently  what  is  meant  in  John  (i. 
1,  3, 10).  That  its  power  is  inexpressible  I  could  prove  by  many 
evidences  of  experience  in  the  spiritual  world  ;  but  as  these  evi- 
dences would  surpass  belief,  or  appear  incredible,  I  omit  pre- 
senting them  ;  but  some  you  will  find  recorded  above  (ii.  209). 
The  following  will  serve  to  keep  these  truths  in  remembrance : 
That  a  church  that  is  in  Divine  truths  from  the  Lord  has 
power  over  the  hells,  and  that  the  Lord's  words  to  Peter  refer 
to  such  a  church  : — 

Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it  {Matt.  xvi.  18). 

This  the  Lord  said  after  Peter  had  confessed, 

That  He  was  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God  (verse  16).   . 

"  Rock"  here  means  such  truth,  for  everywhere  in  the  Word 
"  rock''  means  the  Lord  in  respect  to  Divine  truth. 


320  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


V. 

THE    DOCTRIXE     OF     THE     CHURCH     SHOULD     BE    DRAWX     FROM 

THE    SENSE    OF    THE    LETTER    OF    THE    WORD,    AND 

CONFIRMED    THEREBY. 

225.  It  was  shown  in  the  preceding  section  that  the  Word 
is  in  its  fulness,  in  its  holiness,  and  in  its  power  in  the  sense 
of  the  letter ;  and  since  the  Lord  is  the  Word  and  is  "  the  First 
and  the  Last"  as  He  says  in  the  Apocalypse  (i.  17),  it  follows 
that  He  is  fully  present  in  that  sense,  and  that  from  it  He 
teaches  and  enlightens  man.  But  this  shall  be  shown  in  the 
following  order : — 

(1)  Without  doctrine  the  Word  is  not  understood. 

(2)  Doctrine  should  be  drawn  from  the  sense  of  the  letter 
of  the  Word. 

(3)  But  Divine  truth,  which  is  of  doctrine,  can  be  seen  only 
by  those  who  are  in  enlightenment  from  the  Lord. 

226.  (1)  Without  doctrine  the  Word  is  not  understood.  This 
is  because  the  Word  in  the  sense  of  the  letter  consists  purely 
of  correspondences,  in  order  that  it  may  at  the  same  time  in- 
clude things  spiritual  and  celestial,  and  each  word  may  be  a 
container  and  support  of  these.  For  this  reason,  in  the  sense 
of  the  letter  Divine  truths  are  rarely  naked  truths,  but  are 
truths  clothed  :  and  these  are  called  appearances  of  truth,  many 
of  which  are  adapted  to  the  understanding  of  the  simple,  who 
do  not  raise  their  thoughts  above  such  things  as  they  see  before 
their  eyes ;  others  appear  like  contradictions,  although  when 
the  Word  is  viewed  in  its  spiritual  light,  there  is  no  contradic- 
tion to  be  found  in  it;  furthermore,  in  some  portions  of  the 
prophets  there  are  collections  of  the  names  of  places  and  persons 
from  which  no  sense  can  be  elicited.  As  the  Word  is  such  in 
the  sense  of  the  letter  it  is  clear  that  it  cannot  be  understood 
without  doctrine.  [2]  This  may  be  illustrated  by  examples. 
It  is  said. 

That  Jehovah  repents  {Ex.  xxxii.  12,  14  ;  Jonah  ill.  9,  iv.  2). 
It  IS  also  said, 

That  Jehovah  does  not  repent  {Num.  xxiii.  10 ;  1  Sam.  xv.  29). 


N.  226] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


321 


I 


Without  doctrine  these  statements  cannot  be  harmonized.    It 

is  said. 

That  Jehovah  visits  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  sons  unto  the 
third  and  fourth  generation  {Num.  xiv.  18). 

It  is  also  said  : — 

That  the  father  shall  not  be  put  to  death  for  the  son,  neither  shall  the 
son  be  put  to  death  for  the  father ;  but  every  one  for  his  own  sin  {Beut. 
xxiv.  16). 

In  the  light  of  doctrine  these  statements  do  not  conflict,  but 
agree.    [3]  Jesus  said : — 

Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find  ;  and  to  him 
that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened  {Matt.  vii.  7,  8  ;  xxi.  21,  22). 

Without  doctrine  it  might  be  supposed  that  every  one  is  to 
receive  whatever  he  asks ;  but  from  doctrine  it  is  known  that 
when  man's  asking  is  from  the  Lord  whatever  he  asks  is  given 
him ;  and  this  the  Lord  also  teaches  :— 

If  ye  abide  in  Me,  and  My  words  abide  in  you,  ask  whatsoever  ye  will, 
and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you  {John  xv.  7). 

[4]  The  Lord  says  : — 

Blessed  are  ye  poor,  for  yours  is  the  kingdom  of  God  {Luke  vi.  20). 

Without  doctrine  this  might  be  thought  to  teach  that  heaven 
is  for  the  poor,  and  not  for  the  rich ;  but  doctrine  teaches  that 
the  poor  in  spirit  are  meant ;  for  the  Lord  says  :— 

Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
{Matt.  V.  3). 
[5]  Again,  the  Lord  says  : — 

Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged  ;  for  with  what  judgment  ye  judge, 
ye  shall  be  judged  {Matt.  vii.  1,2;  Luke  vi.  37). 

Without  doctrine  one  might  be  led  to  conclude  from  this  that 
he  ought  not  to  judge  a  wicked  man  to  be  wicked ;  but  accord- 
ing to  doctrine,  it  is  lawful  to  judge,  but  justly,  for  the  Lord 
says : — 

Judge  righteous  judgment  {John  vii.  24). 

[6]  Jesus  says  : — 

Be  not  ye  called  teacher  ;  for  one  is  your  Teacher,  even  Christ.    And 
call  no  man  your  father  on  earth  ;  for  one  is  your  Father,  which  is  m  the 
21 


322 

» 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


heavens.  Neither  be  ye  called  masters;  for  one  is  your  Master,  even 
Christ  {Matt,  xxiii.  a-10). 

Without  doctrine  it  would  follow  from  this  that  no  man  ought 
to  call  another  teacher  or  father  or  master ;  but  from  doctrine 
it  is  known  that  this  is  permissible  in  the  natural  sense,  but 
not  in  the  spiritual  sense.     [7]  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples  :— 

When  the  Son  of  Man  shall  sit  upon  the  throne  of  His  glory,  ye  also 
shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel  (Matt. 
xix.  28). 

From  these  words  one  might  conclude  that  the  Lord's  disciples 
are  to  judge,  when  in  fact  they  are  unable  to  judge  any  one; 
and  so  this  arcanum  will  be  made  clear  by  the  doctrine  that 
the  Lord  alone,  who  is  omniscient  and  who  knows  the  hearts 
of  all,  is  to  judge,  and  is  able  to  judge,  and  that  by  His  "  twelve 
disciples"  is  meant  the  church  in  respect  to  all  the  truths  and 
goods  which  it  has  from  the  Lord  through  the  Word ;  thus  doc- 
trine shows  that  it  is  by  these  truths  that  every  one  is  to  be 
judged,  according  to  the  Lord's  words  in  John  (iii.  17,  18 ;  xii. 
47,  48).  There  are  many  other  like  statements  in  the  Word, 
which  make  it  evident  that  without  doctrine  the  Word  is  not 
understood. 

227.  By  means  of  doctrine  not  only  is  the  Word  understood, 
it  also  shines  in  the  understanding,  since  it  then  becomes  like 
a  candelabrum  with  its  lamps  lighted.  Thus  man  sees  in  it 
more  things  than  he  saw  before,  and  also  understands  things 
he  did  not  understand  before ;  and  things  obscure  and  discord- 
ant he  either  passes  over  without  seeing,  or  he  so  sees  and  ex- 
plains them  as  to  bring  them  into  accord  with  doctrine.  That 
the  Word  is  looked  at  from  doctrine  and  is  explained  according 
to  it,  the  practice  of  the  Christian  world  testifies.  All  the  Re- 
formed look  at  the  AVord  from  their  own  doctrine  and  explam 
it  accordingly ;  likewise  the  Papists  from  their  doctrine,  and 
even  the  Jews  from  theirs ;  consequently  from  false  doctrines 
they  see  falsities  and  from  true  doctrine  truths.  All  this  makes 
clear  that  true  doctrine  is  like  a  lamp  in  the  dark,  or  a  guidepost 
by  the  wayside. 

228.  From  all  this  it  can  be  seen,  that  those  who  read  the 
Word  without  doctrine  are  in  obscurity  respecting  all  truth ; 
and  that  their  minds  are  wavering  and  uncertain ;  prone  to 


N.  228] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


323 


error  and  open  to  heresies,  which  they  embrace  when  favor 
or  authority  encourages  and  reputation  is  not  endangered.  To 
such  the  Word  is  like  a  candelabrum  without  light,  and  they 
see  many  things  as  if  in  shade,  and  in  fact  see  scarcely  any- 
thing, for  doctrine  is  the  only  lamp.  I  have  seen  such  ex- 
amined by  angels,  and  it  was  found  that  they  could  confirm 
from  the  Word  anything  they  wished ;  and  that  they  did  confirm 
especially  whatever  belonged  to  their  own  love  or  to  the  love 
of  those  whom  they  favor.  I  have  also  seen  them  stripped  of 
their  garments,  which  was  a  sign  that  they  were  destitute  of 
truths.    In  the  spiritual  world  garments  are  truths. 

229.  (2)  Doctrine  should  be  drawn  from  the  sense  of  the  let- 
ter of  the  Word  and  confirmed  bij  it.  This  is  because  in  it  the 
Lord  is  present,  and  teaches  and  enlightens ;  for  the  Lord  never 
operates  except  in  fulness,  and  in  the  sense  of  the  letter  the 
Word  is  in  its  fulness,  as  has  been  shown  above.  This  is  why 
doctrine  should  be  drawn  from  the  sense  of  the  letter.  More- 
over, the  doctrine  of  genuine  truth  may  be  fully  drawn  from  the 
sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word ;  since  the  Word  in  that  sense 
is  like  a  man  clothed,  with  his  face  bare  and  liis  hands  bare ; 
end  all  things  pertaining  to  man's  faith  and  life  and  thus  his 
salvation  are  there  naked ;  while  the  rest  are  clothed ;  but  in 
many  places  where  they  are  clothed,  they  show  through,  as 
objects  are  seen  by  a  woman  through  a  thin  silk  veil  before  her 
face.  Furthermore,  as  the  truths  of  the  Word  are  multiplied, 
as  it  were,  by  love  for  them,  and  by  this  love  are  arranged  in 
order,  they  more  and  more  clearly  shine  forth  and  are  seen. 

230.  It  may  be  supposed  that  the  doctrine  of  genuine  truth 
can  be  acquired  by  means  of  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word, 
which  is  given  through  a  knowledge  of  correspondences ;  but 
doctrine  is  not  acquired  by  means  of  that  sense,  but  only  illus- 
trated and  corroborated.  For  (as  before  said,  n.  208)  it  is  pos- 
sible for  a  man,  by  means  of  some  well-known  correspondences 
to  falsify  the  Word  by  bringing  these  together,  and  applying 
them  to  confirm  what  is  established  in  his  own  mind  by  some 
principle  already  adopted.  Moreover,  it  is  by  the  Lord  only 
that  the  spiritual  sense  is  communicated  to  any  man ;  and  it  is 
guarded  by  the  Lord  as  He  guards  the  angelic  heaven,  for 
heaven  is  in  that  sense. 


324 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  232] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


325 


231.  (3)  Genuine  Truth,  of  whkli  doctrine  must  co7isist,can 
he  seen  in  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  only  by  those  who 
are  in  enlightenment  from  the  Lord.  Enlightenment  is  from  the 
Lord  alone,  and  exists  in  those  who  love  truths  because  they 
are  truths,  and  who  make  truths  uses  of  life.  To  no  others  is 
enlightenment  in  the  Word  possible.  Enlightenment  is  from 
the  Lord  alone,  because  the  Word  is  from  Him,  and  conse- 
quently He  is  in  it.  Enlightenment  is  given  to  those  who  love 
truths  because  they  are  truths,  and  who  make  them  uses  of  life, 
because  such  are  in  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  is  in  them ;  for  the 
Lord  is  Truth  itself  (as  shown  in  the  chapter  that  treats  of  the 
Lord) ;  and  men  love  the  Lord  when  they  live  in  accordance 
with  His  Divine  truths,  that  is,  when  from  those  truths  they 
perform  uses,  as  is  taught  in  these  words  in  John : — 

In  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  ye  are  in  Me  and  I  in  you.  He  that 
hath  My  commandments  and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  Me,  and 
I  will  love  him  and  will  manifest  Myself  to  him  and  I  will  come  unto  him, 
and  make  My  abode  with  him  (xiv.  20,  21,  23). 

Such  as  these  are  in  enlightenment  when  they  read  the  Word ; 
and  with  such  the  Word  is  both  luminous  and  translucent. 
With  such  the  Word  is  both  liuninous  and  translucent  because 
a  spiritual  sense  and  a  celestial  sense  are  contained  in  every 
particular  of  the  Word,  and  these  senses  are  in  the  light  of 
heaven ;  and  thus  by  means  of  these  and  the  light  of  these  the 
Lord  inflows  into  the  natural  sense  of  the  Word  and  into  the 
light  of  that  sense  in  man ;  and  in  consequence  man  acknowl- 
edges truth  from  an  interior  perception,  and  then  sees  it  in  his 
thought,  and  this  as  often  as  he  is  in  an  alfection  for  truth  for 
the  sake  of  truth.  For  perception  comes  from  alfection,  and 
thought  from  perception,  and  thus  the  acknowledgment,  which 
is  called  faith,  is  produced. 

232.  The  opposite  occurs  with  those  who  from  the  doctrine 
of  a  false  religion  read  the  Word,  and  still  more  with  those 
who  confirm  that  doctrine  by  the  Word,  doing  this  with  a  view 
to  their  own  glory  and  worldly  possessions.  With  such  the 
truths  of  the  Word  are  as  if  in  the  dimness  of  night,  and  fal- 
sities are  as  if  in  the  light  of  day.  They  read  truths  but  see 
them  not ;  and  if  they  but  see  the  shadow  of  them,  they  falsify 
them.     These  are  they  of  whom  the  Lord  says, 


I 


That  they  have  eyes  and  see  not,  and  ears  but  do  not  understand 
(>/a«.  xiii.  14,  15). 

Consequently  their  light  in  respect  to  spiritual  matters,  which 
pertain  to  the  church,  is  merely  natural,  and  their  mental  vis- 
ion like  that  of  one  who  when  he  awakens  in  his  bed  sees  phan- 
toms, or  like  that  of  a  sleep-walker,  who  thinks  himself  to  be 
awake  when  he  is  asleep. 

233.  It  has  been  granted  me  to  talk  with  many  after  their 
death,  who  believed  that  they  were  to  shine  like  stars  in  heav- 
en, because,  as  they  claimed,  they  had  regarded  the  Word  as 
holy,  had  often  read  it  through,  and  had  gathered  from  it  many 
things  by  which  they  had  confirmed  the  dogmas  of  their  faith, 
and  in  consequence  had  become  celebrated  as  learned  men,  for 
which  reason  they  believed  that  they  were  to  be  Michaels  and 
Eaphaels.    But  many  of  them  were  examined  in  respect  to  the 
love  from  which  they  had  studied  the  Word ;  and  it  was  found 
that  some  of  them  had  studied  it  from  love  of  self,  that  they 
might  be  worshiped  as  leaders  in  the  church,  and  some  from 
love  of  the  world,  that  they  might  gain  riches  ;  and  when  these 
had  been  examined  in  respect  to  their  knowledge  of  the  Word, 
it  was  found  that  they  had  learned  from  it  nothing  of  genuine 
truth,  but  only  such  truth  as  may  be  called  truth  falsified, 
which  in  itself  is  putrid  falsity  for  in  heaven  it  has  a  putrid 
odor.    To  these  it  was  said  that  this  was  the  case  with  them 
because  self  and  the  world  had  been  their  ends  when  they  read 
the  Word,  and  not  the  truth  of  faith  and  good  of  life.    And 
when  self  and  the  world  are  ends,  the  mind  in  reading  the  Word 
sticks  fast  in  self  and  the  world,   and  in  consequence  their 
thought  is  always  from  what  is  their  own ;  and  man's  own  is 
in  darkness  respecting  everything  that  pertains  to  heaven  and 
the  church ;  and  in  such  a  state  it  is  impossible  for  man  to  be 
lifted  up  by  the  Lord  and  raised  into  the  light  of  heaven,  and 
therefore  to  receive  any  influx  from  the  Lord  through  heaven. 
I  also  saw  these  persons  admitted  into  heaven,  and  when  found 
to  be  destitute  of  the  truths  they  were  cast  down,  and  still  their 
pride  in  their  own  merit  remained  with  them.    It  was  other- 
wise with  those  who  had  studied  the  Word  from  an  affection 
for  knowing  the  truth  because  it  is  truth,  and  because  it  sub- 
serves the  -uses  of  life,  not  only  their  own  but  also  the  uses  of 


326 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  235] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


327 


the  neighbor;  these  I  have  seen  raised  up  into  heaven,  and 
thus  into  the  light  in  which  Divine -truth  there  is;  and  I  have 
seen  them  exalted  at  the  same  time  into  angelic  wisdom,  and 
into  its  happiness  in  which  the  angels  of  heaven  are. 


VI. 

BY   MEANS    OF    THE    SEXSE    OF    THE    LETTER    OF    THE    WORD 

THERE    IS    CONJUNCTION    WITH    THE    LORD    AND 

AFFILIATION    WITH    THE    ANGELS. 

234.  There  is  conjunction  with  the  Lord  by  means  of  the 
Word  because  He  is  the  Word,  that  is,  the  essential  Divine 
truth  and  good  therein.  This  conjunction  is  effected  by  means 
of  the  sense  of  the  letter,  because  the  Word  in  that  sense  is  in 
its  fulness,  in  its  holiness,  and  in  its  power  (as  has  been  shown 
above  in  its  own  section).  This  conjunction  is  not  apparent  to 
man,  but  it  exists  in  affection  for  truth  and  in  the  perception 
of  truth.  There  is  affiliation  with  the  angels  of  heaven  by 
means  of  the  sense  of  the  letter,  because  within  that  sense  there 
is  a  spiritual  and  a  celestial  sense ;  and  the  angels  are  in  these 
senses,  the  angels  of  the  Lord's  spiritual  kingdom  in  the  spir- 
itual sense  of  the  Word,  and  the  angels  of  His  celestial  king- 
dom in  its  celestial  sense.  These  two  senses  are  evolved  from 
the  natural  sense  of  the  Word  when  it  is  read  by  a  man  who 
regards  the  Word  as  holy.  The  evolution  is  instantaneous; 
consequently  the  affiliation  is  also. 

235.  That  the  spiritual  angels  are  in  the  spiritual  sense  of 
the  Word,  and  the  celestial  angels  in  its  celestial  sense,  has 
been  made  evident  to  me  by  much  experience.  It  has  been 
granted  to  me  to  perceive  that  when  I  read  the  Word  in  the 
sense  of  its  letter  a  sharing  with  the  heavens  was  effected, 
now  with  this  society  there  and  now  with  that ;  and  the  things 
that  I  understood  according  to  the  natural  sense  the  spiritual 
angels  understood  according  to  the  spiritual  sense,  and  the  ce- 
lestial angels  according  to  the  celestial  sense,  and  this  instantly. 
Having  perceived  this  sharing  some  thousands  of  times,  I  have 
not  the  least  doubt  about  it  remaining.    Moreover,  there  are 


spirits  who  are  below  the  heavens,  who  abuse  this  sharing  by 
reciting  certain  passages  from  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the 
Word,  and  immediately  observing  and  noting  the  society  with 
which  the  sharing  is  effected.  This,  too,  I  have  often  seen  and 
heard.  In  this  way  it  has  been  given  me  to  know  by  a  living 
experience,  that  the  Word  in  the  sense  of  its  letter  is  the  Di- 
vine medium  of  conjunction  with  the  Lord  and  affiliation  with 
the  angels  of  heaven. 

236.  But  how  from  the  natural  sense  the  spiritual  angels 
perceive  their  sense,  and  the  celestial  angels  theirs,  when  man 
is  reading  the  Word,  shall  be  illustrated  by  examples.    Let  four 
of  the  commandments  of  the  Decalogue  serve  as  examples.   The 
Fifth  Commandment,  '^  Thou  shalt  not  kill"  :— By  this  man  un- 
derstands not  only  killing  but  also  cherishing  hatred  and  long- 
ing for  revenge  even  to  murder.    A  spiritual  angel  understands 
"  killmg"  to  mean  acting  the  devil  and  murdering  a  man's  soul ; 
while  a  celestial  angel  understands  "  killing"  to  mean  hating  the 
Lord  and  the  Word.     [2]   The  Sixth  Commandment,  "  Thou 
shalt  not  commit  adultery"  :— Man  understands  "  committing 
adultery"  to  mean  whoredom,  obscene  actions,  lascivious  con- 
versation, and  filthy  thoughts.    A  spiritual  angel  understands 
*'  committing  adultery"  to  mean  adulterating  the  goods  of  the 
Word,  and  falsifying  its  truths ;  while  a  celestial  angel  under- 
stands "  committing  adultery"  to  mean  denying  the  Divine  of 
the  Lord  and  profaning  the  Word.     [3]  The  Seventh  Command- 
ment, "  Thou  shalt  not  steal" :— Man  understands  "  stealing"  to 
mean  stealing,  defrauding,  and  depriving  the  neighbor  of  his 
goods  by  any  pretext.    A  spiritual  angel  understands  "  stealing" 
to  mean  depriving  others  of  their  truths  and  goods  of  faith  by 
means  of  evils  and  falsities ;  while  a  celestial  angel  understands 
"  stealing"  to  mean  attributing  to  oneself  what  belongs  to  the 
Lord,  and  claiming  for  oneself  the  Lord's  righteousness  and 
merit.    [4]  The  Eighth  Commandment,  ''  Thou  shalt  not  bear 
false  witness"  :— Man  understands  "  bearing  false  witness"  to 
mean  lying  and  defaming  any  one ;  a  spiritual  angel  under- 
stands «  bearing  false  witness"  to  mean  saying  and  persuading 
that  falsity  is  truth  and  evil  is  good,  and  the  converse ;  while 
a  celestial  angel  understands  "bearing  false  witness"  to  mean 
blaspheming  the  Lord  and  the  Word.    [5]  These  examples  show 


tiwrtmfttiiiafiirHlilii  irffi-  AMjgjBgrtl 


328 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IV. 


how  what  is  spiritual  and  celestial  is  evolved  and  drawn  forth 
from  the  natural  sense  of  the  Word,  within  which  they  are. 
And  what  is  wonderful,  the  angels  draw  forth  what  belongs  to 
them  without  knowing  what  the  man  is  thinking ;  and  yet  the 
thoughts  of  angels  and  men  make  one  by  correspondences,  like 
end,  cause  and  effect.  Moreover,  ends  actually  reside  in  the 
celestial  kingdom,  causes  in  the  spiritual  kingdom,  and  effects 
in  the  natural  kingdom.  From  this  comes  the  affiliation  of  men 
with  angels  by  means  of  the  Word. 

237.  A  spiritual  angel  draws  out  and  calls  forth  from  the 
sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  what  is  spiritual,  and  a  celestial 
angel  what  is  celestial,  because  these  meanings  are  in  accord 
with  the  nature  of  the  angel  and  are  homogeneous  therewith. 
The  truth  of  this  can  be  illustrated  by  like  things  in  the  three 
kingdoms  of  nature,  the  animal,  the  vegetable  and  the  mineral. 
In  the  Animal  Kingdom  :  From  the  food,  when  it  has  become 
chyle,  the  blood-vessels  draw  out  and  call  forth  their  blood, 
the  nervous  fibers  their  juice,  and  the  substances  which  are 
the  origins  of  fibers,  their  spirit.  In  the  Vegetable  Kingdom : 
A  tree  with  its  trunk,  branches,  leaves,  and  fruit  stands  on  its 
root,  and  out  of  the  soil  by  means  of  its  root  it  draws  out  and 
calls  forth  a  grosser  juice  for  the  trunk,  branches  and  leaves, 
a  purer  for  the  pulp  of  the  fruit,  and  the  purest  for  the  seeds 
within  the  fruit.  In  the  Mineral  Kingdom :  In  certain  places 
in  the  bosom  of  the  earth  there  are  veins  impregnated  with 
gold,  silver,  copper  and  iron ;  from  the  exhalations  and  effluvia 
out  of  the  rocks,  the  gold,  the  silver,  the  copper,  and  the  iron 
draw  each  its  own  element,  the  watery  element  conveying  these 
round  about. 

238.  The  Word  in  the  letter  is  like  a  casket,  where  precious 
stones,  pearls,  and  diadems  lie  in  order.  The  thoughts  of  a 
man's  mind,  who  regards  the  Word  as  holy,  and  who  reads  it 
for  the  sake  of  the  uses  of  life,  may  be  compared  to  one  hold- 
ing such  a  casket  in  his  hand,  and  throwing  it  toward  heaven ; 
and  the  casket  opening  in  its  ascent,  the  precious  things  in  it 
are  disclosed  to  the  angels,  who  are  deeply  delighted  in  seeing 
and  examining  them.  This  delight  of  the  angels  is  communi- 
cated'to  the  man,  and  effects  an  affiliation  and  a  sharing  of 
perceptions.    For  the  sake  of  this  afi&liation  with  angels,  and 


N.  238] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


329 


at  the  same  time  conjunction  with  the  Lord,  the  Holy  Supper 
was  instituted,  the  bread  of  which  in  heaven  l^ecomes  Divine 
good,  and  the  wine  Divine  truth,  each  from  the  Lord.  Such 
correspondence  exists  by  creation,  to  the  end  that  the  angelic 
heaven  may  make  one  with  the  church  on  earth,  and  in  general 
the  spiritual  world  may  make  one  with  the  natural  world,  and 
the  Lord  may  conjoin  Himself  with  both  at  once. 

239.  The  affiliation  of  man  with  angels  is  effected  by  the 
natural  or  literal  sense  of  the  Word  for  the  further  reason  that 
in  every  man  by  creation  there  are  three  degrees  of  life,  a  celes- 
tial, a  spiritual,  and  a  natural ;  but  so  long  as  man  is  in  the 
world  he  is  in  tlie  natural  degree ;  yet  at  the  same  time  he  is 
also  in  the  angelic  spiritual  degree  so  far  as  he  is  in  genuine 
truths,  and  he  is  in  the  celestial  degree  so  far  as  he  is  in  a  life 
according  to  those  truths.  Nevertheless  he  does  not  enter  the 
spiritual  and  celestial  itself  until  after  death,  because  these  two 
are  enclosed  and  stored  up  within  his  natural  ideas ;  so  when 
the  natural  passes  away  by  death,  the  spiritual  and  celestial 
remain,  and  from  these  the  ideas  of  his  thoughts  then  come. 
All  this  makes  clear  that  in  the  Word  alone  there  is  spirit  and 
life,  as  the  Lord  says  : — 

The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  are  spirit  and  are  life  {John  vi.  03)  ; 

The  water  that  I  shall  give  you  shall  become  a  fountain  of  water  spring- 
ing up  unto  eternal  life  {John  iv.  14)  ; 

Man  hveth  not  by  bread  alone  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out 
of  the  mouth  of  God  {Matt.  iv.  4)  ; 

Work  for  that  meat  which  abideth  unto  eternal  life,  which  the  Son  of 
man  shall  give  unto  you  {John  vi.  27). 


VII. 


THE   WORD   IS   IN   ALL   THE   HEAVENS   AND    ANGELIC  WISDOM 

IS    FROM    IT. 

240.  It  has  not  been  known  heretofore  that  the  Word  exists 
in  the  heavens,  nor  could  it  be  made  known  so  long  as  it  was 
unknown  in  the  church  that  angels  and  spirits  are  men  in  face 
and  body  wholly  like  men  in  our  world ;  and  that  the  things 
about  them  are  in  all  respects  like  those  about  men,  with  the 


330 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


sole  diif  erence  that  the  angels  are  spiritual,  and  that  all  things 
about  them  are  from  a  spiritual  origin,  while  men  in  the  world 
are  natural,  and  all  things  about  them  are  from  a  natural  origin. 
So  long  as  this  remained  unknown  it  could  not  be  known  that 
there  is  a  Word  also  in  the  heavens,  and  that  it  is  read  by  the 
angels  there ;  and  also  by  the  spirits  who  are  below  the  heavens. 
But  that  this  might  not  remain  for  ever  unknown,  it  has  been 
granted  me  to  associate  with  angels  and  spirits,  to  talk  with 
them,  to  see  the  things  about  them,  and  afterwards  relate  many 
things  that  I  saw  and  heard,  which  has  been  done  in  a  work  on 
Heaven  and  Hell  (London,  1758).  It  can  be  seen  from  that 
work  that  angels  and  spirits  are  men,  and  that  there  are  with 
them  in  abundance  all  things  that  men  have  with  them  in  the 
world.  (That  angels  and  spirits  are  men  see  that  work,  n.  73- 
77,  and  n.  453-456 ;  that  the  things  about  them  are  like  the 
things  about  men  in  the  world,  n.  170-190;  moreover,  that  they 
have  among  them  Divine  worship  and  preaching  in  churches, 
n.  221-227 ;  that  they  have  writings  and  books,  n.  258-264 ; 
and  the  Sacred  Scripture  or  the  Word,  n.  259.) 

241.  In  respect  to  the  Word  in  heaven,  it  is  written  in  a 
spiritual  style,  which  is  wholly  different  from  the  natural  style. 
This  spiritual  style  consists  of  mere  letters,  each  one  of  which 
involves  some  meaning;  and  there  are  lines,  turns,  and  dots 
over  and  between  the  letters,  and  in  them,  which  heighten  the 
meaning.  With  the  angels  of  the  spiritual  kingdom  the  letters 
are  similar  to  those  used  in  print  in  our  world ;  among  the  an- 
gels of  the  celestial  kingdom  they  are  with  some  like  the  Ara- 
bic letters,  and  with  some  like  the  ancient  Hebrew  letters,  but 
curved  above  and  below,  with  marks  over,  between,  and  within 
them ;  with  every  particular  of  these  also  involving  a  complete 
sense.  [2]  Such  being  the  nature  of  their  ^vriting,  with  them 
the  names  of  persons  and  places  in  the  Word  are  expressed  by 
signs,  whereby  the  wise  are  enabled  to  understand  the  spiritual 
and  celestial  significance  of  each  name,  as  by  "  Moses"  the 
Word  of  God  written  through  him,  and  in  general  the  historic 
Word  is  meant;  by  "Elias"  the  prophetic  Word;  by  "Abra- 
ham," "  Isaac,"  and  "  Jacob,"  the  Lord  in  respect  to  the  celes- 
tial Divine,  the  spiritual  Divine,  and  the  natural  Divine  ;  by 
"  Aaron"  the  Lord's  priesthood ;  by  "  David"  His  royalty ;  by 


N.  241] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


331 


the  names  of  Jacob's  sons,  or  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  the 
various  constituents  of  heaven  and  the  church,  and  like  things 
by  the  names  of  the  Lord's  twelve  disciples ;  by  "  Zion'^  and 
"Jerusalem,"  the  church  in  respect  to  doctrine  from  the  Word; 
by  "the  land  of  Canaan,"  the  church  itself;  by  places  and 
cities  there  on  either  side  of  Jordan,  various  things  pertaining 
to  the  church  and  its  doctrine.  It  is  the  same  with  numbers ; 
in  the  copies  of  the  Word  in  heaven  these  are  not  found;  but 
instead  of  them  the  things  to  which  the  nimibers  correspond. 
From  all  this  it  can  be  seen  that  the  Word  in  heaven  is  in  its 
literal  sense  similar  to  our  Word,  and  at  the  same  time  cor- 
responds to  it;  and  that  they  are  therefore  one.  [3]  It  is  a 
wonderful  fact  that  the  Word  in  the  heavens  is  so  written  that 
the  simple  understand  it  simply,  and  the  wise  wisely  ;  for  the 
letters  have  over  them  many  turns  and  markings,  which,  as  be- 
fore said,  heighten  the  meaning ;  and  to  these  the  simple  pay 
no  attention  and  know  nothing  about  them ;  but  the  wise  give 
attention  to  them,  each  according  to  his  own  wisdom,  even  to 
the  highest.  A  copy  of  the  Word  written  by  angels  who  are  in- 
spired by  the  Lord  is  kept  by  every  larger  society  in  its  sacred 
repository,  that  the  Word  may  not  be  changed  elsewhere  in  the 
least  point.  The  Word  in  our  world  is  similar  to  the  Word  in 
heaven  in  this  respect,  that  here,  too,  the  simple  understand  it 
simply,  and  the  wise  wisely  ;  but  this  takes  place  in  a  different 
way. 

242.  That  the  angels  gain  all  their  wisdom  through  the 
Word  they  themselves  confess  ;  for  so  far  as  they  are  in  the 
understanding  of  the  Word,  so  far  they  are  in  light.  The  light 
of  heaven  is  the  Divine  wisdom,  and  this  to  angelic  eyes  is 
light.  In  the  sacred  repository  where  a  copy  of  the  Word  is 
kept,  the  light  is  flame-like  and  brilliant,  surpassing  every  de- 
gree of  light  in  heaven  outside  of  that  repository.  The  wisdom 
of  the  celestial  angels  surpasses  the  wisdom  of  the  spiritual 
angels  almost  as  much  as  the  wisdom  of  the  latter  surpasses 
that  of  men ;  and  this  because  the  celestial  angels  are  in  good  of 
love  from  the  Lord,  and  the  spiritual  angels  are  in  truths  of 
wisdom  from  the  Lord;  and  where  the  good  of  love  is  there 
wisdom  abides  also ;  but  where  truths  are,  only  so  much  of  wis- 
dom abides  as  there  is  also  good  of  love.    This  is  the  reason 


332 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IV. 


why  the  Word  in  the  Lord's  celestial  kingdom  is  written  dif- 
ferently from  the  Word  in  His  spiritual  kingdom ;  for  in  the 
AVord  of  the  celestial  kingdom  goods  of  love  are  expressed, 
and  the  marks  are  affections  of  the  love ;  while  in  the  Word 
of  the  spiritual  kingdom  truths  of  wisdom  are  expressed,  and 
the  marks  are  interior  perceptions  of  truth.  From  all  this  one 
may  conclude  what  kind  of  wisdom  lies  concealed  in  the  Word 
which  is  in  the  world;  for  in  it  all  angelic  wisdom,  which  is  in- 
effable, is  concealed ;  and  the  man,  who  from  the  Lord  through 
the  Word  becomes  an  angel,  enters  into  that  wisdom  after 
death. 


VIII. 


THE    CHURCH    IS    FROM  THE    WORD,  AND  WITH    MAX    IT    IS  SUCH 
AS    HIS    UNDERSTANDING    OF    THE    WORD    IS. 

243.  That  the  church  is  from  the  Word  no  one  can  doubt, 
since  it  has  been  shown  above,  that  the  Word  is  Divine  truth 
(n.  189-192) ;  that  the  doctrine  of  the  church  is  from  the  Word 
(n.  225-233) ;  and  that  by  means  of  the  Word  there  is  conjunc- 
tion with  the  Lord  (n.  234-239).  But  that  the  understanding 
of  the  Word  constitutes  the  church,  may  be  called  in  question  ; 
for  there  are  those  who  believe  themselves  to  be  of  the  church 
by  virtue  of  their  having  the  Word  and  reading  it,  or  hearing 
preaching  from  it,  and  knowing  something  of  the  sense  of  its 
letter.  But  how  this  or  that  in  the  Word  is  to  be  understood 
they  do  not  know;  and  some  do  not  regard  it  as  of  much  im- 
portance. Therefore  it  shall  now  be  established  that  it  is  not 
the  Word  that  constitutes  the  church,  but  the  understanding 
of  it,  and  that  the  church  is  such  as  is  the  understanding  of 
the  Word  with  those  who  are  in  the  church. 

244.  The  church  is  in  accordance  with  the  understanding  of 
the  Word  because  it  is  in  accordance  with  the  truths  of  faith 
and  the  goods  of  charity,  and  these  two  are  the  universals  which 
not  only  pervade  the  whole  literal  sense  of  the  Word,  but  are 
also  concealed  within  it  like  the  precious  things  in  a  treasury. 
The  things  in  the  literal  sense  of  the  Word  are  apparent  to 
every  man  because  they  present  themselves  directly  to  the  eye; 


N.  244] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


333 


but  the  things  that  lie  hidden  in  the  spiritual  sense  are  appar- 
ent only  to  those  who  love  truths  because  they  are  truths,  and 
do  goods  because  they  are  goods.  To  them  the  treasure  that 
the  literal  sense  covers  and  guards  lies  open.  These  goods  and 
truths  are  the  essential  constituents  of  the  church. 

245.  It  is  known  that  the  church  is  in  accordance  with  its 
doctrine,  and  that  doctrine  is  from  the  Word ;  nevertheless  it 
is  not  doctrine  but  soundness  and  purity  of  doctrine,  conse- 
quently the  understanding  of  the  Word,  that  establishes  the 
church.  Neither  is  it  doctrine,  but  a  faith  and  life  in  accord- 
ance with  doctrine  that  establishes  and  constitutes  the  special 
church  in  the  individual  man.  So  too  it  is  not  the  Word  that 
establishes  and  constitutes  the  church  in  particular  in  man,  but 
a  faith  according  to  the  truths,  and  a  life  according  to  the 
goods,  which  man  derives  from  the  Word,  and  applies  to  him- 
self. The  Word  is  like  a  mine  containing  in  its  depths  gold 
and  silver  in  great  abundance,  and  like  a  mine  which  at  greater 
and  greater  depths  conceals  stones  more  and  more  precious; 
these  mines  are  opened  in  the  measure  of  man's  understanding 
of  the  Word.  The  Word  such  as  it  is  in  itself,  in  its  bosom, 
and  in  its  depth,  when  not  understood,  would  no  more  form  a 
church  in  man  than  mines  in  Asia  would  make  a  European 
rich;  although  it  would  be  otherwise  if  he  were  one  of  the 
owners  and  workers  of  the  mine.  The  Word  with  those  who 
search  in  it  for  truths  of  faith  and  goods  of  life,  is  like  the 
treasuries  of  the  king  of  Persia,  or  of  the  emperor  of  the  Moguls 
or  of  China,  and  men  of  the  church  are  like  officers  placed  over 
them,  who  are  permitted  to  take  for  their  use  as  much  as  they 
please.  But  those  who  merely  have  possession  of  the  Word 
and  read  it,  but  do  not  try  to  get  from  it  genuine  truths  for 
their  faith  or  genuine  goods  for  their  life,  are  like  those  who 
know  by  hearsay  that  there  are  such  great  treasures  there,  but 
do  not  receive  a  penny  from  them.  Those  who  have  the  Word, 
but  do  not  gain  from  it  any  understanding  of  genuine  truth, 
or  any  will  for  genuine  good,  are  like  those  who  thiiik  them- 
selves rich  for  having  money  borrowed  from  others,  or  like 
those  who  hold  estates,  houses,  and  merchandise  belonging  to 
others.  This,  as  every  one  can  see,  is  mere  hallucination. 
They  are  also  like  those  who  go  about  magnificently  clothed, 


334 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV 


and  are  driven  about  in  gilded  carriages,  with  attendants  be- 
hind and  beside  them,  and  couriers  ahead,  and  yet  none  of  this 
is  their  own  property. 

246.  Such  was  the  Jewish  nation;  and  therefore,  because  it 
had  the  Word,  it  was  likened  by  the  Lord  to  a  rich  man,  who 
was  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  and  fared  sumptuously 
every  day,  and  yet  did  not  gain  enough  truth  and  good  from 
the  Word  to  have  pity  upon  poor  Lazarus,  who  lay  at  his  door 
full  of  sores.  Not  only  did  that  nation  appropriate  no  truths 
from  the  Word,  it  drew  from  it  falsities  in  such  abundance, 
that  finally  not  a  single  truth  could  be  seen  by  them ;  for 
through  falsities  truths  are  not  merely  covered,  they  are  even 
obliterated  and  cast  out.  For  this  reason  the  Jews  did  not  ac- 
knowledge the  Messiah,  although  all  the  prophets  had  fore- 
told His  coming. 

247.  In  many  places  in  the  prophets  the  church  with  the 
Israelitish  and  Jewish  nation  is  described  as  wholly  destroyed 
and  reduced  to  nothing  by  their  having  falsified  the  mean- 
ing or  understanding  of  the  Word;  for  nothing  else  destroys  a 
church.  The  understanding  of  the  Word  both  true  and  false  is 
described  in  the  Frophets  by  "  Ephraim,^'  especially  in  Rosea  ; 
for  in  the  Word  ^^Ephraim''  signifies  the  understanding  of  the 
Word  in  the  church.  As  the  understanding  of  the  Word  con- 
stitutes the  church,  Ephraim  is  called : — 

A  dear  son  and  a  pleasant  child  {Jer.  xxxi.  20)  ; 

The  firstborn  {Jer.  xxxi.  9) ; 

The  strength  of  the  head  of  Jehovah  {Ps.  Ix.  7  ;  cviii.  8) ; 

Mighty  {Zech.  x.  7)  ; 

Filled  with  a  bow  {Zech.  ix.  13)  ; 

and  the  sons  of  Ephraim  are  said  to  be. 

Armed  and  shooters  with  the  bow  {Ps.  Ixxviii.  9)  ; 

for  a  bow- signifies  doctrine  from  the  Word  fighting  against 
falsities.    Therefore  also, 

Ephraim  was  transferred  to  Israel's  right  hand,  and  blessed  ;  and  was 
accepted  in  the  place  of  Reuben  {Gen.  xlviii.  5,  11,  seq.)  ; 

and  therefore, 

Ephraim,  with  his  brother  Manasseh,  in  the  blessing  of  the  sons  of 
Israel  by  Moses,  under  the  name  of  their  father  Joseph,  was  exalted 
above  them  aU  {Deut.  xxxiii.  13-17). 


N.  247] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


335 


[2]  But  what  the  church  is  when  the  understanding  of  the 
Word  is  destroyed,  is  also  depicted  in  the  Prophets  by  "  Ephra- 
im," especially  in  Hosea,  as  in  the  following  passages : — 

Israel  and  Ephraim  shall  fall ;  Ephraim  shall  become  a  desolation ; 
Ephraim  is  oppressed  and  crushed  of  judgment  (v.  5,  9,  11-14). 

0  Ephraim,  what  shall  I  do  imto  thee  ?  for  your  mercy  is  as  a  morn- 
ing cloud,  and  as  the  early  dew  it  goeth  away  (vi.  4). 

They  shall  not  dwell  in  the  land  of  Jehovah  ;  but  Ephraim  shall  return 
into  Egypt,  and  shall  eat  what  is  unclean  in  Assyria  (ix.  3). 

"  The  land  of  Jehovah"  is  the  church ;  "  Egj^pt"  is  the  know- 
ing faculty  of  the  natural  man ;  "  Assyria"  is  reasoning  there- 
from ;  and  these  two  together  falsify  the  interior  understand- 
ing of  the  Word ;  therefore  it  is  said  that  "  Ephraim  shall  return 
to  Egypt,  and  shall  eat  what  is  unclean  in  Assyria." 

[3]  Ephraim  feedeth  on  wind,  and  followeth  after  the  east  wind;  he 
daily  multiplieth  lies  and  destruction  ;  they  make  a  covenant  with  Assyria 
and  oil  is  carried  into  Egypt  {Hos.  xii.  1). 

"  To  feed  upon  the  wind,"  "  to  follow  after  the  east  wind,"  and 
"  to  multiply  lies  and  destruction,"  is  to  falsify  truths  and  thus 
destroy  the  church.  "  Ephraim's  whoredom"  has  a  like  signifi- 
cation, since  "whoredom"  signifies  falsification  of  the  under- 
standing of  the  Word,  that  is,  of  its  genuine  truth ;  as  in  the 
following : — 

1  have  known  Ephraim  ;  that  he  hath  surely  committed  whoredom,  and 
Israel  is  defiled  {Hos.  v.  3). 

I  have  seen  a  horrible  thing  in  the  house  of  Israel ;  there  Ephraim 
hath  committed  whoredom  and  Israel  hath  become  defiled  {TIos.  vi.  10). 

Israel  is  the  church  itself,  and  Ephraim  is  the  understanding 
of  the  Word,  from  which  and  according  to  which  is  the  churcli ; 
therefore  it  is  said  "  Ephraim  hath  committed  whoredom,  and 
Israel  is  defiled."  [4]  As  the  church  with  the  Israelitish  and 
Jewish  nation  became  wholly  destroyed  by  falsifications  of  the 
Word,  it  is  said  of  Ephraim : — 

I  must  give  thee  up,  Ephraim.  I  must  deliver  thee,  Israel.  I  must 
make  thee  as  Admah.    I  must  set  thee  as  Zeboim  {Hos.  xi.  8). 

Since  then  the  prophet  ITo.sea,  from  the  first  chapter  to  the 
last,  treats  of  the  falsification  of  the  genuine  understanding  of 
the  Word,  and  the  destruction  of  the  church  thereby ;  and  since 


336 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


"  whoredom''  signifies  falsification  of  truth  therein ;  that  pro- 
phet was  commanded  to  represent  this  state  of  the  church  by, 

Taking  a  harlot  to  himself  for  a  wife,  and  begetting  children  by  her 
{Hos.  i.), 

and  again  by, 

Taking  a  woman  who  was  an  adulteress  {Hos.  iii.). 

These  passages  are  presented  in  order  to  show  and  prove  from 
the  Word,  that  the  church  is  such  as  is  the  understanding  of 
the  Word  in  it ;  excellent  and  precious  if  the  understanding 
of  it  is  from  genuine  truths  out  of  the  Word ;  but  destroyed 
and  even  filthy  if  from  truths  falsified. 


IX. 


IN   EVERY    PARTICULAR    OF    THE  WORD    THERE    IS    A    MARRIAGE 

OF  THE   LORD    AND    THE    CHURCH,    AND   IN    CONSEQUENCE 

A    MARRIAGE    OF    GOOD    AND    TRUTH. 

248.  That  in  every  particular  of  the  Word  there  is  a  mar- 
riage of  the  Lord  and  the  church,  and  in  consequence  a  mar- 
riage of  good  and  truth,  has  not  been  seen  heretofore ;  nor 
could  it  be  seen  because  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  has 
not  been  disclosed  until  now,  and  through  that  only  can  this 
marriage  be  seen.  For  there  are  two  senses  in  the  Word,  con- 
cealed within  the  sense  of  its  letter,  which  are  called  the  spir- 
itual sense  and  the  celestial  sense.  These  interior  contents  of 
the  Word  have  relation  in  the  spiritual  sense  chiefly  to  the 
church,  and  in  the  celestial  sense  chiefly  to  the  Lord.  Again 
these  contents  have  relation  in  the  spiritual  sense  to  Divine 
truth,  and  in  the  celestial  sense  to  Divine  good.  From  this 
there  is  in  the  Word  such  a  marriage.  But  this  is  manifest 
only  to  those  who  from  the  spiritual  and  celestial  senses  of 
the  Word  know  the  significations  of  the  words  and  names ;  for 
some  words  and  names  are  predicated  of  good,  and  some  of 
truth,  and  some  include  both ;  therefore  without  a  knowledge 
of  their  significance,  that  marriage  in  the  particulars  of  the 
Word  cannot  be  seen.    This  is  why  this  arcanum  has  not  been 


N.  248] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


337 


disclosed  until  now.  Because  there  is  such  a  marriage  in  every 
particular  of  the  Word,  there  are  very  often  two  expressions 
in  it  that  appear  like  repetitions  of  the  same  thing ;  and  yet 
they  are  not  repetitions,  but  one  of  them  has  relation  to  good 
and  the  other  to  truth ;  and  the  two  taken  together  constitute 
their  conjunction,  and  thus  one  thing.  From  this  also  is  the 
Divine  holiness  of  the  Word ;  for  in  every  Divine  work  there 
is  good  conjoined  with  truth,  and  truth  conjoined  with  good. 

249.  There  is  said  to  be  a  marriage  of  the  Lord  and  the 
church,  and  in  consequence  of  good  and  truth,  in  every  partic- 
ular of  the  Word,  because  where  there  is  a  marriage  of  the 
Lord  and  the  church  there  is  also  a  marriage  of  good  and  truth, 
since  the  latter  is  from  the  former.  For  when  the  church,  that 
is,  the  man  of  the  church,  is  in  truths,  the  Lord  flows  into  his 
truths  with  good,  and  makes  them  alive ;  or  what  is  the  same 
thing,  when  the  man  of  the  church  is  in  the  understanding  of 
truth  the  Lord  flows  into  his  understanding  through  the  good 
of  charity,  and  thus  pours  life  into  it.  In  every  man  there  are 
two  faculties  of  life  called  the  understanding  and  will.  The 
understanding  is  the  receptacle  of  truth  and  thus  of  wisdom, 
and  the  will  is  the  receptacle  of  good  and  thus  of  charity.  That 
man  may  be  a  man  of  the  church  these  two  faculties  must  make 
one ;  and  they  make  one  when  man  forms  his  understanding 
out  of  genuine  truths,  which  in  appearance  is  done  as  if  by  him- 
self, and  when  his  will  is  filled  with  the  good  of  love,  which  is 
done  by  the  Lord.  In  consequence  of  this  man  has  both  a  life 
of  truth  and  a  life  of  good,  a  life  of  truth  in  his  understanding, 
and  a  life  of  good  in  his  will,  and  when  these  are  max:le  one  they 
constitute  one  life  and  not  two.  This  is  the  marriage  of  the 
Lord  and  the  church,  and  also  the  marriage  of  good  and  truth 

in  man. 

250.  Readers  of  the  Word  who  pay  attention  to  it  can  see 
that  there  are  dual  expressions  in  the  Word  that  seem  like 
repetitions  of  the  same  thing ;  as  for  example,  brother  and  com- 
panion, poor  and  needy,  waste  and  wilderness,  void  and  empti- 
ness, foe  and  enemy,  sin  and  iniquity,  anger  and  wrath,  nation 
and  people,  joy  and  gladness,  mourning  and  weeping,  justice 
and  judgment,  and  so  on;  which  expressions  seem  to  be  sy- 
nonymous, and  yet  they  are  not ;  for  brother,  poor,  waste,  void, 
22 


AjMfairiMKiaat»fa^»M;jMij«jBfeaih»«iBa6a'* 


338 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  251] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


339 


foe,  sin,  anger,  nation,  joy,  mourning,  and  justice,  are  predi- 
cated of  good,  and  in  the  opposite  sense  of  evil ;  while  com- 
panion, needy,  wilderness,  emptiness,  enemy,  iniquity,  wrath, 
people,  gladness,  weeping,   and   judgment,  are  predicated  of 
truth,  and  in  the  opposite  sense  of  falsity.    Nevertheless  to  a 
reader  who  is  ignorant  of  this  arcanum,  poor  and  needy,  waste 
and  wilderness,  void  and  emptiness,  and  so  forth,  seem  to  be 
one,  and  yet  they  are  not  one,  but  they  become  one  by  con- 
junction.   Many  other  things  m  the  Word  are  joined  together, 
as  fire  and  flame,  gold  and  silver,  brass  and  iron,  wood  and 
stone,  bread  and  water,  bread  and  wine,  purple  and  fine  linen, 
and  so  on ;  because  fire,  gold,  brass,  wood,  bread,  and  purple, 
are  predicated  of  good ;  while  flame,  silver,  iron,  stone,  water, 
wine,  and  fine  linen,  are  predicated  of  truth.    Likewise  it  is 
said  that  man  should  love  God  "  with  his  whole  heart,  and  his 
whole  soul  f  also  that  God  will  create  in  man  "  a  new  heart  and 
a  new  spirit  f  because  ''  heart"  is  predicated  of  good  of  love, 
and  "  soul"  and  "  spirit"  of  the  truths  of  faith.    There  are  also 
words  which,  because  they  involve  in  their  meaning  both  good 
and  truth,  are  used  alone,  no  others  being  joined  with  them. 
But  these  and  many  other  things  are  manifest  only  to  the  an. 
gels,  and  to  those  who  are  in  the  spiritual  sense  as  weU  as  in 
the  natural  sense. 

251.  It  would  be  tedious  to  show  from  the  Word  that  there 
are  such  dual  expressions  in  the  Word,  which  seem  like  repe- 
titions of  the  same  thing,  for  to  do  so  would  fill  many  pages. 
But  to  remove  doubt,  I  will  cite  some  passages  where  "  nation" 
and  "people,"  and  "joy"  and  "gladness,"  are  mentioned  to- 
gether. "  Nation"  and  "  people"  are  mentioned  in  the  f oUowmg 
passages : — 

Woe  to  the  sinful  nation,  to  a  people  laden  with  iniquity  {Isa.  i.  4). 

The  people  that  walked  in  darkness  have  seen  a  great  light,  thou  hast 
multiplied  the  nation  {Isa.  ix.  2,  3). 

O  Assyria  the  rod  of  mine  anger,  I  will  send  him  against  a  hypocriti- 
cal nation,  akd  against  the  people  of  my  wrath  will  I  give  him  a  charge 

ilsa.  X.  5,  6).  - 

It  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day  that  the  nations  shall  seek  the  root  of 
Jesse,  which  standeth  for  an  ensign  of  the  people  {Isa.  xi.  10). 

Jehovah  smiteth  the  peoples  in  wrath  with  a  stroke  not  curable,  rul- 
ing the  nations  in  anger  {Isa.  xiv.  6). 


3 


In  that  day  shall  a  present  be  brought  unto  Jehovah  of  Hosts  of  a  peo- 
ple scattered  and  peeled,  a  nation  meted  out  and  trodden  under  foot 

{Isa.  xviii.  7).  _i.  i      ^• 

The  strong  people  shall  honor  Thee,  the  city  of  the  powerful  nations 

shall  fear  Thee  {Isa.  xxv.  3).  ^         a    x. 

Jehovah  shall  swallow  up  the  covering  cast  over  all  peoples  and  the 

veil  over  all  nations  {Isa.  xxv.  7). 

Come  near,  ye  nations,  and  hearken,  ye  peoples  {Isa.  xxxiv.  1). 

I  have  called  thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  for  a  light  of  the 

nations  {Isa.  xlii.  6). 

Let  all  the  nations  be  gathered  together,  and  let  the  peoples  be  as- 
sembled {Isa.  xliii.  9). 

Behold  I  will  lift  up  mine  hand  to  the  nations,  and  set  up  my  standard 

to  the  peoples  {Isa.  xlix.  22).  ^  ,        . 

I  have  given  him  for  a  witness  to  the  peoples,  a  leader  and  lawgiver 

to  the  nation  {Isa.  Iv.  4,  5). 

Behold,  a  people  cometh  from  the  north  country,  and  a  great  nation 
from  the  sides  of  the  earth  {Jer.  vi.  22,  23). 

I  will  not  cause  thee  to  hear  the  shame  of  the  nations  any  more,  neither 
Shalt  thou  bear  the  reproach  of  the  peoples  any  more  {^zeA:.  xxxvi.  lo). 

All  peoples  and  nations  shall  worship  Him  {Ban.  vii.  14). 

Let  not  the  nations  make  a  by-word  of  them,  and  say  to  the  peoples, 
Where  is  their  God  ?  {Joel  ii.  17). 

The  remnant  of  my  people  shall  spoil  them,  and  the  residue  of  my  na- 
tion shall  inherit  them  {Zeph.  ii.  9).  ,    t  v,       i    • 

Many  peoples  and  numerous  nations  shall  come  to  seek  Jehovah  m 

Jerusalem  {Zech.  viii.  22).  .  v.  «  ^ 

Mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation,  which  Thou  hast  Prepared  before 

the  face  of  all  peoples,  a  light  for  revelation  to  the  nations  {Luke  ii.  30-32). 
Thou  hast  redeemed  us  by  Thy  blood,  out  of  every  people  and  nation 

{Apoc.  V.  9).  ,         .         /  ^  ii\ 

Thou  must  prophesy  again  over  peoples  and  nations  {Apoc.  x.  11). 

Thou  Shalt  set  Me  for  the  head  of  the  nations,  a  people  whom  I  have 
not  known  shall  serve  Me  {Ps.  xviii.  43).  ,       „ 

Jehovah  bringeth  the  counsel  of  the  nations  to  naught ;  He  over- 
throweth  the  thoughts  of  the  peoples  {Ps.  xxxiii.  10).  ,  ,,     i,     ^ 

Thou  makest  us  a  proverb  among  the  nations,  a  shaking  of  the  neatt 
among  the  peoples  {Ps.  xliv.  14).  , 

Jehovah  shall  subdue  the  peoples  under  us,  and  the  nations  under  our 
feet ;  God  reigneth  over  the  nations  ;  the  willing  ones  of  the  peoples  are 
gathered  together  {Ps.  xlvii.  3,  8,  9).  .       ^      •        r     rn,^,. 

Let  the  peoples  confess  Thee,  Let  the  nations  sing  for  ]oy ;  for  lUou 
Shalt  judge  the  peoples  with  equity,  and  lead  the  nations  upon  the  earth 

(Ps  Ixvii  2-4) 

Remember  me,  O  Jehovah,  with  the  favor  that  Thou  bearest  unto  Thy 
people  ;  that  I  may  rejoice  in  the  gladness  of  Thy  nation  (Ps.  cvi.  4,  5): 
and  elsewhere. 


i^^-at.uA:igieaSiiai:jiiMiSisiJi!^^^ 


340 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


Nations  and  peoples  are  mentioned  together,  because  by  nations 
those  are  meant  who  are  in  good,  and  in  the  opposite  sense 
those  who  are  in  evil ;  and  by  "  peoples''  those  are  meant  who 
are  in  truths,  and  in  the  opposite  sense  those  who  are  in  fal- 
sities. Therefore  those  who  are  of  the  Lord's  spiritual  king- 
dom are  called  "peoples,"  and  those  who  are  of  the  Lord's 
celestial  kingdom  are  called  "nations;''  for  in  the  spiritual 
kingdom  all  are  in  truths,  and  in  consequent  intelligence,  while 
in  the  celestial  kingdom  all  are  in  goods,  and  in  consequent 
wisdom. 

252.  It  is  the  same  with  many  other  words ;  for  example 
where  "joy"  is  mentioned,  "  gladness"  also  is  mentioned,  as  in 
the  following  passages  : — 

Behold,  joy  and  gladness,  to  slay  an  ox  {Isa.  xxii.  13). 

They  shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee 
away  {Isa.  xxxv.  10  ;  11.  11). 

Gladness  and  joy  are  cut  off  from  the  house  of  our  God  {Joel  i.  16). 

The  voice  of  joy  and  the  voice  of  gladness  shall  be  taken  away  {Jer. 
vii.  34  ;  xxv.  10). 

The  fast  of  the  tenth  shall  be  to  the  house  of  Judah  for  joy  and  glad- 
ness {Zech.  viii.  19). 

Be  glad  in  Jerusalem,  and  rejoice  in  her  {Isa.  Ixvi.  10). 

Rejoice  and  be  glad,  O  daughter  of  Edom  {Lam.  iv.  21). 

Let  the  heavens  be  glad  and  let  the  earth  rejoice  {Ps.  xcvi.  11). 

Make  me  to  hear  joy  and  gladness  {Ps.  li.  8). 

Joy  and  gladness  shall  be  found  in  Zion,  confession,  and  the  voice  of 
melody  {Isa.  \i.  3). 

There  shall  be  gladness^  and  many  shall  rejoice  at  his  birth  {Luke  i. 
14). 

I  will  cause  to  cease  the  voice  of  joy  and  the  voice  of  gladness,  the 
voice  of  the  bridegroom  and  the  voice  of  the  bride  {Jer.  vii.  34  ;  xvi.  9  ; 
xxv.  10). 

Again  there  shall  be  heard  in  this  place,  the  voice  of  joy  and  the  voice 
of  gladness,  the  voice  of  the  bridegroom,  and  the  voice  of  the  bride  {Jer. 
xxxiii.  10,  11);  and  elsewhere. 

Both  joy  and  gladness  are  mentioned,  because  joy  is  predicated 
of  good  and  gladness  of  truth,  or  joy  of  love  and  gladness  of 
wisdom;  for  joy  belongs  to  the  heart  and  gladness  to  the  spirit, 
or  joy  to  the  will  and  gladness  to  the  understanding.  That 
there  is  also  a  marriage  of  the  Lord  and  the  church  in  these 
words  is  evident  from  the  expression : — 


N.  252] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


341 


M 


The  voice  of  joy  and  the  voice  of  gladness,  the  voice  of  the  bridegroom 
and  the  voice  of  the  bride  {Jer.  vii.  34  ;  xvi.  9  ;  xxv.  10  ;  xxxiii  10, 11); 

for  the  Lord  is  the  Bridegroom,  and  the  church  is  the  bride. 
That  the  Lord  is  the  Bridegroom  may  be  seen.  Matt.  ix.  15 ; 
Mark  ii.  19,  20 ;  Luke  v.  34,  35 ;  that  the  church  is  the  bride, 
Apoc.  xxi.  2,  9 ;  xxii.  17.  Therefore  John  the  Baptist  said  of 
Jesus  :-^ 

He  that  hath  the  bride  is  the  Bridegroom  {John  iii.  29). 

253.  Owing  to  the  marriage  of  Divine  good  and  Divine  truth 
in  every  particular  of  the  Word,  the  expression,  Jehovah  [and] 
God,  Jehovah  and  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  very  frequently  oc- 
cur as  if  they  were  two,  when  yet  they  are  one :  for  by  "  Jeho- 
vah" the  Lord  in  respect  to  the  Divine  good  of  the  Divine  love 
is  meant,  while  by  "  God"  and  the  "  Holy  One  of  Israel,"  the 
Lord  in  respect  to  the  Divine  truth  of  the  Divine  wisdom  is 
meant.  That  Jehovah  and  God,  and  also  Jehovah  and  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel,  are  mentioned  in  many  places  in  the  Word, 
and  yet  One  only  is  meant,  may  be  seen  in  the  Doctrine  re- 
specting the  Lord  the  Redeemer. 


X. 


HERESIES    MAY    BE    DRAWN    FROM    THE     SENSE    OF    THE    LETTER 
OF    THE    WORD    BUT    TO    CONFIRM    THEM    IS 

HURTFUL. 

254.  It  has  been  shown  above,  that  the  Word  cannot  be  un- 
derstood without  doctrine,  and  that  doctrine  is  like  a  lamp  to 
make  genuine  truths  visible,  and  this  because  the  Word  is  writ- 
ten by  pure  correspondences  ;  consequently,  many  things  in  the 
Word  are  appearances  of  truth,  and  not  naked  truths ;  and  many 
are  written  according  to  the  understanding  of  the  merely  nat- 
ural man,  and  yet  are  so  written  that  the  simple  may  understand 
them  simply,  the  intelligent  intelligently,  and  the  wise  wisely. 
Such  being  the  nature  of  the  Word,  these  appearances  of  truth, 


342 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  I^' 


which  are  truths  clothed,  may  be  taken  for  naked  truths ;  and 
when  confirmed  they  become  fallacies,  which  in  essence  are  fal- 
sities.   From  this,  that  appearances  of  truth  have  been  taken 
for  genuine  truths  and  confirmed,  have  sprung  all  the  heresies 
that  have  existed  and  still  exist  in  the  Chi-istian  world.    Her- 
esies themselves  do  not  condemn  men.    Men  are  condemned  by 
their  confirming  from  the  Word,  and  by  means  of  reasonings 
from  the  natural  man,  the  falsities  that  are  in  heresy,  and  by- 
living  wickedly.    For  every  one  is  born  into  the  religion  of  his 
country  or  parents  and  is  initiated  into  that  religion  from  in- 
fancy, and  afterward  he  holds  to  it ;  and  because  of  worldly 
business,  and  the  weakness  of  his  understanding  in  the  inves- 
tigation of  truths  of  that  kind,  he  is  unable  to  withdraw  him- 
self from  its  falsities.    But  what  condemns  a  man  is  living 
wickedly  and  confirming  falsities  to  such  an  extent  as  to  de- 
stroy genuine  truths.    For  he  who  holds  to  his  religion,  who 
believes  in  God  (or  if  within  the  Christian  church  believes  in 
the  Lord),  who  regards  the  Word  as  holy  and  from  a  religious 
motive  lives  according  to  the  commandments  of  the  Decalogue, 
does  not  commit  himself  to  falsities,  and  therefore  when  he 
hears  truths,  and  in  his  o^ti  way  has  a  perception  of  them,  he 
is  able  to  embrace  them,  and  thereby  be  delivered  from  falsi- 
ties.   But  it  is  not  so  with  one  who  has  confirmed  the  falsities 
of  his  religion;  since  confirmed  falsity  is  permanent  and  cannot 
be  rooted  out.    For  falsity  after  confirmation  is  as  if  one  had 
sworn  to  it,  especially  when  it  adheres  to  his  love  of  self  or  to 
the  pride  of  his  own  intelligence. 

255.  I  have  talked  with  some  in  the  spiritual  world  who 
lived  many  centuries  ago  and  who  had  confirmed  themselves  in 
the  falsities  of  their  religion ;  and  I  found  that  they  still  con- 
tinued steadfastly  in  them.    I  have  also  talked  with  some  there 
who  had  been  of  the  same  religion  and  had  thought  in  the  same 
way,  but  had  not  confirmed  in  themselves  its  falsities ;  and  I 
found  that  after  having  been  taught  by  the  angels  they  rejected 
the  falsities  and  accepted  truths ;  and  that  such  were  saved, 
while  the  former  were  not.    Every  one  is  instructed  after  death 
by-  angels,  and  those  are  received  who  see  truths  and  from 
truths  see  falsities  ;  but  truths  are  seen  only  by  those  who  have 
not  confirmed  themselves  in  falsities.     Those  who  have  con- 


I 


N.  255] 


THE  SACRED  SC'felPTURE 


343 


firmed  themselves  are  unwilling  to  see  truths,  or  if  they  see 
them  they  turn  themselves  away  and  either  ridicule  or  falsify 
them.  The  real  cause  of  this  is  that  confirmation  enters  the 
will,  and  the  will  is  the  man  himself  and  disposes  the  mider- 
standing  at  its  pleasure.  But  bare  knowledge  enters  the  under- 
standing only,  and  this  has  no  authority  over  the  will,  but  is 
in  man  only  as  one  who  stands  in  the  hall  or  doorway  and  is 
not  yet  in  the  house. 

256.  But  let  this  be  illustrated  by  an  example :    In  many 
places  in  the  Word  anger,  wrath,  and  vengeance  are  attributed 
to  G  od ;  and  He  is  said  to  punish,  to  cast  into  hell,  to  tempt, 
and  other  like  things.    He  who  believes  this  in  simplicity  like 
a  child,  and  in  consequence  fears  God  and  avoids  smnmg 
against  Him,  is  not  condemned  for  that  simple  belief.    But  he 
who  so  far  confirms  these  things  in  himself  as  to  believe  that 
anger,  wrath,  vengeance,  and  all  like  things  that  proceed  from 
evil,  are  in  God,  and  that  God  punishes  man  and  casts  him  m- 
to  hell  from  anger,  wrath,  and  vengeance— he  is  condemned, 
because  he  has  destroyed  the  genuine  truth,  which  is,  that  God 
is  Love  itself,  INIercy  itself,  and  Good  itself,  and  such  a  Being 
cannot  be  angry,  wrathful,  or  vengeful.    These  things  are  at- 
tributed  to  God  in  the  Word,  because  such  is  the  appearance. 
These  are  appearances  of  truth. 

257.  That  many  things  in  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word 
are  appearances  of  truth,  which  conceal  within  them  genuine 
truths,  and  that  it  is  not  hurtful  to  think  in  simplicity,  and  al- 
so to  speak,  according  to  appearances  of  truth,  and  yet  it  is 
hurtful  to  confirm  them,  since  by  such  confirmation  the  Divme 
truth  concealed  within  them  is  destroyed,  may  also  be  illus- 
trated by  an  example  in  nature,  which  is  presented  because 
what  is  natural  illustrates  and  teaches  more  clearly  than  what 
is  spiritual.  To  the  eye  the  sun  appears  to  be  borne  around 
the  earth  daily,  and  also  annually ;  and  in  consequence  the  sun 
is  said  to  rise  and  set,  causing  morning,  noon,  evening,  and 
night ;  and  also  spring,  summer,  autumn,  and  winter,  and  thus 
days  and  years.  Nevertheless,  the  sun  stands  motionless,  for 
it  is  a  fiery  ocean,  and  the  earth  revolves  daily  and  is  carried 
around  it  yearly.  The  man  who  thinks  in  simplicity  and  igno- 
rance that  the  sun  is  carried  about  the  earth  does  not  destroy 


344 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IV. 


the  natural  truth,  which  is  that  the  earth  rotates  upon  its  axis 
and  is  yearly  borne  along  the  ecliptic.  But  he  who  confirms 
this  apparent  motion  of  the  sun  by  reasonings  from  the  natural 
man,  and  still  more  he  who  does  so  by  the  Word,  because  the 
sun  is  there  said  to  rise  and  set,  weakens  the  truth  and  destroys 
it,  and  afterwards  is  hardly  able  to  see  it,  even  though  ocular 
proof  be  given  him  that  the  whole  starry  heaven  is  daily  and 
yearly  carried  about  in  appearance  in  like  manner,  and  yet  not 
a  single  star  is  moved  from  its  fixed  place  relative  to  another. 
The  apparent  truth  is  that  the  sun  moves,  the  real  truth  is 
that  it  does  not  move,  and  yet  every  one  speaks  according  to 
the  apparent  truth,  saying  that  the  sun  rises  and  sets  ;  and  this 
is  permissible,  for  he  cannot  do  otherwise ;  but  to  think  accord- 
ing to  that  apparent  truth  after  confirming  it  blunts  and  dark- 
ens the  rational  understanding. 

258.  The  essential  reason  why  it  is  hurtful  to  confirm  the 
appearances  of  truth  that  are  in  the  Word,  which  thereby  be- 
come fallacies  and  thus  the  Divine  truth  concealed  within  the 
appearances  is  destroyed,  is  that  each  thing  and  all  things  of 
the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word,  communicate  with  heaven. 
For  it  has  been  shown  above  that  within  each  thing  and  all 
things  of  the  sense  of  the  letter  there  is  a  spiritual  sense,  and 
this  sense  is  opened  in  passing  from  man  to  heaven.  All  things 
of  the  spiritual  sense  are  genuine  truths ;  so  when  man  is  in 
falsities  and  applies  the  sense  of  the  letter  to  those  falsities, 
the  falsities  enter  into  that  sense,  and  when  they  enter  truths 
are  dissipated,  which  is  done  on  the  way  from  man  to  heaven. 
This  may  be  compared  to  a  shining  bladder  filled  with  gall 
which  is  thrown  towards  another,  and  which  bursts  in  the  air 
before  reaching  him,  and  the  gall  is  scattered  about ;  whereupon 
the  other,  when  he  smells  the  air  infected  with  the  gall,  turns 
away,  and  shuts  his  mouth  lest  it  should  touch  his  tongue.  Or 
it  may  be  compared  to  a  leather  bottle  girt  with  wicker-work 
of  cedar  and  containing  vinegar  full  of  worms,  and  the  bottle 
bursts  on  the  way,  and  its  stench  is  perceived  by  the  other, 
who  is  nauseated  by  it  and  instantly  fans  it  away  that  it  may 
not  enter  his  nostrils.  It  is  also  like  an  almond-shell,  within 
which  instead  of  an  almond  is  a  newly-born  snake,  and  the  shell 
being  broken,  the  litde  serpent  appears  to  be  carried  by  the  wind 


N.  258] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


345 


towards  the  eyes  of  another,  who  obviously  would  turn  away 
to  avoid  it.  It  is  the  same  when  the  Word  is  read  by  a  man 
I  who  is  in  falsities,  and  who  adapts  to  his  falsities  something 
of  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word,  in  which  case  it  is  re- 
jected on  the  way  to  heaven,  lest  any  such  thing  should  flow 
in  and  infest  the  angels.  For  when  falsity  touches  truth,  it  is 
like  the  point  of  a  needle  touching  the  fibril  of  a  nerve  or  the 
pupil  of  the  eye ;  it  is  known  that  the  fibril  instantly  coils  it- 
self up  spirally  and  withdraws  within  itself  and  that  the  eye 
at  the  first  touch  covers  itself  with  its  lids.  All  this  makes 
clear  that  truth  falsified  takes  away  communication  with 
heaven  and  closes  heaven.  This  is  why  it  is  hurtful  to  con- 
firm any  heretical  falsity. 

259.  The  Word  is  like  a  garden,  and  may  be  called  a  heavenly 
paradise,  in  which  are  delicacies  and  delights  of  every  kind,  del- 
icacies in  its  fruits  and  delights  in  its  flowers ;  and  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  garden  are  the  trees  of  life,  and  near  them  fountains 
of  living  waters,  with  forest  trees  round  about  the  garden.  The 
man  who  from  doctrine  is  in  Divine  truths  is  in  the  center 
where  the  trees  of  life  are,  and  is  in  the  actual  enjoyment 
of  the  delicacies  and  delights  there ;  while  the  man  who  is  in 
truths  not  from  doctrine,  but  only  from  the  sense  of  the  letter, 
is  in  the  parts  round  about,  and  sees  only  the  forest.  But  he 
who  is  in  the  doctrine  of  a  false  religion,  and  has  confirmed 
in  himself  its  falsity,  is  not  even  in  the  forest,  but  is  outside 
of  it  on  a  sandy  plain,  where  there  is  not  even  grass.  That 
this  is  the  state  of  such  after  death,  has  been  shown  in  the 
work  on  Heaven  and  Hell, 

260.  It  must  be  understood,  moreover,  that  the  sense  of  the 
letter  is  a  guard  for  the  genuine  truths  concealed  within  it, 
that  they  may  not  be  injured.  It  is  a  guard  in  this  way,  that 
it  may  be  turned  hither  and  thither,  and  explained  according 
to  each  one's  understanding  of  it,  and  yet  without  injury  or 
violence  to  its  internal.  For  no  harm  is  done  when  one  person 
understands  the  sense  of  the  letter  in  one  way,  and  another  in 
another  way;  but  the  harm  is  done  when  falsities  are  brought 
in  which  are  contrary  to  Divine  truths,  and  this  is  done  only 
by  those  who  have  confirmed  themselves  in  falsities.  In  this 
way  violence  is  done  to  the  Word.    This  is  what  the  sense  of 


liiWf  Wniirar--— ^  -  ■"^"""'^Vitliilnitffti 


aStgiaiafein^Hai^ 


346 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


the  letter  guards  against,  and  it  does  this  for  those  who  are  in 
falsities  from  their  religion,  but  do  not  confirm  these  falsities. 
The  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  as  such  a  guard  is  signi- 
fied in  the  Word  by  "  cherubs,"  and  is  there  described  in  this 
way.  This  guard  is  signified  by  the  cherubs  that  were  placed 
at  the  entrance  to  the  garden  of  Eden,  after  Adam  and  his 
wife  had  been  expelled  from  it,  about  which  we  read  as 
follows : — 

When  Jehovah  God  had  driven  man  out  He  made  cherabs  to  dwell  at 
the  east  of  the  garden  of  Eden  and  the  flame  of  a  sword  turning  every 
way  to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life  {Gen.  iii.  23,  24). 

[2]  ;N"o  one  can  see  what  this  means,  unless  he  knows  what  is 
signified  by  "cherubs"  and  by  "the  garden  of  Eden,"  and  by 
"the  tree  of  life"  there,  and  finally  by  "the  flame  of  a  sword 
turning  every  way."  These  particulars  are  explained  in  the 
exposition  of  this  chapter  in  the  Arcana  CGelestia,  published  at 
London,  namely,  that  "  cherubs"  signify  a  guard ;  "  the  way  of 
the  tree  of  life"  signifies  entrance  to  the  Lord,  which  man  ob- 
tains through  the  truths  of  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word; 
"the  flame  of  a  sword  turning  every  way"  signifies  Divine 
truth  in  outmost  things,  like  the  Word  in  the  sense  of  the 
letter,  which  sense  may  be  so  turned.    The  same  is  meant  by, 

The  cherubs  of  gold  placed  at  the  two  ends  of  the  mercy-seat,  which 
was  over  the  ark  in  the  tabernacle  {Ex.  xxv.  18-21), 

"  the  ark"  signifying  the  Word,  because  the  Decalogue,  which 
it  contained,  was  the  primitive  of  the  Word,  and  the  "  cherubs" 
signifying  a  guard.  Therefore  between  the  cherubs  the  Lord 
spake  with  Moses  (Ex.  xxv.  22 ;  xxxvii.  9 ;  Nu77i.  vii.  89) ;  and 
He  spake  in  the  natural  sense,  since  the  Lord  does  not  speak 
with  man  except  in  fulness,  and  Divine  truth  is  in  its  fulness 
in  the  sense  of  the  letter  (as  may  be  seen  above,  n.  214-224). 
^Nor  is  anything  else  signified, 

By  the  cherubs  upon  the  curtains  and  the  veil  of  the  tabernacle  {Ex. 
xxvi.  1,  31); 

for  the  curtains  and  veils  of  the  tabernacle  signified  the  out- 
most things  of  heaven  and  the  church,  and  thus  of  the  Word 
(as  may  be  seen  above,  n.  220).    So  again, 


N.  260] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


34< 


By  the  cherubs  carved  on  the  walls  and  doors  of  the  temple  at  Jerusalem 
(1  Kings  vi.  29,  32,  35)  (see  above  n.  221). 

Likewise, 

By  the  cherubs  in  the  new  temple  {Ezek.  xli.  18-20). 

[3]  Because  "  cherubs"  signify  a  guard,  that  the  Lord,  heaven, 
and  Divine  truth  such  as  it  is  interiorly  in  the  Word,  be  not 
approached  immediately,  but  mediately  through  outmosts,  it  is 
said  of  the  king  of  Tyre  :— 

Thou  sealest  up  thy  measure,  full  of  wisdom  and  perfect  in  beauty ; 
thou  hast  been  in  Eden  the  garden  of  God  ;  every  precious  stone  was  thy 
coverin"-  Thou  cherub,  the  spreading  out  of  one  that  protects ;  I  have 
destroyed  thee,  0  protecting  chemb,  in  the  midst  of  the  stones  of  fire 
{Ezek.  xxviii.  12-14,  10). 

«  Tyre"  signifies  the  church  as  to  knowledges  of  good  and  truth 
and  therefore  "  the  king  of  Tyre"  signifies  the  Word,  in  which 
and  from  which  those  knowledges  are ;  and  here  the  Word  m 
its  outmost  is  evidently  signified,  and  protection  by  "the 
cherub,"  for  it  is  said,  "Thou  sealest  up  thy  measure,"  "every 
precious  stone  was  thy  covering,"  "  thou  cherub,  the  spreadmg 
out  of  one  that  protects,"  also,  "  0  protecting  cherub."  The 
"  precious  stones"  there  mentioned  mean  the  things  belonging 
to  the  sense  of  the  letter  (as  may  be  seen  above,  n.  217,  218). 
Because  "  cherubs"  signify  the  Word  in  outmosts,  and  also  a 
guard,  it  is  said  in  David: — 

Jehovah  bowed  the  heavens  and  came  down,  and  rode  upon  a  cherub 

(Ps.  xviii.  9,  10).  ,       ,        t.      1  •      f^wi. 

0  Shepherd  of  Israel,  thou  that  sittest  upon  the  cherubs,  shme  forth 

(T*s  Ixxx.  1). 

Jehovah  sitteth  upon  the  chembs  {Ps.  xcix.  1). 

«  To  ride  upon  cherubs"  and  "  to  sit  upon  them"  means  upon 
the  outmost  sense  of  the  Word.  Divine  truth  in  the  Word,  and 
what  it  is,  is  described  by  the  four  animals  that  were  also 
called  cherubs  (Ey.ek.  i.,  ix.,  x.) ;  also  by  the  four  animals  m  the 
midst  of  the  throne  and  round  about  the  throne  (Apoc.  iv.  b, 
seq.).  (See  the  Apocalypse  Revealed,  published  by  me  at  Am- 
sterdam,  n.  239,  275,  314). 


»il«iaa^ailtia«a»i!Mf  -■-'"^-i^-  'Saj.%tM.as;jBa 


348 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  1Y. 


XL 


THE    LORD    WHEN    IX    THE    WORLD    FULFILLED    ALL    THINGS    OF 

THE    WORD,    AND    THEREBY    BECAME    THE    WORD,    THAT 

IS,    DIVINE    TRUTH,    EVEN    IN    THINGS    LAST. 

261.  That  the  Lord  when  in  the  world  fulfilled  all  things  of 
the  Word,  and  thereby  became  Divine  truth,  or  the  Word,  even 
in  things  last,  is  meant  by  these  words  in  John: — 

And  the  Word  became  flesh,  and  dwelt  amon^?  us,  and  we  beheld  His 
glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and 
truth  (i.  4). 

*^  To  become  flesh"  is  to  become  the  Word  in  things  last.  What 
the  Lord  was  as  the  Word  in  things  last.  He  showed  to  His 
disciples  when  he  was  transfigured  {Matt.  xvii.  2,  seq. ;  Mark 
ix.  2,  seq.\  Luke  ix.  28,  seq.),  where  it  is  said  that  Moses  and 
Elias  appeared  in  glory,  "  Moses''  meaning  the  Word  written 
through  him,  and  in  general  the  historical  Word,  and  "  Elias" 
the  prophetical  Word.  The  Lord  as  the  Word  in  things  last 
was  also  represented  before  John  in  the  Apoeahjyse  (i.  13-16), 
where  all  things  in  the  description  of  Him  signify  the  outmosts 
of  Divine  truth,  or  of  the  Word.  Before  this  the  Lord  was 
indeed  the  Word  or  Divine  truth,  but  in  things  first,  for  it  is 
said : — 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  God 
was  the  Word  {John  i.  1,  2)  ; 

but  when  the  Word  became  flesh,  the  Lord  also  became  the 
Word  in  things  last.    This  is  why  He  is  called : — 

The  First  and  the  Last  {Apoc.  i.  8,  11,  17  ;  ii.  8  ;  xxi.  6  ;  xxii.  13 ;  Isa. 
xliv.  6). 

262.  That  the  Lord  fulfilled  all  things  of  the  AVord  is  evi- 
dent from  the  passages  where  the  Law  and  the  Scripture  are 
said  to  have  been  fulfilled  by  Him,  and  all  things  finished,  as 
in  the  following.    Jesus  said  : — 

Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law  and  the  prophets  ;  I  am 
not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill  (Matt.  v.  17,  18). 

Jesus  entered  into  the  synagogue,  and  stood  up  to  read  ;  then  was  de- 
livered unto  Him  the  book  of  the  prophet  Isaiah.    And  He  opened  the 


N.  262] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


349 


book,  and  found  the  place  where  it  was  written :  The  Spirit  of  Jehovah 
is  upon  Me,  because  He  hath  anointed  Me ;  He  hath  sent  Me  to  preach 
good  tidings  to  the  poor,  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  proclaim  release 
to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  proclaim  the  ac- 
ceptable year  of  the  Lord.  And  He  closed  the  book  and  He  said,  This 
day  is  this  Scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears  {Luke  iv.  16-21). 

That  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  He  that  eateth  bread  with  Me 
hath  lifted  up  his  heel  upon  Me  {John  xiii.  18). 

None  of  them  perished  but  the  son  of  perdition,  that  the  Scripture 
might  be  fulfilled  {John  xvii.  12). 

That  the  Word  might  be  fulfilled  which  He  spake,  Of  them  which  thou 
gavest  Me  I  lost  not  one  {John  xviii.  9). 

Jesus  said  to  Peter :  Put  up  thy  sword  into  its  place.  How  then  shall 
the  Scripture  be  fulfilled,  that  thus  it  must  be  ?  But  all  this  is  come  to 
pass  that  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled  {Matt.  xxvi.  52,  64,  56). 

The  Son  of  Man  goeth  as  it  is  written  of  Him,  that  the  Scriptures 
might  be  fulfilled  {Mark  xiv.  21,  49). 

Thus  was  the  Scripture  fulfilled,  which  said,  He  was  numbered  with 
the  transgressors  {Mark  xv.  28  ;  Luke  xxii.  37). 

That  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled.  They  parted  My  garments  among 
them,  and  upon  My  vesture  did  they  cast  lots  {John  xix.  24). 

After  this,  Jesus  knowing  that  all  things  were  now  finished,  that  the 
Scripture  might  be  fulfilled  {John  xix.  28). 

When  Jesus  therefore  had  received  the  vinegar,  He  said,  It  is  finished 
[that  is,  fulfilled].    {John  xix.  30). 

These  things  came  to  pass  that  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  A  bone 
in  Him  shall  ye  not  brake.  And  again  another  Scripture  saith,  They  shall 
look  on  Him  whom  they  pierced  {John  xix.  36,  37) 
That  the  whole  Word  was  written  concerning  Him,  and  that 
He  came  into  the  world  to  fulfill  it.  He  also  taught  His  dis- 
ciples before  He  went  away,  in  these  words  : — 

He  said  to  them,  0  foolish  men,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe  in  all  that 
the  prophets  have  spoken.  Behooved  it  not  the  Christ  to  sufler  these 
things,  and  to  enter  into  His  glory  ?  And  beginning  from  Moses  and  from 
all  the  prophets,  He  interpreted  to  them  in  all  the  Scriptures  the  thmgs 
concerning  Himself  {Luke  xxiv.  25-27). 

Again  Jesus  said,  that  all  things  must  needs  be  fulfilled  which  were 
written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  the  Prophets,  and  the  Psalms  concerning 
Me  {Luke  xxiv.  44,  45). 

That  the  Lord  when  in  the  world  fulfilled  all  things  of  the 
Word,  even  to  the  most  minute  particulars,  is  plain  from  His 

words : — 

Verily  I  say  unto  you.  Till  heaven  and  earth  pass  away,  one  jot  or  one 
tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  away  from  the  law,  till  all  things  be  accom- 
plished {Matt.  V.  18). 


350 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


From  all  this  it  can  now  be  clearly  seen  that  the  Lord's  ful- 
filling all  things  of  the  law  does  not  mean  that  He  fulfilled  all 
the  commandments  of  the  Decalogue,  but  all  things  of  the  Word. 
That  all  things  of  the  Word  are  meant  by  the  Law  can  be  seen 
from  these  passages  : — 

Jesus  saia,  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said,  Ye  are  gods  ?  {John 
X.  34). 

This  is  written  in  the  Psalms,  Ixxxii.  6. 

The  multitudes  answered.  We  have  heard  out  of  the  law  that  the  Christ 
abideth  for  ever  {John  xii.  34). 

This  is  written  in  the  Psalms,  Ixxxix.  30,  37 ;  ex.  4 ;  Dan.  vii.  14. 

That  the  Word  might  be  fulfilled  that  is  written  in  their  law,  They 
hated  Me  without  a  cause  {John  xv.  25). 

This  is  written  in  Psalm  xxxv.  19. 

It  is  easier  for  heaven  and  earth  to  pass  away  than  for  one  tittle  of  the 
law  to  fall  {Luke  xvi.  17). 

By  the  law  in  this  passage,  as  frequently  elsewhere,  the  whole 
Sacred  Scripture  is  meant. 

263.  Few  understand  how  the  Lord  is  the  Word;  for  they 
think  that  although  the  Lord  can  enlighten  and  teach  men 
through  the  Word,  He  cannot  on  this  account  be  called  the 
Word.  But  let  it  be  understood  that  every  man  is  his  own  will 
and  his  own  understanding,  each  man  being  thus  distinct  from 
every  other ;  and  as  the  will  is  the  receptacle  of  love,  and  thus 
of  all  the  goods  of  that  love,  and  the  understanding  is  the  re- 
ceptacle of  wisdom,  and  thus  of  all  things  of  truth  belonging 
to  that  wisdom,  it  follows,  that  each  man  is  his  own  love  and 
his  own  wisdom,  or  what  is  the  same  thing,  his  own  good  and 
his  own  truth.  For  no  other  reason  is  man  a  man,  and  nothing 
else  than  this  in  man  is  man.  In  respect  to  the  Lord,  He  is 
love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  thus  good  itself  and  truth  itself ; 
and  this  He  became  by  fulfilling  all  the  good  and  all  the  truth 
in  the  Word.  For  he  who  thinks  and  speaks  nothing  but  truth 
becomes  that  truth ;  and  he  who  wills  and  does  only  what  is 
good  becomes  that  good ;  and  as  the  Lord  fulfilled  all  the  Divine 
truth  and  Divine  good  contained  in  the  Word,  both  in  its  nat- 
ural'sense  and  in  its  spiritual  sense.  He  became  good  itself  and 
truth  itself,  that  is,  the  Word. 


N.  264] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


351 


XII. 


BEFORE   THE  WORD   THAT    IS    NOW  IN    THE   WORLD,  THERE   WAS 

A    WORD    THAT    WAS    LOST. 

264.  From  what  is  told  in  the  books  of  Moses  it  is  manifest 
that  worship  by  sacrifices  was  known,  and  that  men  prophesied 
from  the  mouth  of  Jehovah  before  the  Word  was  given  to  the 
Israelitish  nation  through  Moses  and  the  prophets.  That  wor- 
ship by  sacrifices  was  known  is  evident  from  the  following : — 

The  sons  of  Israel  were  commanded  to  overturn  the  altars  of  the  na- 
tions, to  da.sh  in  pieces  their  statues,  and  to  cut  down  their  groves  {Ex. 
xxxiv.  13  ;  Beut.  vii.  5  ;  xii.  3). 

In  Shittim  Israel  began  to  commit  whoredom  with  the  daughters  of 
Moab ;  they  called  the  people  unto  the  sacrifices  of  their  gods,  and  the 
people  did  eat  {Num.  xxv.  1-3). 

That  Balaam,  who  was  from  Sj^ria,  made  them  to  build  altars,  and  they 
sacrificed  oxen  and  sheep  {Num.  xxii.  40  ;  xxiii.  1,  2,  14,  29,  30). 

He  also  prophesied  of  the  Lord,  saying  that  a  Star  should  come  forth 
out  of  Jacob,  and  a  Scepter  should  rise  out  of  Israel  {Num.  xxiv.  17). 

He  also  prophesied  from  the  mouth  of  Jehovah  {Num.  xxii.  13,  18 ; 
xxiii.  3,  5,  8,  16,  26  ;  xxiv.  1,  13). 

All  this  shows  that  there  existed  among  the  nations  a  Divine 
worship,  almost  like  that  instituted  by  Moses  in  the  Israelitish 
nation.  That  it  also  existed  before  the  time  of  Abraham,  is 
clear  from  the  words  in  Moses  (Bent,  xxxii.  7,  8),  but  con- 
clusively from  what  is  said  of  Melchizedek,  king  of  Salem : — 

That  he  brought  forth  bread  and  wine,  and  blessed  Abraham,  and 
that  Abraham  gave  him  tithes  of  all  {Gen.  xiv.  18-20)  ; 

also  that  Melchizedek  represented  the  Lord,  for  he  is  called  the 
priest  of  the  Most  High  God  (Gen.  xiv.  18) ;  and  it  is  said  of 
the  Lord  in  David : — 

Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek  {Ps.  ex.  4). 

It  was  for  this  reason  that  Melchizedek  brought  forth  bread 
and  wine  as  the  most  holy  things  of  the  church,  as  they  are  the 
holy  things  in  the  Holy  Supper.  These  and  many  other  things 
are  clear  proofs  that  before  the  Israelitish  Word  there  was  a 
Word  from  which  such  revelations  as  these  were  derived. 


i::it^!a»ak.-a^-,-uje 


352 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  265] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


353 


265.  That  there  was  a  Word  among  the  ancient  people,  is 
evident  from  Moses,  who  mendons  it  and  took  certain  things 
from  it  (Nu?n.  xxi.  14, 15, 27-30) ;  its  historical  parts  were  called 
i^the  Wars  of  Jehovah,^'  and  its  prophetical  parts  '' Emincia- 
tions:'  From  the  historical  parts  of  that  Word  the  following  is 
quoted  by  Moses  : — 

Wherefore  it  is  said  in  the  Book  of  the  Wars  of  Jehovah,  Vaheb  in 
Suphah  and  in  the  streams  of  Amon,  and  the  valley  of  water-courses  that 
goeth  down  to  the  dwelling  of  Ar,  and  leaneth  upon  the  border  of  Moab 
{Num.  xxi.  14,  15). 

By  the  wars  of  Jehovah  in  that  Word,  as  in  ours,  the  conflicts 
of  the  Lord  with  the  hells,  and  His  victories  over  them  when 
He  was  about  to  come  into  the  world  are  meant  and  described. 
The  same  conflicts  are  meant  and  described  in  many  places  in 
the  historical  portions  of  our  Word,  as  in  what  is  said  of  the 
wars  of  Joshua  with  the  nations  of  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  the 
wars  of  the  judges  and  the  kings  of  Israel.  [-•]  From  the  pro- 
phetical portions  of  that  Word  the  following  passages  were 
taken : — 

Wherefore  the  Enunciators  say,  Come  ye  to  Heshbon  ;  let  the  city  of 
Sihon  be  built  and  established  ;  for  a  fire  is  gone  out  of  Heshbon,  a  flame 
from  the  city  of  Sihon  ;  it  hath  devoured  Ar  of  Moab,  and  the  lords  of 
the  high  places  of  Amon.  Woe  to  thee,  Moab  ;  thou  hast  perished,  O 
people^  of  Chemosh  ;  he  hath  given  his  sons  as  fugitives,  and  his  daugh- 
ters into  captivity  unto  Sihon  king  of  the  Amorites.  We  have  destroyed 
them  with  weapons  ;  Heshbon  is  perished  even  unto  Dibon,  and  we  have 
laid  them  waste  even  unto  Nophah,  which  reacheth  unto  Medeba  {Num. 
xxi.  27-30). 

Translators  render  this  "  composers  of  proverbs"  [or  "  they 
that  speak  in  proverbs''] ;  but  the  rendering  ought  to  be  ''  Enim- 
ciators,"  or  "Prophetic  Enunciations,"  as  can  be  seen  from 
the  signification  of  the  word  Mesehalim  in  the  Hebrew  tongue, 
which  means  both  proverbs  and  prophetic  enunciations  (as  in 
Xum.  xxiii.  7, 18 ;  xxiv.  3, 15),  where  it  is  said  that  Balaam  "  ut- 
tered his  enunciation,"  which  was  a  prophecy  that  also  referred 
to  the  Lord.  This  enunciation  is  called  Maschal  in  the  singu- 
lar. Moreover,  what  Moses  quotes  therefrom  is  not  a  proverb 
but  a  prophecy.  [3]  That  this  Word  was  in  like  manner  Di- 
vinely inspired  is  evident  from  Jeremiah,  where  almost  the 
same  things  are  said  : — 


I 

t 


« 


H 


A  fire  is  gone  forth  out  of  Heshbon,  and  a  flame  from  the  midst  of 
Sihon,  and  hath  devoured  the  comer  of  Moab,  and  the  crown  of  the  head 
of  the  sons  of  tumult.  Woe  be  unto  thee,  Moab :  the  people  of  Chemosh 
have  perished ;  for  thy  sons  are  taken  away  captive,  and  thy  daughters 
into  captivity  (xlviii.  45,  46). 

In  addition  to  all  this  a  prophetic  book  of  the  ancient  Word, 
called  the  Book  of  Jasher  or  the  book  of  the  Upright,  is  men- 
tioned by  David  and  Joshua;  by  David  as  follows:— 

David  lamented  over  Saul  and  over  Jonathan  ;  and  he  wrote,  To  teach 
the  sons  of  Judah  the  bow.  Behold,  it  is  written  in  the  Book  of  Jasher 
(2  Sam.  i.  17,  18). 

And  by  Joshua : — 

Joshua  said.  Sun,  stand  thou  still  upon  Gibeon,  and  thou,  moon  in  the 
valley  of  Ajalon.    Is  not  this  written  in  the  Book  of  Jasher  ?  {Josh.  x.  12, 

13). 

266  T^rom  all  this  it  can  be  seen  that  there  was  in  the  world, 
especially  in  Asia,  an  ancient  Word  before  the  Israelitish  Word. 
It  will  be  seen  in  the  third  Memorable  Relation  at  the  end  of 
this  chapter  on  the  Sacred  Scripture  that  this  Word  is  pre- 
served in  heaven  among  the  angels  who  lived  in  those  tunes ; 
and  moreover,  that  it  is  still  in  existence  at  the  present  day 
among  the  nations  of  Great  Tartary. 


XIII. 

THROUGH  THE  WORD  THERE  IS   LIGHT  ALSO   TO  THOSE  WHO  ARE 
OUTSIDE  OF  THE  CHURCH  AND  DO  NOT  POSSESS 

THE   WORD. 

267  Ko  conjunction  with  heaven  is  possible  unless  some- 
where on  the  earth  there  is  a  church  that  has  the  Word,  and 
bv  means  of  the  Word  the  Lord  is  known ;  for  the  Lord  is  the 
God  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  without  Him  there  is  no  salva. 
tion  That  conjunction  with  the  Lord  and  affiliation  with  the 
angels  is  effected  by  means  of  the  Word  may  be  seen  above 
23 


\  ittttWiiairiitaiijiSt  tJUttiaaamAdJtf JMiii 


354 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


(n.  234-239).  It  is  sufficient  that  there  be  a  church  where  the 
Word  is;  and  although  it  consist  of  comparatively  few,  the 
Lord  nevertheless  is  present  by  means  of  it  throughout  the 
whole  world,  since  by  means  of  it  there  is  a  conjunction  of 
heaven  with  the  human  race. 

268.  But  it  shall  be  told  how  there  is  a  presence  and  a  con- 
junction of  the  Lord  and  heaven  in  all  the  earth  by  means  of 
the  AVord.  In  the  Lord's  sight  the  whole  angelic  heaven  is  as 
a  single  man ;  so  also  is  the  church  on  earth.  That  these  actu- 
ally appear  as  a  man  may  be  seen  in  the  work  on  Heaven  and 
Hell  (n.  59-8G).  In  that  man  the  church  where  the  Word  is 
read,  and  by  means  of  it  the  Lord  is  known,  is  like  the  heart 
and  lungs,  the  Lord's  celestial  kingdom  like  the  heart,  and  His 
spiritual  kingdom  like  the  lungs.  As  from  these  two  fountains 
of  life  in  the  human  body  all  the  remaining  members,  viscera, 
and  organs,  subsist  and  live,  so  from  the  conjunction  of  the 
Lord  and  heaven  with  the  church  bv  means  of  the  AVord,  do 
all  those  subsist  and  live  in  all  the  earth  who  have  a  religion, 
and  who  worship  one  God  and  live  well,  and  are  thereby  in 
that  man,  such  having  relation  to  the  members  and  viscera  out- 
side of  the  thorax  wliich  contains  the  heart  and  lungs.  For 
the  Word  in  the  Christian  church  is  life  from  the  Lord  through 
heaven  to  the  rest  of  the  world,  just  as  the  life  of  the  mem- 
bers and  viscera  of  the  whole  body  is  from  the  heart  and  lungs ; 
and  there  is  a  like  communication  :  and  this  is  whv  Christians, 
among  whom  the  Word  is  read,  constitute  the  breast  of  that 
man.  Such  are  in  the  center  of  all,  and  round  about  them  are 
the  Papists,  and  around  these  the  IMohammedans  who  acknowl- 
edge the  Lord  as  the  greatest  prophet  and  the  son  of  God. 
After  these  are  the  Africans,  while  the  peoples  and  nations  of 
Asia  and  the  Indies  form  the  outmost  boundary. 

269.  That  this  is  true  of  heaven  as  a  Avhole  may  be  con- 
cluded from  what  is  similar  in  each  society  of  heaven;  for 
each  society  is  a  heaven  in  a  less  form,  and  is  also  like  a  man 
(that  it  is  so,  may  be  seen  in  the  work  on  Heaven  and  Hell, 
n.  41-87).  In  each  society  of  heaven  those  who  are  at  the 
center  have  a  like  relation  to  the  heart  and  lungs,  and  with 
then  there  is  the  greatest  light.  The  light  itself  with  the 
consequent  perception  of  truth  spreads  out  from  that  center 


N.  269] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


355 


towards  the  circumference,  in  every  direction,  thus  to  all  who 
are  in  the  society,  and  constitutes  their  spiritual  life.  It  has 
been  shown  that  when  those  who  were  at  the  center  and  who 
constituted  the  province  of  the  heart  and  lungs,  and  with  whom 
there  was  the  most  light,  were  taken  away,  those  who  were 
round  about  them  had  their  understandings  obscured,  and  had 
so  feeble  a  perception  of  truth  that  they  were  grieved ;  but  as 
soon  as  the  others  returned  light  appeared,  and  their  percep- 
tion of  truth  was  the  same  as  before.  This  may  be  compared 
to  the  heat  and  light  of  the  sun  of  the  world,  which  causes 
trees  and  plants  to  vegetate,  even  those  out  of  their  direct  rays 
or  under  clouds,  provided  the  sun  is  above  the  horizon.  So  is 
it  with  the  light  and  heat  of  heaven  from  the  Lord  as  a  sun 
there,  that  light  being  in  its  essence  Divine  truth,  the  source 
of  all  wisdom  and  intelligence  to  angels  and  men.  It  is  there- 
fore said  of  the  Word : — 

That  it  was  with  God,  and  was  God  ;  that  it  lighteth  every  man  that 
Cometh  into  the  world,  and  that  its  light  shineth  even  in  darkness  {John 
i.1,6,9). 

The  W^ord  here  means  the  Lord  in  respect  to  Divine  truth. 

270.  From  all  this  it  can  be  seen  that  the  Word  which  is 
in  the  possession  of  the  Protestant  and  Reformed  churches, 
enlightens  by  spiritual  communication  all  nations  and  peo- 
ples ;  also  that  the  Lord  provides  that  there  shall  always  be  on 
earth  a  church  where  the  AVord  is  read,  and  thereby  the  Lord  is 
made  known.  Therefore  when  the  Papists  had  almost  wholly 
rejected  the  Word,  by  the  Lord's  Divine  Providence  the  Re- 
formation took  place,  whereby  the  Word  was  drawn  as  it  were 
from  concealment  and  brought  into  use.  So  when  the  Word 
had  been  wholly  falsified  and  adulterated  by  the  eJewish  na- 
tion, and,  as  it  were,  made  of  no  effect,  it  pleased  the  Lord  to 
descend  from  heaven,  and  to  come  as  the  Word,  and  fulfill  it, 
and  thereby  to  restore  and  re-establish  it,  and  give  light  once 
more  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  according  to  the  words 
of  the  Lord  : — 

The  people  that  sit  in  darkness  saw  a  great  light ;  and  to  them  that  sit 
m  the  land  and  shadow  of  death,  to  them  did  the  light  spring  up  {Isa.  ix. 
2  ;  Matt.  iv.  16). 


356 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


271.  As  it  was  foretold  that  again  at  the  end  of  this  church 
darkness  would  arise  from  not  recognizing  the  Lord  as  the  God 
of  heaven  and  earth,  and  from  the  separation  of  faith  from 
charity,  lest  in  consequence  of  this  the  genuine  understanding 
of  the  Word  and  with  it  the  church  should  perish,  it  has  pleased 
the  Lord  to  reveal  at  this  time  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word, 
and  to  make  manifest  that  the  Word  contains  in  that  sense, 
and  from  that  sense  in  the  natural  sense,  things  innumerable, 
by  means  of  which  the  almost  extinguished  light  of  truth  from 
the  Word  may  be  restored.  That  the  light  of  truth  would  be 
almost  extinguished  at  the  end  of  this  church,  is  foretold  in 
many  places  in  the  Apocalypse.  This  is  the  meaning  also  of 
these  words  of  the  Lord : — 


Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days  the  sun  shall  be  dark- 
ened, and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from 
heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken  ;  and  then  they 
shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  glory  and 
power  {Matt.  xxiv.  29,  30). 

By  "the  sun"  here  the  Lord  in  respect  to  love  is  meant ; by  "the 
moon''  the  Lord  in  respect  to  faith ;  by  "  the  stars"  the  Lord  in 
respect  to  knowledges  of  truth  and  good ;  by  "  the  Son  of  man" 
the  Lord  in  respect  to  the  Word;  by  "a  cloud"  the  sense  of 
the  letter  of  the  Word ;  by  "  glory"  the  spiritual  sense  of  the 
Word,  and  its  shining  through  the  sense  of  the  letter,  and  by 
"power"  its  potency. 

272.  I  have  been  permitted  to  learn  through  much  experi- 
ence, that  man  has  communication  with  heaven  through  the 
Word.  While  reading  the  Word  from  the  first  chapter  of 
Isaiah  to  the  last  of  Malaclii,  and  also  the  Psalms  of  David, 
and  keeping  my  thought  fixed  upon  the  spiritual  sense,  a  clear 
perception  was  given  me  that  each  verse  communicated  with 
some  society  of  heaven,  and  thus  the  whole  Word  with  the  en- 
tire heaven ;  which  showed  clearly,  that  as  the  Lord  is  the 
Word,  heaven  is  also  the  Word,  since  heaven  is  heaven  from 
the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  through  the  Word  is  the  all  in  all  things 
of  heaven. 


N.  273] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


357 


XIV. 

IP  THERE  WERE  NO  WORD  THERE  WOULD  BE  NO  KNOWLEDGE 

OF  GOD,  OF  HEAVEN  AND  HELL,  OR  OF  A  LIFE  AFTER 

DEATH,  STILL  LESS  OF  THE  LORD. 

273.  As  there  are  some  who  hold,  and  who  have  thoroughly 
convinced  themselves,  that  man  may  know  without  the  Word 
of  the  existence  of  God,  and  of  heaven  and  hell,  and  of  other 
things  taught  by  the  Word ;  such  cannot  properly  be  appealed 
to  from  the  W^ord,  but  only  from  the  light  of  natural  reason, 
since  they  do  not  believe  in  the  Word,  but  only  in  themselves.^ 
Inquire  then,  from  the  light  of  reason,  and  you  will  find  that* 
there  are  in  man  two  faculties  of  life,  which  are  called  under- 
standing and  will,  and  that  the  understanding  is  subject  to  the 
will,  but  not  the  will  to  the  understanding ;  for  the  understand- 
ing merely  teaches  and  points  out  what  ought  to  be  done  from 
the  will ;  and  for  this  reason  many  who  are  of  an  acute  genius, 
and  who  understand  better  than  others  the  moral  principles  of 
life,  still  do  not  live  according  to  them ;  but  if  their  will  favored 
them  it  would  be  otherwise.    Inquire  further,  and  you  will  find 
that  man's  will  is  his  selfhood  (proprium)  and  that  this  is  evil 
from  birth,  and  that  from  this  comes  the  falsity  in  the  under- 
standing.   When  you  have  found  out  these  things,  you  will  see 
that  man  of  himself  has  no  wish  to  understand  anything  except 
what  is  from  the  selfhood  of  his  will,  and  if  this  were  his  only 
-  source  of  knowledge,  he  would  have  no  wish  from  his  will's 
selfhood  to  understand  anything  but  what  pertains  to  self  and 
the  world ;  and  everything  above  this  would  be  in  thick  dark- 
ness.   For  instance,  in  looking  at  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  if 
he  should  think  about  their  origin,  he  could  not  think  other- 
wise than  that  they  exist  from  themselves.     Could  he  raise  his 
thoughts  higher  than  many  of  the  learned  in  the  world,  who 
while  knowing  from  the  W^ord  that  all  things  were  created  by 
God,  yet  acknowledge  nature  ?    If  these  had  known  nothing 
from  the  Word  what  would  they  have  thought  ?    Do  you  sup- 
pose that  the  ancient  wise  men,  such  as  Aristotle,  Cicero,  Sen- 
eca, and  others,  who  wrote  about  God  and  the  immortality  of 


358 


THE  TRJE  CHRISTIiVN  llELIGIUN  [Chap.  IV. 


the  soul,  obtained  this  knowledge  primarily  from  their  own  un- 
derstanding? No;  they  obtained  it  from  others  by  its  having 
been  handed  down  from  those  who  hrst  knew  of  it  from  the 
ancient  Word,  of  which  above.  Neither  do  the  writers  on  Nat- 
ural Theology  derive  any  such  knowledge  from  themselves; 
they  merely  confirm  by  rational  deductions  what  they  knew 
from  the  church  where  the  Word  is,  and  possibly  some  among 
them  confirm  and  yet  do  not  believe. 

274.  It  has  been  granted  me  to  see  people  who  were  born 
on  islands,  and  who  were  rational  in  civil  matters,  but  knew 
nothing  whatever  about  God.  In  the  spiritual  world  these 
look  like  sphinxes ;  but  as  they  were  born  men,  and  thus  have 
a  capacity  to  receive  spiritual  life,  they  are  instructed  by  an- 
gels, and  are  made  alive  by  knowledge  about  the  Lord  as  a 
Man.  What  man  is  of  himself  is  made  clear  from  those  who 
are  in  hell.  Among  these  there  are  some  leaders  and  learned 
men  who  are  not  willing  even  to  hear  about  God,  and  therefore 
cannot  even  utter  the  word  God.  These  I  have  seen,  and  I  have 
talked  with  them.  I  have  also  talked  with  some  who  burned 
with  anger  and  fury  when  they  heard  any  one  speaking  about 
the  Lord.  Consider  then,  what  kind  of  man  one  would  be  who 
had  never  heard  anything  about  God,  when  such  is  the  char- 
acter of  some  who  have  talked  about  God,  written  about  God, 
and  preached  about  God.  Such  they  are  from  their  will,  which 
is  evil,  and  which,  as  before  said,  leads  the  understanding,  and 
takes  away  any  truth  there  is  in  it  from  the  Word.  If  man 
of  himself  had  been  able  to  know  that  there  is  a  God  and  a  life 
after  death,  why  has  he  not  known  that  man  is  a  man  after 
death?  Why  does  he  believe  that  his  soul  or  spirit  is  like 
mere  wind  or  ether,  having  no  eyes  to  see,  no  ears  to  hear,  no 
mauth  to  speak,  until  it  is  joined  with  and  made  one  with  its 
corpse  and  skeleton  ?  Given  therefore,  a  doctrine  hatched  sole- 
ly from  the  light  of  reason,  would  it  not  teach  that  self  should 
be  worshiped  ?  This  has  been  done  for  ages,  and  is  still  done 
now  by  those  wdio  know  from  the  Word  that  God  alone  ought 
to  be  worshiped.  From  the  selfhood  of  man  no  other  worship 
can  spring,  not  even  the  worship  of  the  sun  and  moon. 

275.  It  was  not  from  themselves  nor  from  their  OAvn  intel- 
ligence, but  from  the  ancient  Word  (see  above,  n.  204-266), 


N.  275] 


THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURE 


359 


and  afterwards  from  the  Israelitish  Word,  that  from  the  most 
ancient  times  religion  has  existed,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  everywhere  have  had  a  knowledge  of  God,  and  some 
knowledge  of  a  life  after  death.    From  these  two  Words  re- 
ligious   systems   spread  into  the  Indies    and   their   islands; 
through  Egypt  and  Ethiopia  into  the  kingdoms  of  Africa ;  from 
the  maritime  parts  of  Asia  into  Greece,  and  from  Greece  into 
Italy.    But  as  the  Word  could  be  written  only  by  representa- 
tions,  which  are  such  things  m  the  world  as  correspond  to  and 
thus  signify  heavenly  things,  the  religions  of  these  nations 
were  turned  into  idolatries,  and  in  Greece  into  fables ;  and  the 
Divine  attributes  and  properties  were  turned  into  as  many 
gods,  over  whom  one  was  made  supreme,  whom  they  called 
Jove,  possibly  from  Jehovah.    It  is  known  that  they  had  a 
knowledge  of  Paradise,  of  the  flood,  of  the  sacred  fire,  and  of 
the  four  ages,  from  the  first  or  golden  age,  to  the  last  or  iron 
age  (as  described  in  Daniel  ii.  31-35). 

276.  Those  who  believe  that  a  knowledge  of  God,  of  heaven 
and  hell,  and  of  the  spiritual  things  pertaining  to  the  church, 
can  be  gained  from  their  own  intelligence,  do  not  know  that  a 
natural  man,  viewed  in  himself,  is  opposed  to  the  spiritual,  and 
therefore  desires  to  extirpate  the  spiritual  things  that  enter, 
or  to  involve  them  in  fallacies,  which  are  like  the  worms  that 
consume  the  roots  of  herbs  and  grain.  Such  may  be  likened  to 
men  who  dream,  that  they  are  seated  upon  eagles  and  are  borne 
up  on  high,  or  are  mounted  on  Pegasus  and  are  flymg  over 
Mount  Parnassus  to  Helicon ;  while  actually  they  are  like  the 
Lucif ers  in  hell,  who  still  call  themselves  there  "  sons  of  the 
morning"  {Isa.  xiv.  12).  They  are  also  like  the  men  in  the 
valley  of  the  land  of  Shinar,  who  attempted  to  build  a  tower, 
the  head  of  w^hich  should  reach  to  heaven  {Gen.  xi.  2-4) ;  and 
like  Goliath  they  trust  to  themselves,  not  foreseeing  that  like 
him  they  might  be  prostrated  by  a  sling-stone  buried  in  the 
forehead.  I  will  tell  what  lot  awaits  such  after  death.  At  first 
they  become  as  if  drunk,  then  like  fools,  and  at  last  they  be- 
come stupid  and  dwell  in  darkness.    Therefore  let  men  beware 

of  such  madness. 

277.  To  this  I  will  add  the  following  Memorable  Relations. 

First : — 


laaiiffiiiii'TiiiiWifctiiiihi 


''■'•'■•-■^•^"^•■iiiiiiilillTiliiffiiffliin^nirM 


360 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IV. 


One  day  I  was  wandering  in  the  spirit  through  various  places 
in  the  spiritual  world,  for  the  purpose  of  observing  the  repre- 
sentations of  heavenly  things  that  are  there  exhibited  in  many 
places ;  and  in  a  certain  house  where  there  were  angels,  I  saw 
large  purses  containing  a  great  quantity  of  silver ;  and  as  the 
purses  were  open,  it  seemed  as  if  any  one  might  draw  forth  the 
silver  there  stored,  and  even  purloin  it ;  but  near  the  purses  sat 
two  youths,  who  were  guards.  The  place  where  the  purses  were 
stored  looked  like  the  manger  in  a  stable.  In  the  next  room 
modest  virgins  with  a  chaste  wife  were  seen ;  and  near  that 
room  stood  two  little  children,  and  it  was  said  that  they  were 
not  to  be  played  with  in  a  childish  way,  but  treated  wisely. 
Afterwards  a  harlot  appeared,  and  then  a  horse  lying  dead. 

Having  seen  these  things,  I  was  taught  that  they  represent- 
ed the  natural  sense  of  the  Word,  within  which  is  the  spirit- 
ual sense.  The  large  purses  tilled  with  silver  signified  knowl- 
edges of  truth  in  great  abundance ;  their  being  open  and  yet 
guarded  by  youths,  signified  that  any  one  may  obtain  knowl- 
edges of  truth  therefrom,  and  yet  care  must  be  taken  that  the 
spiritual  sense,  which  contains  pure  truths,  be  not  violated. 
The  manger  like  that  in  a  stable,  signified  spiritual  nourish- 
ment for  the  imderstanding,  a  manger  having  this  significance, 
because  a  horse,  which  eats  from  it,  signifies  the  understand- 
ing. The  modest  virgins  who  were  seen  in  the  next  room  sig- 
nified affections  for  truth,  and  the  chaste  wife,  the  conjunction 
of  good  and  truth.  The  little  children  signified  the  innocence 
of  wisdom,  for  the  angels  of  the  highest  heaven,  who  are  the 
wisest  of  angels,  appear  at  a  distance  like  little  children  be- 
cause of  their  innocence.  The  harlot  with  the  dead  horse,  sig- 
nified the  falsification  of  truth  by  many  at  the  present  day, 
whereby  all  understanding  of  truth  perishes ;  a  harlot  signify- 
ing falsification,  and  a  dead  horse  no  understanding  of  truth. 

278.  Second  Memorable  Kelation : — 

There  was  once  sent  down  to  me  from  heaven  a  little  paper 
with  Hebrew  letters  inscribed  on  it,  but  written  as  with  the 
ancients,  with  whom  those  letters  which  at  the  present  are 
formed  in  part  of  straight  lines  were  curved,  with  little  horns 
turned  upward;  and  the  angels  who  were  with  me  said  that 
they  recognized  complete  meanings  in  the  very  letters,  per- 


N.  278] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


361 


ceiving  them  especially  from  the  curves   of  the  lines    and 
apexes  of  the  letters.     They  also  explained  what  the  letters 
signified  both  separately  and  conjointly,  saying  that  the  letter 
H,  which  was  added  to  the  names  of  Abram  and  Sarai,  signi- 
fied the  infinite  and  eternal.     They  also  explained  to  me  the 
meaning  of  the  Word  in  Fs.  xxxii.  2,  from  the  letters  or  syl- 
lables alone,  saying  that  their  meaning  in  brief  is.  That  the 
Lord  is  merciful  even  to  those  who  do  evil.     They  told  me 
that  the  writings  in  the  third  heaven  consist  of  letters  bent  and 
variously  curved,  each  one  of  which  contains  a  certain  mean- 
ing ;  and  that  the  vowels  there  stand  for  the  tone  of  the  voice, 
which  corresponds  to  affection ;  also  that  they  are  unable  in 
that  heaven  to  pronounce  the  vowels  i  and  e,  but  use  in  their 
place  1/  and  eu ;  and  that  the  vowels  a,  o,  and  ii  were  in  use 
among  them,  because  they  have  a  full  sound.     They  also  said 
that  they  pronounce  none  of  the  consonants  roughly,  but  only 
softly,  and  that  this  is  why  some  Hebrew  letters  have  points 
within  them  as  a  sign  that  they  are  to  be  pronounced  softly ; 
adding  that  the  rough  sounds  of  letters  are  in  use  in  the 
spiritual  heaven,  because  there  the  angels  are  in  truths;  and 
truth  admits  roughness,  but  the  good  in  which  the  angels  of 
the  Lord's  celestial  kingdom  or  of  the  third  heaven  are,  does 
not.     They  said,  moreover,  that  they  have  a  Word  among 
themselves  written  with  curved  letters  with  little  horns  and 
apexes  fchat  are  significative.     This  makes  clear  what  these 
words  of  the  Lord  signify : — 

One  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  away  from  the  law,  till  all 
things  be  accomplished  (Matt,  v,  18) ; 

also  of  these  : — 

It  is  easier  for  heaven  and  earth  to  pass  away  than  for  one  tittle  of  the 
law  to  fall  {Luke  xvi.  17). 

279.  Third  Memorable  Relation  : — 

Seven  years  ago,  when  I  was  collecting  what  Moses  wrote  in 
the  twenty-first  chapter  of  Numbers  from  the  two  books  called 
The  Wars  of  Jehovah  and  Enunciations,  some  angels  were 
present  who  told  me  that  those  books  were  the  ancient  Word, 
the  historical  parts  of  which  were  called  The  Wars  of  Jehovah, 


362 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


and  the  prophetic,  Enunciations  ;  and  they  said  that  this  Word 
is  still  preserved  in  heaven,  and  in  use  among  the  ancient  peo- 
ple there  who  had  this  Word  when  they  were  in  the  world. 
These  ancient  people,  among  whom  that  Word  is  still  in  use  in 
heaven,  were  in  part  from  the  land  of  Canaan  and  the  neigh- 
boring countries,  as  Syria,  Mesopotamia,  Arabia,  Chaldea,  As- 
syria, Egypt,  Sidon,  Tyre,  and  Nineveh;  the  inhabitants  of 
all  of  which  kingdoms  had  representative  worship  and  conse- 
quently a  knowledge  of  correspondences.  The  wisdom  of  that 
time  was  from  that  knowledge,  and  by  it  men  had  interior  per- 
ception, and  communication  with  the  heavens.  Those  who 
knew  the  correspondences  of  that  Word  were  called  wise  and 
intelligent,  and  afterward  diviners  and  Magi.  [2]  But  because 
that  Word  was  full  of  such  correspondences  as  remotely  signi- 
fied things  celestial  and  spiritual,  and  consequently  began  to 
be  falsified  by  many,  in  course  of  time  by  the  Lord's  Divine 
Providence  it  disappeared,  and  another  Word  was  given,  writ- 
ten by  correspondences  not  so  remote,  and  this  through  the 
prophets  among  the  sons  of  Israel.  In  this  Word  many  names 
of  the  places,  both  in  the  land  of  Canaan  and  round  about  in 
Asia,  are  retained,  all  of  which  signified  things  and  states  of 
the  church ;  but  the  significations  were  from  the  ancient  Word. 
For  this  reason  Abram  was  commanded  to  go  into  that  land, 
and  his  posterity  through  Jacob  were  led  into  it. 

[3]  Of  that  ancient  Word  which  existed  in  Asia  before  the 
Israelitish  Word,  I  am  permitted  to  state  this  new  thing,  name- 
ly, that  it  is  still  preserved  there  among  the  people  who  dwell 
in  Great  Tartary.  In  the  spiritual  world  I  have  talked  with 
spirits  and  angels  from  that  country,  who  said  that  they  have 
a  Word,  and  have  had  it  from  ancient  times ;  and  that  they 
conduct  their  Divine  worship  according  to  this  Word,  and  that 
it  consists  solely  of  correspondences.  They  said,  that  in  it  also 
is  the  Book  of  Jasher,  which  is  mentioned  in  Joshua  (x.  12, 
13),  and  in  2  Samuel  (i.  17, 18) ;  and  that  they  have  also  among 
them  the  books  called  The  Wars  of  Jehovah  and  Enunciations, 
which  are  mentioned  by  Moses  (^JSfum.  xxi.  14, 15,  and  27-30); 
and  when  I  read  to  them  the  words  that  Moses  had  quoted 
therefrom,  they  searched  to  see  if  they  were  there,  and  found 
them ;  from  which  it  was  evident  to  me  that  the  ancient  Word 


N.  279] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


363 


is  still  among  that  people.    While  talking  with  them  they  said 
that  they  worshiped  Jehovah,  some  as  an  invisible  God,  and 
some  as  visible.     W  They  also  told  me  that  they  do  not  per- 
mit foreigners  to  come  among  them,  except  the  Chinese,  with 
whom  they  cultivate  peaceful  relations,  because  the  Chinese 
Emperor  is  from  their  country ;  also  that  the  population  is  so 
great  that  they  do  not  believe  that  any  region  in  the  whole 
world  is  more  populous,  which  is  indeed  credible  from  the  wall 
so  many  miles  in  length  which  the  Chinese  formerly  built  as  a 
protection  against  invasion  from  these  people.    I  have  further 
heard  from  the  angels,  that  the  first  chapters  of  Genesis  which 
treat  of  creation,  of  Adam  and  Eve,  the  gartien  of  Eden,  their 
sons  and  their  posterity  down  to  the  flood,  and  of  Noah  and 
his  sons,  are  also  contained  in  that  Word,  and  thus  were  tran- 
scribed from  it  by  Moses.    The  angels  and  spirits  from  Great 
Tartary  are  seen  in  the  southern  quarter  on  its  eastern  side, 
and  are  separated  from  others  by  dwelling  hi  a  higher  expanse, 
and  by  their  not  permitting  any  one  to  come  to  them  from  the 
Christian  world,  or,  if  any  ascend,  by  guarding  them  to  prevent 
their  return.     Their  possessing  a  different  Word  is  the  cause 
of  this  separation. 

280.  Eourth  Memorable  Relation: — 

I  once  saw  at  a  distance  walks  between  rows  of  trees,  and 
groups  of  youths  assembled  there,  forming  as  many  companies 
discussing  matters  of  wisdom.  This  was  in  the  spiritual  world. 
I  went  towards  them,  and  as  I  drew  near  I  saw  one  whom  the 
rest  venerated  as  their  primate,  because  he  excelled  them  in 

wisdom. 

^\Tien  he  saw  me  he  said,  "  I  wondered  when  I  saw  you  ap- 
proaching, that  at  one  time  you  came  in  sight  and  at  another 
you  dropped  out  of  sight,  or  I  could  see  you  and  then  sudden- 
ly I  could  not.    You  are  certainly  not  in  the  same  state  of  life 

as  we  are." 

Smiling  at  this  I  said,  ''  I  am  not  a  stage-player,  nor  a  Ver- 
tumnus,  but  I  am  alternately  in  your  light  and  in  your  shade ; 
thus  here  I  am  both  a  foreigner  and  a  native." 

At  this  the  wise  man  gazed  at  me  and  said,  '^^  Your  words 
are  strange  and  marvelous  ;  tell  me  who  you  are." 

And  I  said,  ''  I  am  in  the  world  in  which  you  once  were  and 


364 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IV. 


from  which  you  came,  which  is  called  the  natural  world ;  and 
I  am  also  in  the  world  in  which  you  now  are,  which  is  called 
the  spiritual  world ;  consequently,  I  am  at  the  same  time  in  a 
natural  state  and  in  a  spiritual  state,  in  a  natural  state  with 
men  on  earth,  and  in  a  spiritual  state  with  you;  and  when  I 
am  in  a  natural  state  I  am  not  seen  by  you,  but  when  in  a 
spiritual  state,  I  am  seen.  That  I  am  such  is  granted  me  by 
the  Lord.  To  you  who  are  enlightened  it  is  known  that  a  man 
of  the  natural  world  does  not  see  a  man  of  the  spiritual  world, 
nor  the  reverse ;  therefore  when  I  had  let  my  spirit  down  into 
my  body  I  was  not  visible  to  you,  but  when  I  raised  it  out  of 
the  body  I  was  visible.  This  comes  from  the  distinction  be- 
tween the  spiritual  and  the  natural." 

[2]  When  he  heard  the  words,  "  the  distinction  between  the 
spiritual  and  the  natural,"  he  said,  "  What  is  the  distinction'/ 
Is  it  not  like  that  between  the  purer  and  the  less  pure,  that  is, 
that  the  spiritual  is  simply  a  purer  natural  ?" 

I  answered,  ^^  Such  is  not  the  distinction.  By  no  subtiliza- 
tion  can  the  natural  so  approximate  the  spiritual  as  to  become 
the  spiritual ;  for  the  distinction  is  like  that  between  the  prior 
and  the  posterior,  between  which  there  is  no  finite  ratio.  For 
the  prior  is  in  the  posterior  as  a  cause  in  its  effect;  and  the 
posterior  is  from  the  prior  as  an  effect  is  from  its  cause. 
Therefore  the  one  is  not  visible  to  the  other." 

At  this  the  wise  man  said,  "  I  have  meditated  on  this  dis- 
tinction, but  thus  far  in  vain ;  I  wish  I  could  perceive  it."  I 
replied,  "  You  shall  both  perceive  and  see  the  distinction  be- 
tween the  spiritual  and  the  natural."  And  I  then  said,  "  You 
are  in  a  spiritual  state  when  you  are  with  your  associates,  but 
in  a  natural  state  when  with  me ;  for  with  your  associates  you 
speak  in  a  spiritual  language,  which  is  common  to  every  spirit 
and  angel;  but  with  me  you  speak  in  my  native  tongue,  for 
every  spirit  and  angel  when  speaking  to  a  man  uses  the  man's 
own  language  ;  thus,  French  to  a  Frenchman,  Greek  to  a  Greek, 
Arabic  to  an  Arabian,  and  so  on.  [3]  If  therefore  vou  would 
know  the  difference  between  the  spiritual  and  the  natural  in 
regard  to  language,  do  this :  go  to  your  companions  and  there 
say  something;  retain  the  words,  return  with  them  in  your 
memory,  and  utter  them  to  me." 


N.  280] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


365 


This  he  did,  and  returned  to  me  with  the  words  in  his  mouth, 
and  uttered  them ;  and  they  were  words  wholly  strange  and 
foreign,  such  as  are  not  found  in  any  language  in  the  natural 
world.  By  this  experiment  several  times  repeated,  it  became 
clearly  manifest  that  all  in  the  spiritual  world  have  a  spiritual 
language  that  has  nothing  in  common  with  any  natural  lan- 
guage, and  that  every  man  comes  of  himself  into  that  language 
after  death.  I  also  found  on  one  occasion  that  the  very  sound 
of  spiritual  language  differs  so  much  from  the  sound  of  natural 
language,  that  even  a  loud  spiritual  sound  could  not  be  heard 
at  all  by  a  natui-al  man,  nor  a  natural  sound  by  a  spiritual 

man. 

[4]  After  this  I  asked  the  spirit  and  those  standing  about 
to  go  among  their  companions,  and  write  some  sentence  upon 
paper,  and  then  come  out  to  me  with  the  paper  and  read  it. 
This  they  did,  and  returned  with  the  paper  in  their  hands; 
but  when  they  came  to  read  it,  they  could  not,  because  the 
writing  consisted  solely  of  some  alphabetical  letters,  with 
curves  over  them,  each  one  of  which  meant  something  pertain- 
ing to  the  subject.  Inasmuch  as  each  letter  of  the  alphabet 
there  stands  for  some  meaning,  it  is  plain  why  the  Lord  is 
called  "  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega."  When  they  had  gone  in 
again  and  again  and  had  written  and  returned,  they  found  that 
the  writing  involved  and  comprehended  innumerable  things 
which  no  natural  writing  could  possibly  express ;  and  they  were 
told  that  this  is  so  because  the  spiritual  man's  thoughts  are 
incomprehensible  and  ineffable  to  the  natural  man,  and  that 
they  can  be  put  into  no  other  writing  or  language. 

[5]  Then  as  the  bystanders  had  no  wish  to  understand  that 
spiritual  thought  so  far  exceeds  natural  thought  as  to  be  com- 
paratively ineffable,  I  said  to  them,  "Make  an  experiment;  en- 
ter your  spiritual  society  and  think  of  some  subject,  retain  it, 
and  return  and  express  it  in  my  presence." 

They  entered,  thought  of  a  subject,  retained  it,  and  came 
out ;  and  when  they  tried  to  give  expression  to  it  they  could 
not ;  for  they  could  find  no  idea  of  natural  thought  adequate 
to  any  idea  of  purely  spiritual  thought,  and  thus  no  words  to 
express  it ;  for  the  ideas  of  thought  become  words  in  speech. 
Afterwards  they  entered  again,  and  returned  ;  and  became  con- 


366 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


vinced  that  spiritual  ideas  are  supernatural,  inexpressible,  in- 
effable and  incomprehensible  to  a  natural  man ;  and  they  said 
that  being  so  supereminent,  spiritual  ideas  or  thoughts  in  com- 
parison with  natural  are  ideas  of  ideas  and  thoughts  of  thoughts, 
and  therefore  by  them  the  qualities  of  qualities  and  the  affec- 
tions of  affections  are  expressed;  consequently  that  spiritual 
thoughts  are  the  beginnings  and  origins  of  natural  thoughts ; 
and  from  this  it  is  evident  that  spiritual  wisdom  is  the  wisdom 
of  wisdom,  and  is  therefore  inexi)ressible  to  any  wise  man  in 
the  natural  workl.  [0]  Then  it  was  said  from  the  higher  heaven 
that  there  is  a  still  more  interior  or  higher  wisdom  which  is 
called  celestial,  the  relation  of  which  to  spiritual  wisdom  is  like 
the  relation  of  this  to  natural  wisdom,  and  that  these  inflow  in 
order  according  to  the  heavens  from  the  Lord's  Divine  wisdom, 
which  is  infinite. 

Thereupon,  the  man  speaking  with  me  said,  ^'  This  I  see, 
because  I  perceive  it,  that  one  natural  idea  is  the  containant 
of  many  spiritual  ideas ;  also  that  one  spiritual  idea  is  the  con- 
tainant of  many  celestial  ideas.  From  this  it  follows  as  a  con- 
sequence, that  what  is  divided  does  not  become  more  and  more 
simple,  but  more  and  more  manifold,  because  it  approaches 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  infinite,  which  contains  all  things 
infinitely." 

[7]  After  all  this  had  taken  place,  I  said  to  the  bystanders, 
"  From  these  three  experimental  proofs  you  see  what  kind  of 
distinction  there  is  between  the  spiritual  and  the  natural,  and 
also  the  reason  why  a  natural  man  is  not  visible  to  a  spiritual 
man,  or  a  spiritual  man  to  a  natural  man,  although  both  are 
in  a  complete  human  form,  and  from  that  form  it  seems  to  each 
as  though  he  might  see  the  other.  But  the  interiors  which  be- 
lonsr  to  the  mind  are  what  constitute  that  form ;  and  the  minds 
of  spirits  and  angels  are  formed  out  of  spiritual  things,  while 
the  minds  of  men  so  long  as  they  live  in  the  world,  are  formed 
out  of  natural  things." 

After  this  a  voice  was  heard  from  the  higher  heaven,  saying 
to  one  who  stood  by,  ^'  Come  up  hither."  He  went  up,  and  re- 
turned and  said  that  the  angels  had  not  before  known  the  dif- 
ferences between  the  spiritual  and  the  natural,  because  the 
means  of  comparison  had  not  previously  been  furnished  in  a 


N.  280] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


367 


\ 


man  who  was  in  both  worlds  at  once,  and  without  comparison 
and  relation  those  differences  are  unknowable. 

[8]  Before  we  separated  we  talked  again  about  this  matter, 
and  I  said,  ''  These  distinctions  come  solely  from  this,  that  you 
in  the  spiritual  world  are  substantial  but  not  material,  and  sub- 
stantial things  are  the  beginnings  of  material  things.  What 
is  matter  but  an  aggregation  of  substances?  You  therefore 
are  in  principles  and  thus  in  the  least  particles,  while  we  are 
in  derivatives  and  compounds ;  you  are  in  particulars,  while  we 
are  in  generals ;  and  as  generals  cannot  enter  into  particulars,  so 
neither  can  natural  things,  which  are  material,  enter  into  spir- 
itual thmgs,  which  are  substantial ;  just  as  a  ship's  cable  cannot 
enter  or  be  drawn  through  the  eye  of  a  sewing  needle,  or  a 
nerve  cannot  be  drawn  into  one  of  the  fibers  of  which  it  is  com- 
posed. This  then  is  why  the  natural  man  cannot  think  the 
thoughts  of  the  spiritual  man,  and  therefore  cannot  utter  them. 
So  what  Paul  heard  from  the  third  heaven  he  called  ineffable. 
[9]  Add  to  this,  that  to  think  spiritually  is  to  think  apart  from 
time  and  space,  while  to  think  naturally  is  to  think  in  accord 
with  time  and  space ;  for  to  every  idea  of  natural  thought  there 
adheres  something  from  time  and  space ;  but  it  is  not  so  with 
any  spiritual  idea,  and  for  the  reason  that  the  spiritual  world 
is  not  in  space  and  time,  as  the  natural  world  is,  but  is  in  the 
appearance  of  these  two.  In  the  same  way  do  the  thoughts  and 
perceptions  of  the  two  worlds  differ.  For  this  reason  you  are 
able  to  think  of  the  essence  and  omnipotence  of  God  from  eter- 
nity, that  is,  to  think  of  God  before  the  creation  of  the  world, 
because  you  think  of  the  essence  of  God  apart  from  time  and 
of  His  omnipotence  apart  from  space;  and  thus  you  can  com- 
prehend such  things  as  transcend  man's  natural  ideas." 

[lO]  I  then  told  theni  that  I  had  once  thought  about  the  es- 
sence and  omnipresence  of  God  from  eternity,  that  is,  about 
God  before  the  creation  of  the  world ;  and  because  I  was  not 
then  able  to  separate  spaces  and  times  from  the  ideas  of  my 
thought  I  became  anxious,  since  the  idea  of  nature  in  place  of 
God  pressed  in.  But  it  was  said  to  me,  "  Separate  the  ideas  of 
space  and  time  and  you  Avill  see ;"  and  I  was  permitted  to  sepa- 
rate them,  and  I  saw ;  and  since  then  I  have  been  able  to  think 
of  God  from  eternity,  but  by  no  means  of  nature  from  eter- 


368 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


nity,  because  God  is  in  aU  time  apart  from  time,  and  in  aU 
space  apart  from  space ;  but  nature  in  aU  time  is  in  time,  and 
in  aU  space  is  in  space ;  and  nature  with  its  time  and  space 
must  needs  liave  beginning ;  but  not  God  who  is  apart  from  time 
and  space.  WTierefore  nature  is  not  God  from  eternity,  but  is 
from  God  in  time,  in  connection  with  its  own  tmie  and  space. 
281    Fifth  Memorable  Relation :—  .  .      , 

As  it  has  been  granted  me  by  the  Lord  to  be  in  the  spiritual 
world  and  in  the  natural  world  at  the  same  time,  and  thus  to 
talk  with  angels  the  same  as  with  men,  and  thereby  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  states  of  those  who  after  death  pass  into 
that  hitherto  unknown  world  (for  I  have  spoken  with  all  of 
my  relatives  and  friends,  and  with  kings  and  nobles  and  with 
learned  men  who  have  met  their  fate,  and  this  now  contmually 
for  twenty-seven  years),  I  am  able  from  livmg  experience  to 
describe  the  states  of  men  after  death,  what  the  states  are  of 
those  who  have  lived  well  and  of  those  who  have  lived  wick- 
edly    But  here  I  will  only  mention  some  things  respecting  the 
state  of  those  who  have  confirmed  themselves  in  falsities  of 
doctrine  from  the  Word,  and  especially  those  who  have  done 
this  in  support  of  justification  by  faith  alone.    The  successive 

states  of  such  are  as  follows  :  •  -^     i,-  i, 

a  )  After  death  and  when  they  are  reviving  m  spirit,  whicn 
usually  takes  place  on  the  third  day  after  the  heart  has  ceased 
to  beat,  they  seem  to  themselves  to  be  in  a  body  so  like  that 
which  they  had  in  the  world  that  they  do  not  know  but  that 
they  are  still  living  in  the  former  world,  yet  not  m  a  matenal 
body,  but  in  a  body  that  is  substantial  and  that  appears  to  their 
senses  to  be  material ;  but  it  is  not. 

[2]  (ii )  After  some  days,  they  see  that  they  are  m  a  woiW 
where  various  societies  are  formed,  which  world  is  called  the 
world  of  spirits,  and  is  intermediate  between  heaven  and  hell. 
All  the  societies  there,  and  they  are  iunmnerable,  are  wonder- 
fully arranged  in  accordance  with  good  and  evd  natural  affec- 
tions :  the  societies  arranged  in  accordance  with  good  natural 
affections  communicating  with  heaven,  and  those  arranged  m 
accordance  with  evil  affections  communicatmg  with  hell. 

[3]  (iii  )  The  novitiate  spirit  or  spiritual  man  is  conducted 
and  transferred  into  various  societies,  both  good  and  evil,  and 


N.  281] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIFTH 


369 


is  examined  aB  to  whether  he  is  affected  by  what  is  good  and 
true,  and  how,  or  by  what  is  evil  and  false,  and  how. 

[4]  (iv  )  If  he  is  affected  by  what  is  good  and  true,  he  is  led 
away  from  evil  societies  and  is  led  into  good  societies,  and  into 
different  ones  until  he  comes  into  a  society  that  is  m  corre- 
spondence with  his  natural  affection,  and  there  he  enpys  the 
good  that  corresponds  to  that  affection,  and  this  until  he  has 
put  off  his  natural  affection  and  put  on  a  spiritual  affection,  and 
then  he  is  raised  into  heaven.    This  takes  place  with  those  who 
in  the  world  had  lived  a  life  of  charity,  and  thus  a  life  of  faith 
also,  which  is  believing  in  the  Lord  and  shunning  evils  as  sins. 
[5]  Cv  )  But  those  who  have  confii-med  themselves  in  falsities 
by  means  of  reasonings,  especially  by  means  of  the  Word,  and 
so  have  lived  a  merely  natural  and  thus  an  evd  life  (for  evils 
accompany  falsities  and  adhere  to  falsities),  masmuch  as  they 
are  not  affected  by  what  is  good  and  true,  but  by  what  is  evil 
and  false,  are  led  away  from  good  societies  and  mto  evil  socie- 
ties and  into  different  ones,  until  they  come  mto  some  society 
corresponding  to  the  lusts  of  their  love. 

[6]  rvi)  But  because  these  in  the  world  had  feigned  good 
affections  in  externals,  although  in  their  internals  there  were 
only  evil  affections  or  lusts,  they  are  kept  by  turns  in  their 
r<.oodl  externals.  Those  who  in  the  world  had  presided  over 
communities,  are  appointed  over  societies  here  and  there  m 
the  world  of  spirits,  either  over  a  whole  society  or  a  part  ac- 
cording to  the  extent  of  the  offices  they  had  filled  in  their 
former  life.  But  as  they  have  no  love  for  what  is  true  or 
what  is  just,  and  cannot  be  so  far  enlightened  as  to  know  what 
is  true  and  just,  after  a  few  days  they  are  deposed.  I  have 
seen  such  transferred  from  one  society  to  another,  and  official 
authority  every  where  given  them,  but  always  taken  away  after 

a  short  time.  .  .     „„ 

[7]  (vii )  After  frequent  dismissions  some  from  weariness 
do  not  wish,  and  some  from  fear  of  losing  their  reputation  do 
not  dare,  to  seek  office  any  more;  and  therefore  they  withdraw 
and  sit  in  sadness  and  afterwards  are  led  away  mto  a  desert, 
where  there  are  huts  into  which  they  enter  and  there  some 
work  is  given  them  to  do,  and  as  they  do  it  they  receive  food. 
If  they  do  not  do  it,  when  they  become  hungry  they  receive  no 
24 


370 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  281] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIFTH 


371 


food  and  are  thus  compelled  by  necessity.  The  food  there  is 
similar  to  the  food  in  our  world,  but  is  from  a  spiritual  origin, 
and  is  given  from  heaven  by  the  Lord  to  all  accordi^ig  to  the 
uses  they  perform.  To  the  idle  none  is  given  because  they  ai'e 
useless. 

[8]  (viii.)  After  a  while  they  become  disgusted  with  work 
and  leave  their  huts.  If  they  had  been  priests  they  wish  to 
build;  and  immediately  heaps  of  cut  stone,  bricks,  beams,  and 
boards  appear,  also  piles  of  reeds  and  rushes,  of  clay,  lime,  and 
bitumen.  When  they  see  these  a  strong  desire  to  build  is 
kindled  in  them,  and  they  begin  to  construct  a  house,  taking 
now  a  stone,  and  then  a  stick,  then  a  reed  and  then  some  mud, 
and  placing  one  upon  the  other  without  order,  but  to  their 
sight  in  regular  order.  But  what  they  build  during  the  day 
falls  down  at  night ;  and  the  next  day  they  gather  up  the  ma- 
terial from  the  rubbish  and  build  again ;  and  this  goes  on  until 
they  grow  tired  of  building.  This  takes  place  from  corre- 
spondence. The  correspondence  is  that  they  have  heaped  up 
texts  from  the  Word  to  prove  what  is  false  in  faith,  and  their 
falsities  do  not  otherwise  build  the  church. 

[9]  (ix.)  Afterward  from  weariness  they  go  away  and  sit 
solitary  and  idle ;  and  as  no  food  is  given  from  heaven  to  the 
idle,  as  before  said,  they  begin  to  grow  hungry,  and  to  think 
of  nothing  but  how  to  get  food  and  satisfy  their  hunger. 
AVhile  they  are  in  this  state  persons  come  to  them  from  whom 
they  ask  alms ;  but  these  say,  "  Why  do  you  sit  here  idle? 
Come  home  with  us,  and  we  will  give  you  work  to  do  and  will 
feed  you."  Then  they  rise  up  gladly  and  go  home  with  them, 
and  each  one  is  there  given  his  ovm.  task,  and  for  doing  it  he 
receives  food.  But  since  none  of  those  who  have  confirmed 
themselves  in  the  falsities  of  faith  are  able  to  do  works  that 
have  a  good  use,  but  are  able  to  do  only  such  works  as  have  an 
evil  use,  and  are  unable  to  do  these  faithfully,  but  only  fraudu- 
lently and  also  unwillingly,  they  abandon  their  work,  caring 
only  to  visit,  talk,  walk  about,  and  sleep.  And  as  they  can  no 
longer  be  induced  by  their  masters  to  work  they  are  dismissed 
as  useless. 

[lO]  (x.)  When  they  have  been  dismissed  their  eyes  are 
opened  and  they  see  a  road  leading  to  a  certain  cavern.    When 


« 


they  come  to  it  a  door  is  opened  and  they  enter  and  ask  if 
there  is  food  there ;  and  when  told  that  there  is  they  beg  per- 
mission to  remain  there,  and  they  are  told  that  they  may,  and 
are  introduced  and  the  door  is  closed  behind  them.     The  over- 
seer of  the  cavern  then  comes  and  says  to  them,  "  You  can  go 
out  no  more ;  you  see  your  companions ;  they  all  labor,  and  ac- 
cording to  their  labor  food  is  given  them  from  heaven;  I  tell 
you  this,  that  you  may  know."     Their  companions  also  say  to 
them,  "  Our  overseer  knows  for  what  work  each  one  is  fitted, 
and  assigns  such  work  to  each  one  daily.     The  days  you  do 
this  work,  food  is  given  you,  and  if  you  do  not  do  it,  neither 
food  nor  clothing  is  given.     If  any  one  does  harm  to  another, 
he  is  thrown  into  a  corner  of  the  cavern  upon  a  bed  made  of 
accursed  dust,  where  he  is  sorely  tortured,  and  this  until  the 
overseer  sees  in  him  some  sign  of  repentance,  and  then  he  is 
released  and  is  ordered  to  do  his  work."     [H]  He  is  also  told 
that  every  one,  after  his  task  is  done,  is  permitted  to  walk 
about,  to  talk,  and  afterward  to  sleep.     And  he  is  conducted 
further  into  the  cavern  where  there  are  harlots,  and  each  one 
is  allowed  to  select  one  of  these,  and  to  call  her  his  woman ; 
but  promiscuous  harlotry  is  forbidden  with  penalties.    Of  such 
caverns,  which  are  nothing  but  eternal  work-houses,  hell  con- 
sists.    I  was  permitted  to  enter  into  and  see  some  of  them,  in 
order  that  I  might  make  the  facts  known.    All  who  were  there 
seemed  degraded ;  not  one  of  them  knew  who  he  had  been  or 
what  his  employment  had  been  in  the  world.     But  the  angel 
who  was  with  me  said  to  me,  "  This  man  was  in  the  world  a 
servant,  this  a  soldier,  this  a  general ;  this  was  a  priest ;  this  a 
man  of  rank,  and  this  a  man  of  wealth,  and  yet  not  one  of 
them  knows  but  that  they  had  been,  then  as  now,  slaves  and 
boon  companions.     This  is  because  they  had  been  inwardly 
alike,  although  outwardly  unlike,  and  all  in  the  spiritual  world 
are  affiliated  according  to  their  interiors." 

[12]  In  regard  to  the  hells  in  general,  they  consist  solely 
of  such  caverns  and  work-houses ;  but  those  where  satans  are 
differ  from  those  where  devils  are.  Those  are  called  satans 
who  had  been  in  falsities  and  consequently  in  evils ;  and  they 
are  called  devils  who  had  been  in  evils  and  consequently  in 
falsities.      Satans  in  the  light  of  heaven  appear  livid  like 


372 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IV. 


N.  282] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


373 


corpses,  and  some  black  like  mummies ;  but  devils  in  the  light 
of  heaven  appear  dusky  and  fiery,  and  some  black  like  soot ; 
while  in  features  and  bodily  form  they  are  all  monstrous.  But 
in  their  own  light,  which  is  like  the  light  of  burning  charcoal, 
they  do  not  look  like  monsters  but  like  men.  This  is  granted 
to  render  them  capable  of  association. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  CATECHISM  OR  DECALOGUE  EXPLAINED  IN  ITS 
EXTERNAL  AND  ITS  INTERNAL  SENSE. 

282.  There  is  not  a  nation  in  the  whole  world  which  does 
not  know  that  it  is  wicked  to  murder,  to  commit  adultery,  to 
steal,  and  to  bear  false  witness,  and  that  kingdoms,  republics, 
and  every  form  of  organized  society,  unless  these  evils  were 
guarded  against  by  laws,  would  be  at  an  end.     Who  then  can 
suppose  that  the  Israelitish  nation  was  so  stupid  beyond  all 
others  as  not  to  know  that  these  are  evils  ?     Any  one  there- 
fore may  wonder  that  laws  so  universally  known  in  the  world 
should  have  been  promulgated  from  Mount  Sinai  by  Jehovah 
Himself  in  so  miraculous  a  way.     But  listen :  they  were  pro- 
mulgated in  so  miraculous  a  way  to  make  known  that  these 
laws  are  not  only  civil  and  moral  laws,  but  also  Divine  laws; 
and  that  acting  contrary  to  them  is  not  only  doing  evil  to  the 
neighbor,  that  is,  to  a  fellow-citizen  and  society,  but  is  also  sin- 
ning against  God.    Wherefore  these  laws,  by  their  promulga- 
tion by  Jehovah  from  Mount  Sinai,  were  made  also  laws  of  re- 
ligion.   Evidently  whatever  Jehovah  commands,  He  commands 
in  order  that  it  may  be  a  matter  of  religion,  and  thus  some^ 
thing  to  be  done  for  the  sake  of  salvation.     But  before  these 
commandments  are  explained,  something  must  be  premised 
respecting  their  holiness  to  make  it  evident  that  religion  is  in 
them. 


IN    THE    ISRAELITISH    CHURCH    THE    DECALOGUE   WAS    HOLINESS 

ITSELF. 

283.  The  commandments  of  the  Decalogue  were  the  first- 
fruits  of  the  Word  and  therefore  the  firstfruits  of  the  church 
about  to  be  established  with  the  Israelitish  nation,  and  as  they 
v/ere  in  a  brief  summary  the  complex  of  all  things  of  religion, 
whereby  there  is  a  conjunction  of  God  with  man  and  of  man 
with  God,  they  were  so  holy  that  nothing  could  be  holier. 
That  they  were  most  holy  is  clearly  manifest  from  the  follow- 


i 


374 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  V. 


ing  facts :  That  Jehovah  Himself,  the  Lord,  descended  upon 
Mount  Sinai  in  fire,  accompanied  by  angels,  and  promulgated 
these  laws  therefrom  by  a  living  voice  [and  that  the  people 
were  three  days  preparing  themselves  to  see  and  hear],  and 
that  bounds  were  set  round  about  the  mountain,  lest  any  one 
should  approach  and  die ;  and  that  neither  the  priests  nor  the 
elders  drew  near,  but  Moses  only.    That  these  commandments 
were  written  by  the  finger  of  God  on  two  tables  of  stone.    That 
when  Moses  brought  those  tables  down  the  second  time  his 
face  shone.     That  the  tables  were  afterward  deposited  in  the 
ark,  and  the  ark  was  placed  in  the  inmost  of  the  tabernacle, 
and  over  it  was  placed  the  mercy-seat,  and  over  this  the  golden 
cherubs ;  and  that  this  inmost  in  the  tabernacle,  where  the  ark 
was,  was  called  the  holy  of  holies.     That  outside  the  veil, 
within  which  was  the  ark,  various  things  were  arranged  repre- 
senting the  holy  things  of  heaven  and  the  church,  namely,  the 
table  overlaid  with  gold  on  which  was  the  bread  of  faces,  the 
golden  altar  for  incense,  the  golden  lampstand  with  seven 
lamps,  also  the  curtains  round  about,  made  of  fine  line;i,  pur- 
ple and  scarlet.    The  holiness  of  the  whole  tabernacle  was  from 
no  other  source  than  the  law  which  was  in  the  ark.    On  account 
of  the  holiness  of  the  tabernacle  from  the  law  in  the  ark,  the 
whole  Israelitish  people  by  command  encamped  around  it  in 
order  according  to  their  tribes,  and  marched  in  order  after  it ; 
and  there  was  then  a  cloud  over  it  by  day  and  a  fire  by  night. 
On  account  of  the  holiness  of  that  law,  and  the  presence  of 
Jehovah  therein,  Jehovah  talked  with  Moses  above  the  mercy- 
seat  between  the  cherubs ;  and  the  ark  was  called  "  Jehovah 
there."    That  Aaron  was  not  permitted  to  enter  within  the  veil 
except  with  sacrifices  and  incense,  lest  he  die.    Also  on  account 
of  the  presence  of  Jehovah  in  and  about  the  law,  miracles  were 
wrought  by  means  of  the  ark  which  contained  the  law ;  as  that 
the  waters  of  Jordan  were  divided,  and  so  long  as  the  ark 
rested  in  the  midst  of  the  river  the  people  passed  over  on  dry 
ground ;  the  walls  of  Jericho  fell  by  the  carrying  of  the  ark 
around  them;  Dagon  the  god  of  the  Philistines  first  fell  on  his 
face  before  it,  and  afterward  lay  upon  the  threshold  of  the 
temple  with  his  head  and  the  palms  of  his  hands  cut  off.    Be- 
cause of  the  ark  the  Bethshemites  were  smitten  to  the  number 


N.  283] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


375 


of  several  thousands;  and  Uzzah  died  because  he  touched  it. 
The  ark  was  brought  by  David  into  Zion  with  sacrifice  and 
jubilation,  and  afterwards  by  Solomon  into  the  temple  at  Jeru- 
salem, of  which  it  constituted  the  sanctuary;  besides  many 
other  things.  From  all  this  it  is  cle?r  that  in  the  Israelitish 
church  the  Decalogue  was  holiness  itself. 

284.  What  has  been  above  presented  respecting  the  promul- 
gation, holiness,  and  the  power  of  that  law,  is  found  in  the 
following  passages  in  the  Word : — 

Jehovah  descended  upon  Mount  Sinai  in  fire,  and  the  mount  then 
smoked  and  trembled,  and  there  were  thunderings,  lightnings,  a  thick 
cloud,  and  the  voice  of  a  trumpet  {Ex.  xix.  16-18  ;  Deut.  iv.  11 ;  v.  22-26). 

Before  the  descent  of  Jehovah  the  people  prepared  and  sanctified 
themselves  for  three  days  {Ex.  xix.  10,  11,  15). 

Bounds  were  set  round  about  the  mount,  that  no  one  might  approach 
or  come  near  its  base,  lest  he  die  ;  not  even  a  priest,  but  Moses  only  {Ex. 
xix.  12,  13,  20-23 ;  xxiv.  1,  2). 

The  law  was  promulgated  from  Mount  Sinai  {Ex.  xx.  2-17  ;  Deut.  v.  6- 
21). 

The  law  was  inscribed  on  two  tables  of  stone,  and  was  written  by  the 
finger  of  God  {Ex.  xxxi.  18 ;  xxxii.  15,  16  ;  Deut.  ix.  10). 

When  Moses  brought  the  tables  down  from  the  mount  a  second  time, 
his  face  shone  so  that  he  covered  it  with  a  veil  while  he  talked  with  the 
people  {Ex.  xxxi  v.  29-35). 

The  tables  were  placed  in  the  ark  {Ex.  xxv.  16 ;  xl.  20 ;  Deut.  x.  5 ;  1 
Kings  viii.  9). 

The  mercy-seat  was  put  upon  the  ark,  and  over  it  the  golden  cherubs 
were  placed  {Ex.  xxv.  17-21). 

The  ark  with  its  mercy-seat  and  the  cherubs  was  placed  in  the  taber- 
nacle, and  was  made  the  first  and  inmost  part  of  it ;  the  table  overlaid 
with  gold,  on  which  the  bread  of  faces  was  placed,  the  golden  altar  for 
incense,  and  the  lampstand  with  its  golden  lamps,  made  the  outer  part  of 
the  tabernacle,  and  the  ten  curtains  of  fine  linen,  purple,  and  scarlet,  its 
outermost  {Ex.  xxv.;  xxvi.;  xl.  17-28). 

The  place  where  the  ark  was,  was  called  the  holy  of  holies  {Ex.  xxvi.  33). 

The  whole  Israelitish  people  encamped  around  the  tabernacle  in  order 
according  to  the  tribes,  and  marched  in  order  after  it  {Num.  ii.). 

There  was  then  a  cloud  over  the  tabernacle  by  day  and  a  fire  by  night 
{Ex.  xl.  38  ;  Num.  ix.  15-23  ;  xiv.  14  ;  Deut.  i.  33). 

Jehovah  spoke  with  Moses  above  the  ark  between  the  cherubim  {Ex. 
XXV.  22  ;  Num.  vii.  89). 

Because  of  the  law  within  it  it  was  said  of  the  ark  that  Jehovah  was 
there  ;  for  when  the  ark  moved  forward  Moses  said.  Rise  up,  O  Jehovah  ; 
and  when  it  rested.  Return,  O  Jehovah  {Num.  x.  35,  36  ,  2  Sam.  vi.  2  ;  Ps. 
cxxxii.  7,  8 ;  2  Chron.  vi.  41). 


376 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  V. 


Because  of  the  holiness  of  that  law,  Aaron  was  not  permitted  to  enter 
within  the  veil,  except  with  sacrifices  and  incense  (Lev.  xvi.  2-14,  seq.). 

Because  of  the  presence  of  the  Lord's  power  in  the  law  which  was 
within  the  ark,  the  waters  of  Jordan  were  divided ;  and  while  the  ark 
rested  in  the  midst  of  the  river,  the  people  passed  on  dry  land  (Josh.  ni. 

^' When  the  ark  was  carried  around  them,  the  walls  of  Jericho  fell  [Josh. 

^^*  D^on  the  god  of  the  Philistines,  fell  to  the  ground  before  the  ark,  and 
afterward  lay  upon  the  threshold  of  the  temple  with  his  head  broken  off 
and  the  palms  of  his  hands  cut  off  (1  Sam.  v.). 

The  Bethshemites  on  account  of  the  ark  were  smitten  to  the  number 
of  several  thousands  (1  Sam.  v.  vi.). 

Uzzah  died  because  he  touched  the  ark  (2  Sam.  vi.  7). 

The  ark  was  brought  into  Zion  by  David,  with  sacrifices  and  jubilation 

(2  Sam.  vi.  1-19).  ^         ,  i,       u 

It  was  introduced  by  Solomon  into  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  where  it 
constituted  the  sanctuary  (1  Kings  vi.  19,  seq. ;  viii.  3-9). 

285.  Because  by  that  law  there  is  a  conjunction  of  the  Lord 
with  man  and  of  man  with  the  Lord,  it  is  called  "  The  Cove- 
nant" and  "  The  Testimony ;"  the  covenant  because  it  effects  con- 
junction, and  the  testimony  because  it  confirms  the  ai-ticles  of 
the  covenant;  for  "covenant"  signifies  in  the  Word  conjunc- 
tion, and  "testmiony"  the  confirmation  and  witnessing  of  its 
articles.  For  this  reason  there  were  two  tables,  one  for  God 
and  the  other  for  man.  Conjunction  is  effected  by  the  Lord, 
but  only  when  man  does  what  is  written  in  his  table;  for  the 
Lord  is  continually  present  and  wishes  to  enter  in,  but  man, 
by  the  freedom  which  he  has  from  the  Lord,  must  open  to 
Him,  for  the  Lord  says : — 

Behold  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock  ;  if  any  man  hear  My  voice  and 
open  the  door,  I  will  come  m  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with 
Me  {Apoc.  iii.  20). 

That  the  tables  of  stone  on  which  the  law  was  written,  were 
called  the  tables  of  the  covenant,  and  because  of  them  the  ark 
was  caUed  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  and  the  law  itself  was 
called  the  covenant,  may  be  seen  in  Num.  x.  33 ;  De^it.  iv.  13, 
23 ;  V.  2,  3 ;  ix.  9 ;  Josh.  iii.  11 ;  1  Kmr/s  viii.  21 ;  Apoc.  xi.  19, 
and  elsewhere.    Since  "  covenant"  signifies  conjunction,  it  is 

said  of  the  Lord,  . 

That  He  shall  be  a  covenant  for  the  people  {Isa.  xlii.  6  ;  xlix.  8,  9). 
He  is  called  also  the  messenger  of  the  covenant  [Mai.  iii.  1). 


N.  285] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


377 


And  His  blood  is  called  the  blood  of  the  covenant  [Matt.  xxvi.  28 ; 
Zech.  ix.  11 ;  Ex.  xxiv.  4-10) ; 

and  therefore  the  Word  is  called  the  Old  and  the  New  Cove- 
nant [Testament] ;  for  covenants  are  made  for  the  sake  of  love, 
friendship,  affiliation,  and  conjunction. 

286.  Such  great  holiness  and  power  were  in  that  law,  be- 
cause it  was  the  complex  of  all  things  of  religion.  It  was  writ- 
ten on  two  tables,  one  of  which  contained  in  the  complex  all 
things  that  look  to  God,  and  the  other  in  the  complex  all 
things  that  look  to  man.  Therefore  the  commandments  of  that 
law  are  called  the  "  Ten  Words"  (Ex.  xxxiv.  28 ;  Deut.  iv.  13 ; 
X.  4).  They  were  so  called  because  "ten"  signifies  all,  and 
"  words"  signify  truths  ;  for  they  were  more  than  ten  words. 
That  "  ten"  signifies  all  things,  and  that  tithes  (tenths)  were 
instituted  on  account  of  that  signification,  may  be  seen  in  the 
Apocalypse  Revealed  (n.  101) ;  and  that  that  law  is  the  complex 
of  all  things  of  religion,  will  be  seen  in  what  follows. 


IN  THE   SENSE   OF   THE   LETTER  THE  DECALOGUE   CONTAINS  THE 

GENERAL    PRECEPTS    OF    DOCTRINE    AND   LIFE,   BUT    IN    THE 

SPIRITUAL    AND    CELESTIAL    SENSES    IT    CONTAINS 

ALL    PRECEPTS    UNIVERSALLY. 

287.  It  is  known  that  in  the  Word  the  Decalogue  is  called 
by  way  of  eminence  the  Law,  because  it  contains  all  things  of 
doctrine  and  life ;  for  it  contains  both  all  things  that  look  to 
God,  and  all  things  that  look  to  man.  For  this  reason  the  law 
was  written  on  two  tables,  one  of  which  treats  of  God,  the 
other  of  man.  It  is  also  known  that  all  things  belonging  to 
doctrine  and  life  have  reference  to  love  to  God  and  love  to- 
wards the  neighbor ;  and  all  things  pertaining  to  these  loves 
are  contained  in  the  Decalogue.  That  in  the  whole  Word  noth- 
ing else  is  taught  can  be  seen  from  these  words  of  the  Lord  : — 

Jesus  said,  Thou  slialt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  from  all  thy  heart,  and 
in  all  thy  soul,  and  in  all  thy  mind,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  On 
these  two  commandments  hang  the  law  and  the  prophets  {Matt.  xxii.  37, 
39, 40). 


378 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


"The  law  and  the  prophets"  signify  the  whole  Word.    And 

again : — 

A  certain  lawyer,  tempting  Jesus,  said.  Master,  what  shall  I  do  to  in- 
herit eternal  life  ?  And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  What  is  written  in  the  law  ? 
how  readest  thou  ?  And  he  answering  said.  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  strength, 
and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  And  Jesus  said, 
This  do,  and  thou  shalt  live  (Luke  x.  25-28). 

Since  then,  love  to  God  and  love  towards  the  neighbor  are 
the  whole  of  the  Word,  and  the  first  table  of  the  Decalogue 
contains  in  a  summary  all  things  pertaining  to  love  to  God,  and 
the  second  table  all  things  pertaining  to  love  to  the  neighbor, 
it  follows  that  the  Decalogue  contains  all  things  of  doctrine  and 
life.  From  these  two  tables  so  regarded  it  is  plain  that  they 
are  connected  in  such  a  manner  that  God  from  His  table  looks 
to  man,  and  man  from  his  table  in  turn  looks  to  God,  thus  the 
looking  is  reciprocal,  that  is,  it  is  such  that  God  on  His  part 
never  ceases  to  look  to  man  and  to  make  operative  such  things 
as  relate  to  man's  salvation;  and  when  man  receives  and  does 
what  is  written  on  his  table,  a  reciprocal  conjunction  is  effected ; 
and  then  comes  to  pass  what  the  Lord  said  to  the  lawyer,  "  This 
do,  and  thou  shalt  live." 

288.  In  the  Word  "the  law"  is  frequently  mentioned;  and 
what  is  meant  by  the  law  in  a  strict  sense,  in  a  broader  sense, 
and  in  the  broadest  sense,  shall  now  be  told.  In  a  strict  sense 
the  law  means  the  Decalogue ;  in  a  broader  sense  it  means  the 
statutes  given  by  Moses  to  the  children  of  Israel,  and  in  the 
broadest  sense  it  means  the  whole  Word. 

That  the  law  in  a  strict  sense  means  the  Decalogue,  is  well- 
known.  That  the  law  in  a  wider  sense  means  the  statutes  given 
hy  Moses  to  the  children  of  Israel,  is  evident  from  the  particular 
statutes,  each  of  which  in  Exodus  is  called  a  "  law ;"  as  also  [m 
Leviticus^ : — 

This  is  the  law  of  the  guilt  offering  {Lev.  vii.  1).  ..  -   ,., 

This  is  the  law  of  the  sacrifice  of  peace  offering  {Lev.  vn.  7,  11). 
This  is  the  law  of  the  meat  offering  {Lev.  vi.  14,  seq.). 
This  is  the  law  for  the  burnt  offering,  for  the  meat  offermg,  and  for 
the  sin  offering,  and  for. the  guilt  offering,  and  for  the  consecrations  {Lev. 

vii.  37).  ,      ^  ,^         •   *o         \ 

This  is  the  law  of  the  beast  and  of  the  fowl  {Lev.  xi.  46,  seq.). 


N.  288] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


379 


This  is  the  law  for  her  that  beareth,  a  son  or  a  daughter  {Lev.  xii.  7). 

This  is  the  law  of  leprosy  {Lev.  xiii.  59  ;  xiv.  2,  32,  54,  57). 

This  is  the  law  of  him  that  hath  an  issue  {Lev.  xv.  32). 

This  is  the  law  of  jealousy  {Num.  v.  29,  30). 

This  is  the  law  of  the  Nazarite  {Num.  vi.  13,  21). 

This  is  the  law  of  cleansing  {Num.  xix.  14). 

The  law  respecting  the  red  heifer  {Num.  xix.  2). 

The  law  for  the  king  {Deut.  xvii.  15-19). 

Indeed  the  whole  book  of  Moses  is  called  the  law  (Deut.  xxxi. 
9, 11, 12,  26;  likewise  in  the  New  Testament,  as  in  Luke  ii.  22; 
xxiv.  44;  John  i.  45;  vii.  22,  23;  viii.  5;  and  elsewhere). 

That  Paul,  by  the  works  of  the  law,  means  these  statutes, 
where  he  says. 

That  a  man  is  justified  by  faith  apart  from  the  works  of  the  law  {Rom. 
iii.  28), 

is  clearly  manifest  from  what  there  follows,  as  also  from  his 
words  to  Peter,  whom  he  accuses  of  Judaizing,  when  he  says 
three  times  in  one  verse. 

That  no  man  is  justified  by  the  works  of  the  law  {Gal.  ii.  14,  16). 

That  the  law  in  the  broadest  sense  means  the  whole  Word,  is 
plain  from  the  following  passages : — 

Jesus  said,  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  Ye  are  Gods?  {John  x.  34). 

This  is  written,  Fs.  Ixxxii.  6. 

The  multitude  answered.  We  have  heard  out  of  the  law  that  Christ 
abide th  forever  {John  xii.  34). 

This  is  written  Fs.  Ixxxix.  29;  ex.  4;  Dan.  vii.  14. 

That  the  Word  might  be  fulfilled  that  is  written  in  their  law,  They 
hated  me  without  a  cause  {John  xv.  25). 

This  is  written,  Fs.  xxxv.  19. 

The  Pharisees  said.  Hath  any  of  the  rulers  believed  on  Him  but  the 
crowd  which  knoweth  not  the  law  ?  {John  vii.  48,  49). 

It  is  easier  for  heaven  and  earth  to  pass  away  than  for  one  tittle  of  the 
law  to  fall  {Luke  xvi.  17). 

The  law  here  means  the  whole  Sacred  Scripture  ;  also  in  a  thou- 
sand places  in  David. 

289.  In  the  spiritual  and  celestial  senses  the  Decalogue  con- 
tains universally  all  the  precepts  of  doctrine  and  life,  thus  all 


380 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  V. 


things  of  faith  and  charity,  because  the  Word  in  each  and  all 
things  of  the  sense  of  the  letter,  or  in  general  and  in  every  part 
of  it,  conceals  two  interior  senses,  one  called  the  spiritual  sense 
and  the  other  the  celestial ;  also  Divine  truth  in  its  light  and 
the  Divine  good  in  its  heat  are  in  these  two  senses.  And  be- 
cause the  Word  in  general  and  in  every  part  of  it  is  so  consti- 
tuted, the  ten  commandments  of  the  Decalogue  must  needs  be 
explained  according  to  these  three  senses,  called  the  natural,  the 
spiritual,  and  the  celestial.  That  the  Word  is  such  can  be  seen 
from  what  has  been  shown  above  (n.  193-208),  in  the  chapter 
on  the  Sacred  Scripture  or  the  Word. 

290.  Unless  one  knows  the  nature  of  the  Word,  he  can  have 
no  idea  that  there  is  an  infinity  in  every  least  particular  of  it, 
that  is,  that  it  contains  things  innumerable,  which  not  even  an- 
gels can  exhaust.  Each  thing  in  it  may  be  likened  to  a  seed 
that  is  capable  of  growing  up  from  the  ground  to  a  great  tree 
and  producing  an  abundance  of  seeds,  from  which  again  similar 
trees  may  be  produced,  these  together  forming  a  garden,  and 
from  the  seeds  of  this  other  gardens,  and  so  on  to  infinity. 
Such  is  the  Word  of  the  Lord  in  its  least  particulars,  and  such 
especially  is  the  Decalogue ;  for  this,  because  it  teaches  love  to 
God  and  love  towards  the  neighbor,  is  a  brief  summary  of  the 
whole  Word.  That  such  is  the  nature  of  the  Word,  the  Lord 
also  teaches  by  a  similitude,  thus : — 

The  kingdom  of  God  is  like  unto  a  grain  of  mustard-seed,  wliich  a 
man  took  and  sowed  in  his  field  ;  which  indeed  is  less  than  all  seeds  ; 
but  when  it  is  grown  it  is  greater  than  the  herbs,  and  becometh  a  tree, 
so  that  the  birds  of  heaven  come  and  lodge  in  the  branches  thereof  {Matt 
xiii.  31,  32  ;  Mark  iv.  31,  32  ;  Luke  xiii.  18,  19 ;  compare  also  Ezek.  xvii. 
2-8). 

That  such  is  the  infinity  of  spiritual  seed  or  of  truths  in  the 
Word,  can  be  seen  from  angelic  wisdom,  which  is  all  from  the 
Word.  This  increases  in  the  angels  to  eternity,  and  the  wiser 
they  become,  the  more  clearly  do  they  see  that  wisdom  is  with- 
out end,  and  perceive  that  they  are  merely  in  its  outer  court, 
and  cannot  in  the  smallest  particular  attain  to  the  Lord's  Di- 
vine wisdom,  which  they  call  a  great  deep.  Since  then,  the 
Word  is  from  this  great  deep,  because  it  is  from  the  Lord,  it  is 
plain  that  there  is  a  kind  of  infinity  in  every  part  of  it. 


N.  291] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


381 


THE  FIKST  COMMANDMENT. 

THERE  SHALL  BE  [WITH  THEE]  NO  OTHER  GOD  IN  MY  PRESENCE. 

291.  These  are  the  words  of  the  first  commandment  (Ex.  xx. 
3 ;  Deut  v.  7).  In  the  natural  sense,  which  is  the  sense  of  the 
letter,  the  meaning  nearest  the  letter  is  that  idols  must  not  be 
worshiped ;  for  there  follows, 

Tliou  slialt  not  make  unto  thee  a  graven  image,  nor  any  likeness  that 
is  in  the  heavens  above,  or  that  is  in  the  earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the 
waters  under  the  earth  ;  thou  shalt  not  bow  down  thyself  unto  them  nor 
worship  them  ;  for  I  Jehovah  thy  God  am  a  jealous  God  {Ex.  xx.  4,  6). 

In  the  sense  nearest  the  letter  tliis  commandment  means  that 
idols  must  not  be  worshiped,  for  the  reason  that  before  this 
time  and  after  it  down  to  the  Lord's  coming,  idolatrous  wor- 
ship prevailed  in  a  great  part  of  Asia.  The  cause  of  this  wor- 
ship was  that  all  churches  before  the  Lord's  coming  were  rep- 
resentative and  typical;  and  these  types  and  representations 
were  such,  that  Divine  things  were  set  forth  under  various 
figures  and  sculptured  forms ;  and  when  the  meanings  of  these 
were  lost  the  common  people  began  to  worship  them  as  gods. 
That  the  Israelitish  nation  was  also  in  this  worship  when  in 
Egypt,  is  evident  from  the  golden  calf  which  they  worshiped  in 
the  desei-t  mstead  of  Jehovah ;  and  that  afterwards  they  were 
not  wholly  alienated  from  that  worship  is  evident  from  many 
passages  both  in  the  historical  and  in  the  prophetic  Word. 

292.  This  commandment,  "  There  shall  be  no  other  God  in 
My  presence''  means  also  in  the  natural  sense,  that  no  man 
dead  or  living  should  be  worshiped  as  a  god.  This,  too,  was 
done  in  Asia  and  in  various  surrounding  countries.  Many  of 
the  gods  of  the  heathen  were  simply  men,  as  Baal,  Ashtaroth, 
Chemosh,  Milcom,  Beelzebub;  and  at  Athens  and  Eome,  Sat- 
urn, Jupiter,  Neptune,  Pluto,  Apollo,  Pallas,  and  so  forth. 
Some  of  these  were  worshiped  first  as  saints,  then  as  divinities 
and  finally  as  gods.  That  they  also  worshiped  living  men  as 
gods,  appears  from  the  edict  of  Darius  the  Mede, 

That  for  thirty  days  no  man  should  ask  anything  from  God,  but  from 
the  king  only  j  otherwise,  he  should  be  cast  into  a  den  of  Uons  {Dan.  vi. 
8-28). 


!Mteaah»««ihi 


^■ll^aiii^jMMlMaiarfM«*Ja>afliMaWiiriHMWi«ili[J^^ 


382 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


293.  In  the  natural  sense,  which  is  the  sense  of  the  letter, 
this  commandment  means  also  that  no  one  except  God,  and 
nothing  but  what  proceeds  from  God,  is  to  be  loved  above  all 
things,  which  also  accords  with  the  Lord's  words  {Matt.  xxii. 
35-37  ;  Luke  x.  25-28).  For  any  person  or  thing  that  is  loved 
above  all  things  is  God  and  is  Divine  to  the  one  who  so  loves. 
For  example,  to  one  who  loves  himself  or  the  world  above  all 
things,  himself  or  the  world  is  his  God;  and  this  is  why  such 
persons  do  not  in  heart  acknowledge  any  God,  and  in  conse- 
quence are  conjoined  with  their  like  in  hell,  where  all  who  love 
themselves  and  the  world  above  all  things  are  gathered. 

294.  The  spiritual  sense  of  this  commandment  is,  that  no 
other  God  than  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  to  be  worshiped,  be- 
cause He  is  Jehovah,  who  came  into  the  world  and  wrought 
the  redemption  without  which  neither  any  man  nor  any  angel 
could  have  been  saved.  That  there  is  no  God  beside  Him,  is 
evident  from  the  following  passages  in  the  Word  :— 

It  shall  be  said  in  that  day,  Lo,  this  is  our  God  ;  we  have  waited  for 
Him  that  He  may  deliver  us  ;  this  is  Jehovah  ;  we  have  waited  for  Him, 
we  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  His  salvation  {Isa.  xxv.  0). 

The  voice  of  one  that  crieth  in  the  desert,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  Jeho- 
vah •  make  level  in  the  wilderness  a  highway  for  our  God.  For  the  glory 
of  Jehovah  shall  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh  shall  see  it  together.  Behold, 
the  Lord  Jehovih  cometh  in  strength  ;  He  shall  feed  His  flock  like  a  shep- 
herd {Isa.  xl.  3,  5,  10.  11).  ,r      1    a,u  .     n  A 

Surely  God  is  in  thee  ;  there  is  no  God  besides.  Verily  Thou  art  a  God 
that  hidest  Thyself,  O  God  of  Israel  the  Saviour  {Isa.  xlv.  14,  15). 

Am  not  I  Jehovah  ?  and  there  is  no  God  else  besides  Me  ;  a  just  God 
and  a  Saviour ;  there  is  none  besides  Me  {Isa.  xlv.  21,  22). 

I  am  Jehovah  ;  and  besides  me  there  is  no  Saviour  {Isa.  xliii.  11 ;  Hos. 

xiii  4) 

That  all  flesh  may  know  that  I  Jehovah  am  thy  Saviour  and  thy  Re- 
deemer (/sa.  xlix.  26  ;  Ix.  16).  ,  ..   .     r 

As  for  our  Redeemer,  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name  {Isa.  xlvii.  4  ;  Jer. 

^•34).  „       .     ,,, 

O  Jehovah,  my  Rock  and  my  Redeemer  {Ps.  xix.  14). 
Thus  saith  Jehovah,  thy  Redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  I  am  Je- 
hovah thy  God  {Isa.  xlviii.  17  ;  xliii.  14  ;  xlix.  7  ;  liv.  8). 

Thus  said  Jehovah,  thy  Redeemer,  I  am  Jehovah  that  maketh  all  things 

alone  by  Myself  {Isa.  xliv.  24).  ,        „  ^  r  r.       x.    f 

Thus  said  Jehovah,  the  King  of  Lsrael,  and  his  Redeemer  Jehovah  of 
Hosts  ;  I  am  the  First,  and  I  am  the  Last,  and  beside  Me  there  is  no  God 
(Isa.  xliv.  6). 


N.  294] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


383 


Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name,  and  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  is  thy  Re- 
deemer ;  the  God  of  the  whole  earth  shall  He  be  called  {Isa.  liv.  5,  8). 

Though  Abraham  knoweth  us  not ;  and  Israel  doth  not  acknowledge 
us  ;  Thou  Jehovah  art  our  Father,  our  Redeemer ;  from  everlasting^  is  Thy 
name  {Isa.  Ixiii.  16).  ©  j 

Unto  us  a  Child  is  born,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given  ;  and  His  name  shall  be 
called  Wonderful,  Counselor,  God,  Mighty,  Father  of  eternity,  Prince  of 
peace  {Isa.  ix.  6). 

Behold  the  days  come,  that  I  will  raise  up  unto  David  a  righteous 
Branch,  who  shall  reign  a  King  ;  and  this  is  His  name,  Jehovah  our  Right- 
eousness {Jer.  xxiii.  6,  6  ;  xxxiii.  15,  16). 

Philip  said  to  Jesus,  Lord,  show  us  the  Father.  Jesus  said  unto  him. 
he  that  seeth  Me  seeth  the  Father.  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the 
Father,  and  the  Father  in  Me  ?  {John  xiv.  8-10). 

In  Jesus  Christ  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily  {Col.  ii.  9). 

We  are  in  the  True,  in  Jesus  Christ.  This  Is  the  true  God  and  eternal 
life.    Little  children,  keep  yourselves  from  idols  (1  John  v.  20,  21). 

From  these  passages  it  is  very  evident  that  the  Lord  our  Sav- 
iour is  Jehovah  Himself,  who  is  at  once  Creator,  Redeemer,  and 
Regenerator.    This  is  the  spiritual  sense  of  this  commandment. 

295.  The  celestial  sense  of  this  commandment  is,  that  Je- 
hovah the  Lord  is  infinite,  illimitable,  and  eternal;  that  He  is 
omnipotent,  omniscient,  and  omnipresent ;  that  He  is  the  First 
and  the  Last,  the  Beginning  and  the  End,  who  was,  is,  and  is 
to  be;  that  He  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  itself,  or  good  itself, 
and  truth  itself,  consequently  life  itself;  and  thus  the  one  only 
Being  from  whom  all  things  are. 

296.  All  who  acknowledge  and  worship  any  other  God  than 
the  Lord  the  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  Jehovah  God  Him- 
self in  human  form,  sin  against  this  first  commandment.  Those 
also  sin  against  it  who  persuade  themselves  of  the  actual  exist- 
ence of  three  Divine  persons  from  eternity.  For  as  they  con- 
firm themselves  in  that  error,  they  become  more  and  more  nat- 
ural and  corporeal,  and  at  length  are  unable  to  comprehend 
interiorly  any  Divine  truth ;  and  if  they  listen  to  it  and  accept 
it,  they  still  defile  it  and  cover  it  up  with  fallacies.  They  may 
therefore  be  compared  to  those  who  dwell  in  the  lowest  story 
or  the  cellar  of  a  house,  and  in  consequence  hear  nothing  of  the 
conversation  of  those  who  are  in  the  second  and  third  stories, 
because  the  floor  above  their  heads  keeps  the  sound  from  pene- 
trating to  them.    [2]  The  human  mind  is  like  a  house  of  three 


384  THE  TRUE  CHBISTLVN  RELIGION  [Chap.  V. 

Stories  in  the  lowest  of  which  are  those  who  have  confirmed 
themselves  in  favor  of  three  Gods  from  eternity;  while  m  the 
!econd  and  hird  stories  are  those  who  acknowledge  and  believ. 
u  one  God  under  a  visible  human  form,  and  that  the  Lord  God 
he  siviour  is  He.    As  the  sensual  and  corporeal  man  is  merelj 
naS  ai  d  viewed  in  himself  is  wholly  animal,  and  differs 
Jrom"  bmte  animal  only  in  being  able  to  talk  and  re^on  - 
he  is  like  one  living  in  a  menagerie,  where    here  are  aU  kmds 
«f  wild  beasts  and  there  he  now  acts  the  lion,  now  the  beai, 
Iv  the  tiger  the  leopard,  or  the  wolf;  and  he  may  even  ac 
thTlamb  but  then  in  heart  he  laughs.    [3]  The  mere  y  natural 
man  tSks  of  Divine  truths  only  from  the  things  of  the  world 
Td  thus  from  the  fallacies  of  the  senses,  for  he  is  unable  to 
rafse  Smind  above  these.    Therefore  the  doctrine  that  he  be- 
lieves may  be  compared  to  a  pottage  made  of  chaff  which  he 
eats  as  a  dainty.    Or  it  is  like  the  bread  and  cakes  tha  Ezekiel 
he  p' ophtt  wJs  commanded  to  make  by  mixing  wheat,  barley 
teans  Tentiles,  and  fitches,  with  cow's  or  human  excrement, 
S  represent  ng  the  church  as  it  was  with  the  Isra^litish  na- 
!       Xliv  9  sea  )     So  is  it  with  the  doctrine  of  a  church 
rt  f  Id^dtTired  upon  a  belief  in  three  I)ivineper 
sons  from  eternity, each  one  of  whom  smgly  is  God.    [4]  Who 
would  not  see  the  monstrosity  of  that  faith  if  it  were  presented 
ITt  ITn  itself  in  a  picture  before  his  eyes  ?  for  example,  if 
1  thr  e  wet  to  stand  in  order  beside  each  other  the  first 
distinguihed  by  a  scepter  and  crown;  the  second  holding  a 
tok  -hich  is  [he  Word,  in  his  right  hand,  and  m  his  left  a 
Sden  cross  spattered  with  blood;  the  third   encircled  with 
Sni  standing  upon  one  foot,  really  to  fly  forth  and  do  his 
Zk  aS  above  the  three  the  inscription_*/<.s.  three  persons, 

S;e\3  nttyThT.self,  ^^ Mas,  .hat  hallucination. 
Bu  he  would  say  otherwise  if  he  were  to  see  a  picture  of  one 
^^vine  Person  with  rays  of  heavenly  light  about  His  Head  and 
S  rthlin^^^^^^^^^^^  over  it,  Tki.  is  our  God,  at  once  Creator 
Tedeemer  and  Regenerator,  and  therefore  the  Sav^o^^^^^  ^\ould 
fot  tS  wise  man  kiss  this  picture,  carry  it  home  m  his  bosom 
^^tt^^^^^^^  of  it  gladden  his  own  mind,  and  the  minds  of 
his  wife  and  his  children  and  servants  ^ 


N.  297] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


385 


1 


THE  SECOND  COMMANDMENT. 

THOU    SHALT   NOT   TAKE   THE    NAME    OF    JEHOVAH    THY    GOD    IN 

vain;  for  JEHOVAH  WILL  NOT  HOLD  HIM  GUILTLESS 

THAT  HATH  TAKEN  HIS  NAME  IN  VAIN. 

297.  In  the  natural  sense,  which  is  the  sense  of  the  letter, 
to  take  the  name  of  Jehovah  God  in  vain  means  the  name  it- 
self, and  its  abuse  in  various  kinds  of  conversation,  especially 
in  false  speaking  or  lying,  and  in  useless  oaths  or  oaths  to  ex- 
culpate one's  self  in  evil  intentions  (that  is,  oaths  with  impre- 
cations), also  when  employed  in  juggleries  and  incantations. 
But  to  swear  by  God  and  His  holiness,  by  the  Word  or  the 
Gospel,  at  coronations,  inaugurations  into  the  priesthood,  and 
inductions  into  offices  of  trust,  is   not  to  take  the  name  of 
God  m  vain,  unless  he  who  takes  the  oath  afterwards  discards 
his  promises  as  vain.    But  the  name  of  God,  because  it  is  holi- 
ness itself,  must  be  used  continually  in  the  holy  things  per- 
taining to  the  church,  as  in  prayers,  psalms,  and  all  worship, 
also  in  preaching,  and  in  writing  on  ecclesiastical  subjects. 
This  is  so  because  God  is  in  all  things  of  religion,  and  when  He 
is  solemnly  invoked  He  is  present  through  His  name  and  hears. 
In  such  ways  is  the  name  of  God  hallowed.    That  the  name  of 
Jehovah  God  is  in  itself  holy  is  evident  from  that  name,  in 
that  the  Jewc  since  their  earliest  age  have  not  dared  and  do 
not  dare  to  utter  the  name  Jehovah ;  and  for  their  sake  the 
writers  of  the  Gospels  and  the  apostles  were  unwilling  to  use 
it,  and  used  the  name  Lord  instead,  as  is  evident  from  vari- 
ous passages  transferred  from  the  Old  Testament  into  the  New, 
where  the  name  Lord  is  used  instead  of  Jehovah  (as  in  Matt, 
xxii.  37 ;  Luke  x.  27,  compared  with  Deut.  vi.  5,  and  other  pas- 
sages). That  the  name  of  Jesus  is  in  like  manner  holy  is  known 
from  the  saying  of  the  Apostle  that  at  this  name  every  knee 
is  bowed  or  should  be  bowed  in  heaven  and  on  earth ;  and  fur- 
thermore from  this,  that  no  devil  in  hell  can  utter  that  name. 
There  are  many  names  of  God  that  must  not  be  taken  in  vain, 
as  Jehovah,  Jehovah  God,  and  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel,  Jesus  and  Christ,  and  the  Holy  Spirit. 

^0 


386 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


N.  299] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


387 


298.  In  the  spiritual  sense,  the  name  of  God  means  every- 
thing which  the  church  teaches  from  the  Word,  and  by  which 
the  Lord  is  invoked  and  worshiped.  All  such  things  in  the 
complex  are  the  name  of  God.  "•  To  take  the  name  of  God  in 
vain/'  means,  therefore,  to  introduce  any  of  these  things  into 
frivolous  conversation,  into  false  speaking,  lying,  imprecations, 
juggleries  or  incantations;  for  this  too  is  reviling  and  blas- 
pheming God,  thus  His  name.  That  the  Word  and  whatever 
the  church  has  from  it,  and  thus  all  worship,  is  the  name  of 
God,  can  be  seen  from  the  following  passages : — 

From  the  rising  of  the  sun  My  name  shall  be  invoked  (Isa.  xli.  25 ; 
xxvi.  8,  13). 

From  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  unto  the  going  down  of  the  same,  My 
name  is  great  among  the  Gentiles  ;  and  in  every  place  incense  is  offered 
unto  My  name.  But  ye  profane  My  name  in  that  ye  say,  The  table  of 
Jehovah  is  polluted ;  and  ye  snuff  at  My  name,  in  that  ye  bring  that 
which  is  torn,  and  the  lame,  and  the  sick  (Mai.  i.  11-13). 

All  peoples  walk  each  in  the  name  of  its  God ;  but  we,  let  us  walk  in 
the  name  of  Jehovah  our  God  {Micah  iv.  5). 

They  were  to  worship  Jehovah  in  one  place  where  He  would  place  His 
name  (Deut.  xii.  5,  11,  13,  14,  18;  xvi.  2,  6,  11,  15,  16) ; 

that  is,  w^here  He  would  establish  His  worship. 

Jesus  said.  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  My  name, 
there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them  (Matt,  xviii.  20), 

As  many  as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become  sons  of 
God,  even  to  them  that  believe  in  His  name  {John  i.  12). 

He  that  believeth  not  hath  been  judged  already,  because  he  hath  not 
believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God  {John  iii.  18). 

Those  who  believe  shall  have  life  in  His  name  {John  xx.  31). 

Jesus  said,  I  have  manifested  Thy  name  to  men  and  I  have  made  known 
unto  them  Thy  name  {John  xvii.  6,  26). 

The  Lord  said,  Thou  hast  a  few  names  in  Sardis  {Apoc.  iii.  4) ; 

besides  many  other  passages  in  which,  as  in  the  foregoing,  the 
"name  of  God"  means  the  Divine  that  goes  forth  from  God, 
and  by  which  he  is  worshiped.  But  the  name  Jesus  Christ 
means  everything  of  redemption,  and  everything  of  His  doc- 
trine, and  thus  everything  of  salvation,  "  Jesus"  meaning  every- 
thing of  salvation  through  redemption,  and  "Christ"  every- 
thing of  salvation  through  His  doctrine. 

299.  In  the  celestial  sense, "  to  take  the  name  of  God  in  vain" 
means  what  the  Lord  said  to  the  Pharisees : — 


-4 

i 

i 

I 


I 


Every  sin  and  blasphemy  shall  be  forgiven  unto  men,  but  blasphemy 
of  the  Spirit  shall  not  be  forgiven  (Matt.  xii.  31,  32), 

"blasphemy  of  the  Spirit"  meaning  blasphemy  against  the  Di- 
vinity of  the  Lord's  Human,  and  against  the  holiness  of  the 
Word.  That  the  Divine  Human  of  the  Lord  is  meant  by  the 
name  of  Jehovah  God  in  the  celestial  or  highest  sense,  is  evi- 
dent from  the  following  passages  : — 

Jesus  said.  Father,  glorify  Thy  name.  And  there  came  a  voice  out  of 
heaven,  saying,  I  have  glorified  it,  and  will  glorify  it  again  {John  xii.  28). 

Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  My  name,  that  will  I  do,  that  the  Father 
may  be  glorified  in  the  Son ;  if  ye  shall  ask  anything  in  My  name,  that 
I  will  do  {John  xiv.  13,  14). 

In  the  Lord's  Prayer, 

Hallowed  be  Thy  name  {Matt.  vi.  9) 

has  the  same  meaning  in  the  celestial  sense.  The  same  is  true 
of  "name"  (Lx.  xxiii.  21 ;  Isa.  Ixiii.  16).  As  blasphemy  of  the 
Spirit  is  not  forgiven  imto  men  (according  to  the  words  in 
3Iatt.  xii.  31,  32),  and  as  this  is  what  is  meant  [by  this  com- 
mandment] in  the  celestial  sense,  it  is  added,  "for  Jehovah 
will  not  hold  him  guiltless  who  taketh  His  name  in  vain." 

300.  That  the  name  of  any  one  means  not  his  name  alone 
but  his  every  quality,  is  evident  from  the  use  of  names  in  the 
spiritual  world. 

No  man  there  retains  the  name  he  received  in  baptism^  or 
that  of  his  father  or  ancestry  in  the  world ;  but  every  one  is 
there  named  according  to  his  character,  and  angels  are  named 
according  to  their  moral  and  spiritual  life.  Such  are  meant  in 
these  words  of  the  Lord  : — 

Jesus  said,  I  am  the  Good  Shepherd.  The  sheep  hear  His  voice,  and  He 
calleth  His  own  sheep  by  name  and  leadeth  them  out  (John  x.  11,  3). 

Also  in  these  words  : — 

Thou  hast  a  few  names  even  in  Sardis,  that  have  not  defiled  their  gar- 
ments. He  that  overcometh  I  will  write  upon  him  the  name  of  the  city 
New  Jerusalem,  and  My  new  name  {Apoc.  iii.  4,  12). 

Gabriel  and  Michael  are  not  the  names  of  two  persons  in 
heaven,  but  by  those  names  all  in  heaven  who  are  in  wisdom 


388 


THE  TRITE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  V. 


respecting  the  Lord,  and  who  worship  Him  are  meant.  The 
names  of  persons  and  of  places  in  the  Word  do  not  mean  per- 
sons and  places,  but  the  things  of  the  church.  Nor  in  the  nat- 
ural world  does  a  name  mean  the  person's  name  only,  but  his 
character  also,  because  this  adheres  to  his  name ;  for  in  com- 
mon conversation  it  is  customary  to  sa} ,  "  This  he  does  for  the 
sake  of  his  name,"  or  "  for  the  fame  of  his  name,"  or  "  this 
man  has  a  great  name,"  meaning  that  he  is  celebrated  for  such 
things  as  are  in  him,  as  for  talents,  erudition,  merits,  and  so 
on.  Who  does  not  know  that  he  who  disparages  and  calumni- 
ates any  one  in  name,  also  disparages  and  calumniates  the 
actions  of  his  life  ?  In  idea  the  two  are  joined  together,  and 
the  fame  of  his  name  is  thus  destroyed.  In  like  manner  one 
who  utters  the  name  of  a  king,  a  noble,  or  any  great  man,  with 
great  disrespect,  also  casts  opprobrium  upon  his  majesty  and 
dignity.  So  again  he  who  mentions  the  name  of  another  in  a 
tone  of  contempt,  at  the  same  time  belittles  the  acts  of  his  life. 
This  is  true  of  every  one.  According  to  the  laws  of  all  king- 
doms it  is  not  lawful  to  sully  and  wound  with  slander  any 
one's  name,  that  is,  his  character  and  consequent  reputation. 


THE    THIKD   COMMANDMENT. 

REMEMBER  THE  SABBATH  DAY  TO  KEEP  IT  HOLY  ;  SIX  DAYS 

SHALT  THOU  LABOR  AND  DO  ALL  THY  WORK  ;  BUT 

THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH  OF 

JEHOVAH  THY  GOD. 

301.  This  is  the  third  commandment,  as  may  be  seen  from 
Ex.  XX.  8-10,  and  Deut.  v.  12-14.  In  the  natural  sense,  which 
is  the  sense  of  the  letter,  it  means  that  six  days  are  for  man 
and  his  labors,  and  the  seventh  for  the  Lord  and  rest  for  man 
from  the  Lord.  In  the  original  tongue  Sabbath  signifies  rest. 
With  the  children  of  Israel  the  Sabbath,  because  it  represented 
the  Lord,  was  the  sanctity  of  sanctities,  the  six  days  repre- 
senting His  labors  and  conflicts  with  the  hells,  and  the  seventh 
His  victory  over  them,  and  consequent  rest ;  and  as  that  day 


1 


1 


N.  301] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


389 


was  a  representative  of  the  close  of  the  whole  of  the  Lord's 
work  of  redemption,  it  was  holiness  itself.  But  when  the  Lord 
came  into  the  world,  and  in  consequence  representations  of 
Him  ceased,  that  day  became  a  day  of  instruction  in  Divine 
things,  and  thus  also  a  day  of  rest  from  labors  and  of  medita- 
tion on  such  things  as  relate  to  salvation  and  eternal  life,  as 
also  a  day  of  love  towards  the  neighbor.  That  it  became  a  day 
of  instruction  in  Divine  things  is  evident  from  this, 

That  on  that  day  the  Lord  taught  in  the  temple  and  in  synagogues 
{Mark  vi.  2  ;  Luke  iv.  16,  31,  32  ;  xiii.  10) ; 

And  that  He  said  to  the  man  who  was  healed.  Take  up  thy  bed  and 
walk  ;  and  to  the  Pharisees  that  it  was  lawful  for  His  disciples  on  the 
Sabbath  day  to  pluck  the  ears  of  corn  and  eat  {Matt.  xii.  1-9  •  Mark  ii 
23-28  ;  Luke  vi.  1-0  ;  John  v.  9-19), 

each  of  these  particulars  signifying  in  the  spiritual  sense  in- 
struction in  doctrinals.  That  that  day  was  made  also  a  day  of 
love  towards  the  neighbor  is  evident  from  what  the  Lord  did 
and  taught  on  that  day  (Matt.  xii.  10-14 ;  Mark  iii.  1-9 ;  Luke 
vi.  6-12;  xiii.  10-18;  xiv.  1-7;  John  v.  9-19;  vii.  22,  23;  ix. 
14,  16). 

From  all  this  it  is  evident  why  the  Lord  said, 

That  He  is  Lord  also  of  the  Sabbath  {Matt.  xii.  8  ;  Mark  ii.  28  •  Luke 
vi.  5) ; 

and  because  He  said  this,  it  follows  that  that  day  was  a  repre- 
sentative of  Him. 

302.  In  the  spiritual  sense,  this  commandment  signifies 
man's  reformation  and  regeneration  by  the  Lord,  "the  six  days 
of  labor"  signifying  his  warfare  against  the  flesh  and  its  lusts, 
and  at  the  same  time  against  the  evils  and  falsities  that  are  in 
him  from  hell,  and  "the  seventh  day"  signifying  his  conjunc- 
tion with  the  Lord,  and  regeneration  thereby.  That  man's  spir- 
itual labor  continues  as  long  as  that  warfare  lasts,  but  when 
he  is  regenerated  he  has  rest,  will  be  shown  in  what  is  to  be 
said  hereafter  in  the  chapter  on  Eeformation  and  Regenera- 
tion, especially  under  the  following  sections  there : — 

(1)  Regeneration  is  effected  in  a  manner  analogous  to  that 
in  which  man  is  conceived,  carried  in  a  womb,  born,  and  edu- 
cated. 


« 


390 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


(2)  The  first  act  in  the  new  birth  is  called  reformation, 
which  belongs  to  the  understanding ;  and  the  second  is  called 
regeneration,  which  belongs  to  the  will  and  therefrom  to  the 
understanding. 

(3)  The  internal  man  is  to  be  reformed  first,  and  through 

that  the  external 

(4)  Then  a  conflict  arises  between  the  internal  and  the  ex- 
ternal man,  and  the  one  that  conquers  rules  the  other. 

(5)  The  regenerate  man  has  a  new  will,  and  a  new  under- 
standing ;  and  so  forth. 

The  reformation  and  regeneration  of  man  are  signified  by 
this  commandment  in  the  spiritual  sense,  because  they  coin- 
cide with  the  labors  and  combats  of  the  Lord  with  the  hells, 
and  with  His  victory  over  them,  and  the  rest  that  followed. 
For  the  Lord  reforms  and  regenerates  man  and  renders  him 
spiritual  in  the  same  manner  in  which  He  glorified  His  Human 
and  made  it  Divine ;  and  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  command 
to  ''follow  Him:'  That  the  Lord  had  combats,  which  are  called 
"labors,"  is  evident  from  Isa.  liii.  and  Ixiii. ;  and  that  like 
things  are  called  "labors"  in  reference  to  men,  from  Isa.  Ixv. 
23 ;  Apoc.  ii.  2,  3. 

303.  In  the  celestial  sense,  this  commandment  means  con- 
junction with  the  Lord,  followed  by  peace,  because  of  protec- 
tion from  hell.  For  the  Sabbath  signifies  rest,  and  in  this  high- 
est sense,  peace ;  therefore  the  Lord  is  called  the  Prince  of 
Peace,  and  He  also  calls  Himself  "  Peace,"  as  is  evident  from 
the  following  passages  : — 

Unto  us  a  Child  is  bom,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given  ;  and  the  government 
shall  be  upon  His  shoulders ;  and  His  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful, 
Counselor,  God,  Mighty,  Father  of  eternity,  Prince  of  Peace.  Of  the  in- 
crease of  His  government  and  peace  there  shall  be  no  end  {Isa.  ix.  6,  7). 

Jesus  said,  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  My  peace  I  give  unto  you  {John  xiv. 

27).  .     ,^ 

Jesus  said,  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you  that  m  Me  ye  may 

have  peace  [John  xvi.  33). 

How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth 
good  tidings,  that  publisheth  peace;  saying,  Thy  King  reigneth  {Isa.  lii.  7). 

Jehovah  will  deliver  my  soul  in  peace  {Ps.  Iv.  18). 

Jehovah's  work  is  peace  ;  and  the  labor  of  righteousness  rest  and  se- 
curity for  ever  ;  that  My  people  may  abide  in  a  habitation  of  peace,  and  in 
tents  of  security,  in  quiet  resting-places  {Isa.  xxxii.  17,  18). 


N.  303] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


391 


Jesus  said  to  the  seventy  whom  he  sent  forth,  Into  whatsoever  house 
ye  enter,  first  say.  Peace  be  to  this  house  ;  and  if  a  son  of  peace  be  there, 
your  peace  shall  rest  upon  him  {Luke  x.  5,  6 ;  Matt.  x.  12-14). 

Jehovah  will  speak  peace  unto  His  people.  Righteousness  and  peace 
have  kissed  each  other  {Ps.  Ixxxv.  8,  10). 

When  the  Lord  Himself  appeared  to  His  disciples,  He  said,  Peace  be 
unto  you  {John  xx.  19,  21,  26). 

Moreover,  the  state  of  peace  into  which  men  are  to  come  from 
the  Lord  is  treated  of  in  Isa.  Ixv.,  Ixvi.  and  elsewhere;  and 
those  will  come  into  that  state,  who  are  received  into  the  New 
Church  which  the  Lord  is  establishing  at  this  day.  What  peace 
is  in  its  essence,  which  is  the  peace  in  which  the  angels  of  hea- 
ven and  those  who  are  in  the  Lord  are,  may  be  seen  in  the  work 
on  Heaven  and  Hell  (n.  284-290).  From  all  this  it  is  also  evi- 
dent why  the  Lord  called  Himself  *^Lord  of  the  Sabbath,''  that 
is,  of  rest  and  peace. 

304.  Heavenly  peace,  which,  in  respect  to  the  hells,  is  that 
evils  and  falsities  shall  not  rise  up  from  them  and  break  forth, 
may  be  compared  in  many  respects  with  natural  peace ;  as  with 
peace  after  war,  when  every  one  is  secure  from  enemies  and  is 
safe  in  his  own  city  and  home  and  living  in  his  own  fields  and 
garden.  This  is  as  the  prophet  said  when  he  spoke  naturally 
of  heavenly  peace : — 

They  shall  sit  every  man  under  his  vine  and  under  his  fig-tree,  and 
none  shall  make  them  afraid  {Micah  iv.  4  ;  Isa.  Ixv.  21-23). 

It  may  also  be  compared  to  recreations  of  mind  and  to  rest  after 
severe  labor,  and  to  the  consolation  felt  by  mothers  after  child- 
birth, when  their  parental  love  (called  stor(/e)  manifests  its  de- 
lights. It  may  also  be  compared  with  serenity  after  tempests, 
black  clouds,  and  thunders ;  also  with  spring,  after  a  terrible 
winter  has  passed,  and  with  the  gladdening  influences  from  the 
new  growths  in  the  fields  and  the  blossoming  in  the  gardens, 
meadows,  and  woods ;  and  again  with  the  state  of  mind  experi- 
enced by  those  who,  after  storms  and  dangers  on  the  sea,  reach 
a  port  and  set  foot  on  the  longed-for  land. 


392 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


THE  FOUETH  COMMANDMENT. 

HONOR  THY  FATHER  AND  THY  MOTHER,  THAT  THY  DAYS  MAY 

BE  PROLONGED,  AND  THAT  IT  MAY  BE  WELL  WITH 

THEE  UPON  THE  EARTH. 

305.  So  reads  this  commandinent  in  Ex.  xx.  12-^  Deut.  v.  16. 
In  the  natural  sense,  which  is  that  of  the  letter,  "to  honor  thy 
father  and  thy  mother^'  means  to  honor  parents,  to  be  obedient 
to  them,  to  be  devoted  to  them,  and  to  return  thanks  to  them 
for  the  benefits  they  confer,  which  are  that  they  provide  food 
and  clothing  for  their  children,  and  so  introduce  them  into  the 
world  that  they  may  act  in  it  as  civil  and  moral  persons ;  and 
introduce  them  also  into  heaven  by  means  of  the  precepts  of 
rehgion,  thus  providing  both  for  their  temporal  prosperity  and 
their  eternal  happiness.    All  this  parents  do  from  a  love  which 
they  have  from  the  Lord,  in  whose  stead  they  act.    In  a  rela- 
tive sense  it  means  that  if  parents  are  dead,  guardians  should 
be  honored  by  their  wards.    In  a  broader  sense,  to  honor  the 
king  and  magistrates,  is  meant  by  this  commandment,  since 
these  provide  for  all  in  general  the  necessities  which  parents 
provide  in  particular.    In  the  broadest  sense  this  command- 
ment means  that  men  should  love  their  country,  since  it  sup- 
ports and  protects  them,  therefore  it  is  called  fatherland  from 
father.    But  to  country,  king  and  magistrates  honor  must  be 
rendered  by  parents  and  by  them  be  implanted  in  their  chil- 
dren. 

306.  In  the  spiritual  sense,  "to  honor  father  and  mother" 
means  to  reverence  and  love  God  and  the  church.  In  this 
sense,  God  who  is  the  father  of  ail,  is  meant  by  "  father^'  and 
the  church  by  "mother.''  In  the  heavens  little  children  and 
the  angels  know  no  other  father  and  no  other  mother,  since 
they  are  there  born  anew  of  the  Lord  through  the  church. 
Therefore  the  Lord  says  : — 

Call  no  man  your  father  on  tlie  earth  ;  for  one  is  your  Father,  who  is 
in  the  heavens  {Matt,  xxiii.  9). 

This  was  said  with  reference  to  children  and  angels  in  heaven, 
and  not  of  children  and  men  on  earth.    The  Lord  teaches  the 


N.  306] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


393 


same  thing  in  the  common  prayer  of  the  Christian  churches, 
"  Our  Father  who  ai*t  in  the  heavens,  hallowed  be  Thy  name." 
In  the  spiritual  sense,  "  mother'  means  the  church,  because  as 
a  mother  on  earth  nourishes  her  children  with  natural  food; 
so  does  the  church  nourish  her  children  with  spiritual  food, 
and  this  is  why  the  church  is  frequently  called  "mother"  in 
the  Word,  as  in  Hosea : — 

Plead  with  your  mother ;  she  is  not  my  wife,  and  I  am  not  her  husband 
(ii.  2,  6). 

In  Isaiah : — 

Where  is  the  bill  of  your  mother's  divorcement,  whom  I  have  put  away  ? 
(1.  1 ;  Ezek.  xvi.  45 ;  xix.  10). 

And  in  the  Gospels  : — 

Jesus  stretched  forth  His  hand  towards  His  disciples,  and  said,  My 
mother  and  My  brethren  are  these  who  hear  the  Word  of  God  and  do  it 
{Matt.  xii.  48-50  ;  Mark  iii.  33-35  ;  Luke  viii.  21 ;  John  xix.  25-27). 

307.  In  the  celestial  sense,  "  father''  means  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  "  mother"  the  communion  of  saints,  which  means  the 
Lord's  church  spread  throughout  the  whole  world.  That  the 
Lord  is  the  Father,  is  evident  from  the  following  passages : — 

Unto  us  a  Child  is  bom,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given.  His  name  is  God, 
Mighty,  Father  of  eternity,  Prince  of  Peace  {Isa.  ix.  6). 

Thou  art  our  Father  ;  Abraham  knoweth  us  not  and  Israel  doth  not 
acknowledge  us  ;  Thou  art  our  Father,  our  Redeemer  from  everlasting  is 
Thy  name  {Isa.  Ixiii.  16). 

Philip  said,  show  us  the  Father ;  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  He  that  seeth 
Me  seeth  the  Father  ;  how  sayest  thou  then,  ShoW  us  the  Father  ?  Believe 
Me  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  Me  {John  xiv.  8-11 ;  also 
xii.  45). 

That "  mother"  in  this  sense  means  the  Lord's  church,  is  evident 
from  the  following  passages  : — 

I  saw  the  holy  city,  New  Jerusalem,  made  ready  as  a  bride  adorned  for 
her  husband  {Apoc.  xxi.  2). 

The  angel  said  to  John,  Come  hither,  I  will  show  thee  the  bride,  the 
wife  of  the  Lamb  ;  and  he  showed  me  the  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem  {Apoc. 
xxi.  9,  10). 

The  time  of  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  His  wife  hath  made 
herself  ready  :  Blessed  are  they  that  have  been  called  unto  the  marriage 
supper  of  the  Lamb  {Apoc.  xix.  7,  9).  (See  also  Matt.  ix.  15  ;  Mark  ii.  19, 
20  ;  Luke  V.  34,  35  ;  John  iii.  29  ;  xix.  25-27.) 


394 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  V. 


N.  308] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


395 


That  "the  New  Jerusalem''  means  the  New  Church  which  the 
Lord  is  at  this  day  establishing,  may  be  seen  in  the  Apocalypse 
Revealed  (n.  880,  881) ;  this  church,  and  not  the  preceding,  is 
the  wife  and  the  mother  in  this  sense.  The  spiritual  offspring 
which  are  born  from  this  marriage  are  the  goods  of  charity  and 
the  truths  of  faith ;  and  those  who  are  in  these  from  the  Lord, 
are  called  "sons  of  the  marriage,'^  "sons  of  God,"  and  "born 

of  God." 

308.  It  must  be  kept  in  mind  that  a  Divine-heavenly  sphere 
of  love  continually  goes  forth  from  the  Lord  toward  all  who 
embrace  the  doctrine  of  His  church,  who  are  obedient  to  Him, 
as  children  are  to  their  father  and  mother  in  the  world,  who 
devote  themselves  to  Him,  and  who  wish  to  be  fed,  that  is,  in- 
structed by  Him.  From  this  heavenly  sphere  a  natm-al  sphere 
arises,  which  is  one  of  love  towards  infants  and  children.  This 
is  a  most  universal  sphere,  affecting  not  only  men,  but  also 
birds  and  beasts  and  even  serpents ;  nor  animate  things  only, 
but  also  things  inanimate.  But  that  the  Lord  might  operate  up- 
on these  even  as  upon  spiritual  things.  He  created  a  sun  to  be 
in  the  natural  world  like  a  father,  the  earth  being  like  a  mother. 
J'cr  the  sun  is  like  a  common  father  and  the  earth  like  a  com- 
mon mother  from  the  marriage  of  which  all  the  vegetation  that 
adorns  the  surface  of  the  earth  is  produced.  From  the  influx 
of  that  heavenly  sphere  into  the  natural  world,  come  the  mar- 
velous developments  of  vegetation  from  seed  to  fruit,  and 
again  to  new  seed.  It  is  from  this  also  that  many  kinds  of 
plants  turn,  as  it  were,  their  faces  to  the  sun  during  the  day, 
and  turn  them  away  when  the  sun  sets.  It  is  from  this  also 
that  there  are  flowers  that  open  at  the  rising  of  the  sun  and 
close  at  his  setting.  It  is  from  this  also  that  the  song-birds  sing 
sweetly  at  the  early  dawn,  and  likewise  after  they  have  been 
fed  by  their  mother  earth.  Thus  do  all  these  honor  their  father 
and  mother.  They  all  bear  testimony  that  in  the  natural  world 
the  Lord  provides  through  the  sun  and  the  earth  all  necessities 
both  for  animate  and  inanimate  things.  Therefore  it  is  said 
in  David: — 

Praise  ye  Jehovah  from  the  heavens  ;  praise  ye  Him,  sun  and  moon  ; 
praise  Him  from  the  earth,  ye  dragons  and  all  deeps  ;  praise  Him,  fruitful 
trees  and  all  cedars ;  beasts  and  ail  cattle ;  creeping  things  and  flying 


fowl ;  kings  of  the  earth  and  all  peoples ;  young  men  and  maidens  {Ps. 
cxlviii.  1-12); 

and  in  Job : — 

Ask,  I  pray,  the  beasts  and  they  shall  teach  thee  ;  or  the  fowls  of  the 
air,  and  they  shall  tell  thee  ;  or  the  shrub  of  the  earth,  and  it  shall  teach 
thee  ;  and  the  fishes  of  the  sea  shall  declare  unto  thee.  Who  doth  not 
know  from  all  these  things  that  t)ie  hand  of  Jehovah  hath  wrought  this  ? 

(xii.  7-9). 

"  Ask  and  they  will  teach,''  signifies  to  observe,  study,  and 
judge  from  these  things  that  the  Lord  Jehovah  created  them. 


THE   FIFTH   COMMANDMENT. 

THOU    SHALT    XOT    KILL. 

309.  In  the  natural  sense,  this  commandment  "  Thou  shalt 
not  kill"  means  not  to  kill  a  man,  and  not  to  inflict  upon  him 
any  wound  from  which  he  may  die,  also  not  to  maim  his  body. 
It  means  also  not  to  inflict  any  deadly  harm  upon  his  name  and 
fame,  since  with  many  fame  and  life  go  hand  in  hand.  In  a 
broader  natural  sense,  murder  means  enmity,  hatred,  and  re- 
venge, which  breathe  slaughter ;  for  in  them  murder  lies  con- 
cealed as  fire  in  wood  under  ashes.  Infernal  fire  is  nothing 
else ;  hence  the  expressions,  to  be  inflamed  with  hatred,  to  burn 
with  revenge.  These  passions  are  murder  in  intention,  not  in 
act ;  but  if  fear  of  the  law  or  of  retaliation  and  revenge  were 
removed  from  them,  they  would  break  forth  into  act,  especially 
if  there  is  treachery  or  ferocity  in  the  intention.  That  hatred 
is  murder,  is  evident  from  these  words  of  the  Lord  : — 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old  time,  Thou  shalt  not 
kill ;  and  whosoever  shall  kill  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment.  But  I 
say  unto  you,  that  whosoever  is  angry  with  his  brother  rashly  shall  be  in 
danger  of  the  judgment.  But  whosoever  shall  say  to  his  brother,  Raca, 
shall  be  in  danger  of  the  council,  and  whosoever  shall  say,  Thou  fool, 
shall  be  in  danger  of  the  hell  of  fire  {Matt.  v.  21,  22). 

This  is  because  whatever  pertains  to  the  intention  pertains  also 
to  the  will,  and  so  essentially  to  the  deed. 


396 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


310.  In  the  spiritual  sense,  murder  means  all  modes  of  kill- 
ing and  destroying  the  souls  of  men,  which  modes  are  various 
and  manifold,  as  for  example,  turning  men  away  from  God,  re- 
ligion, and  Divine  worship  by  insinuating  scandalous  thoughts 
against  these,  or  by  inducing  such  persuasions  as  cause  aver- 
sion and  even  abhorrence.  Such  murderers  are  all  the  devils 
and  satans  in  hell,  with  whom  those  in  this  world  who  violate 
and  prostitute  the  sanctities  of  the  church  are  in  conjunction. 
Those  who  destroy  souls  by  falsities  are  meant  by  the  king  of 
the  abyss,  who  is  called  "  Abaddon"  or  "  Apollyon,"  that  is,  the 
Destroyer  {Apoc.  ix.  11) ;  and  in  the  prophetic  Word  [those 
whom  they  destroy]  are  meant  by  '^  the  slain,"  as  in  the  fol- 
lowing passages  : — 

Thus  said  Jehovah  God,  Feed  the  flock  of  slaughter  which  their  pos- 
sessors have  slain  {Zech.  xi.  4,  5,  7). 

We  are  killed  all  the  day  long ;  we  are  counted  as  a  flock  for  the 
slaughter  (Ps.  xliv.  22,  23). 

Jacob  shall  cause  them  that  come  to  take  root.  Is  he  slain  according 
to  the  slaughter  of  them  that  are  slain  by  him  ?  {Isa.  xxvii.  6,  7). 

The  thief  cometh  not  but  to  steal  and  to  kill  the  sheep  ;  I  am  come 
that  they  may  have  life  and  abundance  {John  x.  10). 

(Besides  elsewhere,  as  in  Isa.  xiv.  21 ;  xxvi.  21 ;  Ezek.  xxxvii.  9  ;  Jer.  iv. 
31  ;  xii.  3  ;  Apoc.  ix.  4,  5  ;  xi.  7.) 

And  therefore  the  devil  is  called : — 

A  murderer  from  the  beginning  {John  viii.  44). 

311.  In  the  celestial  sense,  to  kill  means  to  be  rashly  angry 
with  the  Lord,  to  hate  Him,  and  to  wish  to  blot  out  His  name. 
It  is  said  of  such  that  they  crucify  the  Lord,  and  this  they 
would  do,  as  the  Jews  did,  if  He  were  to  come  again  into  the 
world  as  before.    This  is  meant  by  : — 

A  Lamb  standing  as  though  it  had  been  slain  {Apoc.  v.  6  ;  xiii.  8). 
Also  by  the  Lord's  being  crucified  {Apoc.  xi.  8  ;  Heb.  vi.  6  ;  Gal.  iii.  1). 

312.  The  nature  of  man's  internal,  unless  it  is  reformed  by 
the  Lord,  has  been  made  evident  to  me  from  seeing  the  devils 
and  satans  in  hell ;  for  they  have  it  constantly  in  mind  to  kill 
the  Lord ;  and  as  they  cannot  do  this  they  are  in  the  endeavor 
to  kill  those  who  are  devoted  to  the  Lord ;  but  not  being  able, 
as  men  are  in  the  world,  to  do  this,  they  make  every  effort  to 
destroy  their  souls,  that  is,  to  destroy  faith  and  charity  in  them. 


N.  312] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


397 


With  such,  essential  hatred  and  revenge  appear  like  lurid  and 
glowing  fires — hatred  like  a  lurid  fire,  and  revenge  like  a  glow- 
ing fire — yet  these  are  not  fires,  but  appearances.  The  cruel- 
ties of  their  hearts  sometimes  appear  above  them  in  the  air  like 
contests  with  angels  and  their  slaughter  and  overthrow.  Such 
direful  mockeries  arise  from  their  wrath  and  hatred  against 
heaven.  Moreover,  at  a  distance,  these  same  spirits  appear  like 
wild  beasts  of  every  kind,  as  tigers,  leopards,  wolves,  foxes, 
dogs,  crocodiles,  and  all  kinds  of  serpents ;  and  when  they  see 
gentle  animals  in  representative  forms,  they  rush  upon  them 
in  fantasy  and  strive  to  tear  them  in  pieces.  They  came  to  my 
sight  like  dragons  standing  near  women  with  whom  there  were 
little  children,  whom  they  were  endeavoring,  as  it  were,  to  de- 
vour (according  to  what  is  recorded  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of 
the  Apocalypse) ;  but  these  were  nothing  else  than  representa- 
tions of  hatred  against  the  Lord  and  His  New  Church.  That 
men  in  the  world  who  wish  to  destroy  the  Lord's  church  are 
like  these  spirits  is  not  evident  to  their  companions ;  and  for 
the  reason  that  their  bodies,  through  which  they  practise  the 
moralities,  absorb  and  conceal  these  things.  But  to  the  angels, 
who  behold  their  spirits  and  not  their  bodies,  they  appear  in 
forms  like  those  of  the  devils  above  described.  Who  could  have 
known  such  things  had  not  the  Lord  opened  the  sight  of  some 
one,  and  given  him  the  ability  to  look  into  the  spiritual  world  ? 
Otherwise,  would  not  these,  together  with  other  most  impor- 
tant matters,  have  lain  concealed  from  man  for  ever  ? 


THE    SIXTH    COMMANDMENT. 


THOU  SHALT  NOT  COMMIT  ADULTERY. 

313.  In  the  natural  sense,  this  commandment  means  not 
only  not  to  commit  adultery,  but  it  refers  also  to  willing  and 
doing  obscene  things  and  thinking  and  speaking  about  lasciv- 
ious things.  That  merely  to  lust  is  to  commit  adultery,  is  evi- 
dent from  the  Lord's  words  : — 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old  time,  Tliou  shalt  not 
commit  adultery.    But  I  say  unto  you,  that  every  one  that  looketh  on. 


398 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


another  man's  wife  to  lust  after  her,  hath  committed  adultery  with  her 
already  in  his  heart  {Matt.  v.  27,  28). 

The  reason  of  this  is  that  when  lust  enters  the  will  it  becomes, 
as  it  were,  deed ;  for  allurement  enters  into  the  understanding 
only,  but  into  the  will,  intention ;  and  the  intention  of  a  lust 
is  a  deed.  But  more  on  this  subject  may  be  seen  in  the  work 
on  Mamage  Love  and  Scortatory  Love  (Amsterdam,  1768), 
which  treats.  On  the  Opposition  of  Marriage  to  Scortatory  Love 
(n.  423-443)  ;  On  Fornication  (n.  444-460)  ;  On  Adulteries  and 
the  Different  Kinds  and  Degrees  of  Adultery  (n.  478-499)  ;  On 
the  Lust  of  Defloration  (n.  501-505)  ;  On  the  Lust  for  Variety 
(n.  506-510) ;  On  the  Lust -of  Violation  (n.  511,  512) ;  On  the 
Lust  of  Seducing  Innocences  (n.  513,  514) ;  On  the  Imputation 
of  Scortatory  Love  and  of  Marriage  Love  (n.  523-531).  All 
of  these  things  are  meant  by  this  commandment  in  the  natural 
sense. 

314.  In  the  spiritual  sense,  "to  commit  adultery'^  means  to 
adulterate  the  goods  of  the  Word  and  to  falsify  its  truths. 
That  "  to  commit  adultery"  means  this  also,  has  been  hitherto 
unknown,  because  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  has  been 
hitherto  concealed.  That  such  is  the  meaning  in  the  Word  of 
"  to  commit  adultery,"  "  to  adulterate,"  and  "  to  commit  whore- 
dom" is  evident  from  the  following  passages  : — 

Run  ye  to  and  fro  through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  and  seek  if  ye  can 
find  a  man  that  executeth  judgment,  and  seeketh  the  truth.  When  I  had 
fed  them  to  the  full,  they  committed  adultery  {Jer.  v.  1,  7). 

In  the  prophets  of  Jerusalem  I  have  seen  a  horrible  stubbornness  in 
adulterating  and  walking  in  a  lie  {Jer.  xxiii.  14). 

They  have  wrought  folly  in  Israel,  and  have  committed  whoredom, 
and  have  spoken  My  Word  falsely  {Jer.  xxix.  23). 

They  committed  whoredom,  because  they  have  left  Jehovah  {Hos.  iv. 
10). 

I  will  cut  off  the  soul  that  tumeth  unto  them  that  have  familiar  spirits 
and  unto  the  wizards,  to  go  a  whoring  after  them  (Lev.  xx.  6). 

A  covenant  shall  not  be  made  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  land,  lest 
they  go  a  whoring  after  their  gods  {Ex.  xxxiv.  15). 

Because  Babylon  adulterates  and  falsifies  the  Word  more  than 

others,  she  is  called  the  great  harlot,  and  it  is  said  of  her  in 

the  Apocalypse : — 

Babylon  hath  given  all  nations  to  drink  of  the  wine  of  the  anger  of 
her  fornication  {Apoc,  xiv.  8). 


N.  314] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


399 


The  angel  said,  I  will  show  unto  thee  the  judgment  of  the  great  har- 
lot ;  with  whom  the  kings  of  the  earth  committed  whoredom  {Apoc.  xvii. 
1,  2). 

For  He  hath  judged  the  great  harlot  that  corrupted  the  earth  with  her 
whoredom  (Apoc.  xix.  2). 

Because  the  Jewish  nation  had  falsified  the  Word,  it  was  called 
by  the  Lord : — 

An  adulterous  generation  {Matt,  xii,  30 ;  xvi.  4  ;  Mark  viii.  38) ; 
And  the  seed  of  the  adulterer  {Isa.  Ivii.  3). 

There  are  many  other  passages  where  "  adulteries"  and  "  whore- 
doms" mean  adulterations  and  falsifications  of  the  Word  (as 
in  Jer.  iii.  6,  8 ;  xiii.  27 ;  Ezek.  xvL  15,  16,  2e>,  28,  29,  32,  33 ; 
xxiii.  2,  3,  5,  7, 11, 14,  16, 17 ;  Hos.  v.  3;  vi.  10 ;  Nahtim  iii.  4). 

315.  In  the  celestial  sense,  ^Ho  commit  adultery"  means  to 
deny  the  holiness  of  the  Word,  and  to  profane  it.  This  mean- 
ing follows  from  the  preceding  spiritual  meaning,  which  is  to 
adulterate  its  goods  and  to  falsify  its  truths.  The  holiness  of 
the  Word  is  denied  and  profaned  by  those  who  in  heart  ridi- 
cule all  things  of  the  church  and  of  religion,  for  in  the  Chris- 
tian world  all  things  of  the  church  and  of  religion  are  from  the 
AVord. 

316.  There  are  many  causes  which  make  a  man  to  seem 
chaste,  not  only  to  others  but  also  to  himself,  when,  in  fact,  he 
is  wholly  unchaste ;  since  he  does  not  know  that  when  a  lust 
occupies  the  will  it  is  a  deed  and  cannot  be  removed  except  by 
the  Lord  after  repentance.  A  man  is  not  made  chaste  by  ab- 
staining from  doing,  but  by  abstaining  from  willing  because  it 
is  a  sin  when  the  doing  is  possible.  Just  so  far  as  any  one  ab- 
stains from  adulteries  and  whoredoms,  solely  from  fear  of  the 
civil  law  and  its  penalties ;  from  fear  of  the  loss  of  reputation 
and  thus  of  honor  ;  from  fear  of  the  diseases  arising  from  them  ; 
from  fear  of  the  wife's  upbraidings  at  home,  and  the  conse- 
quent intranquillity  of  life ;  from  fear  of  the  vengeance  of  the 
husband  and  relatives,  or  of  being  beaten  by  their  servants ; 
or  because  of  avarice,  or  any  infirmity  caused  by  disease  or 
abuse  or  age  or  any  other  cause  of  impotence ;  even  if  he  ab- 
stains on  account  of  any  natural  or  moral  law,  and  not  at  the 
same  time  on  account  of  spiritual  law ;  he  is  nevertheless  in- 
wardly an  adulterer  and  a  fornicator.  For  he  none  the  less  be- 


400 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


lieves  that  adulteries  and  whoredoms  are  not  sins,  and  there- 
fore he  does  not  in  his  spirit  make  them  unlawful  before  God ; 
and  thus  in  spirit  he  commits  them,  even  if  he  does  not  com- 
mit them  in  the  body  before  the  world ;  and  in  consequence, 
when  after  death  he  becomes  a  spirit  he  speaks  openly  in  favor 
of  them.  Furthermore,  adulterers  may  be  compared  to  cove- 
nant-breakers who  violate  compacts;  also  to  the  satyrs  and^??^'- 
api  of  the  ancients,  who  roamed  in  forests,  crying  out,  "Where 
are  there  virgins,  betrothed  maidens,  and  wives,  to  sport  with  ?" 
JVIoreover,  in  the  spiritual  world  adulterers  actually  appear  like 
satyrs  and  priapi.  They  may  also  be  compared  to  rank  he- 
goats,  or  to  dogs  that  run  about  the  streets,  looking  about  and 
smelling  for  female  dogs  to  satiate  their  lasciviousness;  and  so 
on.  When  they  become  husbands  their  virility  may  be  likened 
to  the  blossoming  of  tulips  in  spring,  which  in  a  month  lose 
their  flowers  and  wither. 


THE  SEVENTH  COMMANDMENT. 

THOU  SHALT  NOT  STEAL. 

317.  In  the  natural  sense,  this  commandment  means,  ac- 
cording to  its  letter,  not  to  steal  or  to  rob  or  to  commit  piracy 
in  time  of  peace ;  and  in  general,  not  to  take  away  any  one's 
goods  secretly  or  under  any  pretext.  It  also  extends  to  all  im- 
postures and  illegitimate  gains,  usuries  and  exactions ;  and 
again  to  frauds  in  paying  taxes  and  duties  and  in  discharging 
debts.  Laborers  transgress  this  commandment  when  they  do 
their  work  unfaithfully  and  deceitfully ;  merchants,  when  they 
practice  deceit  in  their  merchandise,  in  weight,  in  measure,  and 
in  their  accounts ;  officers,  when  they  deduct  from  the  soldiei-s' 
Avages ;  judges,  when  they  give  judgment  for  friendship,  re- 
ward, relationship,  or  others  reasons,  preventing  law  and  evi- 
dence, and  so  depriving  others  of  the  goods  which  they  right- 
fully possess. 

318.  In  the  spiritual  sense,  to  steal  means  to  deprive  others 
of  the  truths  of  their  faith,  which  is  done  by  means  of  falsities 


N.  318] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


401 


and  heresies.  Priests,  who  minister  solely  for  gain  or  from  a 
lust  for  honor,  and  teach  what  they  see  or  might  see  from  the 
Word  to  be  untrue,  are  spiritual  thieves,  since  they  take  away 
from  the  people  the  means  of  salvation,  which  are  the  truths 
of  faith.  Such  are  called  thieves  in  the  Word,  in  the  follow- 
ing passages : — 

He  that  entereth  not  by  the  door  into  the  sheepf  old,  but  climbeth  up 
some  other  way,  the  same  is  a  thief  and  a  robber.  The  thief  cometh  not 
but  to  steal,  and  to  kill,  and  to  destroy  {John  x.  1,  10). 

Lay  not  up  treasures  upon  earth,  but  in  heaven,  where  thieves  do  not 
come  and  steal  {Matt.  vi.  19,  20). 

K  thieves  come  to  thee,  if  robbers  by  night,  how  art  thou  cut  off ;  will 
they  not  steal  what  is  enough  for  them  ?  {Obad.  verse  5). 

They  shall  run  to  and  fro  in  the  city ;  they  shall  run  upon  the  wall, 
they  shall  climb  up  upon  the  houses ;  they  shall  enter  in  at  the  windows 
like  a  thief  {Joel  ii.  9). 

They  have  committed  falsehood,  and  the  thief  cometh  in,  and  the  troop 
spreadeth  itself  without  {Hos.  vii.  1). 

319.  In  the  celestial  sense,  thieves  mean  those  who  take  away 
from  the  Lord  His  Divine  power;  also  those  who  claim  for 
themselves  His  merit  and  righteousness.  These,  even  if  they 
adore  God,  still  do  not  trust  in  Him  but  only  in  themselves, 
and  also  do  not  believe  in  God,  but  only  in  themselves. 

320.  Those  who  teach  what  is  false  and  heretical  and  per- 
suade the  common  people  that  it  is  true  and  orthodox,  although 
they  read  the  Word,  and  from  it  may  know  what  is  false  and 
what  is  true,  also  those  who  by  fallacies  confirm  falsities  of 
religion  and  seduce  men  thereby,  may  be  compared  to  impos- 
tors and  their  impostures  of  all  kinds ;  and  because  such  im- 
postures are  in  the  spiritual  sense  essentially  thefts,  such  per- 
sons may  be  compared  to  counterfeiters  who  strike  false  coins 
and  gild  them  or  give  them  outwardly  the  color  of  gold,  and 
pass  them  for  pure  coins ;  then  again  to  those  who  know  how 
to  cut  and  polish  crystals  skilfully  and  harden  them,  and  who 
sell  them  for  diamonds ;  also  to  men  who  carry  apes  or  mon- 
keys, clothed  like  men  and  with  veiled  faces  on  horses  or  mules 
through  cities,  and  proclaim  that  these  are  noblemen  of  an  an- 
cient stock.  They  are  also  like  those  who  put  on  false  faces 
smeared  with  paints  of  various  colors,  over  the  living  and  nat- 
ural face,  concealing  its  beauty;  and  they  are  also  like  men 

26 


f 


402 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


who  exhibit  selenite  and  mica,  which  shine  as  if  from  gold  and 
silver,  and  try  to  sell  them  as  coming  from  veins  that  are  very 
precious.  They  may  also  be  likened  to  those  who  by  theatri- 
cals lead  men  away  from  true  Divine  worship,  or  from  churches 
to  playhouses.  Those  who  establish  all  kinds  of  falsity,  regard- 
ing truths  as  of  no  moment,  and  who  discharge  priestly  func- 
tions solely  for  gain  and  a  lust  for  honor,  being  thus  spiritual 
thieves,  may  be  likened  to  those  thieves  who  carry  keys  where- 
with they  can  open  the  door  of  any  house ;  also  to  leopards  and 
eagles,  that  with  sharp  eyes  search  for  the  fattest  prey. 


THE  EIGHTH  COMMANDMENT. 

THOU    SHALT    NOT    BEAR    FALSE   WITNESS    AGAINST    THY 

NEIGHBOR. 

321.  "Bearing  false  witness  against  the  neighbor,''  or  testi- 
fying falsely,  means,  in  the  natural  sense  nearest  to  the  letter, 
to  act  the  part  of  a  false  witness  before  a  judge,  or  before  others 
not  in  a  court  of  justice,  against  one  who  is  rashly  accused  of 
any  evil,  and  to  support  the  accusation  by  the  name  of  God  or 
anything  else  that  is  holy  or  by  one's  personal  influence  and  the 
strength  of  his  personal  reputation.  In  a  wider  natural  sense 
this  commandment  forbids  all  kinds  of  lies  and  hypocrisies  in 
civil  life  which  look  to  an  evil  end ;  also  traducing  and  defam- 
ing the  neighbor,  to  the  injury  of  his  honor,  name,  and  fame, 
on  which  the  man's  whole  character  depends.  In  the  widest 
natural  sense,  the  commandment  forbids  plots,  cunning  devices, 
and  premeditated  evils  against  any  one,  which  spring  from  va- 
rious sources,  as  enmity,  hatred,  revenge,  envy,  emulation,  and 
the  like.  For  these  evils  conceal  within  them  the  bearing  of 
false  witness. 

322.  In  the  spiritual  sense,  "bearing  false  witness"  means 
to  persuade  that  falsity  of  belief  is  true  belief  and  evil  of  life 
is  good  of  life,  and  the  reverse,  doing  this  from  purpose,  not 
from  ignorance ;  that  is,  doing  this  after  one  has  learned  what 
is  true  and  good,  not  before  j  for  the  Lord  says  : — 


N.  322] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


403 


If  ye  were  blind,  ye  would  have  no  sin ;  but  now  ye  say,  We  see ; 
therefore  your  sin  remaineth  {John  ix.  41). 

In  the  Word  this  kind  of  falsehood  is  called  a  "  lie"  and  the 
intent  is  called  "  deceit,"  as  in  the  following  passages : — 

We  have  made  a  covenant  with  death,  and  with  hell  we  have  made 
vision,  for  we  have  made  a  lie  our  trust,  and  in  falsehood  have  we  hid 
ourselves  {Isa.  xxviii.  15). 

This  is  a  rebellious  people,  lying  sons,  they  will  not  hear  the  law  of  Je- 
hovah {Isa.  XXX.  9). 

From  the  prophet  even  unto  the  priest  every  one  worketh  a  lie  {Jer. 
viii.  10). 

The  inhabitants  speak  a  lie,  their  tongue  is  deceitful  in  their  mouth 
{Micah  vi.  12). 

Thou  wilt  destroy  them  that  speak  a  lie  ;  Jehovah  abhorreth  the  man 
of  deceit  {Ps.  v.  6). 

They  have  taught  their  tongue  to  speak  a  lie  ;  their  habitation  is  in  the 
midst  of  deceit  {Jer.  ix.  5,  6). 

Because  a  "lie"  means  what  is  false,  the  Lord  says: — 

That  when  the  devil  speaketh  a  lie,  he  speaketh  from  his  own  {John 
viii.  44). 

( "  A  lie"  signifies  what  is  false,  and  false  speaking,  in  the  fol- 
lowing places  also :  Jer.  xxiii.  14,  32 ;  Ezek.  xiii.  6-9 ;  xxi.  29 ; 
Has.  vii.  1 ;  xii.  1 ;  Nahum  iii.  1 ;  Ps.  cxx.  2,  3). 

323.  In  the  celestial sense,hQ?Li\i\^  false  witness  means  blas- 
pheming the  Lord  and  the  Word,  thus  banishing  truth  itself 
from  the  church ;  for  the  Lord  is  the  Truth  itself,  as  likewise 
the  Word.  On  the  other  hand,  to  bear  witness  in  this  sense, 
means  to  speak  the  truth,  and  testimony  means  the  truth  itself. 
For  this  reason  the  Decalogue  is  called  the  "testimony"  {Ex. 
XXV.  16,  21,  22 ;  xxxi.  7, 18 ;  xxxii.  15, 16 ;  xl.  20 ;  Lev.  xvi.  13 ; 
Num.  xvii.  4,  7, 10).  And  because  the  Lord  is  the  truth  itself, 
He  says  of  Himself,  that  He  bears  witness. 

That  the  Lord  is  the  very  truth  {John  xiv.  6  ;  Apoc.  iii.  7,  14) ; 
And  that  He  bears  witness,  and  witnesses  of  Himself  {John  iii.  11 ;  viii. 
13-19  ;  XV.  26  ;  xviii.  37,  38). 

324.  Those  who  speak  falsities  from  deceit  or  purposely, 
uttering  them  in  a  tone  imitative  of  spiritual  affection  (and  still 
more  if  they  mingle  with  them  truths  from  the  Word,  which 
are  thus  falsified),  were  by  the  ancients  called  sorcerers  (on 


404 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


whom  see  the  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  462),  also  pythons,  and 
serpents  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  These 
falsifiers,  liars,  and  deceivers  may  be  likened  to  men  who  talk 
to  those  they  hate  in  a  bland  and  friendly  manner,  and  while 
talking  hold  behind  them  a  dagger  with  which  to  kill.  They 
may  also  be  likened  to  those  who  poison  their  swords  aild  thus 
attack  their  enemies ;  or  to  those  who  mix  hemlock  with  water, 
or  who  poison  with  wine  and  sweetmeats.  They  may  also  be 
likened  to  handsome  and  seductive  harlots  infected  with  vene- 
real diseases ;  to  stinging  shrubs,  which  when  brought  near  to 
the  nostrils,  hurt  the  olfactory  fibers ;  to  sweetened  poisons ; 
and  also  to  ordure,  which  when  dried  emits  in  autumn  a  frar 
grant  odor.  Such  are  described  in  the  Word  by  leopards  (see 
the  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  572). 


THE  NINTH  AND  TENTH  COMMANDMENTS. 

THOU   SHALT   NOT   COVET   THY  NEIGHBOR'S    HOUSE  ;  THOU   SHALT 

NOT    COVET    THY   NEIGHBOR'S  WIFE,  NOR   HIS   MANSERVANT, 

NOB   HIS    MAIDSERVANT,   NOR   HIS    OX,    NOR   HIS    ASS, 

NOR    ANYTHING    THAT    IS    THY    NEIGHBOR'S. 

325.  In  the  catechisms  now  in  use,  this  commandment  is  di- 
vided into  two,  one  forming  the  ninth,  which  is,  "  Thou  shalt 
not  covet  thy  neighbor's  house  ;"  and  the  other  the  tenth,  which 
is,  ''  Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  wife,  nor  liis  manser- 
vant, nor  his  maidservant,  nor  his  ox,  nor  his  ass,  nor  anything 
that  is  thy  neighbor's."  As  these  two  commandments  consti- 
tute one  thing,  and  in  Ex,  xx.  17 ;  Beut  v.  21,  one  verse,  I  have 
undertaken  to  treat  of  the  two  together ;  not  wishing  them  to 
be  joined  together  as  one  commandment,  but  rather  that  as 
heretofore  they  be  kept  separate  as  two,  since  the  command- 
ments are  called  (in  the  Hebrew)  the  Ten  Words  {Ex.  xxxiv. 
28;  Deut.  iv.  13;  x.  4). 

326.  These  two  commandments  have  relation  to  all  the  pre- 
ceding ones,  and  teach  and  enjoin  not  only  that  evils  must  not 


N.  326J 


THE  DECALOGUE 


405 


be  done,  but  also  that  they  must  not  be  lusted  after,  conse- 
quently that  evils  pertain  not  solely  to  the  external  man,  but 
also  to  the  internal ;  since  he  who  refrains  from  doing  evils 
and  yet  lusts  to  do  them,  still  does  them.  For  the  Lord  says  : — 

If  any  one  lusts  after  another's  wife,  he  has  committed  adultery  with 
her  already  in  his  heart  {Matt.  v.  27,  28) ; 

and  the  external  man  becomes  internal,  or  acts  as  one  with  the 
internal,  only  when  lusts  have  been  removed.  This  also  the 
Lord  teaches,  saying  : — 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees  ;  for  ye  cleanse  the  outside  of  the 
cup  and  of  the  platter,  but  within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and  excess. 
Tliou  blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  tirst  the  inside  of  the  cup  and  platter,  that 
the  outside  may  be  clean  also  {Matt  xxiii.  25,  26) ; 

and  the  same  is  taught  throughout  that  chapter.  The  internals 
which  are  Pharisaical,  are  lusts  after  the  things  that  are  for- 
bidden to  be  done  in  the  first,  second,  fifth,  sixth,  seventh  and 
eighth  commandments.    It  is  known  that  when  the  Lord  was 
in  the  world.  He  taught  the  internal  things  of  the  church,  and 
these  internal  things  are  not  to  lust  after  evils ;  and  He  so 
taught  in  order  that  the  internal  and  external  man  may  make 
one.    This  is  the  being  born  anew^,  of  which  the  Lord  spoke  to 
Nicodemus  in  the  third  chapter  of  John ;  and  no  man  can  be 
born  anew  or  be  regenerated,  and  consequently  become  inter- 
nal, except  from  the  Lord.  That  these  two  commandments  may 
have  relation  to  all  the  preceding  ones,  inasmuch  as  the  things 
forbidden  therein  are  not  to  be  lusted  after,  the  house  is  first 
mentioned,  after  the  wife,  then  the  manservant,  maidservant, 
ox,  and  ass,  and  lastly,  everything  that  is  the  neighbor's.    For 
the  house  involves  all  that  follows,  since  it  includes  the  hus- 
band, wife,  manservant,  maidservant,  ox  and  ass.    Again,  the 
wife,  who  is  next  mentioned,  involves  all  that  follows ;  for  she 
is  the  mistress  as  the  husband  is  the  master  in  the  house ;  the 
manservant  and  maidservant  are  beneath  these,  the  ox  and  the 
ass  beneath  the  latter,  and  last  of  all  come  all  things  that  are 
btdow  or  without,  which  means  everything  that  is  the  neigh- 
bor's. Evidently  therefore,  in  these  two  commandments  all  the 
preceding,  both  in  general  and  in  particular,  are  regarded,  both 
in  a  broad  and  a  restricted  sense. 


406 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


327.  In  the  spiritual  setise,  these  two  commandments  for- 
bid all  lusts  that  are  contrary  to  the  spirit,  thus  all  that  are 
contrary  to  the  spiritual  things  of  the  church,  which  relate 
chiefly  to  faith  and  charity;  for  unless  lusts  are  subdued,  the 
flesh  let  loose  would  rush  into  every  wickedness.  For  it  is 
known  from  Paul, 

That  the  flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh 
{Gal  V.  17) ; 

and  from  Ja^es  : — 

Each  man  is  tempted  by  his  own  lust  when  he  is  enticed ;  then  the 
lust,  when  it  hath  conceived,  beareth  sin  ;  and  sui,  when  it  is  completed, 
bringeth  f  ortli  death  (i.  14,  15) ; 

again  from  Peter, 

That  the  Lord  reserves  the  unrighteous  unto  the  day  of  judgment,  to 
be  punished ;  but  chiefly  them  that  walk  after  the  flesh  in  lust  (2  Epis. 
ii.  9,  10). 

In  short,  these  two  commandments  understood  in  the  spiritual 
sense  relate  to  all  things  that  have  before  been  presented  in  the 
spiritual  sense,  that  they  must  not  be  lusted  after;  so  likewise, 
to  all  that  has  been  before  presented  in  the  celestial  sense;  but 
to  repeat  all  these  things  is  unnecessary. 

328.  The  lusts  of  the  flesh,  the  eye,  and  the  other  senses, 
separated  from  the  lusts,  that  is,  from  the  affections,  the  de- 
sires, and  the  delights  of  the  spirit,  are  wholly  like  the  lusts  of 
beasts,  and  consequently  are  in  themselves  beast-like.  But  the 
affections  of  the  spirit  are  such  as  angels  have,  and  therefore 
are  to  be  called  truly  human.  For  this  reason,  so  far  as  any  one 
indulges  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  he  is  a  beast  and  a  wild  beast ; 
but  so  far  as  one  satisfies  the  desires  of  the  spirit,  he  is  a  man 
and  an  angel.  The  lusts  of  the  flesh  may  be  compared  to  shriv- 
elled and  dried  up  grapes  and  to  wild  grapes ;  but  the  affections 
of  the  spirit  to  juicy  and  delicious  grapes,  and  also  to  the  taste 
of  the  wine  that  is  pressed  from  them.  The  lusts  of  the  flesh 
may  be  compared  to  stables  where  there  are  asses,  goats,  and 
swine ;  but  the  affections  of  the  spirit  to  stables  where  there  are 
noble  horses,  and  sheep  and  lambs ;  and  they  differ  as  an  ass 
and  a  horse,  a  goat  and  a  sheep,  a  lamb  and  a  pig ;  in  general, 
as  dross  and  gold,  as  limestone  and  silver,  as  coral  and  rubies, 


N.  328] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


407 


and  so  on.  Lust  and  the  deed  are  connected  like  blood  and 
flesh,  or  like  flame  and  oil;  for  lust  is  within  the  deed,  as  air 
from  the  lungs  is  in  breathing  or  in  speaking,  or  as  wind  in  the 
sail  when  the  vessel  is  in  motion,  or  as  water  on  the  wheel  that 
gives  motion  and  action  to  macliinery. 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  OP  THE  DECALOGUE  CONTAIN  ALL 

THINGS  THAT  BELONG  TO  LOVE  TO  GOD,  AND  ALL  THINGS 

THAT  BELONG  TO  LOVE  TOWARD  THE  NEIGHBOR. 

329.  In  eight  of  the  commandments  of  the  Decalogue,  the 
first,  second,  fifth,  sixth,  seventh,  eighth,  ninth  and  tenth,  there 
is  nothing  said  of  love  to  God  and  love  toward  the  neighbor; 
since  it  is  not  said  that  God  should  be  loved,  that  His  name 
should  be  hallowed,  that  the  neighbor  should  be  loved  and  con- 
sequently that  he  should  be  dealt  with  sincerely  and  uprightly. 
It  is  only  said,  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  God  before  Me  f 
"Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  God  in  vain;"  "Thou  shalt 
not  kill;"  "Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery;"  "Thou  shalt  not 
steal;"  "Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness;"  "Thou  shalt  not 
covet  what  belongs  to  thy  neighbor ;"  that  is  in  general,  that  evil, 
either  against  God  or  the  neighbor,  is  not  to  be  cherished  in  will 
or  thought,  nor  to  be  done.  The  reason  why  such  things  as 
relate  directly  to  love  and  charity  are  not  commanded,  but  only 
such  things  as  are  opposed  to  them  are  forbidden,  is  that  so  far 
as  man  shuns  evils  as  sins,  so  far  does  he  will  the  goods  that 
pertain  to  love  and  charity.  That  the  prime  thing  of  love  to 
God  and  the  neighbor  is  not  to  do  evil,  and  the  second  to  do 
good,  will  be  seen  in  the  chapter  on  Charity.  [2]  There  are  two 
opposite  loves,  the  love  of  desiring  and  doing  good,  and  the  love 
of  desiring  and  doing  evil;  this  latter  is  infernal  and  the  other 
is  heavenly;  for  all  hell  is  in  the  love  of  doing  evil,  and  all 
heaven  in  the  love  of  doing  good.  Since  then,  man  is  born  into 
all  kinds  of  evil,  and  therefore  from  birth  inclines  to  what  per- 
tains to  hell,  and  since  he  cannot  enter  heaven  unless  he  is  born 
again  or  regenerated,  it  is  necessary  that  evils,  which  belong  to 
hell,  should  be  removed  before  he  can  desire  goods,  which  are 


408 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  V. 


heavenly.  For  no  one  can  be  adopted  by  the  Lord  until  he  is 
separated  from  the  devil.  But  how  evils  are  removed  and  man 
is  brought  to  do  good,  will  be  shown  in  the  two  chapters,  on 
Repentance,  and  on  Reformation  and  Regeneration.  [3]  That 
evils  must  be  put  away,  before  the  good  that  a  man  does  be- 
comes good  in  the  sight  of  God,  the  Lord  teaches  in  Isaiah  :— 

Wash  you,  make  you  clean ;  put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings  from 
before  mine  eyes ;  [cease  to  do  evil],  learn  to  do  well ,  then  though  your 
sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow  ;  though  they  be  red  like 
crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool  {Isa.  i.  16-18). 

The  following,  in  Jeremiah,  is  similar: — 

Stand  in  the  gate  of  Jehovah^s  house,  and  proclaim  there  this  Word, 
Thus  said  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  Amend  your  ways  and 
your  doings  ;  trust  ye  not  in  lying  words,  saying.  The  temple  of  Jeho- 
vah, the  temple  of  Jehovah,  the  temple  of  Jehovah,  is  this  [that  is,  the 
church].  Will  ye  steal,  murder,  and  commit  adultery,  and  swear  through 
falsehood,  and  then  come  and  stand  before  Me  in  this  house,  which  is 
called  by  My  name,  and  say.  We  are  delivered,  when  ye  are  doing  all 
these  abominations  ?  Is  this  house  become  a  den  of  robbers  V  Behold, 
even  I  have  seen  it,  saith  Jehovah  (vii.  2-4,  9-11). 

[4]  That  before  washing  or  purification  from  evils  prayer  to 
God  is  not  heard  is  also  taught  in  Isaiah  : — 

Jehovah  saith.  Ah  sinful  nation,  a  people  laden  with  i^/^^uity  they 
have  gone  away  backward.  When  ye  spread  forth  your  hands  I  will  hide 
mine  eyes  from  you  ;  yea,  when  ye  make  many  prayers,  I  will  not  hear 
(i.  4,  15). 

That  love  and  charity  follow  when  by  shunning  evils  what  is 
commanded  in  the  Decalogue  is  done  is  evident  from  the  Lord's 
words  in  John : — 

Jesus  said.  He  that  hath  My  commandments  and  keepeth  them,  he  it 
is  that  loveth  Me  ;  and  he  that  loveth  Me  shall  be  loved  of  My  lather ; 
and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  xMyself  to  him  :  and  W  e  will  make 
our  abode  with  him  (xiv.  21,  23). 

By  commandments  here  the  commandments  of  the  Decalogue 
are  particularly  meant,  which  are  that  evils  must  not  be  done  or 
lusted  after,  and  that  the  love  of  man  to  God  and  the  love  ot 
God  toward  m.an  then  follow  as  good  follows  when  evil  is  re^ 
moved. 


N.  330] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


409 


330.  It  has  been  said  that  so  far  as  man  shuns  what  is  evil 
he  wills  what  is  good.  This  is  so  because  evils  and  goods  are 
opposites ;  for  evils  are  from  hell  and  goods  from  heaven ;  there- 
fore so  far  as  hell,  that  is,  evil,  is  removed,  so  far  heaven  ap- 
proaches and  man  looks  to  good.  That  this  is  so  is  very  mani- 
fest from  the  eight  commandments  of  the  Decalogue  when  so 
viewed ;  thus,  (i.)  So  far  as  one  refrains  from  worshiping  other 
gods,  so  far  he  worships  the  true  God.  (ii.)  So  far  as  one  re- 
frains from  taking  the  name  of  God  in  vain,  so  far  he  loves 
what  is  from  God.  (iii.)  So  far  as  one  refrains  from  the  wish 
to  commit  murder,  or  to  act  from  hatred  and  revenge,  so  far  he 
wishes  well  to  his  neighbor,  (iv.)  So  far  as  one  refrains  from 
a  wish  to  commit  adultery,  so  far  he  wishes  to  live  chastely 
with  a  wife,  (v.)  So  far  as  one  refrains  from  a  wish  to  steal, 
so  far  he  pursues  sincerity,  (vi.)  So  far  as  one  refrains  from 
a  wish  to  bear  false  witness,  so  far  he  wishes  to  think  and  say 
what  is  true.  (vii.  and  viii.)  So  far  as  one  refrains  from  covet- 
ing what  belongs  to  the  neighbor,  so  far  he  wishes  the  neigh- 
bor to  enjoy  his  own.  From  all  this  it  is  evident  that  the  com- 
mandments of  the  Decalogue  contain  all  tilings  of  love  to  God 
and  love  towards  the  neighbor.    Therefore  Paul  says : — 

He  that  loveth  another,  hath  fulfilled  the  law.  For  this.  Thou  shalt 
not  commit  adultery.  Thou  shalt  not  kill.  Thou  shalt  not  steal.  Thou  shalt 
not  bear  false  witness.  Thou  shalt  not  covet ;  and  if  there  be  any  other 
commandment,  it  is  summed  up  in  this  saying.  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neigh- 
bor as  thyself.  Love  worketh  no  ill  to  the  neighbor ;  therefore  love  is 
the  fulfilment  of  the  law  {^Rom.  xiii.  8-10). 

To  this  must  be  added  two  canons  for  the  service  of  the  New 
Church :  (i.)  That  no  one  can  of  himself  shun  evils  as  sins  and 
do  good  that  is  good  in  the  sight  of  God ;  but  that  so  far  as 
any  one  shuns  evils  as  sins,  so  far  he  does  good,  not  of  himself, 
but  from  the  Lord,  (ii.)  That  man  ought  to  shun  evils  as  sins 
and  to  fight  against  them  as  if  of  himself ;  but  if  one  shuns 
evils  for  any  other  reason  than  because  they  are  sins  he  does 
not  shun  them,  but  only  prevents  their  appearance  before  the 
world. 

331.  Good  and  evil  cannot  exist  together,  and  so  far  as  evil  is 
put  away  good  is  regarded  and  felt  as  good,  for  the  reason  that 
there  exhales  from  every  one  in  the  spiritual  world  a  sphere 


410 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


of  his  love  which  spreads  itself  round  alx>ut  and  affects,  and 
causes  sympathies  and  antipathies.  By  these  spheres  the  good 
are  separated  from  the  evil.  That  evil  must  be  put  away  before 
good  can  be  recognized,  perceived,  and  loved,  may  be  compared 
to  many  things  in  the  natural  world ;  for  example :  one  cannot 
visit  another  who  keeps  a  leopard  and  a  panther  shut  up  in  his 
chamber  (himself  living  safely  with  them  because  he  feeds 
them),  until  those  wild  beasts  have  been  removed.  [2]  Who 
that  is  invited  to  the  table  of  a  king  and  queen  does  not  before 
he  goes  wash  his  hands  and  face  ?  Or  who  enters  the  bridal 
chamber  with  his  bride  after  marriage  before  he  has  washed 
himself  wholly,  and  clothed  himself  with  wedding  garments  ? 
Who  does  not  purify  ores  by  fire,  and  separate  the  dross, 
before  he  obtains  the  pure  gold  and  silver  ?  Who  does  not 
separate  the  tares  from  the  wheat  before  putting  it  into  his 
granary  ?  Who  does  not  thresh  the  bearded  chaff  from  his 
barley,  before  he  gathers  it  into  his  house  ?  [3]  Who  does  not 
skim  off  raw  meat  in  cooking  before  it  becomes  eatable  and 
placed  upon  the  table  ?  Who  does  not  beat  the  worms  from  the 
leaves  of  the  t jees  in  his  garden,  lest  the  leaves  be  devoured  and 
the  fruit  thereby  destroyed  ?  Who  does  not  dislike  dirt  in  his 
chambers  and  halls,  and  cleanse  them,  especially  when  a  prince 
or  the  espoused  daughter  of  a  prince  is  expected  to  arrive  ? 
Who  loves  and  wishes  to  marry  a  maiden  who  is  full  of  disease, 
and  covered  with  pimples  and  blotches,  however  she  may  paint 
her  face,  dress  splendidly,  and  labor  by  the  charms  of  her  con- 
versation to  move  him  by  the  enticements  of  love  ?  W  Man 
himself  ought  to  purify  himself  from  evils,  and  not  wait  for  the 
Lord  to  do  this  without  his  co-operation.  Otherwise  he  would 
be  like  a  servant  going  to  his  master,  with  his  face  and  clothes 
befouled  with  soot  and  dung,  and  saying,  "  Master,  wash  me." 
Would  not  his  master  say  to  him,  "  You  foolish  servant,  what 
are  you  saying  ?  See,  there  are  water,  soap,  and  a  towel ;  have 
you  not  hands  of  your  own  and  the  power  to  use  them  ?  Wash 
yourself."  So  will  the  Lord  God  say,  "  These  means  of  purifi- 
cation are  from  Me,  and  your  ability  to  will  and  do  are  also 
from  Me ;  therefore  use  these  My  gifts  and  endowments  as  your 
own,  and  you  will  be  purified ;"  and  so  on.  That  the  external 
man  is  to  be  cleansed,  but  by  means  of  the  internal,  the  Lord 


N.  331] 


THE  DECALOGUE 


411 


teaches  in  the  twenty-third  chapter  of  Matthew  from  beginning 
to  end. 

332.  To  this  shall  be  added  four  Memorable  Relations. 
First : — 

I  once  heard  loud  shouts,  which  seemed  to  gurgle  up  from 
the  lower  regions  through  waters,  one  toward  the  left,  crying, 
*'0  how  just!"  another  toward  the  right,  "0  how  learned !" 
and  a  third  from  behind,  "  O  how  wise !"  And  as  the  thought 
came  to  me,  whether  even  in  hell  there  are  just,  learned  and 
wise  persons,  I  had  a  desire  to  see  whether  there  were  or  not; 
and  it  was  said  to  me  from  heaven,  "  You  shall  see  and  hear." 

And  having  in  spirit  left  the  house  I  saw  before  me  an  open- 
ing;  and  approaching  it,  and  looking  down,  I  saw  a  ladder  by 
which  I  descended.  And  Avhen  I  was  below  I  saw  plains  cov- 
ered with  shrubbery  intermixed  with  thorns  and  nettles ;  and 
I  asked  whether  this  was  hell.  They  said,  "  This  is  the  lower 
earth,  which  is  just  above  hell."  Then  following  the  order  of 
the  shouts,  I  went  first  toward  the  cry,  "0  how  just!"  and  I 
saw  an  assembly  of  those  who  in  the  world  had  been  judges, 
and  who  had  been  influenced  by  friendship  and  bribes;  then 
toward  the  second  cry, ''  0  how  learned !"  and  I  saw  an  assem- 
bly of  those  who  in  the  world  had  been  reasoners ;  then  toward 
the  third  cry,  "  0  how  wise !"  and  I  saw  an  assembly  of  those 
who  in  the  world  had  been  confirmers. 

From  these  latter  I  turned  to  the  first,  where  the  judges 
were  who  had  been  influenced  by  friendship  and  bribes  and 
who  were  proclaimed  just ;  and  I  saw  at  the  side  as  it  were  an 
amphitheater  built  of  brick  and  roofed  with  black  tiles ;  and  I 
was  told  that  in  that  was  their  Tribunal.  On  the  north  side 
there  were  three  entrances  to  it  and  on  the  west  three,  but  none 
on  the  south  and  east,  an  indication  that  their  decisions  were 
not  decisions  of  justice,  but  arbitrary.  [2]  In  the  center  of 
the  amphitheater  was  a  fire-place,  into  which  the  servants  at- 
tending the  fire  were  throwing  pitch-pine  dipped  in  sulphur 
and  bitumen,  the  light  from  which,  flickering  upon  the  plas- 
tered walls,  i)resented  images  of  birds  of  evening  and  night. 
But  this  fire-i)lace,  and  tlie  flickering  of  the  light  from  it  form- 
ing such  images  were  representations  of  their  decisions,  that 
they  were  able  to  color  the  facts  in  any  case,  and  give  them  an 


412 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


appearance  according  to  their  own  prepossessions.  [3]  Half 
an  hour  afterwards  I  saw  old  men  and  young  men  clad  in  gowns 
and  cloaks  enter,  and  removing  their  caps,  take  seats  beside 
the  tables  to  sit  in  judgment.  And  I  heard  and  perceived  how 
skilfully  and  ingeniously,  out  of  regard  for  friendship,  they 
turned  and  twisted  their  decisions  into  seeming  justice;  and 
this  they  did  to  such  an  extent  that  they  did  not  see  their  in- 
justice to  be  anything  but  justice,  or  what  is  just  to  be  any- 
thing but  unjust.  Such  persuasions  concerning  tliese  matters 
shone  from  their  faces  and  were  heard  in  the  tones  of  their 
voices.  There  was  then  granted  me  enlightenment  from  heaven, 
whereby  I  had  a  perception  of  each  particular,  whether  it  was 
in  accordance  with  justice  or  not ;  and  1  saw  how  industriously 
they  veiled  over  injustice,  and  made  it  look  like  justice,  and 
selected  from  the  laws  that  which  favored  them,  to  which  they 
bent  the  matter  in  question,  and  by  skilful  reasonings  put  all 
else  aside.  After  their  decisions  had  been  given,  they  were  an- 
nounced without  to  their  clients,  friends,  and  partisans,  and 
these,  to  return  the  favor,  cried  out  for  a  long  distance,  "  O 
how  just !  0  how  just !"' 

[4]  After  this  I  talked  about  these  with  the  angels  of  hea- 
ven, and  told  them  some  of  the  things  that  I  had  seen  and 
heard.  And  the  angels  said,  "  Such  judges  seem  to  others  to 
be  gifted  with  the  keenest  intellectual  vision,  when  in  fact  they 
do  not  see  the  least  particle  of  justice  or  equity.  If  you  take 
away  their  friendship  for  any  one,  they  sit  in  judgment  like 
statues,  and  merely  say,  *  I  grant  it ;  I  agree  to  this,  or  to  that.' 
This  is  because  all  their  decisions  are  prejudiced,  and  their 
prejudice  with  partiality  follows  the  case  from  beginning  to 
end ;  consequently  they  see  nothing  in  it  but  their  friend's  in- 
terest ;  at  everything  opposed  to  this,  they  look  askance,  view- 
ing it  with  piratical  glances,  and  if  they  take  it  up  again  they 
involve  it  in  reasonings  as  spiders  entangle  their  captives  in 
their  webs  and  devour  them.  Therefore  it  is  that  when  they 
do  not  follow  the  thread  of  their  prejudice,  they  see  nothing  of 
what  is  right.  They  have  been  examined  as  to  whether  they 
were  able  to  see,  and  they  were  found  unable.  The  inhabitants 
of  your  world  will  be  astonished  at  this  fact,  but  tell  them  that 
this  is  a  truth  that  has  been  investigated  by  the  angels  of  hea- 


N.  332] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


413 


ven.  Because  they  see  nothing  of  justice,  we  in  heaven  do  not 
think  of  them  as  men,  but  as  monstrous  images  of  men,  the 
heads  of  which  are  formed  of  what  pertains  to  friendship,  the 
breasts  of  what  pertains  to  injustice,  the  hands  and  feet  of 
what  pertains  to  confirmation,  and  the  soles  of  the  feet  of  what 
pertains  to  justice ;  and  if  this  is  unfavorable  to  their  friends, 
they  cast  it  under  foot  and  trample  upon  it.  [5]  But  what 
they  are,  viewed  in  themselves,  you  shall  see,  for  their  end  is 
near." 

And  lo,  the  ground  suddenly  gaped,  the  tables  fell  one  upon 
another,  and  the  men,  together  with  the  whole  amphitheater, 
were  swallowed  up,  cast  into  caverns  and  imprisoned. 

I  was  then  asked  if  I  wished  .to  see  them  there ;  and  behold, 
they  appeared  with  faces  like  polished  steel ;  their  bodies  from' 
the  neck  to  the  loins  looked  like  sculptured  work  clothed  with 
leopard  skins,  and  their  feet  like  serpents.  And  I  saw  the  law- 
books which  had  lain  upon  their  tables  turned  into  playing- 
cards;  and  now  instead  of  acting  as  judges  they  were  hired  to 
make  cinnabar  into  paint  for  besmearing  the  faces  of  harlots, 
and  turning  them  into  beauties. 

Having  seen  all  this,  I  wished  to  visit  the  other  two  assem- 
blies, one  composed  of  mere  reasoners  and  the  other  of  mere 
confirmers.  But  I  was  told  to  wait  a  while,  and  angel  com- 
panions would  be  given  me  from  a  society  most  nearly  above 
those  spirits,  and  that  through  them  light  would  be  given  me 
from  the  Lord,  and  I  would  see  marvelous  things. 
333.  Second  Memorable  Relation: — 

After  a  while  I  heard  again  from  the  lower  earth  the  excla- 
mations I  had  heard  before,  "  0  how  learned !  O  how  learned  !" 
And  I  looked  about  to  see  who  were  present,  and  behold  the 
angels  were  there  who  occupied  the  heaven  directly  above  those 
who  cried,  "  0  how  learned  !'' 

To  these  I  spoke  about  the  shouting,  and  they  said,  "Those 
learned  spirits  are  such  as  merely  reason  whether  a  thing  is 
so  or  is  not,  and  who  rarely  thi7ik  that  it  is  so.  Therefore  they 
are  like  winds  that  come  and  go,  like  bark  around  hollow  trees, 
and  like  nutshells  without  a  kernel ;  or  like  a  rind  about  fruit 
without  pulp;  for  their  minds  are  devoid  of  interior  judg- 
ment, and  are  merely  united  with  the  bodily  senses;  unless 


414 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


N.333] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


415 


therefore  the  senses  themselves  decide,  they  are  able  to  form 
no  conclusions.  In  a  word,  they  are  merely  sensual,  and  we 
caU  them  Reasoners.  They  are  so  called  because  they  never 
come  to  a  conclusion  about  anythmg,  but  take  up  whatever 
they  hear  and  dispute  as  to  whether  it  is  so  or  not,  with  un- 
ceasing contention.  They  love  nothing  better  than  to  attack 
truths,  and  tear  them  to  pieces  by  bringing  them  into  disputar 
tion.  These  believe  themselves  to  be  more  learned  than  all 
others  in  the  world.'' 

[2]  Having  heard  this,  I  asked  the  angels  to  conduct  me  to 
them ;  and  they  led  me  to  a  cave,  from  which  steps  descended 
to  the  lower  earth.  We  went  down,  following  the  cry,  "  0  how 
learned !"  And  behold,  several  hundred  spirits  stood  in  one 
place,  stamping  upon  the  ground.  Wondering  at  this  I  asked 
why  they  thus  stood  and  stamped  the  ground  with  their  feet, 
adding,  that  they  might  make  a  hole  in  it  with  their  feet. 

At  this  the  angels  smiled  and  said,  "  They  appear  so  to  stand 
still,  because  their  thought  on  any  subject  is  never  that  it  is 
so,  but  only  whether  it  is  so  or  not,  and  thus  it  is  a  matter  of 
dispute ;  and  as  they  never  get  beyond  this  in  their  thought, 
they  appear  as  never  advancing,  but  only  as  treading  and 
wearing  on  one  spot." 

The  angels  also  said,  "  Those  who  come  from  the  natural 
world  into  this  and  hear  that  they  are  in  another  world  form 
themselves  into  companies  in  many  places  and  ask  where 
heaven  is,  where  hell  is,  and  where  God  is.  And  when  they 
have  been  told  they  begin  to  reason,  dispute,  and  contend 
about  whether  there  is  a  God.  This  they  do,  because  m  the 
natural  world  at  the  present  day,  there  are  so  many  natural- 
ists, who,  whenever  religion  is  talked  about,  bring  the  subject 
into  dispute,  both  among  themselves  and  with  others ;  and  the 
discussion  of  this  question  rarely  terminates  in  an  affirmation 
of  belief  that  there  is  a  God.  Afterwards  these  persons  asso- 
ciate themselves  more  and  more  with  the  wicked,  which  is 
done  because  no  one  can  do  any  good  from  the  love  of  good, 

except  from  God." 

[3]  After  this  I  was  conducted  to  that  assembly,  and  be- 
hold, there  appeared  to  me  men  handsomely  clothed  and  with 
fa^es  not  unbecoming;  and  the  angels  said,  "These  so  appear 


m  their  own  light;  but  if  the  light  of  heaven  flows  in,  both 
their  faces  and  their  garments  are  changed."  And  when  the 
light  of  heaven  was  admitted,  they  appeared  with  dusky  faces 
and  clothed  in  coarse  black  garments ;  but  this  light  being 
withdrawn,  they  appeared  as  before. 

Presently  I  talked  with  some  of  the  assembly,  and  said,  "  I 
heard  from  the  throng  about  you  the  shout,  *  0  how  learned  V  It 
may  therefore  be  permissible  to  have  a  conversation  with  you 
on  matters  of  the  most  learned  nature." 

They  replied, "  Say  what  you  please ;  we  will  give  you  a  sat- 
i        isfactory  answer." 

'  And  I  asked,  "  What  kind  of  religion  is  necessary  for  the 

salvation  of  man  ?" 

They  answered,  "We  will  divide  this  question  into  several- 
and  until  these  are  decided  we  can  give  no  reply.  The  inves- 
tigation will  proceed  as  follows :  (1)  Is  religion  anything  ?  (2) 
Is  there  such  a  thing  as  salvation  or  not  ?  (3)  Is  one  religion 
more  efficacious  than  another  ?  (4)  Is  there  a  heaven  and  a 
heU  ?  (5)  Is  there  an  eternal  life  after  death  ?  besides  other 
questions." 

I  asked  about  the  first  question.  Is  religion  anything  ?  and 
they  began  to  discuss  it  with  a  host  of  arguments.  I  begged 
of  them  to  refer  it  to  the  assembly.  They  did ;  and  the  general 
response  was,  that  this  proposition  required  so  much  investiga- 
tion that  it  could  not  be  finished  before  evening. 

I  asked  them  whether  they  could  finish  it  within  a  year 
One  of  them  replied,  that  it  could  not  be  finished  in  a  hun. 
dred  years. 

I  answered,  "Meanwhile  you  are  without  religion;  and  a^ 
salvation  depends  on  this,  you  are  without  any  idea  of  salvation 
or  any  belief  in  it  or  hope  of  it." 

He  replied,  "  Must  it  not  first  be  shown  whether  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  religion,  and  what  it  is,  and  whether  it  is  anything^ 
If  It  IS,  it  must  be  also  for  the  wise;  if  not,  it  must  be  for  the 
vulgar  only.  It  is  known  that  religion  is  called  a  bond ;  but 
ior  whom  is  it  a  bond  ?  If  for  the  vulgar  only  in  reality  it  is 
not  anything ;  but  if  for  the  wise  also,  then  it  is  something." 

[4]  Hearing  this,  I  said,  "  You  are  anything  but  learned,  be- 
cause you  are  able  to  think  only  whether  a  thing  is  so  or  not, 


416 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  V. 


and  bandy  it  from  one  side  to  the  other.    How  can  a  man  be 
learned  unless  he  knows  something  for  a  certainty  and  advances 
in  the  knowledge  of  it  as  a  man  walks,  step  by  step,  thus  grad- 
ually attaining  to  wisdom  ?    Otherwise  you  do  not  even  touch 
truths  with  the  tip  of  your  finger,  but  you  remove  them  further 
and  further  out  of  sight.    Therefore  to  reason  merely  as  to 
whether  a  thing  is  so  or  not,  is  to  reason  about  the  fit  of  a  cap 
or  shoe  without  ever  trying  it  on.    What  then  comes  of  this 
but  that  you  do  not  know  whether  anything  is  a  reality,  or  is 
only  an  idea,  thus  whether  there  is  such  a  thing  as  salvation, 
or  eternal  life  after  death,  whether  one  religion  is  better  than 
another,  or  whether  there  is  a  heaven  and  a  hell?    On  these 
subiects  you  cannot  think  at  all  so  long  as  you  stick  at  the  first 
step,  and  tread  the  ground  there,  instead  of  bringing  forward 
one  foot  after  the  other,  and  going  on.    Have  a  care  for  your- 
selves lest  your  minds,  while  standing  thus  outside  the  door  ot 
iudcrment,  grow  hard  within  and  become  like  pillars  of  salt." 

So  saying  I  withdrew,  while  they  from  indignation  threw 
stones  after  me.  They  then  appeared  to  me  like  graven  images 
in  which  there  is  nothing  of  human  reason. 

I  asked  the  angels  of  the  lot  of  such ;  and  they  said  that  the 
lowest  of  them  were  sent  down  into  the  deep,  into  a  desert 
there,  and  are  compelled  to  carry  packs;  and  then  as  they  are 
unable  to  evolve  anything  from  reason,  they  gabble  and  talk 
nonsense,  and  at  a  distance  they  appear  like  asses  carrying 

burdens. 

334    Third  Memorable  Relation : — 
'  After  this,  one  of  the  angels  said,  "Follow  me  to  the  place 
where  they  shout,  -  O  how  wise  !"  and  you  will  see  monsters  of 
men ;  you  will  see  faces  and  bodies  that  are  human,  and  yet  they 

are  not  men." 

"  Are  they  beasts,  then  ?"    T  asked. 

He  replied  "  They  are  not  l)easts,  but  beast-men ;  for  they  are 
those  who  are  utterly  unable  to  see  whether  truth  is  truth  or 
not,  and  yet  can  make  whatever  they  wish  seem  true.  W  ith 
us,  such  are  called  Confirmers.'' 

We  followed  the  shouting,  and  came  to  the  place ;  and  be- 
hold, an  assembly  of  men,  and  around  about  them  a  throng,  and 
in  the  throng  some  of  noble  birth,  and  when  these  heard  them 


■  ^^^t::x^,. . .,  jntfrtlraira<"l^^'t^'-fe^*""''aj 


N.  334] 


MEMORABLP]  RELATION,  THIRD 


417 


prove  whatever  they  themselves  were  saying  and  uphold  it  with 
so  manifest  a  concurrence,  they  turned  aroimd  and  shouted,  "0 
how  wise !" 

[2]  But  the  angel  said  to  me,  "  Let  us  not  go  among  them, 
but  call  one  of  the  assembly  to  us."  And  we  called  one  out  and 
withdrew  with  him,  and  talked  over  various  subjects ;  and  he 
confirmed  them  one  by  one  until  they  seemed  to  be  perfectly 
true. 

We  asked  him  whether  he  could  confirm  things  contrary  to 
each  other ;  and  he  said  he  could  just  as  well  as  the  others.  He 
then  said  openly  and  from  his  heart,  "  What  is  truth  ?  Is  there 
anything  true  in  the  nature  of  things,  other  than  what  man 
makes  true  ?    Say  what  you  please  and  I  will  make  it  true." 

I  said,  "  Make  this  true  that  faith  is  the  all  of  the  church." 

And  this  he  did  so  dextrously  and  skilfully  that  the  learned 
bystanders  admired  and  applauded.  I  then  asked  him  to  make 
it  true  that  charity  is  the  all  of  the  church ;  and  he  did  so ;  and 
then  that  charity  is  no  part  of  the  church ;  and  he  so  clothed 
and  decorated  both  statements  with  appearances  that  the  by- 
standers would  look  at  each  other,  and  say,  "  Is  he  not  wise  ?" 

I  then  said,  "  Do  you  not  know  that  to  live  well  is  charity, 
and  to  believe  well  is  faith?  Does  not  he  who  lives  well  also 
believe  well  ?  Thus  does  not  faith  belong  to  charity  and  char- 
ity to  faith  ?    Do  you  not  see  that  this  is  true  ?" 

He  answered,  "I  will  make  it  true,  and  I  shall  see."  This 
he  did  and  said,  "I  see  it  now."  But  immediately  he  made  the 
contrary  true,  and  then  he  said,  "  I  see  that  this  is  true  also." 

At  this  we  smiled  and  said,  "  Are  they  not  contraries  ?  How 
can  two  contraries  both  be  true  ?" 

Becoming  angry  at  this,  he  said,  "  You  are  wrong ;  both  are 
true,  inasmuch  as  there  is  nothing  true  but  what  man  makes 
true." 

[3]  There  was  one  standing  near  who  in  the  world  had  been 
an  ambassador  of  the  highest  grade.  He  was  astonished  at  this 
and  said,  "  I  acknowledge  that  something  like  this  goes  on  in 
the  world,  nevertheless  you  are  insane.  Make  it  true,  if  you 
can,  that  light  is  darkness,  and  that  darkness  is  light." 

He  answered,  "I  can  do  that  easily.  What  are  light  and 
darkness  but  states  of  the  eye  ?  Is  not  light  turned  to  shade 
27 


■i!fcaaBriMfaaaeiariata.E*:iaiM^^ 


418 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  V. 


when  the  eye  turns  from  sunlight,  as  also  when  a  man  fixes  his 
eye  intently  upon  the  sun  ?  Who  does  not  know  that  the  state 
of  the  eye  is  then  changed,  and  that  therefore  light  appears  as 
shade  ?  And  again,  when  the  former  state  of  the  eye  returns, 
this  shade  appears  as  light.  Does  not  the  owl  see  the  darkness 
of  night  as  the  light  of  day,  and  the  light  of  day  as  the  dark- 
ness of  night,  and  even  the  sun  itself  as  an  opaque  and  dusky 
globe  ?  If  a  man  had  eyes  like  an  owFs  what  would  he  call 
light  and  what  darkness  ?  What  then  is  light  but  a  state  of  the 
eye  ?  And  if  light  is  only  a  state  of  the  eye,  is  not  light  dark- 
ness and  darkness  light  ?  Therefore  both  statements  are  true." 
[4]  But  as  this  confirmation  confounded  some,  I  said,  "I 
have  noticed  that  this  confirmer  does  not  know  that  there  is  a 
true  light  and  a  fatuous  light,  and  that  both  kinds  seem  to  be 
light;  yet  the  fatuous  light  in  reality  is  not  light,  but  compared 
to  true  light  is  darkness.  An  owl  is  in  fatuous  light ;  for  with- 
in its  eyes  there  is  a  passion  for  tearing  birds  to  pieces  and  de- 
vouring them,  and  this  light  causes  its  eyes  to  see  at  night, 
precisely  like  those  of  cats,  whose  eyes  in  cellars  look  like 
lighted  candles.  It  is  the  fatuous  light  arising  within  their 
eyes  from  the  passion  for  tearing  mice  to  pieces  and  devouring 
them,  which  produces  this  effect.  Evidently,  therefore,  the 
light  of  the  sun  is  true  light,  and  the  light  of  greed  is  fatuous 

light." 

[5]  After  this,  the  ambassador  asked  the  confirmer  to  make 

it  true  that  a  raven  is  white  and  not  black. 

He  answered,  "  That  also  I  can  easily  do."  And  he  said, 
"  Take  a  needle  or  a  razor,  and  open  the  quills  and  feathers  of 
a  raven ;  then  remove  the  quills  and  feathers,  and  look  at  the 
raven's  skin ;  is  it  not  white  ?  What  is  the  blackness  that  sur- 
rounds it,  but  a  shade,  from  which  we  must  not  judge  of  the 
color  of  the  raven  ?  For  proof  that  black  is  only  a  shade,  con- 
sult those  skilled  in  the  science  of  optics,  and  they  will  tell  you 
that  if  you  grind  a  black  stone  or  black  glass  to  fine  powder, 
you  will  see  that  the  powder  is  white." 

But  the  ambassador  said,  "  Does  not  the  raven  appear  to  the 
sight  to  be  black  ?" 

The  confirmer  answered,  "  Are  you,  who  are  a  man,  willing 
to  consider  a  subject  from  appearances  ?   You  may  indeed  say 


N.  334] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


419 


according  to  the  appearance  that  a  raven  is  black,  but  you  can- 
not think  so.  As  for  example  you  may  say  acpording  to  the 
appearance,  that  the  sun  rises  and  sets ;  but  as  you  are  a  man 
you  cannot  think  so,  because  the  smi  is  motionless  and  the 
earth  moves.  It  is  the  same  with  a  raven.  The  appearance  is 
an  appearance.  Say  what  you  will,  a  raven  is  totally  white ;  it 
even  becomes  white  when  it  grows  old ;  this  I  have  seen." 

After  this  the  bystanders  looked  at  me ;  therefore  I  said,  "  It 
is  true  that  the  quills  and  feathers  of  a  raven  partake  of  white- 
ness inwardly;  so  does  its  skin;  but  this  is  the  case  not  only 
Avith  ravens  but  all  the  birds  in  the  universe  as  w^ell;  and  every 
one  distinguishes  birds  by  their  apparent  colors ;  if  this  were 
not  done,  we  might  say  that  every  bird  is  white,  which  would 
be  absurd  and  meaningless." 

[6]  Then  the  ambassador  asked  him  whether  he  could  make 
it  true  that  he  was  himself  insane ;  and  he  answered,  "  I  can, 
but  I  do  not  wish  to  do  so.    Who  is  not  insane  ?" 

Finally,  they  asked  him  to  say  from  his  heart  whether  he 
was  jesting,  or  really  believed  that  there  is  nothing  true  but 
what  man  makes  true  ;  and  he  said,  "  I  swear  that  I  believe  it." 

Afterwards  this  universal  confirmer  was  sent  to  the  angels, 
who  examined  his  character ;  and  after  the  examination  they 
said  that  he  did  not  possess  a  single  grain  of  understanding, 
because  in  him  everything  above  the  rational  was  closed,  and 
only  that  below  the  rational  was  open ;  above  the  rational  there 
is  spiritual  light,  and  below  the  rational  natural  light ;  and  this 
light  in  man  is  such  that  by  it  he  can  confirm  whatever  he 
pleases.  When  spiritual  light  does  not  flow  into  natural  light, 
man  does  not  see  whether  any  truth  is  a  truth,  nor,  therefore, 
Avhether  any  falsehood  is  a  falsehood ;  these  must  be  seen  from 
spiritual  light  in  natural  light,  and  spiritual  light  is  from  the 
(lod  of  heaven,  who  is  the  Lord.  Therefore  this  universal  con- 
firmer is  neither  man  nor  beast,  but  is  a  beast-man. 

[7]  I  asked  the  angels  about  the  lot  of  such,  whether  they 
could  be  with  the  living,  since  man  has  life  from  spiritual  light, 
and  from  this  comes  his  understanding.  They  said  that  such, 
when  they  are  alone,  are  unable  to  think  at  all  and  therefore 
to  speak,  but  stand  dumb  like  automatons  and  as  it  were  in  a 
deep  sleep ;  but  that  they  wake  up  the  moment  their  ears  catch 


420 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chaf.  V. 


anything.  They  added  that  those  who  are  inmostly  wicked 
become  such ;  jnto  these  spiritual  light  from  above  cannot  flow, 
but  only  something  spiritual  from  the  world  from  which  they 
derive  their  faculty  of  confirming. 

[8]  When  this  had  been  said  I  heard  a  voice  from  the  angels 
who  examined  him,  saying,  "  From  what  you  have  heard  form 
a  imiversal  conclusion." 

This  was  the  conclusion :  That  the  ability  to  confirm  what- 
ever one  pleases  is  not  an  indication  of  understanding ;  but  the 
ability  to  see  that  truth  is  truth,  and  that  falsehood  is  false- 
hood, and  to  confirm  it  is  an  indication  of  understanding. 

After  this,  I  looked  toward  the  assembly  where  the  confirm- 
ers  were  standing  with  the  crowd  about  them  crying,  "  0  how 
wise !"  And  lo !  a  dusky  cloud  enveloped  them,  and  in  the 
cloud  owls  and  bats  were  flying.  And  it  was  told  me,  "  The 
owls  and  bats  that  are  flying  in  the  cloud  were  correspondences 
and  therefore  appearances  of  their  thoughts ;  because  in  this 
world  confirmations  of  falsities  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
seem  to  be  truths,  are  represented  under  the  forms  of  birds  of 
night,  whose  eyes  are  illumined  within  by  a  fatuous  light, 
whereby  they  see  objects  in  darkness  as  in  light.  Such  fatu- 
ous spiritual  light  do  those  have  who  confirm  falsities  until 
they  seem  like  truths,  and  who  afterward  believe  them  to  be 
truths.    All  such  have  a  sort  of  backward  sight,  but  no  forward 

sight." 

335.  Fourth  Memorable  Relation: — 

Once  when  I  awakened  from  sleep  in  the  morning  twilight, 
I  saw  as  it  were  specters  before  my  eyes  in  various  shapes  ;  and 
afterward  when  it  was  daylight  I  saw  fatuous  lights  of  differ- 
ent forms ;  some  like  sheets  of  paper  filled  with  writing  and 
folded  again  and  again,  so  that  they  looked  like  falling  stars 
which  in  their  descent  vanished  in  the  air ;  and  some  like  open 
books,  some  of  which  shone  like  little  moons,  and  some  burned 
like  candles ;  among  these  were  some  books  that  ascended  to  a 
great  height  and  there  perished,  and  others  that  feU  down  to 
the  earth  and  there  crumbled  to  dust.  From  these  appearances 
I  conjectured  that  there  were  those  standing  below  these  me- 
teors who  dispute  about  imaginary  matters,  which  they  deem 
of  great  importance;  for  in  the  spiritual  world  such  phenomena 


N.  335] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


421 


appear  in  the  atmospheres  from  the  reasonings  of  those  stand- 
ing below. 

And  presently  the  sight  of  my  spirit  was  opened,  and  I  saw 
a  number  of  spirits  whose  heads  were  wreathed  with  leaves  of 
laurel,  and  their  bodies  clothed  with  flowered  gowns,  which 
signified  that  they  were  spirits  who  in  the  natural  world  had 
been  famed  for  erudition.  As  I  was  in  the  spirit,  I  approached 
and  mingled  with  the  assembly.  I  then  heard  that  they  were 
bitterly  and  hotly  disputing  about  connate  ideas,  whether  any 
such  were  inherent  in  man  from  birth,  as  in  beasts. 

Those  who  were  in  the  negative  turned  away  from  those  in 
the  affirmative,  and  at  length  they  stood  apart  from  each  othei- 
like  the  ranks  of  two  armies  ready  to  fight  sword  in  hand ;  but 
as  they  had  no  swords,  they  fought  with  the  points  of  words. 

[2]  But  suddenly  an  angelic  spirit  stood  in  their  midst,  and 
speaking  with  a  loud  voice  said,  "At  a  short  distance  from  you 
I  heard  that  you  were  engaged  in  hot  dispute  about  connate 
ideas,  whether  they  are  inherent  in  men  as  in  beasts ;  but  I  tell 
you,  that  men  have  no  connate  ideas,  and  that  beasts  have  no 
ideas  at  all.  You  are  therefore  quarreling  about  nothing,  or  as 
the  saying  is,  about  goats'  wool,  or  the  beard  of  Time." 

Hearing  this,  they  were  all  enraged  and  shouted,  ^-  Put  him 
out ;  he  talks  contrary  to  common  sense." 

But  when  they  tried  to  put  him  out  they  saw  that  he  was 
encompassed  with  heavenly  light  which  they  could  not  break 
through ;  for  he  was  an  angelic  spirit.  They  therefore  drew 
back  and  moved  a  little  way  from  him;  and  when  the  light 
had  been  indrawn,  the  angel  said  to  them,  "  Why  are  you  an- 
gry ?  First  listen,  and  put  together  the  reasons  I  shall  offer, 
and  form  a  conclusion  from  them  yourselves.  I  foresee  that 
those  among  you  who  excel  in  judgment  will  accede,  and  will 
calm  the  tempests  that  have  arisen  in  your  minds." 

At  these  remarks  they  said,  though  still 'in  an  indignant 
tone,  "  Speak  then,  and  we  will  listen." 

[3]  So  the  angel  began  and  said,  "You  believe  that  beasts 
liave  connate  ideas ;  and  this  you  have  inferred  from  the  fact 
that  tneir  actions  seem  to  proceed  from  thought ;  and  yet  they 
have  no  thought  whatever,  and  ideas  are  only  predicable  of 
thought.     Furthennore,  it  is  a  characteristic  of  thought  that 


422 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  V. 


those  who  think  act  in  this  or  that  manner  for  this  or  that  pur- 
pose.   Consider  therefore,  whether  the  spider  which  weaves  its 
web  with  such  perfect  art  thinks  in  its  little  head,  I  will 
stretch  out  my  threads  in  this  way,  and  bind  them  together 
with  cross-threads,  so  that  my  web  may  not  be  blown  asunder 
by  a  violent  rush  of  air;  at  the  inner  ends  of  the  threads, 
which  shall  form  the  center  of  the  web,  I  will  prepare  a  seat 
for  myself,  where  I  shall  feel  whatever  touches  my  web,  and 
run   at  once  to  the  spot ;  so  that  if  a  fly  gets  in,  he  shall  be 
entangled,  and  I  will  rush  upon  him  instantly  and  bind  him 
fast,  and  he  shall  serve  me  for  food.    Or  again,  does  a  bee 
think  in  his  little  head,  I  will  fly  abroad ;  I  know  where  there 
are  fields  in  bloom;  and  there  1  will  get  wax  from  the  flowers, 
and  will  suck  honey  from  them;  and  with  the  wax  I  will  build 
compact  rows  of  little  cells  in  such  a  way  that  I  and  my  com- 
panions can  go  in  and  out  easily,  as  if  by  streets;  then  I  will 
store  in  them  abundance  of  honey,  enough  even  for  the  coming 
winter,  so  that  we  may  not  die ;— and  other  marvelous  things, 
in  which  they  not  only  vie  with  the  political  and  economical 
prudence  of  man,  but  even  surpass  it  (see  above,  n.  12)?    W 
Again,  does  the  hornet  think  in  his  little  head,  I  and  my  com- 
panions will  build  for  ourselves  a  little  house  of  thin  paper, 
the  walls  of  which  we  will  make  within  like  a  labyrinth ;  and 
in  the  inmost  we  will  prepare  a  kind  of  forum  to  which  there 
shall  be  a  way  of  ingress  and  of  egress,  contrived  with  such 
art  that  no  living  creature  except  those  belonging  to  our  own 
family,  shall  find  the  way  to  the  inmost  place  where  we  are  as- 
sembled ?    Again,  does  the  silk-worm,  while  it  is  a  grub,  think 
in  its  little  head,  Xow  is  the  time  for  me  to  prepare  to  spin 
silk,  so  that  when  it  is  spun,  I  may  fly  forth,  and  in  the  air, 
into  which  I  could  not  ascend  before,  may  sport  with  my  equals 
and  provide  myself  a  posterity  ?    Or  do  other  worms  so  think, 
when  they  creep  about  the  walls,  and  become  nymphs,  aurelise, 
chrysalides,  and  finally  butterflies  ?    Has  a  fly  any  idea  about 
having  congress  with  another  in  some  one  place  and  not  an- 
other?    [5]  It  is  the  same  with  larger  animals  as  it  is  with 
these  smaller  ones;  wdth  birds  and  feathered  creatures  of  all 
kinds  when  they  pair,  build  their  nests,  lay  their  eggs  therein, 
sit  on  them,  hatch  their  young,  provide  food  for  them,  care  for 


ySif^Tfftiiirtitfa 


N.  335] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


428 


them  until  they  can  fly,  and  then  drive  them  from  the  nests  as 
if  they  were  not  their  own  offspring;  besides  many  other  things. 
It  is  the  same  also  with  the  beasts  of  the  earth,  with  serpents 
and  with  fishes.  Who  among  you  cannot  see  from  the  above 
statements  that  the  spontaneous  acts  of  these  creatures  do  not 
flow  from  any  thought,  of  which  alone  ideas  can  be  predicated  ? 
The  error  that  beasts  have  ideas  has  come  from  no  other  source 
than  a  persuasion  that  they  think  equally  with  men,  and  that 
speech  alone  makes  the  difference  between  them." 

[6]  After  this,  the  angelic  spirit  looked  around,  and  as  he 
saw  them  still  hesitating  wliether  or  not  beasts  have  thought, 
he  continued  his  discourse,  and  said,  "  I  perceive  that  from 
those  actions  of  brute  animals  that  are  similar  to  human  ac- 
tions, there  still  clings  to  you  the  fanciful  idea  that  they  pos- 
sess thought.  I  will  tell  you,  therefore,  the  source  of  those 
actions.  Every  beast,  every  bird,  every  fish,  reptile,  and  insect 
has  its  ovm.  natural,  sensual,  and  corporeal  love,  the  abode  of 
which  is  its  head  and  the  brains  there;  through  their  brains 
the  spiritual  world  flows  into  their  bodily  senses  immediately, 
and  through  them  determines  their  actions;  this  is  the  reason 
why  their  bodily  senses  are  much  more  exquisite  than  those, 
of  men.  That  influx  from  the  spiritual  world  is  what  is  called 
instinct ;  and  it  is  called  instinct  because  it  exists  without  the 
mediation  of  thought.  There  are  also  things  accessory  to  in- 
stinct that  arise  from  habit.  But  their  love,  through  which 
comes  from  the  spiritual  world  their  determination  to  action, 
is  a  love  solely  for  nutrition  and  propagation,  not  for  any 
knowledge,  intelligence,  or  wisdom,  by  means  of  which  the  love 
in  men  is  gradually  developed." 

[7]  That  man  has  no  connate  ideas,  is  manifestly  evident 
from  the  fact  that  he  has  no  connate  thought ;  and  where  there 
is  no  thought  there  are  no  ideas ;  for  they  belong  mutually  to 
each  other.  This  may  be  inferred  from  new-born  infants,  in 
that  they  can  do  nothing  but  suck  and  breathe.  Their  being 
able  to  suck  is  not  from  anything  connate,  but  from  a  contin- 
ual sucking  in  the  mother's  womb ;  and  they  are  able  to  breathe 
because  they  are  alive,  for  this  is  a  universal  of  life.  Even 
their  bodily  senses  are  in  the  utmost  obscurity,  and  from  this 
they  gradually  work  their  way  out  by  means  of  objects;  and  in 


424 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[ClIAP.    V. 


like  manner  their  powers  of  motion  by  habitual  exercise.  And 
as  they  gradually  learn  to  utter  words  and  pronounce  them  at 
first  without  any  idea,  there  springs  up  in  them  some  obscure 
element  of  fancy ;  and  as  this  grows  clearer  an  obscure  element 
of  imagination  is  born,  and  from  that,  of  thought.  Along  with 
the  forming  of  this  state  ideas  spring  forth,  which,  as  before 
said,  make  one  with  thought ;  and  from  no  thought,  thought  is 
developed  by  instruction.  While,  therefore,  men  have  ideas, 
they  are  not  connate,  but  are  formed,  and  from  them  flow  their 
speech  and  actions. 

That  nothing  is  connate  with  man  except  a  capacity  to  know, 
to  understand,  and  to  be  wise,  as  also  an  inclination  to  love 
not  only  these  things  but  also  the  neighbor  and  God,  may  be 
seen  in  the  Memorable  Kelation  above  (n.  48),  and  also  in  some 
Memorable  Relations  further  on. 

After  this  I  looked  around  and  saw  Leibnitz  and  Wolf  near 
at  hand,  who  were  attending  closely  to  the  reasoning  advanced 
by  the  angelic  spirit.  Leibnitz  then  drew  near  and  expressed 
his  concurrence ;  but  Wolf  went  away  both  denying  and  affirm- 
ing, for  he  did  not  excel  in  interior  judgment  as  Leibnitz  did. 


gt^Ka.-ifc^^,*..,Mfaj)«aiJiiLa..^iafti«affl 


N..  336] 


FAITH 


425 


CHAPTEE   YI. 


FAITH. 

336.  From  the  wisdom  of  the  ancients  came  forth  this  tenet, 
that  the  universe  and  each  and  all  things  therein  relate  to  good 
and  truth ;  and  thus  that  all  things  pertaining  to  the  church  re- 
late to  love  or  chaiity  and  faith,  since  everything  that  flows 
forth  from  love  or  charity  is  called  good,  and  everything  that 
flows  forth  from  faith  is  called  true.    Since  then  charity  and 
faith  are  distinguishably  two,  and  yet  make  one  in  man,  that 
he  may  be  a  man  of  the  church,  that  is,  that  the  church  may 
be  in  him,  it  was  a  matter  of  controversy  and  dispute  among 
the  ancients,  which  one  of  the  two  should  be  first,  and  which 
therefore  is  by  right  to  be  called  the  firstborn.    Some  of  them 
said  that  truth  is  first  and  consequently  faith ;  and  some  good, 
and  consequently  charity.   For  they  saw  that  immediately  after 
birth  man  learns  to  talk  and  think,  and  is  thereby  perfected  in 
understanding,  which  is  done  by  means  of  knowledges,  and  by 
this  means  he  learns  and  understands  what  is  true;  and  after- 
wards by  means  of  this  he  learns  and  understands  what  is  good ; 
consequently,  that  he  first  learns  what  faith  is,  and  afterward 
what  charity  is.     Those  who  so  comprehended  this  subject, 
supposed  that  the  truth  of  faith  was  the  firstborn,  and  that 
good  of  charity  was  born  afterwards;  for  which  reason  they 
gave  to  faith  the  eminence  and  prerogative  of  primogeniture. 
But  those  who  so  reasoned  overwhelmed  their  own  understand- 
ings with  such  a  multitude  of  arguments  in  favor  of  faith,  as 
not  to  see  that  faith  is  not  faith  unless  it  is  conjoined  with 
charity,  and  that  charity  is  not  charity  unless  conjoined  with 
faith,  and  thus  that  they  make  one,  and  if  not  so  conjoined, 
neither  of  them  is  anything  in  the  church.    That  they  do  com- 
pletely make  one,  will  be  shown  in  what  follows. 

[2]  But  in  these  prefatory  remarks  I  will  show  briefly  how 
or  in  what  respect  they  make  one;  for  this  is  important  as 
throwing  some  light  on  what  follows.  Faith,  by  which  is  also 
meant  truth,  is  first  in  time;  while  charity,  by  which  is  also 
meant  good,  is  first  in  end ;  and  that  which  is  first  in  end,  is 


426 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VI. 


actually  first,  because  it  is  primary,  therefore  also  it  is  the 
firstborn,  while  that  which  is  first  in  time,  is  not  actually  first, 
but  only  apparently  so.  But  to  make  this  understood,  it  shall 
be  illustrated  by  comparisons  with  the  building  of  a  temple, 
and  of  a  house,  the  laying  out  of  a  garden,  and  the  preparation 
of  a  field.  In  the  building  of  a  temple,  the  first  thing  in  time 
is  to  lay  the  foundation,  erect  the  walls  and  put  on  the  roof; 
then  to  put  in  the  altar  and  rear  the  pulpit;  while  the  first 
thing  in  end  is  the  worship  of  God  therein,  for  the  sake  of 
which  the  preceding  work  is  done.  In  the  huilding  of  a  house, 
the  first  thing  in  time  is  to  build  its  outside  parts,  and  also  to 
furnish  it  with  various  articles  of  necessity;  while  the  first 
thing  in  end  is  a  suitable  dwelling  for  the  man  and  the  others 
who  are  to  constitute  his  household.  In  the  laying  out  of  a 
garden,  the  first  thing  in  time  is  to  level  the  ground,  prepare  the 
soil,  and  plant  trees  in  it  and  sow  in  it  the  seeds  of  such  things 
as  will  be  of  use ;  while  the  first  thing  in  end  is  the  use  of  its 
products.  In  the  preparation  of  a  field,  the  first  thing  in  time 
is  to  smooth,  plough  and  harrow  it,  and  then  to  sow  it;  while 
the  first  thing  in  end  is  the  crop ;  thus  again,  use.  From  these 
comparisons  any  one  may  conclude  what  is  essentially  first. 
Does  not  every  one  who  wishes  to  build  a  temple  or  a  house,  or 
to  lay  out  a  garden,  or  cultivate  a  field,  first  intend  some  use  ? 
And  does  he  not  continually  keep  this  in  his  mind  and  medi- 
tate upon  it  while  he  is  procuring  the  means  to  it  ?  We  there- 
fore conclude  that  the  truth  of  faith  is  first  in  time,  but  that 
the  good  of  charity  is  first  in  end ;  and  that  this  latter,  because 
it  is  primary,  is  actually  the  firstborn  in  the  mind. 

[3]  But  it  is  necessary  to  know  what  faith  is,  what  charity 
is,  each  in  its  essence;  and  this  cannot  be  known  unless  each 
is  divided  into  separate  propositions — faith  into  its  o\^ti,  and 
charity  into  its  own.  Faith  shall  therefore  be  treated  under 
the  following  heads : — 

1.  Saving  faith  is  faith  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  Jesus 
Christ. 

2.  The  sum  of  faith  is  that  he  who  lives  well  and  believes 
rightly,  is  saved  by  the  Lord. 

3.  Man  acquires  faith  by  going  to  the  Lord,  learning  truths 
from  the  Word,  and  living  according  to  them. 


N.  336] 


FAITH 


427 


4.  An  abundance  of  truths  cohering  as  if  in  a  bundle,  exalts 

and  perfects  faith. 

5.  Faith  without  charity  is  not  faith,  and  charity  without 
faith  is  not  charity,  and  neither  has  life  except  from  the  Lord. 

6.  The  Lord,  charity,  and  faith  make  one,  like  life,  will,  and 
understanding  in  man ;  and  if  they  are  divided,  each  perishes, 
like  a  pearl  reduced  to  powder. 

7.  The  Lord  is  charity  and  faith  in  man,  and  man  is  charity 
and  faith  in  the  Lord. 

8.  Charity  and  faith  are  together  in  good  works. 

9.  There  is  a  true  faith,  a  spurious  faith,  and  a  hypocritical 

faith. 

10.  In  the  evil  there  is  no  faith. 

These  shall  now  be  explained  separately. 


SAVING    FAITH    IS    FAITH    IN    THE    LORD    GOD    THE    SAVIOUR, 

JESUS    CHRIST. 

337.  Saving  faith  is  faith  in  God  the  Saviour,  because  He  is 
God  and  Man,  and  He  is  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in  Him ; 
thus  they  are  one ;  therefore  those  who  go  to  Him,  at  the  same 
time  go  to  the  Father  also,  thus  to  the  one  and  only  God,  and 
there  is  no  saving  faith  in  any  other.  That  men  ought  to  believe 
or  have  faith  in  the  Son  of  God,  the  Redeemer  and  Saviour,  con- 
ceived from  Jehovah,  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  called  Jesus 
Christ,  is  evident  from  the  commands  so  frequently  repeated 
by  Him  and  afterwards  by  His  apostles.  That  faith  in  Him 
was  commanded  by  Himself,  is  clearly  evident  from  the  fol- 
lowing passages : — 

Jesus  said,  This  is  the  will  of  the  Father  who  sent  Me,  that  every  one 
who  beholdeth  the  Son  and  believe th  in  Him,  should  have  eternal  life  ; 
and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day  {John  vi.  40). 

He  that  believeth  in  the  Son  hath  eternal  life  ;  but  he  that  believeth  not 
the  Son  shall  not  see  life  ;  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him  {John  iii. 
36). 


42S 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VL 


That  whosoever  believeth  in  the  Son  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal 
life  ;  for  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  beheveth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life  {John 
iii.  15,  16). 

Jesus  said,  I  am  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life  ;  he  that  believeth  in  Me 
shall  never  die  {John  xi.  25,  26). 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  beheveth  in  Me  hath  eternal  life. 
I  am  the  bread  of  life  {John  vi.  47,  48). 

I  am  the  bread  of  life  ;  he  that  cometh  to  Me  shall  not  hunger,  and  he 
that  believeth  in  Me  shall  never  thirst  {John  vi.  35). 

Jesus  cried,  sayhig.  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  Me  and  drink  ; 
he  that  believeth  in  Me,  as  the  Scripture  hath  said,  out  of  his  belly  shall 
flow  rivers  of  living  water  {John  vii.  37,  38). 

They  said  to  Jesus,  What  must  we  do,  that  we  may  work  the  works  of 
God  ?  Jesus  answered.  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye  believe  in  Him 
whom  He  hath  sent  (that  is,  the  Father)  {John  vi.  28,  29). 

While  ye  have  light,  believe  in  the  light,  that  ye  may  be  sons  of  light 
{John  xii,  30). 

He  that  believeth  in  the  Son  of  God  is  not  judged  ;  but  he  that  believeth 
not  hath  been  judged  already  ;  because  he  hath  not  believed  in  the  name 
of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God  {John  iii.  18). 

These  things  are  written  that  ye  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God,  and  that  believing  ye  may  have  life  in  His  name  {John 
XX.  31). 

Unless  ye  believe  that  I  am,  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins  {John  viii.  24). 

Jesus  said,  When  the  Comforter,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come.  He  will 
convict  the  world  respecting  sin,  and  righteousness,  and  judgment ;  re- 
specting sin,  because  they  beUeve  not  in  Me  {John  xvi.  8,  9). 

338.  That  the  faith  of  the  apostles  was  no  other  than  a  faith 
in  tlie  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is  evident  from  many  passages  in 
their  Epistles^  from  which  I  wiH  present  only  the  following : 

I  live  ;  yet  no  longer  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me  ;  but  what  I  now  live  in 
the  flesh,  I  live  in  faith  which  is  in  the  Son  of  God  {Gal.  ii.  20). 

Paul  testified, 

Both  to  Jews  and  to  Greeks,  repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  {Acts  xx.  21). 

He  who  brought  Paul  out  said.  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  And  he 
said.  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  thus  shalt  thou  be  saved,  and  thy 
house  {Acts  xvi.  30,  31). 

He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  the  life  ;  and  he  that  hath  not  the  Son  of 
God,  hath  not  the  life.  These  things  have  I  written  imto  you  that  believe 
in  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  that  ye  may  know  that  ye  have  eternal 
life,  and  that  ye  may  believe  in  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God  (1  John  v.  12, 
13). 


N.  338] 


FAITH 


429 


We  who  are  Jews  by  nature,  and  not  sinners  of  the  Gentiles,  yet  know- 
ing that  a  man  is  not  justified  by  the  works  of  the  law,  but  by  the  faith 
of  Jesus  Christ,  even  we  have  beUeved  in  Jesus  Christ  {Gal.  ii.  15,  16). 

Because  theirs  was  a  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  also  because 
faith  is  also  from  Him,  they  called  it  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ, 
as  in  the  passage  just  quoted  (^Gal.  ii.  16),  and  in  the  follow- 
ing:— 

The  righteousness  of  God,  through  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  all  and 
upon  all  them  that  believe  ;  that  He  may  justify  him  who  is  of  the  faith 
of  Jesus  {Rom.  iii.  22,  26). 

Having  the  righteousness  which  is  from  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  right- 
eousness which  is  from  God  by  faith  {Phil.  iii.  9). 

He  that  keepeth  the  commandments  of  God,  and  the  faith  of  Jesus 
{Apoc.  xiv.  12). 

Through  the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  (2  Tim.  iii.  15). 

In  Jesus  Christ  is  faith  working  through  love  {Gal.  v.  6). 

From  all  this  it  can  be  seen  what  kind  of  faith  is  meant  by  Paul 
in  the  saying  now  so  often  quoted  in  the  church : — 

Therefore  we  conclude  that  a  man  is  justified  by  faith  apart  from  the 
works  of  the  law  {Rom.  iii.  28)  ; 

namely,  that  it  is  not  a  faith  in  God  the  Father,  but  in  His 
Son,  still  less  a  faith  in  three  Gods  in  order,  in  one  from 
w^hom,  in  another  for  the  sake  of  whom,  and  in  a  third  through 
whom  [comes  salvation].  It  is  believed  in  the  church,  that  its 
tripersonal  faith  is  meant  by  Paul  in  that  saying,  for  the  rea- 
son that  the  church,  during  fourteen  centuries,  or  ever  since 
the  Nicene  Council,  has  acknowledged  no  other  faith,  and  con- 
sequently has  known  no  other,  and  has  therefore  believed  this 
to  be  the  one  only  faith,  and  that  no  other  is  possible.  So 
wherever  the  word  faith  occurs  in  the  New  Testament  that 
faith  is  supposed  to  be  meant,  and  to  it  everything  there  has 
been  applied ;  therefore  the  only  saving  faith,  which  is  a  faith 
in  God  the  Saviour,  has  perished ;  and  in  consequence  so  many 
fallacies  and  so  many  paradoxes  adverse  to  sound  reason  have 
crept  into  the  doctrines  of  the  church.  For  every  doctrine  of 
the  church  that  will  teach  and  point  out  the  way  to  heaven  or 
to  salvation  depends  on  faith;  and  so  many  fallacies  and  para- 
doxes having  crept  into  that  faith,  as  before  said,  it  became 
necessary  to  proclaim  the  dogma,  that  the  understanding  must 


'i^StS^Si,&£il^iS^,djSS^.  U..»^^yi:^M^^^J,i~. 


L^.  ..-i^v.i'gai,afc.ato«^M..i..a*s>j^^tMirf.A^^  jA^  >.-css^ii 


430 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


be  kept  in  subjection  to  faith.  But  since  in  that  saying  of  Paul 
{Rom.  iii.  28)  the  term  faith  does  not  mean  faith  in  God  the 
Father  but  faith  in  His  Son;  and  works  of  the  law  do  not  there 
mean  the  works  of  the  law  of  the  Decalogue,  but  the  works 
of  the  Mosaic  law  for  the  Jews  (as  is  plain  from  subsequent 
verses  there,  and  also  from  like  passages  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
GalatianSy  ii.  14, 15),  that  foundation  stone  of  the  present  faith 
is  gone,  and  with  it  falls  the  temple  built  upon  it,  like  a  house 
sinking  into  the  earth  and  leaving  only  the  top  of  its  roof  above 
ground. 

339.  Men  ought  to  believe,  that  is,  have  faith,  in  God  the 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  because  that  is  a  faith  in  a  visible  God 
within  whom  is  the  invisible ;  and  faith  in  a  visible  God,  who 
is  at  once  Man  and  God,  enters  into  a  man ;  for  faith  in  its  es- 
sence is  spiritual  but  in  its  form  is  natural ;  consequently  with 
man  such  a  faith  becomes  spiritual-natural.  For  anything  spir- 
itual, in  order  to  be  anything  with  man,  must  have  a  recipient 
in  the  natural.  The  naked  spiritual  does  indeed  enter  into 
man,  but  it  is  not  received ;  it  is  like  the  ether,  which  flows  in 
and  out  producing  no  effect,  for  to  produce  an  effect  there  must 
be  perception  and  consequent  reception,  both  of  these  in  his 
mind ;  and  no  such  reception  is  possible  with  man  except  in  his 
natural.  But  on  the  other  hand  merely  natural  faith,  or  faith 
destitute  of  a  spiritual  essence,  is  not  faith,  but  only  persua- 
sion or  knowledge.  In  externals  persuasion  emulates  faith ;  but 
since  there  is  in  its  internals  no  spirituality,  neither  is  there 
anything  saving  in  it.  Such  is  the  faith  of  all  who  deny  the 
Divinity  of  the  Lord's  Human ;  such  was  the  Arian  faith,  and 
such  also  is  the  Socinian  faith,  because  both  reject  the  Lord's 
Divinity.  What  is  faith  without  an  object  toward  which  it  is 
determined  ?  Is  it  not  like  gazing  into  the  universe,  where  the 
sight  falls,  as  it  were,  into  vacuity  and  is  lost  ?  It  is  like  a  bird 
flying  beyond  the  atmosphere  into  the  ether,  where,  as  in  a  vac- 
uum, it  ceases  to  breathe.  The  abiding  of  this  faith  in  man's 
mind  may  be  compared  to  that  of  the  winds  in  the  wings 
[halls  ?]  of  ^olus,  or  of  light  in  a  falling  star.  It  rises  like  a 
comet  with  a  long  tail,  and  like  it  passes  over  and  disappears. 
[2]  In  a  word,  faith  in  an  invisible  God  is  actually  blind,  since 
the  human  mind  fails  to  see  its  God ;  and  the  light  of  that  faith, 


N.  339] 


FAITH 


431 


not  being  a  spiritual-natural  faith,  is  a  fatuous  light;  which 
light  is  like  that  of  the  glow-worm,  or  like  that  seen  above 
marshes  or  sulphurous  glebes  at  night,  or  like  the  phosphores- 
cence of  rotten  wood.  From  that  light  nothing  comes  except 
what  pertains  to  fantasy,  which  creates  a  belief  that  the  ap- 
parent is  the  real,  when  yet  it  is  not.  Faith  in  an  invisible 
God  shines  with  no  other  light  than  this,  especially  when  God 
is  thought  to  be  a  Spirit,  and  spirit  is  thought  to  be  like  ether. 
What  follows  but  that  man  regards  God  as  he  does  the  ether  ? 
(consequently  he  seeks  God  in  the  universe ;  and  when  he  does 
not  find  Him  there,  he  believes  the  nature  of  the  universe  to 
be  God.  This  is  the  origin  of  the  prevailing  naturalism  of  the 
day.    Did  not  the  Lord  say. 

That  no  one  ever  heard  the  Father's  voice  or  saw  His  shape  ?  {John  v. 
37); 

and  also. 

That  no  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time,  but  that  the  only  begotten  Son 
who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  hath  revealed  Him  {John  i.  18). 

No  man  hath  seen  the  Father,  save  He  who  is  with  the  Father,  He  hath 
seen  the  Father  {John  vi.  46). 

Also  that  no  one  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  through  Him  {John  xiv.  6). 

Furthermore, 

That  He  who  sees  and  knows  Him  sees  and  Knows  the  Father  {John 
xiv.  7-12). 

[3]  But  faith  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour  is  different ;  He,  be- 
ing God  and  ]VIan,  can  be  approached  and  be  seen  in  thought. 
Faith  in  Him  is  not  indeterminate,  but  has  an  object  from 
which  and  to  which  it  proceeds  and  when  once  received  is  per- 
manent, as  when  any  one  has  seen  an  emperor  or  king,  as  often 
as  the  fact  is  recalled  the  image  returns.  That  faith's  sight  is 
like  one's  seeing  a  bright  cloud,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  an  angel 
who  invites  the  man  to  him,  so  that  he  may  be  mised  up  into 
heaven.  Thus  does  the  Lord  appear  to  those  who  have  faith  in 
Him ;  He  draws  near  to  everv  man  so  far  as  man  recosrnizes  and 
acknowledges  Him,  which  he  does,  so  far  as  he  knows  and  keeps 
the  Lord's  commandments,  which  are,  to  shun  evils  and  do  good ; 
and  at  length  the  Lord  comes  into  man's  house,  and  together 
with  the  Father  who  is  in  Him,  makes  His  abode  with  man, 
according  to  these  words  in  John : — 


432 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI 


Jesus  said,  He  that  hath  My  commandments  and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is 
that  loveth  Me  ;  and  he  that  loveth  Me  shall  be  loved  of  My  Father,  and 
I  will  love  him  and  will  manifest  Myself  to  him  ;  and  We  will  come  unto 
him  and  make  Our  abode  with  him  (xiv.  21,  23). 

The  foregoing  was  written  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord's  twelve 
apostles,  who  were  sent  to  me  by  the  Lord  while  I  was  writ- 
ing it. 


IL 

THE  SUM  OF  FAITH  IS  THAT  HE  WHO  LIVES  WELL  AND  BELIEVES 

RIGHTLY  IS  SAVED  BY  THE  LORD. 

340.  That  man  was  created  for  eternal  life,  and  that  every 
man  may  inherit  it  provided  he  lives  according  to  the  means  of 
salvation  prescribed  in  the  Word,  is  admitted  by  every  Chris- 
tian, and  by  every  heathen  who  possesses  religion  and  sound 
reason.  Nevertheless,  the  means  of  salvation  are  manifold,  al- 
though they  each  and  all  have  relation  to  living  well  and  l^eliev- 
ing  rightly,  thus  to  charity  and  faith,  for  living  well  is  charity, 
and  believing  rightly  is  faith.  These  two  general  means  of  sal- 
vation are  not  only  prescribed  in  the  Word  but  are  imposed  as 
commandments,  and  as  they  are  commanded,  it  follo^vs  that  by 
means  of  them  man  can  procure  for  himself  eternal  life  from 
the  power  implanted  in  him  and  given  to  him  by  God ;  and  so 
far  as  man  uses  that  power  and  at  the  same  time  looks  to  God, 
so  far  God  makes  it  effective  in  converting  everything  of  nat- 
ural charity  into  spiritual  charity,  and  everything  of  natural 
faith  into  spiritual  faith;  thus  God  makes  dead  charity  and 
faith  to  be  alive,  and  the  man  also.  V^l  There  are  two  things 
that  must  coexist,  before  man  can  be  said  to  live  well  and  be- 
lieve rightly.  In  the  church  these  two  are  called  the  internal 
and  the  external  man.  When  the  internal  man's  will  is  right 
and  the  external  acts  rightly,  the  two  make  one,  the  external 
[acting]  from  the  uiternal  and  the  internal  through  the  exter- 
nal, thus  man  from  God  and  God  through  man.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  if  the  internal  man's  will  is  evil  and  yet  the  exter- 
nal acts  rightly,  they  both  act  none  the  less  from  hell ;  for  the 


-'-'■"■^■*'^^"- 


N.  340] 


FAITH 


433 


man's  willing  is  from  hell,  and  his  doing  is  hypocritical ;  and  in 
all  hypocrisy  his  willing  which  is  infernal,  is  interiorly  con- 
cealed like  a  snake  in  the  grass  or  a  worm  in  a  flower. 

[3]  The  man  who  knows  that  there  is  an  internal  and  an  ex- 
ternal man,  and  who  also  knows  what  they  are,  and  that  the 
two  can  act  as  one  actually,  and  can  also  act  as  one  apparently ; 
and  who  knows,  moreover,  that  the  internal  man  lives  after 
death,  and  the  external  is  buried,  possesses  in  potency  the  ar- 
cana both  of  heaven  and  of  the  world  in  abundance.  And  he 
who  conjoins  these  two  men  in  himself  in  good  becomes  happy 
to  eternity ;  while  he  who  divides  them,  and  still  more  he  who 
conjoins  them  in  evil,  becomes  unhappy  to  eternity. 

341.  Under  the  belief  that  the  man  who  lives  well  and  be- 
lieves aright  is  not  saved,  and  that  God  is  able  freely  and  at 
pleasure  to  save  and  damn  whom  He  will,  the  man  who  is  lost 
may  justly  accuse  God  of  unmercifulness  and  severity,  and 
even  of  cruelty,  and  may  even  deny  that  God  is  God.  He  may 
also  claim  that  in  His  Word  God  has  spoken  unmeaning  things, 
and  has  commanded  things  of  no  importance,  or  that  are  tri- 
fling. Or  again,  if  the  man  who  lives  well  and  believes  aright 
is  not  saved,  he  may  also  accuse  God  of  violating  His  covenant, 
which  He  made  on  Mount  Sinai  and  wrote  with  His  finger 
upon  the  two  tables.  That  God  cannot  but  save  those  who  live 
according  to  His  commandments  and  have  faith  in  Him,  is  evi- 
dent from  the  Lord's  words  (in  John  xiv.  21-24) ;  and  any  one 
in  possession  of  religion  and  sound  reason  can  confirm  himself 
in  this,  when  he  reflects  that  God  who  is  unceasingly  in  man 
and  who  gives  him  life  and  also  the  ability  to  understand  and 
love,  must  needs  love  him  who  lives  well  and  believes  aright, 
and  must  needs  conjoin  Himself  with  him  by  love.  Is  not  this 
inscribed  by  God  on  every  man  and  every  creature  ?  Can  a 
father  and  mother  reject  their  children,  or  a  bird  or  beast  its 
young?  Kot  even  tigers,  panthers,  or  serpents  can  do  this. 
For  God  to  do  otherwise  would  be  contrarv  to  the  order  into 

t,' 

which  He  is  and  according  to  which  He  acts,  and  also  contrary 
to  the  order  into  which  He  created  man.  Since  then,  it  is  im- 
possible for  God  to  damn  any  one  who  lives  well  and  believes 
aright,  so  on  the  other  hand  it  is  impossible  for  Him  to  save 
any  one  who  lives  wickedly  and  therefore  believes  what  is 
28 


434 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VL 


N.  342] 


FAITH 


435 


false ;  this  too  is  also  contrary  to  order,  and  therefore  contrary 
to  God's  omnii^otence,  which  can  proceed  only  in  the  path  of 
justice;  and  the  laws  of  justice  are  truths  that  cannot  be 
changed.    For  the  Lord  says  :— 

It  is  easier  for  heaven  and  earth  to  pass  away,  than  for  one  tittle  of  the 
law  to  fall  {Luke  xvi.  17). 

This  can  be  seen  by  any  one  who  knows  anything  about  the 
essence  of  God,  and  man's  freedom  of  will.  For  example,  Adam 
was  at  liberty  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  also  of  the  tree  of 
the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  If  he  had  eaten  of  the  tree 
or  trees  of  life  only,  would  it  have  been  possible  for  (iod  to  ex- 
pel him  from  the  garden?  I  believe  that  it  would  not.  But 
after  he  had  eaten  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil,  would  it  have  been  possible  for  God  to  retain  him  in  the 
garden?  Again  I  believe  that  it  would  not;  likewise  that  God 
cannot  cast  into  hell  an  angel  that  has  been  received  into  hea- 
ven, neither  introduce  into  heaven  a  condemned  devil.  That 
neither  of  these  can  He  do  from  His  Divine  omnipotence,  may 
be  seen  above  in  the  section  on  the  Divine  Omnipotence  (n. 

49-70). 

342.  In  the  preceding  section  (n.  336-339),  it  is  shown  that 
saving  faith  is  faith  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 
But  the  question  arises,  AYhat  is  the  first  principle  of  faith  in 
Him  ?  The  answer  is.  The  acknowledgment  that  He  is  the  Son 
of  God.  This  was  the  first  principle  of  faith,  which  the  Lord 
revealed  and  announced  Avhen  He  came  into  the  world.  For 
unless  men  had  first  acknowledged  that  He  was  the  Son  of  God, 
and  thus  God  from  God,  in  vain  would  He  Himself  and  His 
Apostles  after  Him  have  preached  faith  in  Him.  Now  as  the 
case  is  somewhat  similar  at  the  present  day — but  with  those 
who  think  from  their  selfhood,  that  is,  solely  from  the  external 
or  natural  man,  saying  to  themselves,  How  could  Jehovah  God 
beget  a  Son,  and  how  can  a  man  be  God  ?— it  is  necessary  to 
confirm  and  establish  from  the  Word  this  first  principle  of 
faith.    For  this  reason  the  following  passages  are  quoted : — 

The  angel  said  to  Mary,  Thou  shalt  conceive  in  thy  womb  and  bring 
forth  a  Son,  and  shalt  call  His  name  Jesus.  He  shall  be  great,  and  shall 
be  called  the  Son  of  the  Most  High.  And  Mary  said  unto  the  angel,  How 
shall  this  be,  seeing  I  know  not  a  man  ?    And  the  angel  answered,  The 


.1 

-i 


Holy  Spirit  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Most  High  shall 
overshadow  thee  ;  therefore  that  which  is  to  be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called 
Holy,  the  Son  of  God  {Luke  i.  31-35). 

When  Jesus  was  being  baptized,  there  came  a  voice  out  of  heaven,  say- 
ing. This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased  {Matt.  iii.  16,  17; 
Mm-k  i.  10,  11  ;  Luke  iii.  21,  22). 

Again  when  Jesus  was  transfigured,  there  also  came  a  voice  out  of 
heaven,  saying,  This  Is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased  ;  hear 
ye  Him  {Matt.  xvii.  5 ;  Mark  ix.  7;  Luke  ix.  3o). 

[2]  Jesus  asked  His  disciples,  saying.  Who  do  men  say  that  I  am  ? 
Peter  answered,  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God.  And  Je- 
sus said,  Bk'ssed  art  thou,  Simon  sou  of  Jonah.  I  say  unto  thee,  that  upon 
tliis  rock  I  will  build  my  church  {Matt.  xvi.  13-18). 

The  Lord  said  that  upon  this  rock,  that  is,  upon  the  truth  and 
the  confession  that  He  is  the  Son  of  God,  He  would  build  His 
church ;  for  ''  rock"  signifies  truth,  and  also  the  Lord  in  respect 
to  Divine  truth.  So  with  those  who  do  not  confess  this  truth 
that  He  is  the  Son  of  God,  the  church  is  not ;  therefore  it  is 
said  above,  that  this  is  the  first  principle  of  faith  in  Jesus 
( 'hrist,  and  thus  is  faith  in  its  origin. 

John  the  Baptist  saw  and  bare  witness  that  this  is  the  Son  of  God  {John 

i.  34). 

Tlie  disciple  Nathauael  said  to  Jesus,  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God  ;  thou 
art  the  King  of  Israel  {Jo/ui  i.  49). 

The  twelve  disciples  said.  We  have  believed  that  Thou  art  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  the  livmg  God  {John  vi.  09). 

He  is  called  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  and  the  only  begotten  from 
the  Father,  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  (John  i.  14,  18  ;  iii.  16). 

Jesus  Himself  confessed  before  the  high  priest,  that  He  was  the  Son  of 
God  {Matt.  xxvi.  03,  64  ;  xxvii.  43  ;  Mark  xiv.  61,  62  ;  Luke  xxii.  70). 

They  that  were  in  tlie  ship  came  and  worshiped  Jesus,  saying,  Of  a 
truth  thou  art  the  Son  of  God  {Mafi.  xiv.  33). 

The  eunuch  who  wished  to  be  baptized,  said  to  Philip,  I  believe  that 
JesiLS  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God  {Ads  viii.  37). 

Paul,  when  he  was  converted,  preached  Christ,  that  He  was  the  Son  of 

God  {Acts  ix.  20). 

Jesus  said,  The  hour  cometh,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the 
Son  of  God  ;  and  they  that  hear  shall  live  {John  v.  25). 

He  that  believeth  not  hath  been  judged  already,  because  he  hath  not 
believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God  {John  iii-  18). 

These  arc  written  that  ye  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  the  Son 
of  God  ;  and  that  believing  ye  may  have  life  in  His  name  {John  xx.  31). 

These  things  have  I  written  unto  you  who  believe  in  the  name  of  the 
Son  of  God  ;  that  ye  may  know  that  ye  have  eternal  life,  and  that  ye  may 
believe  in  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God  (1  John  v.  13). 


mtmsa^m^s^^i^iU^iM 


attdteJjasa^.asffibifcferafchjMi 


436 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIC;i()N 


[Chap.  VL 


N.  342] 


FAITH 


437 


We  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is  come,  and  hath  given  that  we  may 
know  Him  that  is  True,  and  we  are  in  Him  that  is  True,  in  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ.    This  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  (1  John  v.  20). 

Whosoever  shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  God  abideth  in 
him  and  he  in  God  (1  John  iv.  15). 

(Again  elsewhere,  as  in  Matt,  viii.  29;  xxvii.  40,  43,  54;  Mark 
i.  1;  iii.  11 ;  xv.  39;  Luke  viii.  28;  John  ix.  35;  x.  36;  xi.  4, 
27;  xix.  7;  Rom,  i.  4;  2  Cor.  i.  19;  Gal.  ii.  20;  Eph.  iv.  13; 
Heh.  iv.  14;  vi.  6;  vii.  3;  x.  29;  1  John  iii.  8;  v.  10;  Apoc.  ii.  18.) 
There  are  also  many  passages  where  He  is  called  "Bon"  by 
Jehovah,  and  where  He  calls  Jehovah  God  His  Father,  as  in 
this : — 

Whatever  the  Father  doeth,  that  the  Son  doeth  also ;  as  the  Father 
raiseth  up  the  dead  and  quickeneth  them,  even  so  doth  the  Son  ;  that  all 
may  honor  the  Son,  even  as  they  honor  the  Father  ;  as  the  Father  hath 
life  in  Himself,  even  so  gave  He  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in  Himself  {John 
V.  19-27). 

So  in  many  other  passages.    And  again  in  David: — 

I  will  declare  the  decree ;  Jehovah  hath  said  unto  Me,  Thou  art  My 
Son  ;  this  day  have  I  begotten  Thee.  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  He  be  angry,  and  ye 
perish  in  the  way,  for  His  anger  will  soon  be  kindled.  Blessed  are  all 
they  that  put  their  trust  in  Him  (Ps.  ii.  7,  12). 

[3]  From  the  foregoing  now  comes  this  conclusion,  that  every 
one  who  wishes  to  be  truly  a  Christian  and  to  be  saved  by 
Christ,  ought  to  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  the  living 
God.  He  who  does  not  believe  this,  but  only  that  He  is  the 
Son  of  Mary,  implants  in  his  mind  various  ideas  respecting 
Him,  which  are  injurious  and  destructive  to  that  salvation  (on 
which  see  above,  n.  92,  94,  102).  Of  such  it  may  be  said,  as 
of  the  Jews, 

That  instead  of  a  royal  crown,  they  place  upon  His  head  a  crovni  of 
thorns,  and  also  give  Him  vinegar  to  drink,  and  they  cry  out.  If  thou  art 
the  Son  of  God,  come  down  from  the  cross  {Matt  xxvii.  20,  34,  40). 

Or  as  the  devil,  the  tempter,  said.  If  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  command 
that  these  stones  become  bread  ;  or.  If  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  cast  thy- 
self down  {Matt.  iv.  3,  6). 

Such  profane  His  church  and  temple,  and  make  it  a  den  of 
robbers.  These  are  they  who  make  the  worship  of  Him  like  the 
worship  of  Mohammed,  and  do  not  distinguish  between  true 


' 


I 


Christianity,  which  is  the  worship  of  the  Lord,  and  naturalism. 
■J^ey  may  be  compared  to  men  riding  in  a  carriage  or  coach 
over  thin  ice,  and  the  ice  breaks  under  them,  and  they  sink, 
and  they,  with  their  horses  and  vehicle,  are  covered  by  the  icy 
water.  They  may  also  be  likened  to  men  who  make  a  little 
boat  of  woven  reeds  and  rushes,  daubing  it  with  pitch  that  it 
may  hold  together,  and  in  it  put  out  to  sea ;  but  there  the  co- 
hesiveness  of  the  pitch  is  destroyed,  and  they  are  choked  by 
the  waters  of  the  sea  and  swallowed  up  and  are  buried  in  its 
depths. 


HI. 


MAN  ACQUIRES  FAITH  BY  GOING  TO  THE  LORD,  LEARNING  TRUTHS 
FROM  THE  WORD,  AND  LIVING  ACCORDING  TO  THEM. 

343.  Before  proceeding  to  show  how  faith  originates,  namely, 
by  going  to  the  Lord,  learning  truths  from  the  Word,  and  living 
according  to  them,  it  is  necessary  first  to  set  forth  the  summa- 
ries of  faith,  from  which  may  be  gained  the  general  idea  that 
runs  through  the  several  parts ;  for  thus  what  is  taught  not  only 
in  this  chapter  on  Faith,  but  also  in  those  on  Charity,  Free  Will, 
Ilepentance,  Reformation,  and  Regenei*ation,  and  on  Imputa^ 
tion,  will  be  more  clearly  comprehended ;  for  faith  enters  into 
all  parts  and  each  part  of  a  system  of  theology,  as  blood  flows 
into  the  members  of  the  body  and  vivifies  them.  What  the 
present  church  teaches  respecting  faith  is  known  in  the  Chris- 
tian world  generally,  and  particularly  in  its  ecclesiastical  class ; 
for  the  books  treating  solely  of  faith  and  faith  alone  fill  the 
libraries  of  the  doctors  of  the  church,  and  almost  nothing  be- 
yond this  is  regarded  as  properly  theological  at  the  present  day. 
l)Ut  before  what  the  present  church  teaches  respecting  its  faith 
is  taken  up,  considered  and  examined  (which  will  be  done  in 
an  Appendix),  the  general  principles  which  the  New  Church 
teaches  respecting  its  faith  shall  be  presented.  They  are  the 
following : — 


438 


THE  TRUE  CHKI8TIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VL 


344.  The  Esse  of  the  Faith  of  the  New  Church  is :  1.  Con- 
fidence in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  2.  A  tru|t 
that  he  who  lives  well  and  believes  aright  is  saved  by  Him. 

The  Essence  of  the  Faith  of  the  New  Church  is  Truth  from 
the  Word. 

The  Existence  of  the  Faith  of  the  New  Church  is:  1.  Spir- 
itual sight.  2.  Accordance  of  Truths.  3.  Conviction.  4.  Ac- 
knowledgment inscribed  on  the  mind. 

The  States  of  the  Faith  of  the  New  Church  are:  1.  Infantile 
faith,  adolescent  faith,  adult  faith.  2.  Faith  in  genuine  truth 
and  faith  in  appearances  of  truth.  3.  Faith  of  the  memory, 
faith  of  reason,  faith  of  light.  4.  Natural  faith,  spiritual  faith, 
celestial  faith.  5.  Living  faith,  and  faith  founded  on  miracle. 
6.  Free  faith,  and  forced  faith. 

The  Fortn  itself  of  the  Frith  of  the  New  Churchy  in  its  uni- 
versal view,  and  its  particular  view,  may  be  seen  above  (n.  2,  3). 

345.  As  the  constituents  of  spiritual  faith  have  been  pre- 
sented in  a  summary,  so  also  shall  those  of  merely  natural  faith, 
which  in  itself  is  a  persuasion  counterfeiting  faith,  and  a  per- 
suasion of  what  is  false,  which  is  called  heretical  faith.  It  may 
be  designated  as  follows :  1.  Spurious  faith,  in  which  falsities 
are  mixed  with  truths.  2.  JMeretricious  faith  from  truths  fal- 
sified, and  adulterous  faith  from  goods  adulterated.  3.  Closed 
or  blind  faith,  which  is  a  faith  in  things  mystical  that  are  be- 
lieved, although  it  is  not  known  whether  they  are  true  or  false, 
or  whether  they  are  above  reason  or  contrary  to  it.  4.  Wan- 
dering faith,  which  is  a  faith  in  several  Cods.  5.  Purblind 
faith,  which  is  a  faith  in  some  other  than  the  true  God,  and 
among  Christians  in  any  but  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour.  6.  Hy- 
pocritical or  Pharisaic  faith,  which  is  a  faith  of  the  lips  and  not 
of  the  heart.  7.  Visionary  and  distorted  faith,  which  is  falsity 
made  to  appear  like  truth  by  ingenious  confirmation  of  it. 

346.  It  has  been  said  above  that  faith,  as  to  its  existence  in 
man,  is  spiritual  sight.  Now  as  spiritual  sight  which  is  the 
sight  of  the  understanding,  and  thus  of  the  mind,  and  natural 
sight  which  is  the  sight  of  the  eye  and  thus  of  the  body,  mu- 
tually correspond,  every  state  of  faith  may  be  compared  with 
some  state  of  the  eye  and  its  sight—a  state  of  faith  in  what  is 
true  with  every  normal  state  of  eyesight,  and  a  state  of  faith 


i 


N.  346] 


FAITH 


439 


i 

1 

i 


I 


\ 


in  what  is  false  with  every  perverted  state  of  eyesight.  Let  us 
compare  then  the  correspondences  of  these  two  kinds  of  sight, 
mental  and  bodily,  as  to  their  perverted  states.  Spurious  faith^ 
in  which  falsities  are  mixed  with  truths,  may  be  compared  to 
that  disease  of  the  eye  and  consequently  of  the  sight,  called 
white  specks  on  the  cornea,  which  produces  dimness  of  sight. 
Meretricious  faith  which  comes  from  truths  falsified,  and  adul- 
terous faith  which  is  from  goods  adulterated,  may  be  compared 
to  that  disease  of  the  eye  and  consequently  of  the  sight,  called 
glaucoma,  which  is  a  drying  up  and  hardening  of  the  crystalline 
humor.  Closed  or  blind  faith,  which  is  a  faith  in  things  mys- 
tical that  are  believed,  although  it  is  not  known  whether  they 
are  true  or  false,  or  whether  they  are  above  reason  or  contrary 
to  it,  may  be  compared  to  the  disease  of  the  eye  called  gutta 
serena  or  amaurosis^  which  is  a  loss  of  sight  while  the  eye  still 
looks  as  though  it  saw  perfectly,  which  arises  from  an  obstruc- 
tion of  the  optic  nerve.  Erratic  faith,  which  is  a  faith  in  sev- 
eral Gods,  may  be  compared  to  the  disease  of  the  eye  called 
cataract,  which  is  a  loss  of  vision,  arising  from  a  stoppage  be- 
tween the  sclerotic  coat  and  the  uvea.  Furhlind  faith,  which 
is  a  faith  in  any  other  than  the  true  God,  and  among  Christians 
in  any  but  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  may  be  compared  to  the 
disease  of  the  eye  called  strabismus.  Hypocritical  or  Pharisaic 
faith,  which  is  a  faith  of  the  lips  and  not  of  the  heart,  may  be 
compared  to  atrophy  of  the  eye,  and  consequent  loss  of  sight. 
Visionary  and  distorted  faith,  which  is  falsity  made  to  appear 
like  truth  by  an  ingenious  confirmation  of  it,  may  be  compared 
to  the  disease  of  the  eye  called  nyctalopia,  which  is  seeing  in 
darkness  from  an  illusive  light. 

347.  As  to  the  formation  of  faith:  it  is  effected  by  man's 
going  to  the  Lord,  learning  truths  from  the  Word,  and  living 
according  to  them.  First :  Faith  is  formed  by  man^s  going  to 
the  Lord,  because  faith  that  is  faith,  or  that  is  a  saving  faith, 
is  from  the  Lord  and  in  the  Lord.  That  it  is  from  the  Lord  is 
evident  from  His  words  to  His  disciples  : — 

Abide  in  Me,  and  I  in  you  ;  for  apart  from  Me,  ye  can  do  nothing  {John 
XV.  4,  5). 

That  it  is  faith  in  the  Lord,  is  evident  from  the  passages  pre- 


440 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


sented  in  abundance  (n.  337, 338),  to  the  effect  that  men  ought 
to  believe  in  the  Son.  Since  then  faith  is  from  the  Lord  and 
in  the  Lord,  it  may  be  said  that  the  Lord  is  faith  itself,  for 
its  life  and  essence  are  in  Him,  and  thus  from  Him.  V^] 
Secondly :  Faith  is  formed  by  man^s  learning  truths  from  the 
Wordy  because  faith  in  its  essence  is  truth;  for  all  things  that 
enter  into  faith  are  truths ;  consequently  faith  is  nothing  but  a 
complex  of  truths  shining  in  the  mind  of  man ;  for  truths  teach 
not  only  that  man  ought  to  believe,  but  also  in  whom  he  ought 
to  believe,  and  what  he  ought  to  believe.  Truths  ought  to  be 
taken  from  the  Word,  because  all  truths  that  conduce  to  salva- 
tion are  in  the  Word,  and  there  is  efficacy  in  them  because 
they  are  given  by  the  Lord,  and  are  therefore  inscribed  on  the 
whole  angelic  heaven;  consequently  when  man  learns  truths 
from  the  W^ord,  he  comes  into  communion  and  consociation 
with  angels  beyond  what  he  knows.  Faith  destitute  of  truths 
is  like  grain  without  inner  substance,  which  when  ground  yields 
nothing  but  bran;  while  faith  from  truths  is  like  useful  grain, 
which  when  ground  yields  flour.  In  a  word,  the  essentials  of 
faith  are  truths ;  and  if  truths  do  not  reside  in  and  constitute 
the  faith,  it  is  only  like  the  shrill  sound  of  a  whistle ;  but  when 
they  do  reside  in  and  constitute  it,  faith  is  like  a  voice  of  glad 
tidings.  [3]  Thirdly :  Faith  is  formed  by  man^s  living  accord- 
ing to  truths,  because  spiritual  life  is  life  according  to  truths, 
and  truths  do  not  actually  live  until  they  are  in  deeds.  Truths 
abstracted  from  deeds  are  merely  matters  of  thought,  and  un- 
less they  become  of  the  will  also,  are  only  in  the  entrance  to 
the  man,  and  thus  are  not  inwardly  in  him ;  for  the  will  is  the 
man  himself,  and  the  thought  is  so  far  the  man,  in  quantity 
and  quality,  as  it  adjoins  the  will  to  itself.  He  who  learns 
truths  and  does  not  practise  them,  is  like  one  who  sows  seed  in 
a  field  and  does  not  harrow  it  in;  and  consequently  the  seed 
becomes  swollen  by  the  rain  and  is  spoiled.  But  he  who  leams 
truths  and  practises  them,  is  like  one  who  sows  the  seed  and 
covers  it,  and  the  rain  causes  it  to  grow  to  a  crop  and  to  be  of 
use  for  food.    The  Lord  says : — 

If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them  {John  xiii.  17) ; 
And  again: — 


N.  347] 


FAITH 


441 


4 


I 


He  that  was  sown  upon  the  good  ground,  this  is  he  that  heareth  the 
Word  and  giveth  heed  ;  who  also  beareth  fruit  and  bringetli  forth  {Matt. 
xiu.  23) ; 

also : — 

Every  one  that  heareth  these  My  words,  and  doeth  them,  I  will  liken 
him  unto  a  prudent  man,  who  built  his  house  upon  a  rock.  And  every 
one  that  heareth  these  My  words  and  doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened 
mi  to  a  foohsh  man,  who  built  his  house  upon  the  sand  {Matt.  vii.  24,  26). 

All  words  of  the  Lord  are  truths. 

348.  From  the  foregoing  it  is  clear  that  there  are  three  things 
by  which  faith  is  formed  in  man ;  first  by  going  to  the  Lord ; 
secondly,  by  learning  truths  from  the  Word ;  and  thirdly,  by 
living  according  to  them.  Now  as  these  are  three  things,  and 
one  not  the  same  as  another,  it  follows  that  they  can  be  sepa- 
rated ;  for  a  man  may  go  to  the  Lord,  and  not  know  any  but 
historical  truths  respecting  God  and  the  Lord ;  also  a  man  may 
know  truths  from  the  Word  in  abundance,  and  yet  not  live  ac- 
cording to  them.  But  in  the  man  in  whom  these  three  things 
are  separated,  that  is,  in  whom  one  is  apart  from  the  other,  there 
is  no  saving  faith.  Saving  faith  arises  when  the  three  are  con- 
joined, and  becomes  such  as  the  conjunction  is.  Where  these 
three  things  are  separated,  faith  is  like  a  sterile  seed,  which 
when  dropped  in  the  earth  moulders  into  dust.  But  where  the 
three  are  conjoined,  faith  is  like  a  seed  in  the  ground  which 
grows  up  to  a  tree,  and  the  fruit  of  it  is  according  to  their  con- 
junction. Where  these  three  things  are  separated,  faith  is  like 
an  Qgg  wliieh  contains  no  prolific  principle ;  but  where  they  are 
conjoined,  faith  is  like  an  q^^%  that  can  produce  a  beautiful  bird. 
The  faith  of  those  in  whom  these  three  things  are  separated, 
may  be  likened  to  the  eye  of  a  fish  or  of  a  crab  when  cooked ; 
but  the  faith  of  those  in  whom  the  three  are  conjoined,  may  be 
likened  to  an  eye  translucent  from  the  crystalline  humor  even 
to  and  through  the  uvea  of  the  iris.  Separated  faith  is  like  a 
picture  drawn  in  dark  colors  on  a  black  stone;  but  conjoined 
faith  is  like  a  picture  drawn  in  beautiful  colors  on  a  transpar- 
ent crystal.  The  light  of  a  separated  faith  may  be  compared 
to  that  of  a  firebrand  in  the  hand  of  a  traveller  at  night ;  while 
the  light  of  a  conjoined  faith  may  be  compared  to  that  of  a 
blazing  torch  which  when  waved  about  shows  plainly  each  step 


iiiiitwrftii«iiriiT^nii/rfif»v 


442 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


N.  349] 


FAITH 


443 


of  the  way.  Faith  without  truths  is  like  a  vine  bearing  wild 
grapes ;  but  faith  from  truths  is  like  a  vine  bearing  clusters 
full  of  noble  wine.  Faith  in  the  Lord  destitute  of  truths  may 
be  compared  to  a  new  star  appearing  in  the  expanse  of  heaven, 
which  in  time  grows  dim ;  but  faith  in  the  Lord  together  with 
truths  may  be  compared  to  a  fixed  star,  which  remains  con- 
stant. Truth  is  the  essence  of  faith;  therefore,  as  the  truth  is, 
such  is  the  faith;  without  truths  it  is  a  wandering  faith,  but 
with  them  it  is  fixed.  Moreover,  faith  from  truths  shines  in 
heaven  like  a  star. 


IV- 


AN   ABUNDANCE    OF    TRUTHS    COHERING,    AS    IF    IN    A    BUNDLE, 

EXALTS    AND    PERFECTS    FAITH. 

349.  From  the  conception  of  faith  that  prevails  at  the  pres- 
ent day  it  cannot  be  seen  that  faith  in  its  compass  is  a  complex 
of  truths,  still  less  that  man  can  contribute  anything  toward 
acquiring  faith  for  himself;  and  yet  faith  in  its  essence  is 
truth;  for  it  is  truth  in  its  own  light,  and  as  truth  can  be  ac- 
quired so  also  can  faith.  Who  cannot  go  to  the  Lord  if  he 
will  ?  Who  cannot  collect  truths  from  the  Word  if  he  will  ? 
And  every  truth  in  the  Word  and  from  the  Word,  gives  light ; 
and  truth  in  light  is  faith.  The  Lord  who  is  Light  itself,  flows 
into  every  man;  and  in  every  one  in  whom  there  are  truths 
from  the  Word,  He  causes  truths  to  shine  and  thus  to  become 
truths  of  faith.    And  this  is  what  the  Lord  teaches  in  John : — 

That  they  should  abide  in  Him,  and  His  words  in  them  (xv.  7). 

The  Lord's  words  are  truths.  But  to  make  it  properly  under- 
stood that  an  abundance  of  truths  cohering  as  if  in  a  bundle 
exalts  and  perfects  faith,  the  consideration  of  the  subject  shall 
be  distributed  under  the  following  heads  : — 

(1)  Truths  of  faith  may  be  multiplied  to  infinity. 

(2)  They  are  disposed  into  series,  thus,  as  it  were,  into  bun- 
dles. 


(3)  According  to  their  abundance  and  coherence  faith  is  per- 
fected. 

(4)  However  numerous  truths  are  and  however  diverse  they 
appear,  they  make  one  from  the  Lord,  who  is  the  Word,  the 
God  of  heaven  and  earth,  the  God  of  all  flesh,  the  God  of  the 
vineyard  or  the  church,  the  God  of  faith,  light  itself,  the  truth, 
and  life  eternal. 

350.   (1)   The  Truths  of  Faith  may  he  multiplied  to  Infinity. 
This  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  wisdom  of  the  angels  of 
heaven  increases  to  eternity.    Moreover,  the  angels  say  that 
there  is  no  end  to  wisdom,  as  its  source  is  no  other  than  Divine 
truths  analytically  distributed  into  forms  by  means  of  light 
flowing  in  from  the  Lord.     Such  human  intelligence  as  is  truly 
intelligence  is  from  no  other  source.    Divine  truth  may  be 
multiplied  to  mfinity,  because  the  Lord  is  Divine  truth  itself, 
or  truth  in  its  infinity,  and  He  draws  all  men  to  Himself;  but 
as  angels  and  men  are  finite  they  can  follow  the  current  of 
the  attraction  only  according  to  their  measure,  although  the 
force  of  the  attraction  persists  to  infinity.    The  Lord's  Word  is 
a  great  deep  of  truths  from  which  comes  all  angelic  wisdom, 
although  to  the  man  who  knows  nothing  of  its  spiritual  and 
celestial  meanings,  it  appears  like  the  water  in  a  pitcher.    The 
multiplication  of  the  truths  of  faith  to  infinity  may  be  com- 
pared to  the  seed  of  men,  from  one  of  whom  may  be  propagated 
families  to  ages  of  ages.    The  prolification  of  the  truths  of  faith 
may  be  compared  to  the  proliiication  of  seeds  in  a  field  or  a 
garden,  which  may  be  propagated  to  myriads  of  myriads  and 
perpetually.    In  the  Word  ^^seed"  means  nothing  but  truth, 
"field"  means  doctrine,  and  "garden"  wisdom.    The    human 
mind  is  like  soil,  in  which  spiritual  and  natural  truths  are  im- 
planted like  seeds  and  may  be  endlessly  multiplied.    iVIan  de- 
rives this  from  the  infinity  of  God,  who  is  perpetually  in  man 
with  His  heat  and  light,  and  the  faculty  of  generating. 

351.  (2)  The  Truths  of  Faith  are  disposed  into  Series,  thus, 
as  it  were  into  bundles.  This  has  been  hitherto  unknown.  It  is 
unknown  because  the  spiritual  truths  of  which  the  whole  Word 
is  composed  could  not  be  seen,  owing  to  the  mystical  and  enig- 
matical faith  which  forms  every  point  of  the  present  theology ; 
consequently  they  have  been  buried  in  the  earth  like  store- 


444 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


houses.    To  make  clear  what  is  meant  by  series  and  bundles, 
it  shiill  be  explained.    The  first  chapter  of  this  book,  which 
treats  of  God  the  Creator,  is  divided  into  a  series  of  sections, 
the  first  of  which  treats  of  the  Unity  of  God,  the  second  the 
Being  of  God  or  Jehovah,  the  third  the  Infinity  of  God,  the 
fourth  the  Essence  of  God  (which  is  Divine  love  and  Divine 
wisdom)  the  fifth  the  Omnipotence  of  God,  and  the  sixth  Crear 
tion.    The  arrangement  of  each  section  into  its  articles  consti- 
tutes the  series,  and  the  contents  of  these  are  bound  together 
as  if  into  bundles.    These  series  in  general  and  in  particular, 
thus  conjointly  and  sex)arately,  contain  truths  which,  according 
to  their  abundance  and  coherence,  exalt  and  perfect  faith.   [2] 
He  who  does  not  know  that  the  human  mind  is  organized,  or 
that  it  is  a  spiritual  organism  terminating  in  a  natural  organ- 
ism, in  which  and  according  to  which  the  mind  produces  its 
ideas  or  thinks,  must  needs  suppose  that  perceptions,  thoughts, 
and  ideas  are  nothing  but  radiations  and  variations  of  light 
flowing  into  the  head,  and  presenting  forms  which  man  sees  and 
acknowledges  as  reasons.    But  this  is  foolishness ;  for  every  one 
knows  that  the  head  is  full  of  brains,  that  the  brains  are  organ- 
ized, and  that  in  them  the  mind  dwells,  and  that  its  ideas  are 
fixed  therein,  and  are  permanent  so  far  as  they  are  accepted  and 
confirmed.    The  question  is,  therefore.  What  is  the  nature  of 
that  organization  ?    The  answer  is,  that  it  is  an  arrangement  of 
all  things  in  series,  as  it  were  in  bundles,  and  that  in  this  way 
the  truths  belonging  to  faith  are  arranged  in  the  human  mind. 
That  it  is  so,  may  be  illustrated  as  follows.     [3]  The  brain  con- 
sists of  two  substances,  one  of  which  is  glandular,  and  is  called 
the  cortical  and  cineritious  substance,  and  the  other  fibrillous, 
and  is  called  the  medullary  substance.    The  first,  or  the  gland- 
ular substance,  is  arranged  into  clusters  like  grapes  on  a  vine ; 
these  clustered  formations  are  its  series.    The  second,  or  the 
medullary  substance,  consists  of  perpetual  bundlings  of  little 
fibers  issuing  from  the  glandules  of  the  former  substance ;  these 
bundlings  are  its  series.    All  the  nerves  that  proceed  from  the 
brain,  and  pass  down  into  the  body  for  the  performance  of  va- 
rious functions,  are  nothing  but  groups  and  bundles  of  fibers ; 
in  like  manner  all  the  muscles,  and  in  general  all  the  viscera 
and  organs  of  the  body.    All  these  are  such  because  they  cor- 


N.  351] 


FAITH 


445 


respond  to  the  series  in  which  the  mental  organism  is  arranged. 
[4]  Moreover,  in  all  nature  there  is  nothing  that  is  not  formed 
into  series  of  little  bundles ;  every  tree,  every  bush,  shrub  and 
plant,  nay,  every  ear  of  corn  and  blade  of  grass  in  whole  and  in 
part,  is  so  formed.  The  imiversal  cause  is,  that  such  is  the  con- 
firmation of  Divine  truths ;  for  we  read  that  all  things  were 
created  by  the  Word,  that  is,  by  Divine  truth,  and  that  the 
world  also  was  made  by  it  (John  i.  1,  seq.).  From  all  this  it  can 
be  seen  that  unless  there  were  such  an  arrangement  of  sub- 
stances in  the  human  mind,  man  would  possess  no  ability  to 
reason  analytically,  which  every  one  has  according  to  this  ar- 
rangement, thus  according  to  his  supply  of  truths  cohering,  as 
it  were,  in  a  bundle ;  and  the  arrangement  is  in  accord  with  his 
use  of  reason  from  freedom. 

352.  (3)  Accordi7ig  to  the  Abundance  and  Coherence  of 
Truths  Faith  is  perfected.  This  follows  from  the  preceding 
statements,  and  is  evident  to  every  one  who  collects  reasons, 
and  observes  carefully  what  multiplied  series  of  them  effect 
when  they  cohere  as  a  unit ;  for  then  one  series  strengthens  and 
confirms  another,  and  together  they  constitute  a  form  which 
when  put  in  action  is  manifested  as  a  single  act.  Since  then 
faith  in  its  essence  is  truth,  it  follows,  that  according  to  the 
abundance  and  coherence  of  truths  it  becomes  more  and  more 
perfectly  spiritual,  therefore  less  and  less  sensual-natural ;  for 
it  is  raised  up  into  a  higher  region  of  the  mind,  from  which  it 
sees  beneath  it  troops  of  confirmations  of  itself  in  the  nature 
of  the  world.  True  faith  by  an  abundance  of  truths  cohering 
as  if  in  a  bundle  also  becomes  more  lustrous,  more  perceptible, 
more  evident,  and  clearer ;  and  becomes  also  more  capable  of 
conjunction  with  the  goods  of  charity,  consequently  more  capa- 
ble of  alienation  from  evils,  and  gradually  more  removed  from 
the  allurements  of  the  eye  and  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  therefore 
in  itself  happier.  Especially  does  it  become  more  powerful 
against  evils  and  falsities,  and  thus  more  and  more  living  and 

saving. 

353.  It  has  been  said  above,  that  in  heaven  every  truth  gives 
forth  light,  and  therefore  that  faith  in  its  essence  is  truth  giv- 
ing forth  light;  consequently  the  beauty  and  comeliness  of 
faith  caused  by  that  glow,  when  truths  of  faith  are  multiplied, 


446 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


may  be  compared  to  various  forms,  objects,  and  pictures,  formed 
by  diiferent  colors  harmoniously  combined;  also  to  the  precious 
stones  of  various  colors  in  the  breastplate  of  Aaron,  which  to- 
gether were  called  the  Urim  and  Thummim ;  in  like  manner  to 
the  precious  stones  of  which  the  foundations  of  the  wall  of  the 
New  Jerusalem  are  to  be  built  (see  Ajjoc.  xxi.).  It  may  also  be 
compared  to  the  i)recious  stones  of  many  colors  in  a  king's 
crown.  Indeed,  precious  stones  signify  truths  of  faith.  It  may 
also  be  compared  to  the  beauty  of  the  rambow,  of  a  field  of 
flowers,  or  of  a  blooming  garden  in  early  spring.  The  light 
and  glory  of  faith  from  an  abundance  of  concordant  truths  fitly 
arranged  in  it,  may  be  compared  to  the  illumination  of  churches 
by  numerous  candelabra,  or  of  houses  by  chandeliers,  or  of 
streets  by  lamps.  The  exaltation  of  faith  by  an  abundance  of 
truths,  may  be  illustrated  by  comparison  with  the  increase  of 
sound  and  also  of  melody,  arising  from  many  musical  instru- 
ments played  in  concert ;  and  with  the  increase  of  fragrance 
arising  from  a  collection  of  sweetly-exhaling  flowers ;  and  so  on. 
The  power  of  a  faith  formed  from  a  multiplicity  of  truths,  as 
opposed  to  falsities  and  evils,  may  be  compared  to  the  firmness 
of  a  church  built  of  stones  properly  laid,  with  columns  built 
into  its  walls,  and  under  its  fretted  ceiling ;  it  may  also  be  com- 
pared to  a  battalion  formed  in  square,  where  the  soldiers  stand 
side  by  side,  and  thus  form  and  act  as  one  force ;  it  may  also 
be  compared  to  the  muscles  of  which  the  whole  body  is  inter- 
woven, which  although  so  numerous  and  so  differently  located, 
still  in  action  constitute  one  power ;  and  so  on. 

354.  (4)  Hoivever  numerous  the  truths  of  faith  are,  and  how- 
ever diverse  they  appear,  they  make  one  from  the  Lord,  who  is 
the  Word,  the  God  of  heaven  and  eaHh,  the  God  of  all  flesh,  the 
God  of  the  vineyard  or  church,  the  God  of  faith,  light  itself, 
the  truth,  and  life  eternal.  The  truths  of  faith  are  various,  and 
to  man  they  seem  diverse ;  some,  for  example,  have  relation  to 
God  the  Creator,  others  to  the  Lord  the  Redeemer,  others  to 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  Divine  Operation,  others  to  faith  and 
charity,  others  to  freedom  of  choice,  repentance,  reformation 
and  regeneration,  imputation,  and  so  on ;  still  in  the  Lord  and 
in  man  from  the  Lord  they  make  one,  like  many  branches  on 
one  vine  {John  xv.  1,  seq.).     For  the  Lord  unites  scattered  and 


N.  354] 


FAITH 


447 


separate  truths  into  one  form,  as  it  were,  m  which  they  pre- 
sent one  aspect  and  exhibit  one  action.  This  may  be  illustrated 
by  a  comparison  with  the  members,  viscera  and  organs  in  one 
body;  which  although  various,  and  in  man's  sight  diverse,  are 
nevertheless  felt  by  man,  who  is  their  general  form,  to  be  one, 
and  when  he  is  acting  from  them  all  he  acts  as  if  from  one.  It 
is  the  same  with  heaven,  which,  although  divided  into  innum- 
erable societies,  still  in  the  Lord's  sight  appears  as  a  one.  (That 
heaven  appears  as  one  IVIan  has  been  shown  above.)  It  is  the 
same  again  with  a  kingdom,  which  although  divided  into  sev- 
eral governments,  and  also  into  provinces  and  cities,  still  makes 
one  under  a  king  who  governs  with  justice  and  judgment.  So 
do  the  truths  of  faith  from  which  the  church  is  a  church  make 
one  from  the  Lord,  because  the  Lord  is  the  Word,  the  God  of 
heaven  and  earth,  the  God  of  all  flesh,  the  God  of  the  vineyard 
or  church,  the  God  of  faith,  light  itself,  the  truth,  and  life  eter- 
nal. [2]  That  the  Lord  is  the  Word,  and  therefore  all  truth 
of  heaven  and  the  church,  is  evident  from  John  : — 

The  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  be- 
came flesh  (i.  1,  14). 

That  the  Lord  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth  is  evident  from 

Matthew : — 

Jesus  said,  All  power  hatli  been  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  on  earth 
(xxviii.  18). 

That  the  Lord  is  the  God  of  all  flesh,  can  be  seen  from  tTohn  : — 
The  Father  gave  to  the  Son  power  over  all  flesh  (xvii.  2). 

That  the  Lord  is  the  God  of  the  vineyard  or  church,  in  Isaiah  : — 
My  well-beloved  hath  a  vineyard  (v.  1)  ; 

and  in  John  : — 

I  am  the  Vine,  ye  are  the  branches  (xv.  5). 
That  the  Lord  is  the  God  of  faith,  Paul  teaches : — 

Having  the  righteousness,  which  is  from  the  faith  of  Christ,  from  the 
God  of  faith  {Phil.  iii.  9). 

That  the  Lord  is  light  itself,  appears  from  John  : — 

There  wa,s  the  true  Light,  which  light^th  every  man  coming  into  the 
world  (i.  9). 


448 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


And  elsewhere : — 

Jesus  said,  I  come  a  light  into  the  world,  that  whosoever  believeth  in 
Me  may  not  abide  in  darkness  {John  xii.  46). 

That  the  Lord  is  the  truth  itself,  appears  from  Joh  7i: — 

Jesus  said,  I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  (xiv.  6). 
That  the  Lord  is  life  eternal,  in  John: — 

We  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is  come  that  we  may  know  Him  that  is 
True,  even  His  Son  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  (1 
John  V.  20). 

[3]  To  this  must  be  added,  that  owing  to  his  worldly  occupa- 
tions man  can  acquire  for  himself  only  a  few  of  the  truths  of 
faith ;  nevertheless  if  he  goes  to  the  Lord  and  worships  Him 
alone,  he  acquires  the  power  to  gain  a  knowledge  of  all  truths. 
Therefore  every  true  worshiper  of  God,  as  soon  as  he  hears 
any  truth  of  faith  which  he  has  not  known  before,  at  once  sees, 
acknowledges,  and  accepts  it ;  and  for  the  reason  that  the  Lord 
is  in  him,  and  he  in  the  Lord ;  and  consequently  the  light  of 
truth  is  in  him,  and  he  is  in  the  light  of  truth ;  for  as  before 
said,  the  Lord  is  light  itself,  and  truth  itself.  This  may  be 
corroborated  by  the  following  experience :  A  spirit  appeared  to 
me,  who  in  the  company  of  some  others  seemed  simple,  because 
he  had  acknowledged  the  Lord  alone  as  the  God  of  heaven  and 
earth,  and  had  strengthened  this  his  faith  by  certain  truths 
from  the  Word ;  this  spirit  was  taken  up  into  heaven  among  the 
wiser  angels;  and  it  was  told  me  that  there  he  was  as  wise  as 
they;  and  that  altogether  as  if  from  himself  he  spoke  truths  in 
great  abundance,  of  which  he  had  before  known  nothing.  [4] 
In  a  like  state  will  those  be  who  come  into  the  Lord's  New 
Church.     This  is  the  state  that  is  described  in  Jeremiah : — 

This  shall  be  the  covenant  that  I  will  make  with  the  house  of  Israel ; 
after  those  days  I  will  put  my  law  in  their  inv/ard  parts,  and  upon  their 
hearts  I  will  write  it ;  and  they  shall  teach  no  more  every  man  his  fellow, 
or  every  man  his  brother,  saying.  Know  Jehovah  ;  for  they  shall  all  know 
Me,  from  the  least  of  them  unto  the  greatest  of  them  (xxxi.  33,  34). 

It  is  such  a  state  that  is  described  in  Isaiah : — 

There  shall  go  forth  a  Shoot  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse  ;  truth  shall  be 
the  girdle  of  His  thighs.    There  the  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb.,  and 


N.  354] 


FAITH 


449 


1 


the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid.  The  suckling  shall  play  on  the 
hole  of  the  adder,  and  the  weaned  child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the  basi- 
lisk's den ;  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  Jehovah,  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea.  In  that  day  the  nations  shall  seek  a  Root  of  Jesse, 
to  it  shall  the  Gentiles  seek  ;  and  His  rest  shall  be  glory  (xi.  1,  5,  6,  8, 10). 


V. 


FAITH  WITHOUT    CHARITY    IS   NOT   FAITH,   AND   CHARITY  WITH- 
OUT FAITH  IS  NOT  CHARITY,  AND  NEITHER  HAS 
LIFE    EXCEPT    FROM    THE    LORD. 

355.  It  is  very  evident  from  their  Epistles  that  it  never  en- 
tered the  mind  of  any  of  the  apostles  that  the  church  of  this 
day  would  separate  faith  from  charity  by  teaching  that  faith 
alone  justifies  and  saves  apart  from  the  works  of  the  law,  and 
that  charity  therefore  cannot  be  conjoined  with  faith,  since 
faith  is  from  God,  and  charity,  so  far  as  it  is  expressed  in 
works,  is  from  man.  But  this  separation  and  division  were  in- 
troduced into  the  Christian  church  when  it  divided  God  into 
three  persons,  and  ascribed  to  each  equal  Divinity.  But  that 
there  is  no  faith  apart  from  charity,  nor  any  charity  apart 
from  faith,  and  that  neither  has  life  except  from  the  Lord, 
will  be  made  clear  in  the  following  chapter.  At  present,  to 
prepare  the  way,  it  shall  be  shown : — 

(1)  That  man  can  acquire  for  himself  faith. 

(2)  And  also  charity. 

(3)  And  also  the  life  of  both. 

(4)  And  yet  that  nothing  of  faith,  of  charity,  or  of  the  life 
of  either,  is  from  man,  but  from  the  Lord  alone. 

356.  (1)  Man  can  acquire  for  himself  faith.  This  is  shown 
ill  the  sections  above  (n.  343-348),  as  follows,  that  faith  in  its 
essence  is  truth,  and  that  any  one  is  able  to  acquire  truths 
from  the  Word,  and  that  so  far  as  any  one  does  acquire  them 
for  himself,  and  loves  them,  he  implants  in  himself  the  begin- 
nings of  faith.  To  which  shall  be  added,  that  unless  man  were 
able  to  acquire  faith  for  himself,  all  that  is  commanded  in  the 

29 


*aft.'v'r>v..MirihJa»*ri«j£.:jfT-'vrt'ijiM'.i  4"^  -^•Ky-'-i 


450 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


N.  356] 


FAITH 


451 


Word  respecting  faith  would  be  useless.    For  we  there  read 
that  it  is  the  will  of  the  Father  that  men  should  believe  in 
the  Son,  and  that  whosoever  believes  in  Him  has  eternal  life, 
and  he  who  does  not  believe  shall  not  see  life.   We  read  also 
that  Jesus  was  to  send  the  Paraclete,  who  would  convmce  the 
world  respectmg  sin  because  it  believed  not  on  Him ;  besides 
other  statements  cited  above  (n.  337,  338) ;  furthermore,  that 
all  the  apostles  preached  faith,  a  faith  in  the  Lord  God  the 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ.   What  meaning  would  there  be  m  all 
this,  if  a  man  were  to  stand  with  hanging  hands  like  a  sculpt- 
ured statue  with  movable  joints,  and  await  influx,  and  mean- 
while the  joints  (being  able  only  to  adapt  themselves  to  re- 
ceive faith)  were  inwardly  moved  toward  something  that  has 
no  relation  to  faith  ?   For  modern  orthodoxy,  in  that  part  of 
the  Christian  world  that  is  separate  from  Roman  Cathohcism, 
teaches  as  follows  :  Man  is  so  utterly  corrupt  and  dead  to  good 
that  until  he  is  regenerated  there  does  not  abide  in  man's  nar 
ture,  or  continue  in  it  since  the  fall,  even  a  spark  of  spiritual 
strength  by  which  he  is  capable  from  or  by  himself  of  being 
prepared  for  God's  grace,  or  of  apprehending  it  when  offered, 
or  of  retaining  it ;  nor  is  he  able  for  himself,  in  things  spir- 
itual, to  understand,  believe,  embrace,  think,  will,  commence, 
carry  out,  act,  operate,  cooperate,  or  apply  or  adapt  himself  to 
grace,  or  do  anything  toward  his  own  conversion,  wholly,  or  by 
halves,  or  in  the  smallest  measure ;  also  that  in  spiritual  things, 
which 'regard  the  salvation  of  the  soul,  he  is  like  the  statue  of 
salt  of  Lot's  wife,  or  like  a  stock  or  a  stone  destitute  of  life, 
having  no  use  of  eyes,  or  mouth,  or  any  other  sense.   Neverthe- 
less he  has  the  power  to  move  from  place  to  place,  to  direct 
his  external  members,  to  go  to  public  meetings,  and  to  hear  the 
Word  and  the  Gospel.     This  doctrine  is  set  forth  in  the  book: 
of  the  Evangelical  churches  called  the  Formula   Concordice, 
in  the  Leipsic  edition  of  1756   (pp.  656,  658;  661-663;  671- 
673)  •  to  which  book,  consequently  to  which  faith,  the  priests 
take  oath  at  their  inauguration.    The  Reformed  churches  pro- 
f ess  a  like  faith.    But  who  that  has  reason  and  religion  would 
not  hiss  at  these  things  as  absurd  and  ridiculous  ?    Would  ho 
not  say  to  himself.  If  this  were  so,  what  would  the  Word 
amount  to,  or  religion,  or  the  priesthood,  or  preaching,  but  mere 


emptiness,  or  sound  about  nothing  ?  Tell  some  pagan  who  has 
any  judgment  and  whom  you  wish  to  convert,  that  he  is  such 
in  respect  to  conversion  and  faith,  and  would  he  not  look  upon 
Christianity  as  one  would  look  upon  an  empty  vessel  ?  For 
take  from  man  all  power  of  believing  as  of  himself,  and  what 
else  is  he  ?  But  this  will  be  placed  in  clearer  light  in  the 
chapter  on  Freedom  of  Choice. 

357.  (2)  Man  can  acquire  for  himself  charity ,  It  is  the  same 
here  as  with  faith.  For  what  does  the  Word  teach  but  faith 
and  charity,  since  these  two  are  the  essentials  of  salvation? 
For  we  read: — 

Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself  {Matt.  xxii.  34-39). 

Jesus  said,  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one  an- 
other. From  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  My  disciples,  that  ye 
love  one  another  {John  xiii.  34,  35  ;  xv.  9  ;  xvi.  27). 

It  teaches  also  that  man  ought  to  bear  fruit  like  a  good  tree ; 
that  he  who  does  good  shall  be  rewarded  in  the  resurrection; 
besides  other  like  things.  What  would  be  the  use  of  all  this 
if  man  were  unable  of  himself  to  exercise  charity,  or  acquire  it 
for  himself  in  any  way  ?  Cannot  man  give  alms,  can  he  not 
aid  the  needy,  can  he  not  do  good  in  his  own  house  and  in  his 
employment  ?  Can  he  not  live  according  to  the  commandments 
of  the  Decalogue  ?  Has  he  not  a  soul  from  which  he  can  do 
these  things,  and  a  rational  mind  whereby  he  can  lead  himself 
to  act  for  this  or  that  end  ?  Can  he  not  think  that  he  ought  to 
do  these  things  because  they  are  commanded  in  the  Word,  thus 
by  God  ?  No  man  lacks  this  power,  and  for  the  reason  that  the 
Lord  gives  it  to  every  one ;  and  He  gives  it  as  something  that 
is  the  man's  own ;  for  who,  in  exercising  charity,  knows  other- 
wise than  that  he  does  it  from  himself? 

358.  (3)  Man  may  also  acquire  for  himself  the  life  of  faith 
and  charity.  Here  again  it  is  the  same.  For  man  acquires  for 
himself  this  life  when  he  goes  to  the  Lord  who  is  Life  itself; 
and  access  to  Him  is  closed  to  no  man,  for  the  Lord  continually 
invites  every  man  to  come  to  Him ;  for  He  says : — 

He  that  cometh  to  Me  shall  not  hunger,  and  he  that  believeth  in  Me 
shall  never  thirst,  and  him  that  cometh  to  Me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out 
{John  vi.  35,  37). 


452 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


N.  359] 


FAITH 


453 


Jesus  stood  and  cried,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  Me  and 
drink  {John  vii.  37). 

And  again: — 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man,  a  king,  who  made  a  marriage 
for  his  son,  and  sent  his  servants  to  call  them  that  were  bidden ;  and  finally, 
he  said.  Go  ye  therefore  into  the  partings  of  the  ways,  and  as  many  as  ye 
shall  find,  bid  to  the  marriage  {Matt.  xxii.  1-9). 

Who  does  not  know  that  the  invitation  or  call  is  universal,  and 
also  the  grace  of  reception  ?  Man  obtains  life  by  going  to  the 
Lord  because  the  Lord  is  Life  itself,  not  only  the  life  of  faith 
but  also  the  life  of  charity.  That  the  Lord  is  that  life,  and 
that  man  has  it  from  the  Lord,  is  evident  from  the  following 
passages : — 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word  ;  in  Him  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the 
light  of  men  {John  i.  1,4). 

As  the  Father  raiseth  up  the  dead  and  quickeneth  them  ;  even  so  the 
Son  quickeneth  whom  He  will  {John  v.  21). 

As  the  Father  hath  life  in  Himself,  even  so  hath  He  given  to  the  Son 
to  have  life  in  Himself  {John  v.  2(5). 

The  bread  of  God  is  that  He  cometh  down  from  heaven,  and  givethUfe 
unto  the  world  {John  vi.  33). 

The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you  are  spirit  and  are  life  {John  vi.  63). 

Jesus  said.  He  that  foUoweth  Me  shall  have  the  light  of  life  {John  viii. 

12). 

I  came  that  they  may  have  life,  and  may  have  it  abundantly  {John  x. 

10). 

He  that  believeth  in  Me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live  {John  xi.  25). 

I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  {John  xiv.  6). 

Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also  {John  xiv.  19). 

These  are  written,  that  ye  may  have  life  in  His  name  {John  xx.  31). 

He  is  eternal  life  (1  John  v.  20). 

By  the  life  in  faith  and  charity  is  meant  spiritual  life,  which  is 
given  by  the  Lord  to  man  in  his  natural  life. 

359.   (4)    Yet  nothing  of  faith  or  of  charity,  or  of  the  life  of 
either,  is  from  man,  hut  from  the  Lord  alone.    For  w^e  read, 

That  a  man  can  receive  nothing  except  it  have  been  given  him  from 
heaven  {John  iii.  27). 

And  Jesus  said: — 

He  that  abideth  in  Me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  beareth  much  fruit ;  for 
apart  from  Me  ye  can  do  nothing  {John  xv.  5). 


But  this  is  to  be  understood  thus,  that  man  of  himself  is  unable 
to  acquire  for  himself  any  but  natural  faith,  which  is  a  persua- 
sion that  a  thing  is  so  because  some  man  of  authority  has  said 
so ;  or  any  but  natural  charity,  which  is  an  endeavor  to  gain 
favor  with  a  view  to  some  recompense.  In  such  faith  and  char- 
ity there  is  what  is  man's  own,  and  as  yet  no  life  from  the  Lord. 
Nevertheless,  by  means  of  such  faith  and  charity  man  prepares 
himself  to  be  a  receptacle  of  the  Lord ;  and  so  far  as  he  pre- 
pares himself,  the  Lord  enters,  and  causes  his  natural  faith  to 
become  spiritual,  likewise  his  charity,  and  thus  makes  both  to 
be  alive ;  and  this  is  done  when  man  goes  to  the  Lord  as  the 
God  of  heaven  and  earth.  Because  man  was  created  an  image 
of  God,  he  was  created  an  abode  of  God ;  therefore  the  Lord 
says : — 

He  that  hath  My  commandments  and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth 
Me  ;  and  I  will  love  him,  and  I  will  come  unto  him  and  make  an  abode 
with  him  {John  xiv.  21,  23). 

Again : — 

Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock ;  if  any  one  hear  My  voice  and 
open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with 
Me  {Apoc.  iii.  20). 

From  all  this  comes  the  conclusion,  that  as  man  prepares  him- 
self naturally  to  receive  the  Lord,  so  the  Lord  enters  and  makes 
all  that  is  within  man  inwardly  spiritual,  and  thus  alive.  But 
on  the  other  hand,  so  far  as  man  does  not  prepare  himself  he 
removes  the  Lord  from  him  and  does  everything  from  his  own 
self ;  and  what  man  himself  does  from  himself  has  no  real  life 
in  it.  But  these  points  cannot  as  yet  be  presented  in  such  a 
light  as  to  appear  at  all  clearly  until  Charity  and  Freedom  of 
Choice  have  been  treated  of;  but  they  will  be  made  clear  later 
in  the  chapter  on  Reformation  and  Regeneration. 

360.  It  has  been  said  above  that  faith  in  its  beginning  in 
man  is  natural,  and  that  as  man  draws  near  to  the  Lord  it  be- 
comes spiritual;  so  also  with  charity.  But  no  one  has  known, 
as  yet,  the  distinction  that  exists  between  natural  and  spiritual 
faith  and  charity.  This  great  arcanum  must  therefore  be  dis- 
closed. There  are  two  worlds,  a  natural  and  a  spiritual;  and 
in  each  world  there  is  a  sun,  and  from  each  sun  heat  and  light 


454 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


N.  360] 


FAITH 


455 


go  forth;  but  the  heat  and  light  from  the  sun  of  the  spiritual 
world  have  life  within  them ;  this  life  is  from  the  Lord  who  is 
in  the  midst  of  that  sun;  while  the  heat  and  light  from  the  sun 
of  the  natui-al  world  have  nothing  of  life  in  them ;  they  simply 
serve  the  former  heat  and  light  as  receptacles  for  the  conveying 
of  these  to  man,  as  instrumental  causes  always  subserve  their 
principal  causes.    It  must  be  understood,  therefore,  that  all 
things  spiritual  are  from  the  heat  and  light  of  the  sun  of  the 
spiri'tual  world.    These  are  spiritual  because  they  contain  m 
them  spirit  and  life ;  while  all  things  natural  are  from  the  heat 
and  light  of  the  sun  of  the  natural  world,  which  viewed  in  them- 
selves are  without  spirit  and  life.    [2]  Since  then  faith  is  a 
matter  of  light,  and  charity  of  heat,  it  is  plain  that  so  far  as  a 
man  is  in  the  heat  and  light  that  go  forth  from  the  sun  of  the 
spiritual  world,  he  is  in  spiritual  faith  and  charity ;  while  so  far 
as  he  is  in  the  light  and  heat  that  go  forth  from  the  sun  of 
the  natural  world,  he  is  in  natural  faith  and  charity.  Evident- 
ly, therefore,  as  spiritual  light  is  inwardly  in  natural  light  as 
in  its  receptacle  or  casket,  and  spiritual  heat  in  like  manner 
within  natural  heat,  so  also  is  spiritual  faith  inwardly  m  nat- 
ural faith,  and  spiritual  charity  inwardly  in  natural  charity ; 
and  this  is  effected  in  the  degree  that  man  advances  from  the 
natural  to  the  spiritual  world ;  and  this  he  does  so  far  as  he  be- 
lieves in  the  Lord  who  is  light  itself,  the  way,  the  truth,  and 
the  life,  as  He  Himself  teaches.     [3]  This  being  so,  it  is  clear 
that  when  man  is  in  spiritual  faith,  he  is  also  in  natural  faith. 
For  as  just  said,  spiritual  faith  is  inwardly  in  natural  faith; 
and  as  faith  is  a  matter  of  light,  it  follows  that  by  that  un- 
planting  of  spiritual  faith  man's  natural  becomes,  as  it  were, 
transparent,  and  according  to  the  nature  of  its  conjunction  with 
charity,  beautifully  colored.    This  is  because  charity  is  ruddy 
and  faith  shining  white ;  charity  is  ruddy  from  the  flame  of  spir- 
itual fire,  and  faith  shining  white  from  the  splendor  of  the  light 
therefrom.    The  contrary  happens  when  the  spiritual  is  not  m- 
wardlv  in  the  natural,  but  the  natural  inwardly  in  the  spiritual ; 
which  is  the  case  with  men  who  reject  faith  and  charity.    With 
such  the  internal  of  their  mind,  in  which  they  are  when  left  to 
their  own  thoughts,  is  infernal,  and  they  think  from  hell  al- 
though they  do  not  know  it;  while  the  external  of  the  mmd  ot 


such,  from  which  they  converse  with  their  companions  in  the 
world,  is  in  a  manner  spiritual,  but  it  is  filled  full  of  such  un- 
clean things  as  are  in  hell ;  consequently  they  are  in  hell,  for 
compared  with  the  former  class  they  are  in  an  inverted  state. 
361.  When  it  is  thus  known  that  the  spiritual  is  inwardly 
in  the  natural  in  those  who  are  in  faith  in  the  Lord,  and  at  the 
same  time  in  charity  toward  the  neighbor,  and  consequently  the 
natural  in  them  is  transparent,  it  follows  that  to  the  same  ex- 
tent man  is  wise  in  spiritual  things,  and  therefrom  in  natural 
things ;  for  when  he  thinks  about  or  hears  or  reads  anything, 
he  sees  interiorly  within  himself  whether  it  is  the  truth  or  not. 
This  he  perceives  from  the  Lord,  from  whom  spiritual  light  and 
heat  flow  into  the  higher  sphere  of  his  understanding.     [2]  So 
far  as  faith  and  charity  in  man  become  spiritual,  he  is  with- 
drawn from  his  own,  and  ceases  to  look  to  himself  or  to  reward 
or  remuneration,  and  looks  solely  to  the  delight  in  perceiving 
the  truths  of  faith  and  doing  the  good  works  of  love ;  and  so  far 
as  this  spirituality  increases,  that  delight  becomes  blessedness. 
From  this  is  man's  salvation,  which  is  called  eternal  life.    This 
state  of  man  may  be  compared  with  the  most  beautiful  and 
charming  things  in  the  world,  and  in  the  W^ord  is  compared  with 
them,  as  for  instance,  with  fruitful  trees  and  the  gardens  in 
which  they  are,  with  flowery  fields,  with  precious  stones,  with 
delicacies,  with  nuptials  and  their  festivities  and  rejoicings. 
[3]  But  when  the  reverse  is  the  case,  that  is  to  say,  when  the 
natural  is  inwardly  in  the  spiritual,  and  consequently  the  man 
in  his  internals  is  a  devil,  but  in  his  externals  is  like  an  angel, 
he  may  be  compared  to  a  dead  man  in  a  coffin  of  costly  and 
gilded  wood ;  he  may  also  be  compared  to  a  skeleton  adorned 
with  clothing  like  a  man,  and  drawn  about  in  a  magnificent 
carriage ;  or  to  a  corpse,  in  a  sepulchre  built  like  the  temple  of 
Diana;  and  his  internal  may  be  pictured  even  as  a  nest  of  ser- 
pents in  a  cavern,  and  his  external  as  butterflies  whose  wings 
are  tinted  with  all  kinds  of  colors,  but  which  nevertheless  stick 
foul  eggs  to  the  leaves  of  useful  trees,  and  so  destroy  the  fruit. 
Or  the  internal  of  such  may  be  compared  to  a  hawk,  and  their 
external  to  a  dove,  and  their  faith  and  charity  to  a  hawk  pur- 
suing a  fleeing  dove,  which  at  length  he  wearies  and  then  darts 
upon  and  devours. 


456 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap. 


VI. 


N.  362] 


FAITH 


45' 


VI. 


.     rHAKlTY     AND   FAITH,  MAKE  ONE,  LIKE  LIFE,  WILL, 
TH£  LORD,  CHARITY,   AJNi.  j  ^^^^    ARE 

AND    UNDERSTANDING    IN    MAN,    AND 

DIVIDED,    EACH    PERISHES    LIKE    A    PEARL 
REDUCED    TO    POWDER. 

^..^^  ^v<i  he  stated  that  have  been  here- 

362.  Some  '^^^^^f^^^^^^^^  consequently  aanong 

tofore  unknown  m  the  J^^^^^^^  .^     ^^^ied  in  the  earth,  and 

the  ecclesiastics,  as  much  ^o  as  thing^  ^^^  ^^^  ^^ 

yet  they  are  treasures  of  ^  ^dom^^^^^  ^^^^^  ,,  ^rive  at  any 

Ld  given  to  the  V-f^^^-^^'^^^^^^^  ,,a  the  state  of  his 

correct  knowledge  of  God,  ^ ^\^^^^^^  direct  it  and  pre- 

own  life,  a.  to  the  manner  m  wh di  ^^^^  heretofore  un- 

pare  it  for  the  state  of  eternal  Me     l^^^^^^       ^,  ^,,.  that 

Lown  are  as  follows  :   That  man      a  me         g        ^^^  ^^  ^^ 

life  with  everything  belonging  to  it^tto^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^^^^^ 

heaven,  who  is  the  ^-^[^f^,^^^  the  will 

of  life,  which  are  ^^f  ^^^^^  the  receptacle 

the  receptacle  of  love,  ana  tne  -^^  ^f  chanty,  and 

of  wisdom;  so,  too,  the  ^iH  is  the  recep  ^^^^           ,uing 

the  understanding  the  ^^'^f'^flf^^^^^  flows  into  him 

that  man  wills  and  ^-j'^^^'^J^^^^^  and  charity,  and 

from  without-the  goods  pertammg  to  ^  ^^^^ 

the  truths  pert«^^^^^^^  ^^^^,,,,  ,    the 

the  opposites  of  these  trom  ^^^  whatever 
Lord  that  man  should  feel  m  .^^'"^^^^^ 

flows  in  from  without,  and  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  is  his ;  that 

from  himself  as  his  own,  although  jthm  ^^^^^^^ 

nevertheless  such  t^-^^-^^X;e^£  and  thinking, 

of  his  f-edom  ^^/.tTn^eS^  ,f,th  given  him, 

and  on  account  of  the  ^now^^^^^^^^^^    ^^^^^..^er  conduces  to  his 
which  enable  him  to  choose  ^reejy  w  ^^^^^  ^^^^^^^^ 

temporal  and  his  ^te-al  Ir^e-  J^l  ^  ^^^^  ^^^^^^  ^^^^ 

at  these  truths,  ^^  ^^^^^^^^^^^^  at  them  with  a 

nxany  insane  eonc  ™s    ^^^^  ^^^^^  ^,,,y  ,ise  con- 

straight  and  direct  eye  ^l  ,^Zhev  may  be  done  it  was  nee 
elusions.    That  this  and  not  the  otnei       j 


essary  to  put  forth  first  decisions  and  tenets  respecting  God 
and  the  Divine  Trinity,  and  afterward  to  establish  others  re- 
spectmg  Faith  and  Charity,  Freedom  of  Choice,  and  Keforma 
tion  and  Regeneration,  as  also  Imputation ;  and  then  as  means, 
Repentance,  Baptism,  and  the  Holy  Supper. 

363.  But  in  order  that  the  present  article  on  faith  (which 
is,  that  the  Lord,  charity,  and  faith  make  one,  like  life,  will, 
and  understanding  in  man,  and  that  if  they  are  divided  each 
perishes  like  a  pearl  reduced  to  powder)  may  be  seen  as  truth 
and  acknowledged,  it  is  expedient  to  consider  it  in  the  follow- 
ing order : — 

(1)  The  Lord  with  all  of  His  Divine  love,  with  all  of  His 
Divme  wisdom,  thus  with  all  of  His  Divine  life,  flows  into 

every  man. 

(2)  Consequently  with  the  whole  essence  of  faith  and  charity. 

(3)  These  are  received  by  man  according  to  his  form. 

(4)  But  the  man  who  divides  the  Lord,  charity,  and  faith,  is 
not  a  form  that  receives  but  a  form  that  destroys  them. 

364.  (1)  The  Lord  with  all  of  His  Divine  love,  with  all  of 
His  Divine  wisdom,  thus  with  all  of  His  Divine  life,  Jiows  into 
every  man.    In  the  Book  of  Creation  we  read : — 

That  man  was  created  an  image  of  God,  and  that  God  breathed  into 
his  nostrils  the  breath  of  lives  {Gen.  i.  27  ;  ii.  7). 

This  describes  man  as  being  not  life  but  only  an  organ  of  life. 
For  God  could  not  create  another  being  like  Himself ;  if  He 
could  have  done  so  there  would  be  as  many  gods  as  there  are 
men.  Neither  could  He  create  life  (just  as  light  cannot  be  cre- 
ated) ;  but  He  could  create  man  a  form  of  life,  as  He  created 
the  eye  a  form  of  light ;  neither  could  or  can  God  divide  His 
essence,  for  it  is  one  and  indivisible.  Since,  therefore,  God 
alone  is  life,  it  follows  without  question  that  from  His  life  He 
gives  life  to  every  man,  and  that  man  without  that  life-giving 
would  be  in  regard  to  his  flesh  nothing  but  a  sponge,  and  in 
regard  to  his  bones  nothing  but  a  skeleton,  having  no  more  life 
in  him  than  a  clock,  which  has  its  motion  from  a  pendulum  to- 
gether with  a  weight  or  spring.  This  being  so  it  also  follows, 
that  God  flows  into  every  man  with  all  of  His  Divine  )ife,  that 
is  with  all  of  His  Divine  love  and  Divine  wisdom,  these  two 


458 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


constituting  His  Divine  life  (as  may  be  seen  above,  n.  39,  40), 
for  the  Divine  is  indivisible.  [2]  But  how  God  inflows  with 
the  whole  of  His  Divine  life,  may  in  some  measure  be  per- 
ceived in  somewhat  the  same  manner  as  seeing  that  the  sun  of 
the  world  with  its  whole  essence,  which  is  heat  and  light,  flows 
into  every  tree,  every  shrub  and  flower,  every  stone  both  com- 
mon and  precious ;  and  that  the  sun  does  not  distribute  its  heat 
and  light,  dispensing  a  part  to  this  object  and  a  part  to  that, 
but  each  object  draws  its  ov^ti  portion  from  the  common  influx. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  sun  of  heaven,  from  which  Divine  love 
goes  forth  as  heat,  and  Divine  wisdom  as  light.  As  the  heat 
and  light  of  the  sun  flow  into  himian  bodies,  so  do  these  flow 
into  human  minds  and  vivify  them  according  to  the  nature  of 
their  forms,  each  form  taking  what  is  necessary  for  itself  from 
the  common  influx.  To  this  the  following  words  of  the  Lord 
are  applicable : — 

Your  Father  maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and 
sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust  {Matt  v.  45). 

[3]  Moreover,  the  Lord  is  omnipresent;  and  where  He  is  pre- 
sent, there  He  is  with  His  whole  essence,  and  it  is  impossible 
for  Him  to  withhold  some  of  it  and  give  a  part  to  one  and  a 
part  to  another,  but  He  gives  it  to  all,  and  to  man  the  ability 
to  take  either  little  or  much.  He  says,  moreover,  that  He 
makes  His  abode  with  those  who  keep  His  commandments, 
also  that  the  faithful  are  in  Him  and  He  in  them.  In  a  word, 
all  things  are  full  in  God,  and  from  that  fulness  each  one 
takes  his  portion.  The  same  is  true  of  general  things,  as  the 
atmospheres  and  the  oceans.  The  atmosphere  is  the  same  in 
its  least  part  as  in  its  greatest ;  it  does  not  apportion  a  part  of 
itself  for  man's  respiration,  another  part  to  the  birds  to  fly  in, 
another  to  the  sails  of  vessels,  and  another  to  the  fans  of 
windmills ;  but  each  of  these  takes  from  the  atmosphere  in  its 
own  portion  and  applies  to  itself  so  much  as  is  sufficient.  It 
is  the  same  again  with  a  storehouse  full  of  grain ;  from  it  the 
possessor  daily  takes  his  food ;  the  storehouse  does  not  dis- 
tribute it. 

365.   (2)   Consequently  the  Lord,  with  the  whole  essence  of 
faith  and  charity,  flows  into  every  man.    This  follows  from  the 


N.  865] 


FAITH 


469 


previous  proposition,  since  the  life  of  the  Divine  wisdom  is  the 
essence  of  faith,  and  the  life  of  the  Divine  love  is  the  essence 
of  charity ;  therefore  when  the  Lord  is  present  with  these, 
which  are  properly  His,  namely,  the  Divine  wisdom  and  Di- 
vine love.  He  is  also  present  with  all  the  truths  belonging  to 
faith,  and  all  the  goods  belonging  to  charity ;  for  faith  includes 
every  truth  that  a  man  perceives  from  the  Lord  and  thinks 
iuid  speaks ;  and  charity  every  good  by  which  man  is  affected 
from  the  Lord,  and  which  he  consequently  wills  and  does. 
[2]  It  has  been  said  above  that  Divine  love,  which  goes  forth 
from  the  Lord  as  a  sun,  is  perceived  by  the  angels  as  heat, 
and  the  Divine  wisdom  therefrom,  as  light ;  and  one  who  does 
not  think  beyond  the  appearance  might  imagine  this  heat  to 
be  mere  heat  and  this  light  to  be  mere  light,  like  the  heat  and 
light  that  go  forth  from  the  sun  of  our  world.    But  the  heat 
and  light  that  go  forth  from  the  Lord  as  a  sun,  contain  in 
their  bosom  all  the  infinities  that  are  in  the  Lord — the  heat  all 
the  infinities  of  His  love,  and  the  light  all  the  infinities  of  His 
wisdom,  thus  also  to  infinity  all  the  good  pertaining  to  charity 
and  all  the  truth  pertaining  to  faith.    This  is  because  that  sun 
is  itself  everywhere  present  in  its  heat  and  light ;  it  is  the 
circle  most  closely  surrounding  the  Lord,  emanating  both  from 
His  Divine  love  and  from  His  Divine   wisdom ;  for,  as   fre- 
quently stated  before,  the  Lord  is  in  the  midst  of  that  sun. 
[3]  All  this  now  makes  clear  that  there  is  nothing  to  restrict 
the  capacity  of  man  to  take  from  the  Lord  (since  He  is  omni- 
present) all  the  good  belonging  to  charity  and  all  the  truth 
belonging  to  faith.    That  these  are  in  no  way  restricted  is 
made  evident  by  the  love  and  wisdom  that  the  angels  of  hea- 
ven possess  from  the  Lord,  in  that  these  are  ineffable,  and  to  a 
natural  man  incomprehensible,  and  are  also  capable  of  being 
increased  to  eternity.    That  mfinite  things  are  included  in  the 
heat  and  light  that  go  forth  from  the  Lord,  although  they  are 
perceived  simply  as  heat  and  light,  may  be  illustrated  by  vari- 
ous things  in  the  natural  world ;  as  for  example,  the  sound  of 
a  man's  voice  and  speech  is  heard  merely  as  a  simple  sound ; 
and  yet  when  the  angels  hear  it,  they  perceive  therein  all  the 
affections  of  his  love,  and  what  they  are  and  their  quality 
are  made  manifest.    That  these  things  are  hidden  within  the 


[fHi-1f-^Tll1i^l^f■ff  III- 


'fiMiffmih-'tfill 


460 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VL 


sound  of  the  voice,  even  man  can  in  some  measure  perceive 
from  tlie  tone  of  one  who  is  speaking  to  him  :  as  whether  there 
is  contempt  or  sarcasm  or  hatred  in  it,  as  also  whether  there  is 
charity,  benevolence,  gladness,  or  other  affections  in  it.    Like 
things  are  hidden  in  the  beam  of  the  eye,  when  it  looks  at  an- 
other    [4]  This  may  be  illustrated  also  by  the  fragrances  aris- 
ing from  a  large  garden,  or  from  extended  plains  covered  with 
flowers     The  fragrant  odor  exhaled  therefrom  consists  of  thou- 
sands and  even  myriads  of  different  odors,  yet  they  are  per- 
ceived as  one.    The  same  is  true  of  many  other  things,  ^*;hich  al- 
though extrinsically  they  appear  uniform,  yet  intrinsically  they 
are  manifold.    Sympathies  and  antipathies  are  no  other  than 
exhalations  of  affections  from  the  mind,  which  attract  another 
according  to  similitudes,  and  cause  aversion  according  to  dis- 
similitudes ;  and  these,  although  innumerable  and  unperceived 
bv  any  bodily  sense,  are  nevertheless  perceived  by  the  sense 
of  the  soul  as  one,  and  in  the  spiritual  world  all  conjunctions 
and  consociations  are  effected  in  agreement  with  them.    All 
this  has  been  set  forth  to  illustrate  what  has  been  said  above 
about  the  spiritual  light  that  goes  forth  from  the  Lord,  that  in 
it  reside  all  things  of  wisdom,  and  therefore  all  things  of  faith  , 
and  that  it  is  that  light  whereby  the  understanding  analyti- 
cally sees  and  perceives  rational  things,  as  the  eye  sees  and 
nerceives  natural  things  symmetrically. 

366    (3)  What  flows  in  from  tMLord  is  received  hij  man  ar- 
cordln,  to  his  form.    Form  means  here  man's  state  in  respe.|^ 
both  to  his  love  and  to  his  wisdom,  consequently  in  respect  both 
to  his  affections  for  the  goods  of  charity  and  to  his  percep  ions 
of  the  truths  of  faith.    That  God  is  one,  indivisible,  and  the 
same  from  eternity  to  eternity,  not  the  same  simply  but  mh- 
nt  S  the  same,  and  that  all  variableness  is  in  the  subject  in 
wS  He  dwells,  has  been  shown  above.    That  the  -c^ien 
form  or  state  induces  variations,  can  be  seen  from  the  life  ot 
infants,  children,  youths,  adults,  and  ^g'^d  Persons;  in  each 
there  is  the  same  life,  because  the  same  soul,  from  mf^ncj  to 
old  age ;  but  as  one's  state  is  varied  according  to  age  and  what 
is  suftable  thereto,  in  like  manner  is  life  perceived.    M  The 
life  of  God  in  all  its  fulness  is  not  only  in  good  and  pious  men, 
but  also  in  the  wicked  and  impious,  likewise  both  in  the  angels 


N.  366] 


FAITH 


461 


of  heaven  and  in  the  spirits  of  hell.    The  difference  is,  that  the 
wicked  obstruct  the  way  and  close  the  door,  lest  God  should 
enter  the  lower  regions  of  their  minds ;  while  the  good  clear  the 
way  and  open  the  door,  and  invite  God  to  enter  into  the  lower 
regions  of  their  minds  as  He  inhabits  the  highest  regions ;  and 
thus  they  form  a  state  of  the  will  for  love  and  charity  to  flow 
into,  and  a  state  of  the  understanding  for  wisdom  and  faith  to 
flow  into,  consequently  for  the  reception  of  God.     But  the 
wicked  obstruct  that  influx  by  various  lusts  of  the  flesh  and 
spiritual  defilements,  which  bestrew  the  way  and  clog  the  pas- 
sage.   Nevertheless,  God  with  all  His  Divine  essence  resides  in 
the  highest  regions  of  their  minds,  and  gives  to  them  the  ca- 
pacity to  will  good  and  understand  truth— a  capacity  which 
every  man  has  and  which  he  could  by  no  means  possess  were 
there  not  life  from  God  in  his  soul.    That  even  the  wicked  have 
this  capacity  it  has  been  granted  me  to  know  from  much  expe- 
rience.    [3]  That  every  one  receives  life  from  God  according 
to  his  form  may  be  illustrated  by  comparison  with  plants  of 
every  kind.    Every  tree,  every  shrub,  every  bush  and  every 
blade  of  grass,  receives  an  influx  of  heat  and  light  according 
to  its  form,  not  only  those  that  have  a  good  use,  but  those  also 
that  have  an  evil  use.    The  sun  with  its  heat  does  not  change 
their  forms,  but  the  forms  change  the  effects  of  the  sun  in 
themselves.    It  is  the  same  with  the  subjects  of  the  mineral 
kingdom ;  each  one  of  them,  the  valuable  and  the  common  alike, 
receives  influx  according  to  the  form  of  the  contexture  of  parts 
composing  it,  thus  one  stone  differently  from  another,  one  min- 
eral differently  from  another,  one  metal  differently  from  an- 
other.   Some  of  them  adorn  themselves  with  most  beautiful  va- 
riegated colors,  some  transmit  the  light  without  variegation, 
and  some  blur  and  suffocate  it  in  themselves.    From  these  few 
examples  it  can  be  seen  that  as  the  sun  of  the  world  with  its 
heat  and  light  is  just  as  present  in  one  object  as  in  another, 
while  it  is  their  recipient  forms  that  vary  its  operations,  so 
is  the  Lord,  from  the  sun  of  heaven  in  the  midst  of  which 
He  is,  present  in  all  men  with  His  heat  which  in  its  essence 
is  love,  and  with   His  light  which  in  its  essence  is  wisdom, 
and  that  it  is  the  man's  form,  which  is  induced  upon  him  by 
the  states  of  his  Hfe,  that  varies  the  Lord's  operations;  conse- 


■assajaaastai^- — ^■'•-■a^vi^. 


462 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


quently  the  cause  that  man  is  not  born  again  and  saved,  is  not  the 
Lord,  but  man  himself 

367.   (4)   ^'<^  ^^'^  ^^*^'*  ^'^'^  divides  the  Lord,  charity,   and 
faith,  is  not  a  form  that  receives  hut  a  form  that  destroys  them. 
For  he  who  separates  the  Lord  from  charity  and  faith,  separates 
life  from  them,  and  when  this  is  done,  charity  and  faith  either 
cease  to  exist  or  are  abortions.    That  the  Lord  is  life  itself  may 
be  seen  above  (n.  358).    He  who  acknowledges  the  Lord  and 
sets  charity  aside,  acknowledges  Him  with  the  lips  only ;  his 
acknowledgment  and  confession  is  i>urely  cold,  within  which 
there  is  no  faith ;  for  it  lacks  spiritual  essence,  since  the  es- 
sence of  faith  is  charity.    But  he  who  practises  charity  and 
does  not  acknowledge  the  Lord  as  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth, 
one  with  the  Father  (as  He  Himself  teaches),  practises  merely 
natural  charity  in  which  there  is  no  eternal  life.    The  man  of 
the  church  knows  that  all  good  that  is  good  in  itself  is  from 
God,  consequently  from  the  Lord,  who  is  ''  the  true  God  and  eter- 
nal life"  (1  John  v.  20)  ;  so  also  with  charity,  because  good  and 
charity  are  one.    [2]  Faith  separate  from  charity  is  not  faith, 
because  faith  is  the  light  of  man's  life  and  charity  is  its  heat; 
therefore  the  separation  of  charity  from  faith  is  like  the  sepa- 
ration of  heat  from  light ;  man's  state  then  becomes  like  that  of 
the  world  in  winter,  when  everything  on  the  earth  dies.    For 
charity  to  be  charity  and  faith  to  be  faith  they  can  no  more 
be  separated  than  the  will  and  the  understanding;  if  these  are 
separated  the  understanding  comes  to  nothing,  and  presently 
the  will  also.    It  is  the  same  with  charity  and  faith,  because 
charity  resides  in  the  will,  and  faith  in  the  understanding. 
[3]   Separating  charity  from  faith  is  like  separating  essence 
from  form.    In  the  learned  world  it  is  known  that  essence 
without  form,  or  form  without  essence,  is  nothing ;  for  essence 
has  no  quality  except  from  form,  nor  is  form  a  subsistent  en- 
tity except  from  essence ;  consequently  nothing  can  be  predi- 
cated of  either  separate  from  the  other.    Charity  is  the  essence 
of  faith,  and  faith  is  the  form  of  charity  just  as  good  (as  said 
above)  is  the  essence  of  truth,  and  truth  is  the  form  of  good. 
[4]  As  there  are  these  two,  namely,  good  and  truth,  m  each 
thing  and  in  all  things  that  have  essential  existence,  so  there 
-  are  charity  and  faith,  charity  because  it  belongs  to  good,  and 


N.  367] 


FAITH 


463 


faith  because  it  belongs  to  truth.    This  may  be  illustrated  by 
comparisons  with  many  things  m  the  human  body,  and  with 
many  things  on  the  earth.    They  may  be  fitly  compared  with 
the  respiration  of  the  lungs  and  the  systolic  motion  of  the 
heart ;  since  charity  can  no  more  be  separated  from  faith  than 
the  heart  from  the  lungs ;  for  when  the  pulsation  of  the  heart 
ceases,  immediately  the  respiration  of  the  Imigs  ceases;  and 
when  the  respiration  of  the  lungs  ceases,  all  senses  faint,  all 
the  muscles  are  deprived  of  motion,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
heart  stops  also  and  the  life  is  wholly  gone.    This  is  a  proper 
comparison,  because  the  heart  corresponds  to  the  will  and  thus 
to  charity,  and  the  respiration  of  the  lungs  to  the  understand- 
ing, and  thus  to-  faith ;  for  (as  said  above)  charity  resides  in 
the  will,  and  faith  in  the  understanding;  and  this  is  what 
"heart"  and  "breath"  mean  in  the  Word.     [5]  Again  there  is 
a  parallel  between  the  separation  of  charity  and  faith  and  the 
separation  of  blood  and  flesh;  for  the  blood  separated  from  the 
flesh  is  gore,  and  becomes  corruption,  while  the  flesh  separated 
from  the  blood  gradually  becomes  putrid  and  breeds  worms. 
So  too,  in  the  spiritual  sense,  "blood"  signifies  the  truth  of 
wisdom  and  faith,  and  "flesh"  the  good  of  love  and  charity. 
That  this  is  the  significance  of  "blood"  may  be  seen  in  the 
Apocahjj)se  Revealed (n.  379),  and  of  "flesh"  (n.  382).     [6]  For 
charity  and  faith  to  be  anything,  they  can  no  more  be  sepa- 
rated than  food  and  water  or  bread  and  wine  with  man;  for 
food  or  bread  taken  without  water  or  wine,  merely  distends  the 
stomach,  and  like  an  indigested  mass  destroys  it  and  becomes 
like  putrid  filth.    So  does  water  or  wine  without  food  or  bread 
distend  the  stomach,  and  likewise  the  vessels  and  pores,  which 
being  thus  deprived  of  nutrition,  emaciate  the  body  even  to 
death.     This  is  also  a  proper  comparison,  since  "  food"  and 
"bread"  in  the  spiritual  sense  signify  the  good  of  love  and 
charity,  and  "  water"  and  "  wine"  the  truth  of  wisdom  and  faith, 
as  may  be  seen  in  the  Apocalypse  Revealed  (n.  50,  316,  778, 
932).     ['7]  Charity  conjoined  with  faith,  and  fa*ith  in  its  turn 
with  charity,  may  be  likened  to  the  face  of  a  handsome  virgin 
beautiful  from  the  intermingling  of  red  and  white.    This  again 
is  a  proper  comparison,  since  love  and  charity  therefrom  in 
the  spiritual  world  are  red  from  the  fire  of  the  sun  there,  while 


THK  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chxp.  VL 

1  '4.r.  fvr.m  the  lidit  of  that  sun; 
truth  and  faith  therefrom  -^^^j'^^^'^^^'Z^^^  likened  to  a 

and  therefore  chanty  ««f '^*«  ,^7^;j^*teparate  from  charity  to 
face  inflamed  with  pimples,  ^^^^  ff  h  sepa  ^^^^ 

the  pallid  face  of  a  corpse.    ^^  f  ^  f  P^'^^^ich  is  caUed  hem- 
also  be  likened  to  a  P^f  ^s- of  on^  s^-ie  J  ^.^^     ^^  ^^^^ 

i,,e,ia,  from  -^J'^^^^'^^,  or  to  the  dance  of  St 
also  be  compared  *" /'*;;;Ste  of  the  tarantula.    The  rational 
Guy,  which  is  caused  by  the  bite  "J  ^e  ta  ^^^.._ 

faculty  becomes  Uke  a  man  so  bitten   1  ke  hun      ^^^^^  ^^^^^^^ 

ously  and  so  deems  itself  ^^^  '  ^^'^^^^'^/'iritual  truths,  than 
various  reasons  i^ito  o-' -^;;;  ^.^^^^^^^  nightmare.  This 
one  can  when  asleep  in  ^e^  oppressea  ^^^^^ 

will  suffice  to  demonstrate  the  ^wo  Pomts  ot  I         ^.^^^ 

That  faitk  ^Uhoui  chanty  u  ^If'^^^^Ctas  life  except  fror. 

'Itm  Cr/i'i:;im,  \n  r.an  ;  and  if  tUey  are  d. 
"^e^I perishes,  Uke  a  pearl  reduce,  to  po.der. 


N.  368] 


FAITH 


465 


YII. 

,HK    .OK.   is    CH.K1TV   AK.    K.IXH    «   --'  ^^   ^^^    '^ 
CHARITY    AND    FAITH    I?* 

AYord  : —  ,     ^r-      o^d  ye  are  the 

^^te*  thar:a;;th  tly  flesh  and  drinUeth  My  Hood,  abideth  in  Me  and  I 
'"  rthattaJ  ye'lu  Know  that  I  an>  in  My  Father,  and  ye  in  Me,  and 

'  ^VCilt  shiii'lfe.  that  aesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  God  ahideth  m 

him  and  he  in  God  (1  John  iv.  15). 


tially  man.    But  in  order  to  make  this  arcanum  somewhat  clear 
to  the  understanding,  it  shall  be  investigated  in  the  following 

order : — 

(1)  It  is  by  conjunction  with  God  that  man  has  salvation 

and  eternal  life. 

(2)  Conjunction  with  God  the  Father  is  not  possible,  but 
only  conjunction  with  the  Lord,  and  through  Him  with  God 

the  Father. 

(3)  Conjunction  with  the  Lord  is  reciprocal,  that  is,  the 
Lord  is  in  man  and  man  in  the  Lord. 

(4)  This  reciprocal  conjunction  is  effected  by  means  of  char- 
ity and  faith.  The  truth  of  these  propositions  will  be  obvious 
from  the  following  explanation. 

369.  (1)  It  ^s  ^!/  conjunction  ivlth  God  that  man  has  salva- 
tion and  eternal  life.  Man  was  so  created  as  to  be  capable  of 
conjunction  with  God;  for  he  was  created  a  native  of  heaven 
and  also  of  the  world,  and  so  far  as  he  is  a  native  of  heaven 
he  is  spiritual,  while  so  far  as  he  is  a  native  of  the  world  he  is 
natural;  and  the  spiritual  man  can  think  of  God  and  perceive 
such  things  as  are  of  God ;  he  can  also  love  God,  and  be  af- 
fected by  what  is  from  God ;  from  which  it  follows  that  he  is 
capable  of  conjunction  with  God.  That  man  can  think  of  God 
and  can  perceive  such  things  as  are  of  God,  is  beyond  all 
doubt ;  for  he  can  think  of  the  unity  of  God,  of  the  Esse  of 
God,  which  is  Jehovah,  of  the  immensity  and  eternity  of  God, 
of  the  Divine  love  and  wisdom,  which  constitute  the  Essence 
of  God,  of  God's  omnipotence,  omniscience,  and  omnipresence ; 
of  the  Lord  the  Saviour  His  Son,  and  of  redemption  and  me- 
diation ;  also  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  finally  of  the  Divine  trin- 
ity ;  all  of  which  are  of  God,  yea,  are  God.  IMoreover,  he  can 
think  also  of  the  operations  of  God,  which  are  chiefly  faith 
and  charity,  and  of  other  things  which  proceed  from  these  two. 
[2]  That  man  is  capable  not  only  of  thinking  about  God  but 
also  of  loving  Him  is  evident  from  the  two  commandments  of 
God  Himself,  which  read  thus  : — 

Thou  Shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul.  This  is  the  first  and  great  commandment.  And  the  second  is  hke 
unto  it,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself  {Matt.  xxii.  37-39  ;  Beut. 

vi.  5). 

30 


Miia»Mii,ii!M>f*~M-  ■J..*i-AiifeB.«.i:-fcni:Airai  J  -»~-ajia>aaataaSBfc 


THK  TKUE  CHRISTIAN  KELIGION  [Cu^r.  VI. 

4  DO 

and  I  will  love  him  and  will  inaiutest  ivi> 

[33  Furthenuore,  what  is  faith  ^ut  coniuncUo^^^-^^^^^^ 
Jans  of  truths  which  belong  to  ^^^^^^^^  tW  God  by 

to  thought?    And  what  l^^'^^'^K^ZmLd  thence  to  affec- 

^eans  of  the  goods  that  belong  ^o^".  ^dl'^^  eoniunction 
tion?  God's  conjunction  with  "^"^^^  ^ J  ^.^^^  ^^  i^  a  nat- 
.ithin  the  natural;  ^"^  man    ^un^^^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^.^  ^^^_ 

,ral  conjunction  ^-^  ^^^'^^^l';"  native  both  of  heaven 
junction  a.  --f'i;i;^ZTTl.e..en  he  is  spiritual,  as  a 
and  of  the  world.    As  a  nauve  therefore,  man  becomes 

native  of  the  world  he  rs  natural     ^^'^^'^^    ;onjoined  with 
spiritual-rational  and  ^l-.^l-"  ^^^^^^^^^ 
God,  and  through  that  «f  ^^''.^i^^^^'if.^e.ely  natural-rational 
life.'  But  on  the  other  l^-^'/^^j^^.^^a  Conjunction  of  God 

and  also  natural-moral,  the^^^J^    "^^^^^^h  God.    This  is  the 
with  man,  but  not  c°"3unct  on  of  inanj  .^  ^^^^^^^^  ^.^^ 

J^lyelnjunctionn^f  tL^tch  -X^^    sees.    The 

ti^rt^ac^rsr^:^:-^^^^^^^ 

sir.  Het  S  rointS'and  KLnce,  He  eanno. 
»-::htallinman.    ..theW^^^^^^^^^ 

That  no  man  hath  seen  God  save  He 
seen  the  Father  (John  vi.  46).  ^^^  ue  to  whomso- 

sr:::: «... .- -err^jj-'sris 

things,  thus  pre-eminently  above  eve  y    f 


N.  370] 


FAITH 


467 


mind;  for  He  is  in  the  firsts  and  the  principles  of  all  things  of 
wisdom  and  all  things  of  love,  with  which  man  can  have  no 
conjunction  whatever;  consequently  if  He  Himself  should  draw 
near  to  man,  or  man  to  Him,  man  would  be  consumed  and  would 
melt  away  like  wood  in  the  focus  of  a  powerful  sun-glass,  or 
rather  like  an  image  thrown  into  the  sun  itself.  Therefore  it 
was  said  to  Moses,  who  longed  to  see  God, 

That  man  could  not  see  Him  and  live  {Ex.  xxxiii.  20). 

[2]  But  that  there  may  be  conjunction  with  God  the  Father 
through  the  Lord,  is  evident  from  the  passages  just  quoted,  that 
not  the  Father,  but  the  only  begotten  Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Father,  and  Avho  has  seen  the  Father,  has  brought  to  view 
and  revealed  those  things  which  are  of  God  and  from  God;  and 
also  from  the  following: — 

In  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  My  Father,  and  ye  in  Me,  and 
I  in  you  (Jofni  xiv.  20). 

The  glory  which  Thou  hast  given  Me,  I  have  given  unto  them,  that 
they  may  be  one,  even  as  We  are  one  ;  I  in  them,  and  Thou  in  Me  {John 
xvii.  22,  23,  20). 

Jesus  said,  I  am  the  Way,  the  Tmth,  and  the  Life  ;  no  one  cometh  mito 
the  Father  but  by  Me.  xXnd  then  Philip  wished  to  see  the  Father,  and 
the  Lord  said  to  hira,  He  that  seeth  Me  seeth  the  Father  ;  and  if  ye  had 
known  Me,  ye  would  know  My  Father  also  {Johyi  xiv.  6,  7,  9). 

Again : — 

He  that  beholdeth  Me,  beholdeth  Him  that  sent  Me  {John  xii.  45). 

He  also  said : — 

That  He  is  the  door,  and  that  whosoever  enters  through  Him  is  saved  , 
while  he  who  climbeth  up  some  other  way  is  a  thief  and  a  robber  {John 
X.  1-9). 

He  also  says. 

That  he  who  abides  not  in  Him,  is  cast  forth  and  as  a  branch  is  with- 
ered, and  cast  into  the  tire  {John  xv.  0). 

[3]  This  is  because  the  Lord  our  Saviour  is  Jehovah  the  Father 
Himself  in  human  form;  for  Jehovah  descended  and  became 
Man  that  He  might  be  able  to  draw  near  to  man,  and  man  to 
Him,  and  conjunction  might  thus  be  effected,  and  through  that 
conjunction  man  might  have  salvation  and  eternal  life.  For 
when  God  became  Man,  and  thus  also  became  Man-God,  being 


468  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Cnxr.  VI. 

aen  accomn.cKlated  to  man  He  <;^^^ZTT:^^^r:t^^ 

things  that  ioliow  m  oiut;  ,  ...      ^  f^^-e  there  is  ap- 

conjuneti.n.   J^^^  ^""^^^Z^^^^on  and  appUcation 
plication ;  and  there  must  be  accomm  .  ,^odation  on 

Lh  toge'ther  before  there  is  '^'^XT^M.t^on  God's  part 

which  become  one  and  coexist  ^ecipwca?  «<>«/««/■- 

^71     (S)   Con  unction  with  the  Lora  uait^  }>  _ 

J  Lf  k  ..i.  the  ^^^^  zr^:z:^^^^^  ^ 

That  coniunction  .  re«px.ca^Sc^^^^     ^^^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^, 
also  sees.    As  to  His  con^^nw  _ 

teaches  that  it  is  reciprocal,  for  He     P  t  r^^^^^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^ 

BeSe  r  I  ir^Ea^er^e  W.Uer  .  Me  ,o..  .v. 
^ Vhit  ye  may  know  and  Relieve  that  the  Father  .  in  Me,  and  I  in  the 
'"SS,  Fa'^*;.  the  hour  is  ^.e  ;  glorify  Thy  Son,  that  Thy  Son 

;:  ie  is  said  h,  the  Lord  -Pe--|^^--_i'^-^-  ^"^ 
man,  namely,  that  it  is  ^^^^^:Z'^  ,  .„  ,.,  ,h. 

Abide  in  Me  and  I  in  yon  ;  he  that^ahideth 
%?rarettrM?t«K ---^  My  h,ood,  ahideth  in  Me  and  I 
*"  rtilatta; yeln  .now  that  I  am  in  My  Father,  and  ye  in  Me,  and 
'  '  Hrthfith  fhl  commandments  of  Christ  ahideth  in  Him,  and  He 


N.  371] 


FAITH 


469 


it  necessarily  follows,  that  man  ought  to  conjoin  himself  to  the 
Lord,  in  order  that  the  Lord  may  conjoin  himself  to  man;  and 
that  otherwise  conjunction  is  not  effected,  but  withdrawal  and 
a  consequent  separation,  yet  not  on  the  Lord's  part,  but  on 
man's  part.  In  order  that  such  reciprocal  conjunction  may 
exist,  there  is  granted  to  man  freedom  of  choice,  giving  him  the 
ability  to  walk  in  the  way  to  heaven  or  in  the  way  to  hell. 
From  this  freedom  that  is  given  to  man  flows  his  ability  to 
reciprocate,  which  enables  him  to  conjoin  himself  with  the 
Lord,  and  also  with  the  devil.  But  this  liberty,  what  it  is  and 
why  it  was  given  to  man,  will  be  illustrated  hereafter,  when 
Freedom  of  Choice,  Repentance,  Eeformation  and  Regeneration, 
and  Imputation  are  treated  of.  [3]  It  is  to  be  lamented  that 
the  reciprocal  conjunction  of  the  Lord  and  man,  although  it 
stands  out  so  clearly  in  the  Word,  is  unknown  in  the  Christian 
church.  It  is  miknown  because  of  certain  hypotheses  respect- 
ing faith  and  freedom  of  choice.  The  hypothesis  respecting 
faith  is  that  it  is  bestowed  upon  man  without  his  contributing 
anything  toward  the  acquisition  of  it,  or  adapting  and  applying 
himself,  any  more  than  a  stock,  to  the  reception  of  it.  The  hy- 
pothesis respecting  freedom  of  choice  is  that  man  does  not 
possess  a  single  grain  of  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things. 
But  that  the  reciprocal  conjunction  of  the  Lord  and  man,  on 
which  depends  the  salvation  of  the  human  race,  may  not  re- 
main longer  unknown,  necessity  itself  enjoins  its  disclosure, 
which  may  be  best  effected  by  examples,  because  they  illustrate. 
[•1]  There  are  two  kinds  of  reciprocation  by  which  conjunction 
is  effected :  one  is  alternate  and  the  other  mutual.  The  alter- 
nate reciprocation  by  which  conjunction  is  effected,  may  be 
illustrated  by  the  action  of  the  lungs  in  breathing.  Man  draws 
in  the  air  and  thereby  expands  the  chest;  then  he  expels  the 
inhaled  air  and  thereby  contracts  the  chest.  This  inhalation 
and  the  consequent  expansion  is  effected  by  means  of  the  pres- 
sure of  the  air  proportionate  to  its  column ;  while  the  expulsion 
and  the  consequent  contraction  are  effected  by  means  of  the 
ribs  by  the  power  of  the  muscles.  Such  is  the  reciprocal  con- 
junction of  the  air  and  the  lungs,  and  on  it  depends  the  life  of 
all  bodily  sense  and  motion,  for  these  swoon  when  respiration 
ceases.    [5]  Reciprocal  conjunction,  which  is  effected  by  alter- 


MVT'M;iftafSrfa«*»«'-<>*'i^ 


470 


THE  TRUE  CHKISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  VL 


N.  371] 


FAITH 


471 


with  the  hmgs  and  of  ^^^^  1""°' ^"  .  ^  ^^e  lungs,  and  the  lungs 
its  right  chamber  pours  the  ^^lo'^^X  of  the'  heart ;  thus  is 
pour  it  back  again  into  the  !««  «^^"  ^-^^^  ^^^  ufe  of  the 
Lt  reciprocal  conjunction  effected  on  ^h        ^  ^^^  ^^^^^ 

whole  body  is  ^^^-^iXZtti  Z  versa.    The  blood  of 
tion  of  the  blood  with  the  heart  ana  ^^^  ^^^^^ 

the  whole  body  flows  ^h/ough  the  vems  m  ^^^^^  ^^ . 

the  heart  it  flows  <>"t  thi^ugh  the  arteues  .^  ^  ^.^^  ^^_ 

action  and  reaction  effect  this  c-^^^f  ^J^^^^ant  conjunction) 
tion  and  reaction  (by  which  there  is  a  c  ^^^  ^^^^^  .^ 

between  the  embryo  and  the  mother  s  womb.    ^  i  ^^^^^  .^ 

no  such  reciprocal  conjunction  of  th^  Lor  ^^^.^^  ^^^  ^^_ 

a  mutual  conjunction,  which  is  effect^l  >  ^^^  ^^^^  ^.^^^ 

action,  but  by  co:OPe'^'^ti°n;  J^JJ^;  ,^,,  hhnself ,  even  by  the 
,„an  receive,  action,  and  ope^^- as  ^^^  ^^^  ^^^^^  ^^ 

Lord  from  himself,    ihis  ope  constantly  by  the 

i„,puted  to  him  as  his  ovvn,  because  he  -j^^       ^^^.^^  ^^^^^^^^ 
Lord  in  freedom  o* /ho^ce.    The  f^ree^^  ^^^  ^^^.      ^^^^ 

f.om  this  is  the  ability  to  ^^J^/^^^  1^  w     and  to  think  from 
is,  from  the  Word,  and  also  the  abilig^to  ^^^  ^^^^^     ^^.^ 

the  devil,  that  is,  contrary  to  the  W  .^  ^^^^_ 

freedom  the  Lord  gives  to  nian  to  e-blej.i  J^ 

self  reciprocally  with  the  Lord,  and  by  co  ]  ,^3,1    ocal 

with  eteLl  life  af  ^  c-«i-X"^tT^^^  reciprocal  con-- 
conjunction,  would  not  be  po^^^^j^;  ^^y^^trated  by  various 
junction,  which  is  mutual,  ^^ay  a^o  te  ^U  ^^^.^^  ^^ 

Ihings  in  man  and  m  the  world.  J;^f  ^J  '  ^^ion  of  will  an.l 
soul  and  body  in  every  man ;  such  is  the  con  ^ 

action,  also  of  tho-gh  an^  je^^ '^d  tie  two  ^^^,^,,,_  ^Imt 
tion  of  the  two  eyes  the  two  ears  ana  ^ 

the  mutual  conjunction  of  the  two  eye^  J  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^ 
cal,  is  evident  from  the  optic  nerve  ^n  w  ^^^^^^  ^^^^^_ 

hemispheres  of  the  cerehruni  a^  folded  og  ,^^^^  ^.^^  ^^^^ 
ed  together  they  --f^^l^^Z;  like  reciprocal  and  mu- 
S  ctj^S^bet^t  -  the^^^^^ 


is  in  the  ear  and  the  ear  in  the  sound,  odor  is  in  the  nose  and 
the  nose  in  odor,  taste  is  in  the  tongue  and  the  tongue  in  taste, 
and  touch  is  in  the  body  and  the  body  in  touch.  This  recipro- 
cal conjunction  may  also  be  compared  to  the  conjunction  of  a 
horse  and  a  carriage,  an  ox  and  a  plough,  a  wheel  and  machin- 
ery, a  sail  and  the  wind,  a  musical  pipe  and  the  air ;  in  short, 
such  is  the  reciprocal  conjunction  of  the  end  and  the  cause,  and 
such  also  is  that  of  the  cause  and  the  effect.  But  there  is  not 
time  to  explain  all  these  examples  one  by  one,  for  it  would  be 
a  work  of  many  pages. 

372.  (4)  This  recijprocal  conjunction  of  the  Lord  and  man  is 
effected  hij  means  of  charity  and  faith.  It  is  known  at  the  pres- 
ent day  that  the  church  constitutes  the  body  of  Christ,  and 
that  every  one  in  whom  the  church  is,  is  in  some  member  of 
that  body,  according  to  Paul  {Ei)h.  i.  23;  1  Cor.  xii.  27;  Rom. 
xii.  4,  5).  But  what  is  the  body  of  Christ  but  Divine  good  and 
Divine  truth  ?    This  is  meant  by  the  Lord's  words  in  John: — 

He  that  eatetli  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My  blood  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in 
him  (vi.  50). 

By  the  Lord's  "•  flesh"  and  by  "  bread"  the  Divine  good  is  meant, 
and  by  His  "  blood"  and  "  wine"  Divine  truth  is  meant,  as  will 
be  seen  in  the  chapter  on  the  Holy  Supper.  From  this  it  fol- 
lows, that  so  far  as  man  is  in  the  goods  of  charity  and  the  truths 
of  faith,  so  far  he  is  in  the  Lord  and  the  Lord  in  him ;  for  con- 
j unction  with  the  Lord  is  spiritual  conjunction,  and  spiritual 
conjunction  is  effected  solely  by  means  of  charity  and  faith. 
That  there  is  a  conjunction  of  the  Lord  and  the  church,  and 
consequently  of  good  and  truth,  in  each  and  all  things  of  the 
AVord,  has  been  shown  in  the  chapter  on  the  Sacred  Scripture 
(n.  248-253) ;  and  since  charity  is  good  and  faith  is  truth,  there 
is  everywhere  in  the  Word  a  conjunction  of  charity  and  faith. 
From  the  foregoing  it  now  follows,  that  the  Lord  is  charity  and 
faith  in  man,  and  that  man  is  charity  and  faith  in  the  Lord ; 
for  the  Lord  is  spiritual  charity  and  faith  in  man's  natural 
charity  and  faith,  and  man  is  natural  charity  and  faith  from 
the  Lord's  spiritual  charity  and  faith,  and  these  two  conjoined 
produce  a  spiritual-natural  charity  and  faith. 


472 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


N.  373] 


FAITH 


473 


VIII. 


..V    .VND    FAITH    ARE    TOGETHER    IN    GOOD    WORKS. 
CHARITY    AND    FAim    « 

1    ti^^t  nroceeds  from  man  there  is  the 

373.  In  every  \°»-^  ^^fj^^f  °^'!lition  or  essentially.    By 

^hole  man  such  ^^l''':^;,'^^^^^,^^  therefrom  is  meant; 

disposition  his  love's  affect  on  and  "loug  ^^^  ^^ 

these  form  his  nature,  and  -^^^^tToU^n.    This  may  be 
works  in  this  way,  they  are  l^^e  miriors  o^  ^  ^^.^^^ 

illustrated  by  like  things  in  ^J'^^^/^^ J  .^^  ,u  their  actions, 
is  a  brute,  and  a  wild  bea«t  is  a  wx  d  beas V^  .^  ^  ^.^^^^ 

m  everything  pertaining  to  it  a  woU  ^^J^'^  '^^  ^rue  of  a  sheep 
a  fox  is  a  fox,  and  a  hon  ^^^^^I'^^'Z^  ^,^  is  such  as  he 
and  a  kid.  It  is  the  same  -J^^^.TXe  a  wolf  or  a  fox,  then 
is  in  his  internal  man.    If  ni  this  he  ^^^  ^^^ 

everything  he  does  is  inwardly  ^^1"^^^"^  ^^  ^^^^^  j,  the  man 

hidden.    The  Lord  says  :-  ^^^^^  ^j^^, 

And  again  :—  ^^o  not  gather  figs, 

Each  tree  is  known  by  jt^^oXf  ^-l-e    ^^^^^-  **>• 
nor  of  a  bramble  bush  gather  they  grap^    (  .^  ^^^^ 

That  in  each  a^d  all  things  ^^ff^^^Z  in  himself  after 
^  he  is  in  his  internal  ?«;;-'  ^e  make  .^^^^^^^^  ^^^  ^^ 

death  to  the  very  hfe,  -«-  \«  ^^^^  'l^^^  in  the  following 
longer  an  «^f"^J^", parity  and  faith  reside  in  man  s 
^t^:nrthrr;  toa  r^  i^'-Ithat  every  work  that  goes 

^^tli'crrlTis  willin.  well  and  good  works  are  doing  well 
from  willing  well.  ,       .  perishable  things 

possible. 


(3)  Good  works  are  not  produced  by  charity  alone,  still  less 
by  faith  alone,  but  by  charity  and  faith  together. 
But  on  these  points  separately. 

374.  (1)    Charity  is  willing  well  and  good  works  are  doing 
well  from  willing  well     Charity  and  works  are  distinct  from 
each  other  like  will  and  action,  or  like  the  mind's  affection  and 
the  body's  operation ;  consequently  like  the  internal  man  and 
the  external ;  and  these  two  are  related  to  each  other  like 
cause  and  effect,  since  the  causes  of  all  things  are  formed  in 
the  internal  man,  and  from  this  are  all  effects  produced  in 
the  external.    Therefore  charity,  since  it  belongs  to  the  inter- 
nal man,  is  willing  well;  and  works,  since  they  belong  to  the 
external  man,  are  doing  well   from  willing  well.     [2]  Never- 
theless between  the  good  willing  of  different  persons  there  is 
infinite  diversity ;  for  while  everything  that  one  person  does 
to  favor  another  is  believed  or  appears  to  flow  forth  from  good- 
will or  benevolence,  yet  no  one  knows  whether  the  good  deeds 
spring  from  charity  or  not,  still  less  whether  they  spring  from 
genuine  or  from  spurious  charity.    This  infinite  diversity  be- 
tween the  good-will  of  different  persons  originates  in  the  end, 
intention,  and  consequent  purpose;  these  are  hiwardly  con- 
cealed in  the  will  to  do  good,  and  from  them  is  derived  the 
quality  of  every  one's  will.    The  will  also  searches  the  imder- 
standing  for  the  means  and  modes  of  attaining  its  ends,  which 
are  effects,  and  in  the  understanding  it  comes  into  the  light 
which  enables  it  to  see  not  only  the  reasons  but  also  the  op- 
portunities for  determining  itself  to  action  in  the  proper  time 
and  manner,  and  thus  producing  its  effects,  w^hich  are  works ; 
and  at  the  same  time  in  the  understanding  it  brings  itself  into 
the  power  to  act.    From  this  it  follows  that  works  belong 
essentially  to  the  wiU,  formally  to  the  understanding,  and  act- 
ually to  the  body.      Thus  does    charity  descend  into  good 
works.     [3]  This  may  be  illustrated  by  comparison  with  a 
tree.    Man  himself,  in  all  that  belongs  to  him,  is  like  a  tree. 
In  the  seed  of  this  tree  there  are  concealed,  as  it  v.^ere,  the  end, 
intention,  and  purpose  of  producing  fruit ;  in  these  respects 
the  seed  corresponds  to  the  will  in  man,  which  contains  these 
three  things,  as  stated  above.    Again,  the  seed  from  its  inte- 
riors shoots  up  from  the  earth,  clothes  itself  with  branches, 


474  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 

„^.u.« «.  .^.»;  ^  -  E  t  r  ^T~;r .!"£ 

end,  wh>«h  ..  Ito  fiu  t ,  uiau  ^^__^^^  ^^  ^^^^ 

deutly  th.y  are  esseatiaUy  ^^^''^^^^'^^^'Ji^g^ooa^f  the  tree. 

three  things.    Atterwaiu^  i  ,  ^j   ^hen   he 

charity  from  parents,  teache  «  and  F  -he-  a       ^^^^  ^^^^^ 

comes  into  the  exercxse  of  ^^^Jete^ns  'to  the  end ;  and 

'""^tT^rn^l' Sr^ivt^^^^'^  -th  the  understandh^g, 
in  these  tnere  is  a  ^.w       i  aooordinsr  to  doc- 

Finally  there  comes  a  determma.  on  to  uses  acco^^^^    |.^^  ^^^ 

trinals  as  -eans  and^.  -S-^f.^^^^Idiate 'causes  pro- 
called  good  works,     ihus  tne  ena  t         b  formally  of  the 

duces  effects,  which  are  essentially  of  '^ ^^^^^^^^  ^oes 

doctrmes  of  the  chnrch,  and  actually  of  the  uses. 

Lind  that  wills  and  tl^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^^n  merely' wills 
that  performs  and  execute^  ?  T^ie^^^^^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^  Jd  thus 
.ell,  or  thinks  from  chanty,  - ^^^^^^^^  ^ke  a  mind 

perform  uses,  is  he  not  like  ^  W  o^^^^^  ^^   ^^^^  , 

only,  which  apart  from  a   bod}    ^^^^"^^^ 
rrom  this  is  not  any  one  able  to  -^J\^^^^^^  W 

not  charity  and  faith  so  long  as    hey  ^^^J^^^^^  ,^^^  ^^, 
and  its  mind  but  not  -  ^^^^^^^^^^  on  the  eai^h, 

birds  flying  in  the  air  without  ^^^  ^f^^^^        -^  ^^ich  case 
or  like  birds  ready  to  lay,  ^-J^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^e  branch  of 

they  would  drop  their  eggs  m  the  air  o^^V  ^  ^^_ 

some  tree,  and  the  eggs  would  fal.  to  the  groun 


N.  375] 


FAITH 


475 


stroyed.  There  can  be  nothing  in  the  mind  that  does  not  have 
some  correspondent  in  the  body,  and  its  correspondent  may 
be  called  its  embodiment.  So  when  charity  and  faith  occupy 
the  mind  only,  they  have  no  embodiment  in  the  man,  and  may 
be  hkened  to  those  aerial  beings  called  specters,  Hke  Fame  as 
painted  by  the  ancients  with  a  laurel  about  her  head  and  a 
horn  in  her  hand.  Being  such  specters,  and  still  being  able  to 
think,  they  must  needs  be  disturbed  by  fantasies,  which  are 
caused  by  reasonings  from  various  kinds  of  sophistry,  almost 
as  reeds  in  marshes  are  shaken  by  the  wind,  while  beneath 
them  shells  lie  at  the  bottom  and  frogs  croak  on  the  surface. 
Who  cannot  see  that  such  things  come  to  pass  when  men 
merely  know  from  the  Word  some  things  about  charity  and 
faith,  but  do  not  practise  them  ?    Moreover,  the  Lord  says  :— - 

Every  one  who  heareth  My  words  and  doeth  tliem  I  will  liken  to  a  pru- 
dent man  who  built  his  house  upon  a  rock,  and  every  one  who  heareth 
My  words  and  doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man  who 
built  his  house  upon  the  sand,  or  upon  the  ground  without  a  foundation 
{Matt.  vii.  24,  26  ;  Luke  vi.  47-40). 

Charity  and  faith  with  their  factitious  ideas  when  not  put  in 
practice  may  be  compared  to  butterflies  in  the  air,  which  a 
sparrow  darts  upon  and  devours  as  soon  as  he  sees  them.  The 
Lord  also  says  : — 

The  sower  went  forth  to  sow ;  and  some  fell  upon  the  hard  way,  and 
the  birds  came  and  devoured  them  up  {Matt.  xiii.  3,  4). 

376.  That  charity  and  faith  do  not  profit  a  man  so  long  as 
they  remain  only  in  one  part  of  his  body,  that  is,  in  his  head, 
and  are  not  fixed  in  works,  is  evident  from  a  thousand  passages 
in  the  Word,  of  whicli  I  will  here  adduce  only  these : — 

Every  tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast 
into  the  fire  {Matt.  vii.  10-21). 

He  that  received  seed  into  the  good  ground  is  he  that  heareth  the  AVord 
and  attendeth,  who  also  beareth  fruit  and  bruigeth  forth.  And  when 
Jesus  had  said  these  things,  He  cried,  saying.  Who  hath  ears  to  hear,  let 
him  hear  {Matt.  xiii.  3-0,  23,  43). 

Jesus  said,  My  mother  and  My  brethren  are  these  who  hear  the  Word 
of  God  and  do  it  {Luke  viii.  21). 

Now  we  know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners  ;  but  if  any  man  be  a  wor- 
shiper of  God,  and  doeth  His  will,  him  He  heareth  {John  ix.  31). 

If  ye  know  these  things,  blessed  are  ye  if  ye  do  them  {John  xiii.  17) 


476 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


N.  377] 


FAITH 


477 


He  that  bath  My  commandmeuls  and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  lovetU 
Me  an^I  will  lo/e  him  and  will  manifest  Myself  to  hhn  ;  and  wUl  come 
unt^  him  and  make  My  abode  with  him  (John  =^'v.  15-21  23)^ 

Hprpin  is  Mv  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit  (John  xy.  »,  lO). 

For  not  the  hearers  of  the  la^  shall  be  justified  by  God,  but  the  doers 

of  the  law  (Bom.  ii.  13  ;  James  i.  22). 
In  the  day  of  wrath  and  of  righteous  judgment  God  will  render  to  every 

•"  For::  muft  allt  ttSeit  b^fl  the  judgments  of  Christ 
that  ea^:  Te  may  receive  the  things  done  in  the  body  according  to  what 
he  hath  done,  whether  good  or  bad  (2  Cor.  v.  10) 

For  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  «>«  *  ^  ,'''^' 'f  7-^°  ^'^ 
shall  render  unto  everj'  one  according  to  his  deeds  (-"««J'  /•  -'>^^  ^^„ 

T  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying  unto  me,  Blessed  are  the  dead  wno 
die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth  ;  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest 
f^^r their  labors  •  and  their  works  do  follow  with  them  (Apoc.  xiv.  13) 

TBookw^orined  which  is  the  Book  of  life  ;  and  the  dead  wei-e  judged 
outoUho^ThhS'trh  were  written  in  the  Book  ;  every  man  according 

"B\1ioTl1^^nuirkly%?My  reward  is  with  Me,  to  give  eve.^  man 
according  to  his  work  (^poc.  xxu.  12). 

Jehovah,  whose  eyes  are  open  upon  all  '^x^^^y^  "'*„''^,„^'iL  f^jt  of 
to  .-ive  to  every  one  according  to  his  ways,  and  according  to  the  truit 

'1:-lt;,!nr:h  MmL^J^di^  U,  his  ways,  and  will  recom^nse  him  for 

''!^::oXto•  ^ur  lys,  and  according  to  our  works  Jehovah  does  with 

sV  also  'in' many  other  passages.  From  this  it  can  be  seen 
thatthaSyld  faith  are  not  charity  and  faith  until  they  exist 
^kTai^d  that  while  they  exist  only  in  the  expanse  above 
wks,  that  is,  in  the  mind,  they  are  like  apPearances  of  a 
tabernacle  or  temple  in  the  air,  which  a-  nothmg  but  a  m, 
ra<^e  and  vanish  of  themselves ;  or  they  are  like  pictures  drawn 
on^paper  which  moths  consume ;  or  they  are  like  -  abode^on  a 
housetop  where  there  is  no  sleeping-place,  instead  of  in  the 
house  AH  this  shows  that  charity  and  faith  are  perishable 
thTngs  so  long  as  they  are  merely  mental  or  unless  they  are  de- 
termined  to  works  and  coexist  in  them  when  Possible. 

377    (3)   Good  works  are  not  produced  hy  charity  alone  shU 

less  hy  faith  alone,  hut  hy  ch<^Uy  "'"^/-"'^''''''^f.ith  anart 
because  charity  apart  from  faith  is  not  ^^^^^^'y^^l^^'X'^^^, 
from  charity  is  not  faith  (as  shown  above  n-SS^^Gl)    Where 
fore  charity  cannot  exist  by  itself  or  faith  by  itself;  and  it 


cannot  be  said  that  charity  in  itself  produces  any  good  works, 
or  faith  in  itself.  It  is  the  same  with  these  as  with  the  will 
and  understanding.  The  will  by  itself  can  have  no  existence 
and  can  therefore  produce  nothing ;  nor  can  the  understanding 
have  any  existence  by  itself  or  produce  anything;  but  all  pro- 
duction is  effected  by  both  together,  and  is  effected  by  the  un- 
derstanding from  the  will.  There  is  this  similarity,  because 
the  will  is  the  abode  of  charity  and  the  understanding  is  the 
abode  of  faith.  It  is  said  that  still  less  can  faith  alone  pro- 
duce good  works,  because  faith  is  truth,  and  faith  operates  to 
produce  truths,  and  these  illuminate  charity  and  its  exercises. 
That  truths  illuminate,  the  Lord  teaches,  saying : — 

He  that  doeth  truth  cometh  to  the  light,  that  his  works  may  be  made 
manifest  that  they  have  been  wrought  in  God  {John  iii.  21). 

Consequently  when  man  does  good  works  in  accordance  with 
truths,  he  does  them  in  light,  that  is,  intelligently  and  wisely. 
The  conjunction  of  charity  and  faith  is  like  the  marriage  of 
husband  and  wife.  From  the  husband  as  a  father  and  the  wife 
as  a  mother  all  natural  offspring  are  born ;  and  in  like  manner 
from  charity  as  a  father  and  faith  as  a  mother  aU  spiritual  off- 
spring, which  are  knowledges  of  good  and  truth,  are  born. 
This  makes  clear  how  spiritual  families  are  generated.  More- 
over in  the  Word  "  husband"  and  "  father"  signify  in  the  spir- 
itual sense  the  good  of  charity,  and  "  wife"  and  *'  mother"  the 
truth  of  faith.  This  again  makes  clear  that  neither  charity 
alone  nor  faith  alone  can  produce  good  works,  as  neither  the  hus- 
band alone  nor  the  wife  alone  can  produce  offspring.  The  truths 
of  faith  not  only  illuminate  charity,  but  also  determine  its  qual- 
ity, and,  still  further,  nourish  it ;  so  that  a  man  having  charity 
but  no  truths  of  faith,  is  like  one  walking  in  a  garden,  at  night, 
who  plucks  fruit  from  the  trees,  not  knowing  whether  in  its  use  it 
is  good  or  bad  fruit.  As  the  truths  of  faith  not  only  illuminate 
charity  but  also  determine  its  quality,  as  before  said,  it  follows 
that  charity  without  the  truths  of  faith  is  like  fruit  without 
juice,  like  a  dried-up  fig,  or  like  a  grape  after  the  wine  has  been 
pressed  out  of  it.  As  truths  nourish  faith,  as  has  also  been  said, 
it  follows  that  if  charity  is  without  truths  of  faith,  it  receives 
no  nourishment  except  such  as  a  man  gets  from  eating  burnt 
bread  and  drinking  unclean  water  from  some  stagnant  pond. 


gmgi^ill^^^ 


478 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


N.  378] 


FAITH 


479 


IX. 

,HEKE    IS    A    TKUB    FAITH,  A  SPUKIOUS    FAITH    AXI>    A 

HYPOCRITICAL    FAI'lH. 

3,8.  IW  i«  0^.  ■!..  «'"*»*."-?"'..»  ™~ 

half  dead  {Luke  x.  30).  .  ..Imvcli  in 

.    ,  4-r.  Tv^^s  qs  it  is  written  ot  that  cliuicu 

From  this  it  has  come  to  pass  as  ii 

Daniel : —  desolation  ;  ami  even  to 

At  last  upon  the  bird  of  !>^^^ZS^^  Sva^taUou  (i..  27). 
the  coiisummatiou  and  decision  .hall  it  diop   y 

Also  according  to  these  words  of  the  Lord:- 

.hen  shaU  the  end  come,  .hen  .e  shaU  s.  the  ah— on  o. 
tioTi  spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet  (Matt.         ■     .      ) 
The  lot  of  that  church  .nay  ^ -l^^^o^  that^^  ^S- 
laden  with  Pi-ecio^^'^^f^^*"^^' ^^^^^^^  after  is  wrecked 

ing  port  is  driven  ^^^^^ ^^'^^^  t,r,o  partly  destroyed 

and  sunk  in  the  7' J^.*^,^*;/;!  fohes.    U  That  the  Clms- 
by  the  waters,  and  partly  torn  oy  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^ 

tiU  church  from  rts  "^fan.Tstor^  ^  for  example,  even  in  the 
evident  from  ecclesiastical  history  as  W  i     ^  Samaritan 

time  of  the  apostles,  by  Simon  who  wa    by  ^^^  ^^^ 

and  by  profession  a  magician  (see  ^et.  v  ^      ^^^^^^^^ 

HymeLL  and  ^^^!^^J^^;^Z  I-  ^vhom  the  so- 

and  ^«*.  vi.  5);  and  also  t>y  Cennt^us^  At  ^^^.^^.^^^  ^j,, 
apostles  several  other  «««*«  ^'^^^^'jj,  the  Cataphrygians, 
ifoetians,  the  Valentinians,  the  En  r^^^^^^^  ^he  Ori- 

the  Quarto-Decimans,  the  f-^^?^^^"':  '^^n^osatenes,  the  Mani- 
genists  or  Adamites,  the  S^^^^^*^"^; ^J^l^ans.  After  them, 
L^ans,  the  Meletians,  and  ^f  ^ Jj^^^^  church,  as  the 
whole  battalions  of  heresiarchs  invadea 


Doiiatists,  the  Photinians,  the  Acaians  or  Semiarians,  the  Eu- 
nomiaiis,  the  Macedonians,  the  Nestorians,  the  Predestinarians, 
the  Papists,  the  Zwinglians,  the  Anabaptists,  the  Schwenck- 
feldians,  the  Synergists,  the  Socinians,  the  Anti-Trinitarians, 
the  Quakers,  the  Moravians,  and  many  more.  Finally  Luther, 
Melancthon,  and  Calvin  prevailed  over  all  these,  and  their  dog- 
mas have  predominated  to  this  day.  [3]  The  causes  of  so 
many  divisions  and  separations  in  the  church  are  chiefly  three : 
Fh^st,  The  Divine  trinity  has  not  been  understood;  Second, 
There  has  been  no  right  knowledge  of  the  Lord;  Third,  The 
passion  of  the  cross  has  been  taken  for  redemption  itself.  So 
long  as  these  three  things,  which  are  the  very  essentials  of  faith, 
and  from  which  the  church  exists  and  is  called  the  church,  are 
not  understood,  it  must  needs  be  that  all  things  pertaining  to 
the  church  will  be  turned  aside  out  of  their  true  course,  and 
finally  into  the  opposite  course,  and  the  church  will  still  believe 
that  it  holds  to  a  true  faith  in  God  and  faith  in  all  the  truths 
relating  to  God ;  and  in  this  state  they  are  like  persons  who 
cover  their  eyes  with  their  skirts,  and  fancy  themselves  to  be 
walking  in  a  straight  line,  and  yet  are  departing  from  it  step 
by  step,  and  at  length  go  in  the  opposite  direction  where  there 
is  a  cavern  into  which  they  fall.  But  the  man  of  the  church 
can  be  brought  back  from  his  wandering  into  the  way  of  truth, 
only  by  learning  what  true  faith  is,  what  spurious  faith  is,  and 
what  hypocritical  faith  is.    Therefore  it  shall  be  shown : — 

(1)  That  true  faith  is  the  one  only  faith,  which  is  a  faith  in 
the  Lord  God  the  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  and  this  is  held  by 
those  who  believe  Him  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  the  God  of  hea^- 
ven  and  earth,  and  one  with  the  Father. 

(2)  Spurious  faith  is  all  faith  that  departs  from  the  true 
faith,  which  is  the  one  only  faith,  and  this  is  the  faith  that  is 
held  by  those  who  climb  up  some  other  way,  and  regard  the 
Lord  not  as  God,  but  as  a  mere  man. 

(3)  Hypocritical  faith  is  no  faith. 

379.  (1)  True  faith  is  the  07ie  only  faith,  which  is  a  faith 
in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour  Jesus  Chr'ist,  and  this  is  held  by 
those  who  believe  Him  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  the  God  of  heaven 
and  earth,  and  one  with  the  Father.  True  faith  is  the  one  only 
faith,  because  faith  is  truth;  and  truth  cannot  be  broken  or  cut 


^80  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 

•n  «T,<.  T>irt  tending  to  the  left  and  another 
into  fragments  with  one  P^t/^^J'^f  ^^  j^^  ^  eneral  sense 
to  the  right,  and  the  truth  ot  it  ^t'^  ^^^J^"^;  [  ^^  ^^^^^^  of 
f  j-v,  nr^nai^ts  of  innumerable  truths,  tor  it  is  mc  i,"  j: 
r  hut  these  innumerable  truths  constitute,  as  it  were,  a  sin- 
them;  but  tnese  iimuinci-a-  x^,,4.i-.o  fhnt  form  its  mem- 

gle  body,  and  in  that  body  ^'^^^l^l^^tveTonZ  chest,  a. 

m  the  face.    Interior  trubu^  «^hMtn^l  world  whatever 

n.eans  the  same  as  higher;  i^rra  t^eju^tn.^^o^^^^  ^^^^^^^ 

1  'rS  tlfb:d7anTof  an  itrmlbers,  the  Lord  God  the 
r-ur?srs^o7andl.e,an^^^^^^^^^ 

:S£i:i;"i-ofi^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

memters     That  the  true  faith  is  the  one  only  faith,  Paul  also 

'^  t;:  !'::;:.>-  »„.  one .,..,  ^^^-^^x^::^^ 

God  ;  and  He  gave  some  for  the  work  of  the  "^'"^^'Y;  ^„<i  „f  the 

of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ  (fipft.  -.  4-13). 

[.1  That  the  true  faith,  which  is  the  one  ^y^^)^;^^l 

to  be  God,  and  unless  faith  is  ^^f  j/^^V  form  it,  this  is  the 
of  all  the  truths  that  enter  into  faith  ^"'L*°^"^_' 
first  is  evident  from  the  Lord's  woi-ds  to  Peter  .- 

pIter  said,  Thou  art  the  Chris,  th^  Son  of  the  living  God,^and  ^^^ 

vail  against  it  {Matt.  xvi.  16-18).  ^ 


N.  370] 


FAITH 


481 


His  church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  should  not  prevail  against  it. 
That  this  is  the  first  thing  in  faith,  is  also  evident  from  these 
words  in  John  : — 

Whosoever  shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  God  dwelleth  in 
him  and  he  in  God  (1  Epistle  iv.  15). 

[3]  Besides  this  characteristic  of  being  in  the  true  faith,  which 
is  the  one  only  faith,  there  is  another,  which  is  to  believe  that 
the  Lord  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth.  This  follows  from 
the  former,  that  He  is  the  Son  of  God;  also  from  the  follow- 
ing:— 

That  in  Him  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  {Col  ii.  9) ; 

That  He  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth  {Matt,  xxviii.  18) ; 

That  all  that  the  Father  hath  is  His  {John  iii.  35  ;  xvi.  15). 

A  third  proof  that  those  who  believe  in  the  Lord  are  interiorly 
in  faith  in  Him,  thus  in  the  true  faith,  which  is  the  one  only 
faith,  is  their  believing  the  Lord  to  be  one  with  God  the  Father. 
That' He  is  one  with  God  the  Father,  and  that  He  is  the  Father 
Himself  in  the  Human,  has  been  fully  shown  in  the  chapter  on 
the  Lord  and  Redemption,  and  is  plainly  evident  from  the 
words  of  the  Lord  Himself: — 

That  the  Father  and  He  are  one  {John  x.  30) ; 

That  the  Father  is  in  Him  and  He  in  the  Father  {John  x.  38  ;  xiv.  10, 

11)  • 

That  He  said  to  His  disciples,  that  henceforth  they  had  seen  and  known 

the  Father ;  and  He  looked  at  Philip  and  said,  that  he  then  saw  and 
knew  the  Father  {John  xiv.  7-10). 

[4]  These  three  are  distinguishing  evidences  that  men  have 
faith  in  the  Lord,  and  thus  the  true  faith,  which  is  the  one 
only  faith ;  for  not  all  who  approach  the  Lord  have  faith  m 
Him  •  for  true  faith  is  both  internal  and  external ;  and  those 
who  possess  these  three  precious  things  of  faith  are  in  both  its 
internals  and  its  externals ;  so  that  it  is  not  only  a  treasure  m 
their  hearts,  but  also  a  jewel  in  their  mouths.  It  is  otherwise 
with  those  who  do  not  acknowledge  the  Lord  as  the  God  ot 
heaven  and  earth,  and  as  one  with  the  Father.  Such  ook  in> 
teriorly  to  other  gods  also  who  possess  like  power,  although 
this  power  is  to  be  exercised  by  the  Son,  either  vicariously  or 
as  one  who  on  account  of  redemption  is  worthy  to  reign  over 
81 


482 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


those  whom  He  has  redeemed.  But  these  break  the  true  faith 
in  pieces  by  dividing  the  unity  of  God,  and  when  this  is  done, 
there  is  no  longer  any  faith,  but  only  the  ghost  of  it,  which 
when  seen  naturaUy  looks  like  some  image  of  it,  but  seen  spir- 
itually, becomes  a  chimera.  Who  can  deny  that  the  true  faith 
is  faith  in  one  God,  who  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  con- 
sequently, a  faith  in  God  the  Father  in  a  human  form,  that  is, 
in  the  Lord  ?  [5]  These  three  marks,  testimonies,  and  indica- 
tions, that  faith  in  the  Lord  is  faith  itself,  are  like  the  touch- 
stones whereby  gold  and  silver  are  known ;  or  they  are  like 
stones  or  fingerposts  by  the  wayside,  pointing  the  way  to  the 
temple  where  the  one  and  true  God  is  worshiped ;  or  they  are 
like  lights  on  rocks  in  the  sea,  whereby  those  who  are  sailing 
at  night  may  know  where  they  are,  and  to  what  quarter  to 
direct  their  ships.  The  first  characteristic  of  faith,  which  is 
that  the  Lord  is  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  is  like  the  morning 
star  to  all  who  enter  His  church. 

380.  (2)   Spurious  faith  is  all  faith  that  departs  from  the 
true  faith,  which  is  the  one  only  faith,  and  this  is  the  faith 
that  is  held  by  those  who  climb  up  some  other  way,  and  regard 
the  Lord  not  as  God  but  as  a  mere  man.     That  spurious  faith 
is  aU  faith  that  departs  from  the  true  faith,  which  is  the 
one  only  faith,  is  self-evident ;  for  if  the  one  only  faith  is  the 
truth,  it  follows  that  what  departs  from  it  is  not  truth.    Every 
good  and  truth  of  the  church  is  propagated  by  the  marriage 
of  the  Lord  and  the  church ;  thus  everything  that  is  essentially 
charity  and  that  is  essentially  faith  is  from  that  marriage ;  and 
on  the  other  hand,  whatever  of  charity  and  faith  is  not  from 
that  marriage,  is  not  from  a  legitimate  but  an  illegitimate  bed, 
thus  from  a  polygamic  bed  or  marriage,  or  from  adultery.    All 
faith  that  acknowledges  the  Lord  but  adopts  the  falsities  of 
heresy  is  from  a  polygamic  bed,  and  the  faith  that  acknowl- 
edges three  Lords  of  one  church  is  from  adultery.    For  this 
may  be  likened  to  a  harlot  or  a  woman  married  to  one  man 
and  spending  her  nights  with  two  others,  calling  each  one  her 
husband  while  sleeping  with  him.     Therefore  such  faith  is 
called  spurious ;  and  in  many  places  the  Lord  calls  those  hold- 
ing such  a  faith  "  adulterers,"  and  they  are  also  meant  by 
« thieves  and  robbers"  in  John : — 


N.  380] 


FAITH 


483 


Verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  entereth  not  by  the  door  into  the  sheep- 
fold,  but  cUmbeth  up  some  other  way,  the  same  is  a  thief  and  a  robber  ; 
I  am  the  door';  by  Me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved  (x.  1,  9). 

Entering  into  the  sheepfold  is  entering  into  the  church,  and 
also  into  heaven.    It  is  entering  also  into  heaven  because  hea- 
ven  and  the  church  make  one,  and  nothing  makes  heaven  except 
the  church  that  is  in  it;  consequently  as  the  Lord  is  the  bride- 
groom and  husband  of  the  church,  so  is  He  also  the  bridegroom 
and  husband  of  heaven.    [2]  It  may  be  inquired  into  and  may  be 
known  whether  faith  is  a  legitimate  or  a  spurious  offspring  by 
the  three  indications  mentioned  above,  namely,  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  Lord  as  the  Son  of  God,  acknowledgment  of  Him 
as  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  acknowledgment  that  He 
is  one  with  the  Father.    Therefore,  so  far  as  any  faith  departs 
from  these  its  essentials,  it  is  spurious.    Faith  is  both  spurious 
and  adulterous  with  those  who  regard  the  Lord  not  as  God  but 
merely  as  a  man.    The  truth  of  this  is  very  evident  from  the 
two  abominable  heresies,  Arianism  and  Socinianism,  which  have 
been  anathematized  in  and  excommunicated  from  the  Christian 
church,  and  this  because  they  deny  the  Lord's  Divinity,  and 
climb  up  some  other  way.    But  I  fear  that  those  abominations 
lie  concealed  at  this  day  in  the  general  spirit  of  the  men  of  the 
church.    It  is  remarkable  that  the  more  any  one  deems  himself 
to  be  superior  to  others  in  learning  and  judgment,  the  more 
prone  he  is  to  seize  upon  and  appropriate  to  himself  the  idea 
that  the  Lord  is  a  man  and  not  God,  and  that  because  He  is  a 
man  He  cannot  be  God ;  and  whoever  appropriates  to  himself 
these  ideas,  introduces  himself  into  companionship  with  Arians 
and  Socinians,  who  in  the  spiritual  world  are  in  hell.    [3]  Such 
is  the  general  spirit  of  the  men  of  the  church  at  the  present 
day,  because  with  every  man  there  is  an  associate  spirit;  for 
without  this  man  would  be  unable  to  think  analytically,  ration- 
ally, and  spiritually,  and  thus  would  not  be  a  man  but  a  brute. 
Moreover,  every  man  attaches  to  himself  a  spirit  in  harmony 
with  the  affection  of  his  own  will  and  consequent  perception 
of  his  understanding.    To  the  man  who  introduces  himself  into 
good  affections  by  means  of  truths  from  the  Word  and  a  life 
according  to  them,  an  angel  from  heaven  is  adjoined ;  while  he 
who  introduces  himself  into  evil  affections  by  the  confirmation 


484 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


of  falsities  and  a  wicked  life  adjoins  himself  to  a  spirit  from 
hell,  and  when  this  is  done  the  man  enters  more  and  more,  as 
it  were,  into  fraternity  with  satans,  and  confirms  himself  more 
and  more  in  falsities  contrary  to  the  truths  in  the  Word,  and 
in  Arian  and  Socinian  abominations  against  the  Lord.    This  is 
because  no  satan  can  bear  to  hear  any  truth  from  the  Word  or 
to  hear  Jesus  named ;  and  if  they  hear  these  they  become  like 
furies,  and  run  about  and  blaspheme ;  and  then  if  light  from 
heaven  flows  in  they  throw  themselves  headlong  into  caverns 
and  into  their  own  thick  darkness,  in  which  there  is  light  to 
them,  as  there  is  to  owls  in  the  dark,  or  to  cats  in  cellars  watch- 
ing for  mice.    Such  do  all  those  become  after  death,  who  in 
heart  and  faith  deny  the  Divinity  of  the  Lord  and  the  holiness 
of  the  Word.    Their  internal  man  is  of  this  nature,  however 
much  the  external  may  play  the  mimic  and  feign  to  be  Chris- 
tian.   That  this  is  true  I  know,  because  I  have  seen  and  heard 
it.    [4]  Of  all  who  honor  the  Lord  as  the  Redeemer  and  Sav. 
iour  with  the  mouth  and  lips  only,  w^hile  in  heart  and  spirit 
they  regard  Him  as  a  mere  man,  it  may  be  said,  when  they  are 
speaking  of  these  things  and  teaching  them,  that  their  cheeks 
are  like  a  bag  of  honey,  and  their  heart  like  a  bag  of  gall ;  their 
words  are  like  cakes  of  sugar,  while  their  thoughts  are  like 
emulsions  of  aconite ;  they  are  also  like  rolls  of  pastry  contain^ 
ing  snakes.    If  such  persons  are  priests,  they  are  like  pirates 
on  the  sea  who  hoist  the  flag  of  a  peaceful  nation,  but  when  -a 
ship  sailing  near  hails  them  as  friends,  they  raise  a  piratical 
flag  in  place  of  the  other,  seize  the  ship,  and  carry  away  those 
on  board  into  captivity.    They  are  also  like  serpents  of  the  tree 
of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  that  approach  like  angels  of 
light,  carrying  in  their  hands  apples  from  that  tree  painted 
with  golden  colors,  as  if  plucked  from  the  tree  of  life ;  and  they 
offer  them,  saying : — 

God  doth  know  that  in  the  day  ye  eat  thereof,  then  your  eyes  shall  be 
opened,  and  ye  shall  be  as  God,  knowing  good  and  evil  {Gen.  iii.  5). 

And  when  these  have  eaten,  they  follow  the  serpent  into  the 
lower  world,  and  there  they  dwell  together.  Round  about  that 
world  are  the  satans  who  have  eaten  of  the  apples  of  Arius  and 
Socinus.    Such  as  these  are  meant  also  by  the  man. 


N.  380] 


EAITH 


485 


Who  came  to  the  marriage  without  a  wedding  garment,  and  was  cast 
into  outer  darkness  (Matt.  xxii.  11-13)  ; 

^'  the  wedding  garment"  meaning  faith  in  the  Lord  as  the  Son 
of  God,  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  one  with  the  Father. 
Those  who  honor  the  Lord  with  the  mouth  and  lips  only,  but 
in  heart  and  spirit  regard  Him  as  a  mere  man,  if  they  declare 
their  thoughts  and  persuade  others,  are  spiritual  murderers,  and 
the  worst  of  them  are  spiritual  cannibals;  for  a  man's  life  is 
from  love  to  the  Lord  and  faith  in  Him ;  and  if  this  essential 
element  of  faith  and  love,  that  the  Lord  is  God-Man  and  Man- 
God,  is  taken  away,  man's  life  becomes  death;  thus  in  this  way 
man  is  killed  and  devoured  as  a  kid  by  a  wolf. 

381.   (3)  Hypocritical  faith  is  no  faith.     Man  becomes  a 
hypocrite  w^hen  he  thinks  much  about  himself  and  places  him- 
self before  others,  for  thereby  he  directs  his  mind's  thoughts 
and  affections  to  his  body,  immerses  them  in  it,  and  unites 
them  with  its  senses.    He  thus  becomes  a  natural,  sensual,  and 
corporeal  man,  and  then  his  mind  cannot  be  withdrawn  from 
the  flesh  to  which  it  adheres,  and  be  raised  to  God,  and  cannot 
see  anything  of  God  in  the  light  of  heaven,  that  is,  anything 
spiritual.    And  because  he  is  a  carnal  man,  the  spiritual  thmgs 
that  enter  (that  is,  through  his  hearing  into  his  understand- 
ing), seem  to  him  only  like  something  spectral,  or  like  doT\Ti 
floating  in  the  air,  or  like  flies  about  the  head  of  a  running  and 
sweating  horse ;  therefore  in  heart  he  ridicules  them.    For  it 
is  well  known  that  the  natural  man  looks  upon  what  pertains 
to  the  spirit,  that  is,  spiritual  things,  as  hallucinations.    [2] 
Among  natural  men  the  hypocrite  is  the  lowest  natural  for  he 
is  sensual,  since  his  mind  is  closely  bound  to  his  bodily  senses, 
and  therefore  he  has  no  love  for  seeing  anything  but  what  his 
senses  suggest ;  and  as  the  senses  are  in  nature,  they  compel 
the  mind  to  think  from  nature  about  everything,  and  so  in  that 
way  about  everything  pertaining  to  faith.    If  this  hypocrite 
becomes  a  preacher,  he  retains  in  his  memory  such  things  as 
he  had  heard  about  faith  during  his  childhood  and  youth;  but 
as  there  is  nothing  spiritual  inwardly  in  these  things  but  only 
what  is  natural,  when  he  presents  them  to  a  congregation  they 
are  nothing  but  lifeless  words.    They  sound  as  if  they  had  hfe 
because  of  the  delight  of  the  love  of  self  and  the  world  which 


486  THE  TRL-K  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 

makes  them  ring  according  to  the  eloquence  of  the  speaker 
and  soothe  the  ear  ahnost  like  the  harmony  of  a  song.    L^J 
When  a  hypocritical  preacher  returns  home  after  his  sermon, 
he  laughs  at  everything  that  he  h^  set  forth  before  his  con- 
gregatfon  about  faith  or  from  the  Word,  and  perhaps  says  to 
Self,  "I  have  ca.t  my  net  into  the  lake  -d  have  caught 
flat-fish  and  shell-fish,"  for  such  do  all  who  are  in  true  faith 
™  trhis  fa^cy.    A  hypocrite  is  like  a  sculptured  image 
S  a  double  hei  one  hea^  within  the  oU-^  the  interiial 
head  connected  with  the  trunk  or  body  while  th^^t^'^^l^ 
which  rotates  about  the  internal,  is  painted  on  its  front  side 
^  piope    colors  like  a  human  face,  much  like  the  wooden 
heads  displayed  at  the  shops  of  hair-dressei..    He  is  ^so  1  ke 
a  boat,  which  the  sailor,  by  proper  management  of  he  sa  1,  c^ 
direct  as  he  pleases,  either  with  the  wind  or  against  it    his 
tZmZ  his  sail  is  his  favoring  every  one  who  contributes  to 
S'Sgence  in  the  delights  of  the  flesh  and  its  senses.    [4 
H^i^critLl  ministers  are  finished  -medians,  mimi^,a^^d 
Savers  who  can  personate  kings,  leaders,  primates  and  bi.h- 
op?  and  as  soon  as  they  have  doffed  their  theatrical  robes, 
;St  brothels  and  consort  with  harlots.    They  are  also  like  a 
Z   hung  upon  a  round  hinge  that  can  open  either  ^v^y ;  then- 
mTndt  such  because  it  can  be  opened  either  hell  ward  or  heav- 
™rd,  and  when  opened  to  one  it  is  closed  to  ^^^J^ 
what  is  wonderful,  when  they  are  mmistermg  in  holy  things 
Ind  teaching  truths  from  the  Word,  they  do  not  know  othei^ 
tise  tlan  that  they  believe  in  them,  for  the  door  is  then  closed 
Toward  hell;  but  L  moment  they  return  home  they  beWe 
nothing  for  the  door  is  then  closed  toward  heaven,    [o]  Among 
consummate  hypocrites  there  is  an  interior  enmity  against 
ryTpTrftual  men,  for  it  is  like  that  of  satans  agams   the  all- 
ies of  heaven     They  are  unconscious  of  this  while  they  are 
Itg  in  thrworld,  but  it  manifests  itself  after  death,  when 
their  external  by  means  of  which  they  assumed  the  appear- 
Ince  of  s'SLf  men,  is  taken  away,  for  it  is  their  internal 
man  that  I  thus  satanic.    But  I  will  tell  how  spiritual  hypo- 
crites,  who  are  such  as  walk 

In  sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening  wolves  (Matt,  vii, 
15), 


N.  381] 


FAITH 


487 


appear  to  the  angels  of  heaven.  They  appear  like  soothsayers 
walking  on  the  palms  of  their  hands  and  praying,  while  from 
the  heart  they  are  crying  with  their  lips  to  demons  and  kiss- 
ing them,  but  by  clapping  their  shoes  together  in  the  air  they 
make  a  noise  to  God.  But  when  they  stand  on  their  feet  their 
eyes  look  like  leopards'  eyes,  they  step  like  wolves,  their  mouths 
are  fox-like,  their  teeth  like  those  of  a  crocodile,  and  as  to  faith 
they  are  like  vultures. 


X. 

WITH    THE    EVIL    THERE    IS    NO    FAITH. 

382.  The  evil  are  all  who  deny  that  the  world  was  created 
by  God,  and  thus  deny  God,  for  they  are  naturalistic  atheists. 
All  such  are  evil  because  all  good,  which  is  not  only  naturally 
but  also  spiritually  good,  is  from  God ;  consequently  those  who 
deny  God  will  not  and  therefore  cannot  receive  good  from  any 
other  source  than  what  is  their  own ;  and  what  is  man's  own 
is  the  hist  of  his  flesh ;  and  whatever  proceeds  from  that  is 
spiritually  evil,  however  good  it  may  seem  naturally.  Such 
are  evil  in  theory ;  while  those  who  have  no  regard  for  the  Di- 
vine commandments  (which  are  exhibited  in  a  summary  in  the 
Decalogue),  and  live  like  outlaws,  are  practically  evil.  Such 
are  also  deniers  of  God  in  heart  (although  many  of  them  con- 
fess Him  with  their  lips),  for  the  reason  that  God  and  His  com- 
mandments make  one;  and  this  is  why  the  ten  commandments 
are  called, 

Jehovah  there  {Num.  x.  35,  36 ;  Ps.  cxxxii.  7,  8). 

But  to  make  it  still  clearer  that  the  evil  have  no  faith,  let  us 
from  the  two  following  propositions  draw  a  conclusion  : — 

(1)  The  evil  have  no  faith,  since  evil  belongs  to  hell  and 
faith  to  heaven. 

(2)  All  those  in  Christendom  who  reject  the  Lord  and  the 
Word  have  no  faith,  although  they  live  morally,  and  even 
speak,  teach,  and  write  rationally  about  faith. 

But  of  these  points  separately. 


--K-JU,-t.,        ,...^.  ■■^^  .^^:JtL^, 


488 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


N.  383] 


FAITH 


489 


383    (1^  The  evil  have  no  faith,  since  evil  belongs  to  hell  and 
faith  to  heaven.    Evil  belongs  to  hell,  tecause  all  evil  is  from 
heU;  faith  belongs  to  heaven,  because  all  tr.ith  that  pertains  to 
faith  is  from  heaven.    So  long  as  man  is  living  in  the  world  he 
is  kept  and  walks  midway  between  heaven  and  hell,  and  there 
he  is  in  spiritual  equilibrium,  which  is  his  freedom  of  choice. 
Hell  is  under  his  feet  and  heaven  above  his  head ;  and  what- 
ever comes  up  from  hell  is  evil  and  false,  while  whatever  comes 
down  from  heaven  is  good  and  true.    Because  man  is  midway 
between  these  two  opposites,  and  at  the  same  time  m  spiritual 
equilibrium,  he  is  able  to  choose,  adopt,  and  appropriate  to 
himself  from  freedom  either  the  one  or  the  other     If  he 
chooses  evil  and  falsity  he  connects  himself  7tl\  ^J^^^  ;  f  Jf 
chooses  good  and  truth  he   connects   himself  with  heaven 
From  this  it  is  clear  not  only  that  evil  belongs  to  hell  and  faith 
to  heaven,  but  also  that  the  two  cannot  be  together  in  the 
same  subject,  that  is,  the  same  man.    For  if  they  were  to- 
gether, the  man  would  be  drawn  in  different  directions,  as  if 
two  ropes  were  tied  around  him  and  he  were  drawn  upward  by 
one  and  do^vnward  by  the  other;  and  so  he  would  become  like 
a  thing  suspended  in  the  air.    Or  he  would  be  as  one  flying 
like  a  blaekbird,  now  upward  and  now  do^vnward,  in  the  for- 
mer case  adoring  God,  in  the  latter  the  deviL    Any  one  sees 
that  this  is  profanation. 

That  no  man  can  serve  two  masters,  but  will  rather  hate  the  one  and 
love  the  other,  the  Lord  teaches  in  Matt.  (vi.  24). 

That  where  evil  is  there  is  no  faith,  may  be  illustrated  by  vari- 
ous comparisons,  such  as  the  following:    Evil  is  like  hre  (in- 
fernal fire  is  nothing  but  love  of  evil),  and  it  consumes  faith 
like  stubble,  reducing  it  and  all  that  pertains  to  it  to  ashes. 
Evil  dwells  in  darkness  and  faith  in  light ;  and  evil  by  means 
of  falsities  extinguishes  faith,  as  darkness  extinguishes  light. 
Evil  is  bla«k  like  ink,  while  faith  is  white  like  snow,  and  clear 
like  water;  and  evil  blackens  faith,  as  ink  does  snow  or  water. 
Moreover,  eyil  and  the  truth  of  faith  can  be  jomed  together 
only  as  what  is  fetid  may  be  mixed  with  what  is  fragrant,  or 
urine  with  flavorous  wine;  nor  can  the  two  exist  together  ex- 
cept as  a  noisome  corpse  in  the  same  bed  with  a  Imng  man; 


and  they  can  no  more  dwell  together  than  a  wolf  can  dwell  in 
a  sheepfold,  a  hawk  in  a  dovecote,  or  a  fox  in  a  henhouse. 

384.  (2)  Those  in  Christendofn  who  reject  the  Lord  and  the 
Word  have  no  faiths  although  they  lire  mo  rail  y,  arid  eoen  speal'^ 
teach,  and  ivrite  rationally  about  fait Ji.  This  follows  as  a  con- 
clusion from  all  that  precedes ;  for  it  has  been  shown  that  the 
true  and  only  faith  is  faith  in  the  Lord  and  from  the  Lord,  and 
that  a  faith  that  is  not  a  faith  in  and  from  llim,  is  not  a  spir- 
itual but  a  natural  faith,  and  merely  natural  faith  has  not  the 
essence  of  faith  in  it.  Moreover,  faith  is  from  the  Word ;  it  is 
from  no  other  source,  since  the  Word  is  from  the  Lord,  and 
consequently  the  Lord  Himself  is  in  the  Word.  Therefore  He 
says, 

That  He  is  the  Word  {John  i.  1,  2). 

From  this  it  follows  that  those  who  reject  the  Word,  reject  the 
Lord  also,  for  these  cohere  as  one ;  also  that  those  who  reject 
either  of  these  also  reject  the  church,  since  the  church  is  from 
the  Lord  through  the  Word ;  and  furthermore,  that  those  who 
reject  the  church  are  outside  of  heaven,  since  the  church  in- 
troduces into  heaven;  and  those  who  are  outside  of  heaven 
are  among  the  damned,  and  these  have  no  faith.  Those  who 
reject  the  Lord  and  the  Word  have  no  faith,  although  they 
live  morally,  and  even  speak,  teach,  and  write  rationally  about 
faith,  for  the  reason  that  such  have  no  moral-spiritual  life,  but 
only  a  natural  life,  and  no  rational-spiritual  mind,  but  only  a 
natural  mind ;  and  merely  natural  morality  and  rationality  are 
in  themselves  dead ;  therefore  as  dead  men  there  is  no  faith  in 
them.  A  man  who  is  merely  natural  and  in  regard  to  faith  is 
dead  may  indeed  talk  and  teach  about  faith,  charity,  and  God, 
but  not  from  faith,  charity,  and  God.  That  those  alone  have 
faith  who  believe  in  the  Lord,  and  that  others  have  not,  is  evi- 
dent from  the  following  passages  : — 

He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  is  not  judged  ;  but  he  that  believeth  not 
hath  been  judged  already,  because  he  hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of 
the  only  begotten  Son  of  God  {John  iii.  18). 

He  that  believeth  in  the  Son  hath  eternal  life  ;  but  he  that  believeth 
not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life  ;  but  the  anger  oi  God  abideth  on  him  {John 
iii.  36). 


490  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VI. 

Jesus  said,  When  the  Spirit  of  truth  -  eo-e  He  wm  reprove  the  world 
of  sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  Me  {John  xvi.  8,  9) , 
and  to  the  Jews  He  said : — 

Except  ye  believe  that  I  am,  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins  (John  viii.  24). 

Therefore  David  says  :— 

T      u  Hp,Oare  the  decree  ;  Jehovah  said  unto  Me,  Thou  art  My  Son  ; 

That  in  the  consummation  of  the  age,  which  is  the  last  time  of 

the  church  there  will  be  no  faith,  because  there  will  be  no  faith 

J  the  Lord  as  the  Son  of  God,  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth, 

and  one  with  the  Father,  the  Lord  foretells  in  the  Gospels,  say- 

"  Tbat  there  shall  then  be  an  abominf  on  of  ,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^     ''^t'^l 

heaven  (Matt.  xxiv.  15,  21,  29). 
And  in  the  Apocalyj^se, 

as  the  sand  of  the  sea  (xx.  7,  8). 

And  because  the  Lord  foresaw  this,  He  also  said:- 

Howbeit,  when  the  Son  of  man  con,eth  shall  He  find  faith  on  the  earth  V 

{Luke  xviii.  8).  ,    -n   i         i  i    i 

385.    The  following  Memorable  Relations  shall  be  added. 

■^''f  *  ■"     1      .o  c^ifl  to  me  "  If  you  wish  to  see  clearly  whac 

I  will  make  it  very  clear  to  you." 

T  c»n<;wered  ''Make  it  clear."  f.  t  -ui.        i 

He  saw  «  nstead  of  faith  and  charity,  think  of  light  and 
He  said,    ins  .^^  ^^^^^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^^th 

heat,  and  y«^  J'^J '^'^^^'^  j^"  ..^g^ee  is  the  affection  of  love; 
of  wisdom,  and  char^^  m  '^«  ---^  ^^^  .^e  affection  of 

and  m  heaven  the  t  uth  o^ wisd  ^g.^^  ^.^ ^  ^^^ 

r L'nlinf  e  si'  E^om  this  you  can  see  clearly  what  faith 


N.  385] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


491 


is  when  separated  from  charity  and  what  faith  is  when  con- 
joined with  charity.  Faith  separated  from  charity  is  like  the 
light  of  winter,  and  faith  conjoined  with  charity  is  like  the 
light  of  spring.  Wintry  light,  which  is  light  separate  from 
heat,  because  it  is  joined  with  cold,  wholly  strips  the  trees  of 
their  leaves,  kills  the  grass,  hardens  the  earth,  and  freezes  the 
waters.  But  the  light  of  spring,  which  is  light  joined  with 
heat,  causes  the  trees  to  put  forth  leaves,  and  then  flowers,  and 
finally  fruit ;  it  so  opens  and  softens  the  earth  that  it  may  bring 
forth  grasses,  herbs,  flowers,  and  it  so  melts  the  ice  that  the 
waters  flow  from  their  fountains.  [2]  It  is  precisely  the  same 
with  faith  and  charity.  Faith  when  separated  from  charity 
makes  all  things  dead,  while  faith  joined  with  charity  makes 
all  things  alive.  This  making  alive  and  making  dead  can  be 
seen  to  the  life  in  our  spiritual  world,  because  here  faith  is 
light  and  charity  is  heat.  Where  faith  is  joined  with  charity, 
there  are  paradisal  gardens,  flower-beds,  and  grass-plots  with  a 
native  charm  according  to  that  conjunction.  But  where  faith 
is  separated  from  charity,  there  is  not  even  grass,  and  where 
there  is  any  green  it  is  from  briers  and  thorns." 

Not  far  from  us  at  this  time  were  some  clergymen,  whom  the 
angel  called  justifiers  and  sanctifiers  of  men  by  faith  alone,  and 
also  dealers  in  mysteries.  To  these  we  said  the  same  things, 
and  made  them  so  clear  that  they  saw  their  truth;  but  when 
we  asked  them  if  it  was  not  so,  they  turned  away  and  said, 
"We  did  not  hear  you."  We  then  shouted  to  them,  saying, 
"  Then  hear  us  yet  again."  But  they  put  both  hands  to  their 
ears  and  called  out,  "  We  do  not  wish  to  hear  you." 

[3]  After  hearing  this  I  talked  with  the  angel  about  faith 
alone,  saying  that  it  had  been  granted  me  to  know  by  living 
experience  that  that  faith  is  like  the  light  of  winter.  And  I 
told  him  that  for  several  years  spirits  of  various  beliefs  had 
passed  by  me,  and  that  whenever  those  who  separated  faith 
from  charity  came  near  me,  such  a  coldness  invaded  my  feet 
and  gradually  my  loins  and  finally  my  chest,  that  I  hardly 
knew  otherwise  than  that  the  whole  vitality  of  my  body  was 
about  to  become  extinct ;  and  indeed  this  would  have  come  to 
pass  if  the  Lord  had  not  driven  these  spirits  away  and  set  me 
free. 


492  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VL 

To  me  it  seemed  wonderful  that  these  spirits,  as  they  ac- 
knowledged, had  in  themselves  no  sense  of  coldness ;  and  I  there- 
fore likened  them  to  lishes  under  ice,  which  have  no  feeling  of 
cold  because  their  life  and  their  nature  therefrom  are  essentially 
cold  It  then  became  clear  that  the  cold  of  these  spirits  ema- 
nated from  the  fatuous  light  of  their  faith,  as  the  ^ituous  and 
cold  light  often  seen  by  travellers  arises  from  marshy  and  sui^ 
nhurous  places  in  midwinter  after  sunset.  ,,    ,         ^ 

^  Such  spirits  may  be  compared  to  the  icebergs  that  are  torn 
from  their  places  in  the  northern  regions,  and  carried  about  on 
the  ocean,  of  which  I  have  heard  it  said  that  when  they  come  near 
a  ship,  all  who  are  on  board  begin  to  shiver  with  cold     bo  com- 
panics  of  spirits  who  are  in  faith  separated  from  charity  may  be 
likened  to  such  icebergs,  or,  if  you  please,  may  be  caHed  icebergs 
It  is  well  known  from  the  Word  that  faith  apai-t  from  charity 
is  dead;  but  I  wiU  explain  the  cause  of  its  death.    Its  death  is 
from  cold.    It  dies  from  cold  like  a  bird  m  a  severe  winter. 
First  its  sight  fails,  and  at  the  same  tune  its  POwer  to  fly ;  and 
then  its  power  to  breathe;  and  finally  it  falls  headlong  from 
the  tree  into  the  snow  and  is  buried. 
386    Second  Memorable  Eelation : — 

One' morning  on  awaking  from  sleep,  I  saw  two  angels  de- 
scending  from  heaven,  one  from  the  southern  part  of  heaven 
and  one  from  the  eastern,  both  in  chariots  to  which  were  har- 
nessed  white  horses.    The  chariot  in  which  the  angel  from  the 
southern  heaven  rode  shone  like  silver;  wMe  the  chariot  m 
which  the  angel  from  the  east  rode  shone  like  gold;  and  the 
reins  which  they  held  in  their  hands  gleamed  like  the  flaming 
light  of  the  dawn.    Thus  did  those  two  angels  appear  to  me 
from  afar;  but  when  they  came  near  they  did  not  appear  m 
chariots,  but  in  their  own  angelic  form,  which  is  the  human 
form     The  one  that  came  from  the  eastern  part  of  heaven  was 
clad'in  a  resplendent  purple  garment,  and  the  one  from  the 
southern  part  of  heaven  in  a  violet-colored  garment     A\  hen 
they  reached  the  lower  regions  l>eneath  the  lieaven^  they  ran 
toward  each  other  as  if  striving  who  should  be  first,  and  em- 
braced and  kissed  each  other.  ,.      .  .    ^1,  1^ 
I  heard  that  these  two  angels  while  they  lived  m  the  world 
had  been  united  by  an  interior  friendship,  but  that  now  one 


N.  38(5] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


493 


dwelt  in  the  eastern  and  the  other  in  the  southern  heaven.  In 
the  eastern  heaven  are  those  who  are  in  love  from  the  Lord, 
but  in  the  southern  heaven  those  who  are  in  wisdom  from  the 
Lord. 

AVhen  they  had  talked  awhile  about  the  magnificent  things 
in  their  heavens,  this  point  arose  in  their  conversation,  whether, 
in  its  essence,  heaven  is  love  or  is  wisdom.  They  agreed  at 
once  that  each  belongs  to  the  other,  but  they  questioned  which 
of  them  was  the  source. 

[2]  The  angel  from  the  heaven  of  wisdom  asked  the  other, 
"What  is  love?"  And  he  replied  that  love  originating  in  the 
Lord  as  a  sun  is  the  heat  of  life  of  men  and  angels,  and  there- 
fore is  the  esse  of  their  life ;  and  that  the  derivations  of  love 
are  called  affections,  and  through  them  are  produced  percep- 
tions and  thus  thoughts ;  from  which  it  follows  that  wisdom 
in  its  origin  is  love,  consequently  that  thought  in  its  origin  is 
an  affection  of  that  love ;  and  it  can  be  seen  from  these  deriva- 
tions examined  in  their  order  that  thought  is  nothing  but  a 
form  of  affection;  and  the  reason  why  this  is  not  known  is  that 
thoughts  are  in  light,  but  affections  in  heat,  and  therefore  men 
reflect  upon  thoughts,  but  not  upon  affections.  That  thought 
is  nothing  but  a  form  of  the  affection  of  one's  love,  can  be 
made  clear  from  speech,  as  being  merely  a  form  of  sound,  and 
this  likeness  still  further  holds  good  in  that  the  tone  of  the 
voice  corresponds  to  affection,  and  speech  to  thought ;  so  that 
it  is  the  affection  that  gives  tone,  and  the  thought  that  speaks. 
This  will  also  become  obvious  if  it  is  asked  whether  anything 
of  speech  remains  if  tone  is  taken  from  it ;  and  so,  too,  whether 
anything  of  thought  remains  if  affection  is  taken  from  it.  From 
this  it  is  clear  that  love  is  the  all  of  wisdom,  consequently 
that  the  essence  of  the  heavens  is  love,  and  their  existence 
wisdom ;  or  what  is  the  same,  that  the  heavens  have  their  be- 
ing from  the  Divine  love,  and  their  existence  from  the  Divine 
love  through  the  Divine  wisdom ;  therefore,  as  before  said, 
each  belongs  to  the  other. 

[3]  There  was  then  with  me  a  newly  arrivea  spirit,  who, 
hearing  these  remarks,  asked  whether  it  was  the  same  with 
charity  and  faith,  since  charity  belongs  to  affection  and  faith 
to  thought. 


494 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  VI. 


N.  387] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


495 


V  A    uTf  i«  T^vpoiselv  the  same;  faith  is  noth- 

is  not  time  f ''^P^^^.J^^T'^^n  spiritual  faith,  the  life  and 

He  added,  "By  faith  ^  ^^^P^onl  through  charity,  for 

spirit  in  which  ai^  ^^^'^ly^^T.^ll  charity  that  faith  becomes 

charity  is  spiritual,  and  't  ^^  *l^;°^8';^*^''^j^,/ty  is  a  merely  nat- 
spiritual;  therefore  faith  apat  from  chai   y      ^^  ^^.^^ 

ural  faith,  and  such  ^^^^^^    .  ^t^thTng  but  lust " 

„,erely  natural  aifectioii  which  -  --^^  ,,     ,„el  spir- 

After  this  conversation  f  \^^"=^f J'^lpeared  about  their 

a;rea;ed,  as  before,  to  be  in  chariots. 
l87.  Third  Memorable  ^^^^'^^      .^,   j  ,aw  a  garden 
When  these  two  angels  were  out  of  sig    ,  ^ 

.  1  .    •     ,.rV.w.v.  fhpTp,  were  olive  tryeis,  n^  ^        j 
on  the  nght,  in  "h'^h  ""'•  J.  ^  „iih  ih.lr  corre.poiid- 

„d  I«ta».  ™"8e'i  >»  °"1«'  ■»  ""  „„     th.  trees  I  " 
„„.s.     I    looked  thitherwarf,  »«  ™°  ^  „„  .      Uc  spl* 

rsr»f  *  ifro*,.  «:&  .pi*  ... «.  ^« 

';:'';"inthe  ,o,«  0,  spHt.  .»  ^'X  and  »td.  -Cne 

a"  ett  .r;r:,';«  -«- «-  -  — "•^_ 

things."  ...  u  These  whom  you  see," 

I  .vent  with  him  and  he  said  to  «»«,     i^e  ^      ^^^^ 

for  there  were  many  others,  «  are  all  in  the  lov  ^^^^^ 

f  .cm  that  in  the  light  of  -f  ^  ^^•^.  ^^^f.o  on?  can  see  it 
.vhich  we  call  the  ^^^^^ ^^^'^^^^,^,,,,  one  who  believes 
who  believes  himself  to  be  very  Jise-  ^.^^^y 

that  he  is  wise  enough  and  less  J^'^-^l^^^  ,,,  ,ot  in  a 
to  be  wise  from  himself^  ^J^'^.^^en  Tom  a  love  of  genuine 
Sor.  ^r  ;eni2 tiln  f :r  a  man  to  see  from  the  light 


of  heaven  that  what  he  knows,  understands,  and  is  wise  in,  is 
so  little  in  comparison  with  what  he  does  not  know  and  under- 
stand, and  in  which  he  is  not  wise,  as  to  be  like  a  drop  to  the 
ocean,  consequently  as  almost  nothing.  Every  one  who  is  in 
tills  paradisal  garden,  and  who  acknowledges  both  from  per- 
ception and  from  seeing  it  in  himself  that  his  wisdom  is  rela- 
tively so  slight,  sees  that  Temple  of  Wisdom ;  for  it  is  the  in- 
ner light  in  man's  mind  that  enables  him  to  see  it,  and  not  the 
outer  light  apart  from  the  inner." 

[2]  So  because  I  had  often  thought,  and  had  cause  to  ac- 
knowledge, first  from  knowledge,  then  from  perception,  and 
finally  from  inner  light,  that  man  has  so  little  wisdom,  behold, 
it  was  granted  me  to  see  that  temple.  In  form  it  was  wonder- 
ful. It  was  elevated  high  above  the  ground  ;  it  was  four-square, 
with  walls  of  crystal,  a  gracefully-arched  roof  of  transparent 
jasper;  and  a  substructure  of  various  precious  stones.  The 
steps  for  ascent  into  it  were  of  polished  alabaster.  At  the  sides 
of  the  steps  there  appeared  figures  of  lions  and  their  whelps. 

I  then  asked  if  it  was  allowable  to  enter,  and  was  told  that 
it  was.  I  therefore  ascended  the  steps,  and  as  I  entered  I  saw 
cherub-like  forms  flying  under  the  roof,  but  soon  vanishing. 
The  floor  on  which  we  walked  was  of  cedar,  and  the  whole 
temple,  from  the  transparency  of  the  roof  and  walls,  was  built 
to  be  a  form  of  light.  [3]  The  angelic  spirit  entered  with  me, 
and  I  told  him  what  I  had  heard  from  the  two  angels  about 
love  and  wisdom,  and  about  charity  and  faith.  The  angel  said, 
"  Did  they  not  also  speak  of  a  third  ?" 

«  What  third  ?"  I  asked. 

He  replied,  "  The  good  of  use.  Love  and  wisdom  apart  from 
good  of  use  are  not  anything ;  they  are  merely  ideal  entities, 
and  they  only  become  real  when  they  exist  in  use ;  for  love, 
wisdom,  and  use  are  three  things  that  cannot  be  separated ;  if 
separated,  neither  of  them  is  anything.  Apart  from  wisdom 
love  is  nothing ;  but  in  wisdom  it  takes  form  for  something ; 
and  that  something  for  which  it  takes  form  is  use ;  thus  when 
love,  by  means  of  wisdom,  is  in  use,  it  really  is,  because  it  ac- 
tually exists.  These  are  precisely  like  end,  cause  and  effect ; 
the  end  is  nothing  unless  it  is  in  effect  through  the  cause  ;  if 
either  of  these  three  passes  away,  the  whole  passes  away  and 


496  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  UELIGION  [Cum-.  VI. 

i.1,-  r4.i   Al«o  it  is  the  same  with  charity, 

like  the  nimd  apart  Iiom  tiie  douj 

clearly  seen  in  this  temple,  because  the  hght  m  ^^^''^J'^^ 

mmmBM 

".  ...  »u.l  P..S  i,,to  the  otor  m  «*'  *■*  ^  Ts  itk 
Sr^rit  ..,«.    Au.  it  i.  .,«..  .Hi.  tU-  .he  »..^ 

The  angel  answered  me.    He  cannot  lea uj  J  ^^^_ 

he  must  be  in  the  endeavor  or  J^^J^^^^^^  effort  to 

deavor  is  the  act  in  ^^^^-'^^'^^'^Zleltt  Scomes  act  in  ex- 
act ;  and  when  its  tenmnation  i^/«^°/'^^  "  •  ^^^^^^^  ^.et,  are 
temals.    Therefore  endeavor  and  w^l    as  the  n^^^^^^^^^        ^^^ 

accepted  by  every  wise  man,  ^"^^^1  '  /ti^^.e  ig  ^o  failure 
God,  precisely  as  the  external  act,  provided  tneie 

when  opportunity  offers." 
hearts." 


^^  388] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


497 


And  he  led  me  through  a  gloomy  forest  and  to  the  top  of  a 
hill,  from  which  I  could  witness  the  delights  of  the  dragon ists, 
and  I  saw  an  amphitheater  built  in  the  form  of  a  circus,  with 
seats  round  about  gradually  rising  from  the  front,  on  which  the 
spectators  were  sitting.  Those  sitting  upon  the  lowest  seats 
appeared  to  me  at  a  distance  like  satyrs  and  priapi,  some  hav- 
ing a  slight  covering  over  the  parts  that  ought  to  be  concealed, 
and  others  wholly  naked.  On  the  seats  above  these  sat  whore- 
mongers and  harlots ;  such  they  appeared  to  me  from  their  ges- 
tures. 

The  dragonist  then  said  to  me,  "Now  you  shall  see  our 
sport.''  And  I  saw,  as  it  were,  calves,  rams,  sheep,  kids  and 
lambs  let  into  the  arena  of  the  circus ;  and  when  these  had 
been  let  in,  a  door  was  opened,  and  in  rushed,  as  it  were,  young 
lions,  panthers,  tigers,  and  wolves,  which  attacked  the  other 
animals  with  fury,  tearing  them  and  slaughtering  them.  After 
this  bloody  slaughter,  the  satyrs  sprinkled  sand  over  the  place 
of  the  slaughter.  [2]  Then  the  dragonist  said  to  me,  "  These 
are  our  sports,  which  delight  our  minds." 

I  answered,  "  Begone,  demon !  after  a  while  you  will  see  this 
amphitheater  turned  into  a  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone." 

At  this  he  laughed  and  went  away.  Afterward  I  was  think- 
ing to  myself  why  such  things  are  permitted  by  the  Lord  ;  and 
I  received  in  my  heart  the  answer  that  they  are  permitted  so 
long  as  these  spirits  are  in  the  world  of  spirits,  but  when  their 
stay  in  that  world  is  ended  such  theatrical  scenes  are  turned 
into  infernal  horrors. 

[3]  All  this  that  had  been  seen  was  induced  by  the  dragon- 
ist by  means  of  fantasies  ;  thus  there  had  been  no  calves,  rams, 
sheep,  kids,  or  lambs,  but  they  caused  the  genuine  goods  and 
truths  of  the  church,  which  they  hated,  to  so  appear.  The  lions, 
panthers,  tigers,  and  wolves  were  appearances  of  the  cupidities 
of  those  who  seemed  like  satyrs  and  priapi.  Those  without  a 
covering  about  the  parts  that  ought  to  be  concealed,  were  such 
as  believed  that  evils  do  not  appear  in  the  sight  of  God ;  while 
those  with  a  covering  were  such  as  believed  that  evils  appear 
but  do  not  damn  provided  they  have  faith.  The  whoremongers 
and  harlots  were  falsifiers  of  the  truths  of  the  Word,  for  whore- 
dom signifies  the  falsification  of  the  truth.  In  the  spiritual 
32 


498 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


499 


world  all  things  appear  at  a  distance  in  accordance  with  cor- 
respondence, and  when  they  appear  in  forms  they  are  called 
representations  of  spiritual  things  in  objects  resembling  natu- 
ral things. 

[4]  After  this  I  saw  them  going  out  of  the  forest,  the  drag- 
onist  in  the  midst  of  the  satyrs  said  priapiy  and  behind  them 
their  camp-followers,  who  were  the  whoremongers  and  harlots. 
The  crowd  increased  on  the  way,  and  then  I  heard  what  they 
were  saying  to  one  another. 

They  said  that  they  saw  a  flock  of  sheep  with  lambs  in  a 
meadow,  and  that  this  was  a  sign  that  one  of  the  Jenisalemite 
cities,  where  charity  is  the  chief  thing,  was  not  far  away.  And 
they  said,  "  Let  us  go  and  capture  that  city,  and  cast  out  its 
inhabitants,  and  plunder  their  goods." 

They  approached  the  city ;  but  there  was  a  wall  around  it, 
with  angel  guards  upon  the  wall. 

They  then  said,  "  Let  us  take  it  by  stratagem.  Let  us  send 
some  one  skilful  in  wily  speaking,  who  can  make  black  white 
and  white  black,  and  give  to  everything  whatever  color  he 
chooses." 

And  they  found  one  versed  in  the  art  of  metaphysics,  who 
was  able  to  change  ideas  of  things  into  ideas  of  terms,  con- 
cealing the  things  themselves  under  formulas,  and  thus  flying 
away  with  them  like  a  hawk  with  its  prey  under  its  wings. 
He  was  instructed  what  to  say  to  the  citizens,  that  they  were 
companions  in  religion,  and  that  they  wished  to  be  admitted. 

He  went  to  the  gate  and  knocked,  and  when  it  was  opened 
he  said  that  he  wished  to  speak  with  the  wisest  man  of  the 
city.  He  entered  and  was  conducted  to  a  certain  person,  whom 
he  addressed  as  follows :  "  My  brethren  are  outside  the  city 
and  beg  to  be  admitted ;  they  are  companions  with  you  in  re- 
ligion ;  with  you  we  make  faith  and  charity  the  two  essentials 
of  religion ;  the  sole  difference  is  that  you  say  that  charity  is 
primary  and  from  it  comes  faith,  while  we  say  that  faith  is 
primary  and  from  it  comes  charity.  What  matters  it  which  is 
called  primary,  so  long  as  both  are  believed  in  ?" 

[5]  The  wise  man  of  the  city  answered,  "  Let  us  not  talk  of 
this  matter  alone,  but  in  the  presence  of  others  who  may  be 
arbiters  and  judges;  otherwise  we  arrive  at  no  decision."    And 


,v 


\ 


N.  388] 

at  once  some  were  smamoned  to  whom  the  dragonist  said  the 

TheS;  wittizen  answered,  "You  have  said  that  it  js 

fl„t  ivtethei  w«  V<so  as  to  what  "'"^"'J  '»  *       ,  j  j      ™j 

and  that  fW  is  thought  derived  from  trust  respectmg  God, 
'-^^^f^^,  "I  .-t  that  this  is  f aHh  -d 
I  a  so  grant  that  charity  is  an  affection  to  do-S  tt'- *;  «^^^^^^ 
sake,  because  He  has  commanded  xt,  but  not  for  the  sake 

^^A£rthtarr::ltan;  disagreement  the  wise  citizen  said 
.  it  n^t  the  affection  or  the  love  primary,  and  is  not  thought 

derived  therefrom  ?"  ,        „ 

But  the  messenger  of  the  Dragon  said.     That  ^  d^"^. 
The  other  answered,  "  Yon  cannot  deny  it    ^^^^^  '^°*  '^'^^ 
think  from  some  love?    Take  away  love,  and  can  he  t  mk  a* 
Si"    It  is  precisely  the  same  as  taking". way  sound  from 
ali  c     it  lo  pie^AO'^Aj  4-  „n  9    TliP  «;nnnd  more- 

speech.    If  you  do  that  can  you  speak  at  all?    Th^~'™^. 
over  belon-s  to  some  affection  of  the  love,  ^^ile  speech  ne 

Z:i  Sought,  for  it  is  the  love  ^^f^^o^^'^^f^^:^^^ 
that  speaks.    It  is  also  like  «-  and  hght^  J^^^^^^^  ^  :haJ- 


500 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.    VI. 


N.  388] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


501 


faith  belongs  to  thought.  Can  you  not  thus  comprehend  that 
the  primary  is  the  all  in  the  secondary,  precisely  like  flame 
and  light  ?  From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  if  you  do  not  make 
primary  that  which  is  primary,  you  are  not  in  the  other. 
Consequently,  if  you  put  faith,  which"  belongs  to  the  second 
place,  in  the  fii-st  place,  you  will  always  appear  in  heaven  like 
an  inverted  man  with  his  feet  upward  and  his  head  downward, 
or  like  a  gymnast  with  mverted  body  walking  on  the  pabns  of 
his  hands.  If  such  is  your  appearance  in  heaven,  what  kind 
of  works  are  your  good  works,  which  are  charity  in-  act,  except 
such  as  that  gymnast  might  do  with  his  feet,  because  he  can- 
not use  his  hands  ?  Therefore  your  charity,  being  an  inverted 
charity,  is  natural  and  not  spiritual." 

[7]  This  the  emissary  understood,  for  every  devil  can  under- 
stand truth  when  he  hears  it,  but  he  cannot  retain  it  because 
affection  for  evil,  which  in  itself  is  tlie  lust  of  the  flesh,  ban- 
ishes, when  it  returns,  the  thought  of  truth. 

Then  the  wise  citizen  showed  in  various  ways  that  faith  when 
accepted  as  the  primary  is  merely  natural,  a  persuasion  desti- 
tute of  spiritual  life,  and  consequently  is  not  faith.  And  he 
added,  "  I  might  almost  say  that  in  your  faith  there  is  no  more 
spirituality  than  in  thought  about  the  kingdom  of  the  Great 
Mogul,  about  the  diamond-mine  there,  and  the  treasury  or  court 
of  that  emperor." 

When  the  dragonist  heard  this  he  went  away  angry  and  re- 
ported to  his  companions  outside  of  the  city ;  and  when  they 
heard  that  it  had  been  said  that  charity  is  an  affection  of  the 
love  of  doing  good  to  the  neighbor  for  the  sake  of  salvation 
and  eternal  life,  they  all  exclaimed,  "It  is  a  lie!"  And  the 
dragonist  himself  said,  «  Oh  how  outrageous !  Are  not  all  works 
that  pertain  to  charity,  and  that  are  done  for  the  sake  of  sal- 
vation, made  worthy  of  merit  ?" 

[8]  Then  they  ssrid  to  one  another,  "  Let  us  call  together  still 
more  of  our  people,  and  besiege  this  city  and  expel  these  char- 
ities." 

But  when  they  tried  to  do  that,  lo,  there  was  an  appearance 
of  a  fire  out  of  heaven  which  consumed  them.  But  the  fire  out 
of  heaven  was  an  appearance  of  their  anger  and  hatred  against 
those  who  were  in  the  city,  because  they  had  cast  faith  down 


i 


from  the  first  place  to  the  second,  and  even  to  the  lowest  place, 
beneath  charity,  since  they  had  said  that  such  faith  is  no  faith. 

They  appeared  to  be  consumed  with  fire,  because  a  hell  was 
opened  under  their  feet,  and  they  were  swallowed  up. 

Similar  things  happened  in  many  places  at  the  time  of  the 
last  judgment,  which  is  also  meant  by  the  foUowing  in  the 
Ajjocalypse : — 

The  dragon  shall  go  forth  to  lead  astray  the  nations  which  are  in  the 
four  quarters  of  the  earth,  to  gather  them  together  to  war.  And  they 
went  up  on  the  plain  of  the  earth,  and  encompa^ed  the  camp  of  the  sanite, 
and  the  beloved  city ;  but  fire  came  down  from  God  out  of  heaven  and 
consumed  them  {Apoc.  xx.  8,  0). 

389.  Fifth  Memorable  Relation  :— 

A  paper  was  once  seen  let  down  from  heaven  into  a  society  in 
the  world  of  spirits,  where  there  were  two  prelates  of  the  church 
with  subordinate  canons  and  presbyters.  The  paper  contamed 
an  exhortation  to  them  to  acknowledge  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
as  the  Cxod  of  heaven  and  earth,  as  He  Himself  taught  (Matt. 
xxviii.  18),  and  to  withdraw  from  the  doctrine  of  faith  justify- 
ing without  the  works  of  the  law,  because  it  is  erroneous.  This 
paper  was  read  and  copied  by  many,  and  many  thought  of  what 
was  in  it  and  spoke  with  judgment. 

But  having  received  it,  they  said  to  each  other,  "  Let  us  hear 

what  the  prelates  say." 

And  the  prelates  were  heard;  and  they  objected  to  it  and 
condemned  it.  For  the  prelates  of  that  society  were  hardened 
in  heart  by  falsities  imbibed  in  the  former  world.  So  after  a 
brief  consultation  with  each  other,  they  sent  the  paper  back  to 
heaven  whence  it  came. 

When  this  had  been  done,  after  some  murmuring,  most  ot 
the  laity  withdrew  their  previous  assent,  and  then  the  light  of 
their  judgment  in  spiritual  things,  which  had  before  shone 
brightly,  wa^  suddenly  extinguished.  After  they  had  been  ad- 
monished again,  but  to  no  purpose,  I  saw  that  society  sinking 
down  (liow  deeply  I  did  not  see),  and  thus  it  was  withdrawn 
from  the  sight  of  those  who  worship  the  Lord  only,  and  are 
averse  to  justification  by  faith  alone. 

[2]  Some  days  after  I  saw  nearly  a  hundred  ascending  from 
the  lower  earth,  just  where  that  little  society  had  sunk.    They 


502 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VL 


N.  389] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIFTH 


503 


drew  near  to  me,  and  one  of  them  said,  "  Listen  to  something 
wonderful.    While  we  were  sinking  down  the  place  appeared 
to  us  like  a  swamp,  but  presently  like  dry  land,  and  then  like 
a  small  town  in  which  many  had  each  his  own  house.    When 
a  day  had  passed,  we  consulted  together  as  to  what  ought  to  be 
done.    Many  said  that  those  two  i)relates  of  the  church  ought 
to  be  called  upon  and  mildly  censured  for  sending  the  paper 
back  to  the  heaven  it  came  from,  on  account  of  which  this  had 
befallen  us.    And  they  chose  certain  ones  who  went  to  the 
prelates  (and  the  one  wlio  talked  with  me  said  that  he  was  one 
of  them),  and  one  who  surpassed  the  others  in  wisdom  spoke 
to  the  prelates  as  follows,  ^  \Ve  have  believed  that  the  church 
and  religion  were  with  us  more  than  with  others,  because  we 
have  heard  it  said  that  we  are  especially  in  the  light  of  the 
Gospel;  but  there  has  been  given  to  some  of  us  enlightenment 
from  heaven,  and  in  the  enlightenment  a  perception  that  in 
the  Christian  world  at  the  present  day  there  is  no  longer  a 
church,  because  there  is  no  religion.'     [3]  The   prelates  an- 
swered, *What  are  you  saying?    Is  not  the  churcli  where  the 
Word  is,  where  Christ  the  Saviour  is  known,  and  where  the 
sacraments  are  V  To  this  our  s})okesman  rei)lied,  ^  These  things 
belong  to  the  church,  and  in  fact  constitute  the  church;  but 
this  they  do,  not  outside  of  man,  but  within  him.'    And  he  said 
further,  *Can   the  churcli  exist  where    three   Gods   are  wor- 
shiped?   Can  the  church  exist    where  its  whole    doctrine  is 
founded  upon  a  single  saying  of  Paul  falsely  understood,  and 
consequently  not  upon  the  Word?    Can  the  church  exist  so 
long  as  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  who  is  the  very  God  of  the 
church,  is  not  approached  ?    Who  can  deny  that  religion  is  to 
shun  evil  and  do  good?    Is  there  any  religion  where  it  is  taught 
that  faith  alone  saves,  and  not  charity  together  Avith  faith  ? 
Is  there  any  religion  where  it  is  taught  that  the  charity  pro- 
ceeding from  man  is  merely  moral  and  civil  charity?     Who 
does  not  see  that  in  such  charity  there  is  no  religion  ?     In 
faith  alone  is  there  anything  of  deeds  or  works  ?  and  yet  relig> 
ion  consists  in  doing.     In  the  whole  world  can  a  people  be 
found  that  excludes  all  saving  virtue  from  the  goods  of  char- 
ity, which  are  good  works,  when  in  fact  the  whole  of  religion 
consists  in  good,  and  the  whole  of  the  church  in  doctrine  which 


\ 


I 


teaches  truths,  and  by  means  of  truths  teaches  good  ?  What 
glory  had  been  ours,  if  we  had  accepted  those  things  that  the 
paper  let  down  from  heaven  carried  in  its  bosom !' 

[4]  "  The  prelates  then  answered, '  You  speak  too  loftily.  Is 
not  faith  in  act,  which  is  faith  fully  justified  and  saving,  the 
church  ?  And  is  not  faith  in  state,  which  is  faith  proceeding 
and  perfectmg,  religion  ?  Sons,  lay  hold  on  this.'  But  our 
wise  spokesman  said,  '  Listen,  fathers !  According  to  your 
dogma  does  not  man  conceive  of  faith  in  act  as  a  stock  ?  Can 
a  stock  be  vivified  into  a  church  ?  Is  not  faith  in  state,  ac- 
cording to  your  idea,  a  continuation  and  progression  of  faith 
in  act  ?  And  since,  according  to  your  dogma,  all  saving  power 
is  in  faith,  and  nothing  of  it  in  the  good  of  charity  from  man, 
where  then  is  religion  ?' 

''  Then  the  priests  answered,  '  Friend,  you  so  speak  because 
you  do  not  know  the  mysteries  of  justification  by  faith  alone ; 
and  he  who  does  not  know  these  does  not  know  interiorly  the 
way  of  salvation.    Your  way  is  external  and  the  way  of  the 
vulgar ;  go  in  it  if  you  will,  but  know  that  all  good  is  from 
God,  and  nothing  from  man,  and  thus  man  of  himself  has  no 
ability  in  spiritual  things.    How  then  can  man  of  himself  do 
good  that  is  spiritual  good  ?'     [5]  At  this  our  spokesman,  be- 
ing very  indignant,  replied,  '  I  know  your  mysteries  of  justi- 
fication better  than  you  do,  and  I  tell  you  plainly,  that  I  see 
nothing  in  them  interiorly  but  specters.    Is  it  not  religion  to 
acknowledge  God  and  to  shun  and  hate  the  devil  ?  Is  not  God 
good  itself,  and  the  devil  evil  itself?    Is  there  any  one  in 
the  whole  world  who  has  any  religion  who  does  not  know  this  ? 
Is  not  doing  good  because  it  is  of  God  and  from  God, — is  not 
this  acknowledging  God  and  loving  God  ?    And  is  not  ceasing 
to  do  evil,  because  it  is  of  the  devil  and  from  the  devil,— is  not 
this  shunning  and  hating  the  devil  ?    Or,  what  is  the  same 
thing,  does  your  faith  in  act,  which  you  call  faith  fully  justi- 
fying and  saving,  or,  what  is  again  the  same,  your  act  of  justi- 
fication by  faith  alone,— does  this  teach  the  doing  of  any  good 
that  is  of  and  from  God,  or  the  shunning  of  any  evil  that  is  of 
the  devil  and  from  the  devil  ?    Not  in  the  least ;  because  you 
maintain  that  there  is  nothing  of  salvation  in  either.  What  is 
your  faith  in  state,  which  you  have  called  faith  proceeding  and 


tinfrTiaHMMr'Hnfifiifniii 


504 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


perfecting,  but  the  same  thing  as  faith  in  act  ?  And  how  can 
this  be  perfected  when  you  exclude  all  good  done  by  man  as  if 
by  himself,  saying  in  your  mysteries.  How  can  man  be  saved 
by  any  good  done  by  himself,  when  salvation  is  gratuitous  ? 
And  again  you  say.  Is  there  any  good  done  by  man  that  is  not 
made  a  matter  of  merit,  when,  in  fact,  all  merit  belongs  to 
Christ?  Therefore  doing  good  for  the  sake  of  salvation  is 
attributing  to  ourself  what  belongs  to  Christ  alone,  and  is  thus 
a  desire  to  justify  and  save  ourself.  Again  you  say,  How  can 
any  man  do  good,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  does  all  things  with- 
out any  aid  from  man  ?  What  need  is  there  of  any  accessory- 
good  from  man,  when  all  good  that  comes  from  man  in  itself 
is  not  good  ?  and  so  on.  [6]  Are  not  these  your  mysteries  ? 
But  in  my  eyes  they  are  mere  cavils  and  subtleties  invented 
for  the  purpose  of  setting  aside  good  works,  which  are  the 
goods  of  charity,  so  that  you  may  establish  your  faith  alone. 
And  because  you  do  this,  in  respect  to  faith,  and  in  general  in 
respect  to  all  spiritual  things  which  pertain  to  the  church  and 
religion,  you  look  upon  man  as  a  stock  or  an  inanimate  figure, 
and  not  as  a  man  created  in  the  image  of  God,  to  whom  there 
has  been  given  and  is  continually  given  the  ability  to  under- 
stand and  to  will  and  to  believe  and  to  love,  to  speak,  and  to 
act,  altogether  as  if  of  himself,  especially  in  spiritual  things,  be- 
cause from  them  man  is  man.  If  man,  in  spiritual  things,  did 
not  think  and  operate  as  if  of  himself,  why  the  Word,  why  the 
church  and  religion,  and  why  worship  ?  You  know  that  doing 
good  to  the  neighbor  and  from  love  is  charity.  And  yet  you 
do  not  know  what  charity  is,  although  it  is  the  soul  and  essence 
of  faith;  and  since  charity  is  that  soul  and  essence,  what  is 
faith  separated  from  charity  but  dead  faith  ?  And  dead  faith 
is  a  mere  specter.  I  call  it  a  specter,  because  James  calls  faith 
apart  from  good  works  not  only  dead,  but  even  diabolical.'  [T] 
Then  one  of  the  prelates,  when  he  heard  his  faitli  called  dead, 
diabolical,  and  a  specter,  became  so  enraged  that  he  snatched 
his  miter  from  his  head  and  dashed  it  upon  the  table,  saying, 
'I  will  not  resume  it  until  I  have  taken  vengeance  upon  the  ene- 
mies of  the  faith  of  our  church ;'  and  he  shook  his  head,  mut- 
tering, and  saying.  That  James — that  James.  On  the  front  of 
his  miter  was  a  plate  on  which  were  engraved  the  words,  Faith 


N.  389] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIFTH 


506 


I 


alone  justifies.  Then  suddenly  a  monster  appeared  rising  up 
out  of  the  earth,  with  seven  heads,  with  feet  like  a  bear's,  a 
body  like  a  leopard's,  and  a  mouth  like  a  lion's,  precisely  like 
the  beast  described  in  the  Apocalypse  (xiii.  1,  2),  of  whom  an 
image  was  made  and  worshiped  (verses  14,  15).  This  specter 
took  the  miter  from  the  table,  and  stretched  it  wide  at  the  bot- 
tom and  placed  it  on  his  seven  heads,  and  then  the  earth  gaped 
beneath  his  feet  and  he  sank  down.  Seeing  this,  the  prelate 
shouted,  ^  Violence,  violence !'  We  then  left  them ;  and  lo, 
steps  appeared  before  us,  by  which  we  ascended  and  returned 
above  ground,  and  in  sight  of  the  heaven  where  we  had  been 
before." 

All  this  was  told  me  by  the  spirit  who,  with  a  hundred 
others,  had  ascended  from  the  lower  earth. 

390.  Sixth  Memorable  Eelation: — 

In  the  northern  quarter  of  the  spiritual  world  I  heard,  as  it 
were,  a  noise  of  waters ;  and  I  went  toward  it ;  and  as  I  drew 
near  the  noise  ceased,  and  I  heard  a  sound  like  the  hum  of  a 
multitude.  Then  there  was  seen  a  house  full  of  holes,  sur- 
rounded by  a  wall,  from  which  the  sound  was  heard.  I  went 
to  it,  and  asked  a  doorkeeper  who  was  there,  "Who  are  here?" 

He  said,  "  The  wisest  of  the  wise,  who  together  form  con- 
clusions about  supernatural  things."  This  he  said  from  his 
simple  faith. 

I  asked  whether  I  could  enter. 

He  said,  "  You  can,  provided  you  say  nothing ;  for  I  have 
leave  to  admit  gentiles  to  stand  in  the  doorway  with  me." 

So  I  entered,  and  behold,  it  was  an  amphitheater,  and  in 
the  center  of  it  was  a  pulpit,  and  a  company  of  so-called  wise 
men  discussing  the  mysteries  of  their  faith.  The  matter  or 
proposition  then  under  discussion  was.  Whether  or  not  the 
good  that  a  man  does  in  a  state  of  justification  by  faith,  or  in 
its  progress  after  the  act,  is  the  good  of  religion.  They  de- 
clared unanimously,  that  good  of  religion  means  good  that 
contributes  to  salvation. 

[2]  There  was  a  sharp  discussion ;  but  those  prevailed  who 
said  that  the  good  that  a  man  does  in  the  state  or  progress  of 
faith  is  only  moral  good,  which  \?>  conducive  to  worldly  pros- 
perity, but  contributes  nothing  to  salvation ;  faith  only  does 


506 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


that.  This  they  confirmed  as  follows:  "How  can  any  volun- 
tary good  of  man's  be  conjoined  with  what  is  free;  and  is  not 
salvation  free?  How  can  any  good  from  man  be  conjoined 
with  the  merit  of  Christ  ?  Is  not  salvation  through  this  alone  ? 
And  how  can  man's  operation  be  conjoined  with  the  operation 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  ?  Does  not  that  do  all  things  without  the 
aid  of  man  ?  And  are  not  these  three  things  alone  saving  in 
the  act  of  justification  by  faith,  and  do  not  the  same  fhree  con- 
tinue to  be  alone  saving  in  its  state  or  progress  ?  Therefore, 
accessory  good,  which  is  from  man,  can  by  no  means  be  called 
the  good  of  religion,  which,  as  before  said,  contributes  to  sal- 
vation ;  and  if  any  one  does  this  good  for  the  sake  of  salvation, 
since  there  is  then  the  will  of  man  in  it,  which  cannot  but  look 
upon  such  good  as  a  merit,  it  ought  rather  to  be  called  an  evil 
of  religion." 

[3]  Two  gentiles  were  standing  beside  the  doorkeeper  in  the 
vestibule,  and  when  they  heard  all  this  they  said  to  each  other, 
"  These  men  have  no  religion.  Who  does  not  see  that  to  do 
good  to  the  neighbor  for  God's  sake  thus  with  and  from  God, 
is  what  is  called  religion?"  And  the  other  said,  "Their  faith 
has  infatuated  them." 

They  then  asked  the  doorkeeper  who  the  men  were. 

He  answered,  "  They  are  wise  Christians." 

They  replied,  "You  are  prating;  you  are  speaking  falsely; 
they  are  play-actors ;  they  talk  like  them." 

So  I  went  away.  It  was  of  the  Divine  auspices  of  the  Lord 
that  I  went  to  that  house,  and  that  they  then  deliberated  on 
those  subjects,  and  that  everything  occurred  as  described. 

391.  Seventh  Memorable  Relation  : — 

What  desolation  of  truth  there  is  in  the  Christian  world  to- 
day,  and  what  theological  barrenness,  has  been  brought  to  my 
knowledge  by  conversation  with  many  of  the  laity  and  of  the 
clergy  in  the  spiritual  world.  With  the  latter  there  is  such 
spiritual  destitution  that  they  hardly  know  anything  except 
that  there  is  a  Trinity  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  and 
that  faith  alone  saves ;  and  of  the  Lord  Christ  they  know  only 
the  historical  facts  about  Him  in  the  Gospels.  But  all  else 
which  the  Word  of  both  Testaments  teaches  respecting  Him, — 
as  that  the  Father  and  He  are  one,  that  He  is  in  the  Father 


N.  3vn] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SEVENTH 


507 


and  the  Father  in  Him,  that  He  has  all  power  in  heaven  and 
on  earth,  that  it  is  the  will  of  the  Father  that  they  should  be- 
lieve in  the  Son,  and  that  whosoever  believes  in  Him  has  eter- 
nal life,— these  and  many  other  thuigs  are  as  unknown  to  them 
and  as  remote  as  the  things  that  he  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean, 
or  even  at  the  center  of  the  earth.  And  when  such  things  are 
brought  forth  from  the  Word  and  read,  they  stand  as  if  they 
heard  and  yet  did  not  hear ;  and  these  things  enter  no  more 
deeply  into  their  ears  than  the  whispering  of  the  wind  or  the 
beating  of  a  drum.  The  angels  who  are  sometimes  sent  by  the 
Lord  to  visit  the  Christian  societies  that  are  in  the  world  of 
spirits,  and  thus  beneath  heaven,  lament  exceedingly,  saying, 
that  in  them  there  is  a  dulness  and  consequent  darkness  in 
matters  pertaining  to  salvation,  ahnost  equal  to  that  of  talk- 
ing parrots.  Even  their  own  learned  men  say,  that  in  spiritual 
and  Divine  things  they  have  no  more  understanding  than 

statues. 

[2]  An  angel  once  told  me  that  he  had  talked  with  two  ot 
the  clergy,  one  of  whom  was  in  faith  separated  from  charity, 
and  the  other  in  faith  not  separated.     With  the  former  he 
spoke  as  follows  :  "  Friend,  what  are  you?"    He  replied,  "  I  am 
a  Reformed  Christian."     "  What  is  your  doctrine,  and  your 
religion  derived  from  it  ?"    He  answered,  «  Faith."    The  angel 
asked,  "  What  is  your  faith  ?"    He  replied,  "  My  faith  is  that 
God  the  Father  sent  His  Son  to  take  upon  Himself  the  damna- 
tion of  the  Human  race,  and  that  we  are  thereby  saved."    The 
angel  then  asked,  "  What  more  do  you  know  about  salvation  ?" 
He  replied,  "  Salvation  is  effected  by  means  of  that  faith  alone." 
Again  the  angel  asked,  "  A\Tiat  do  you  know  about  redemp- 
tion ?"    He  answered,  "  It  was  accomplished  by  the  passion  of 
the  cross,  and  Christ's  merit  is  imputed  through  that  faith." 
"  What  do  you  know  about  regeneration  ?"    He  replied,  "  It  is 
effected  by  means  of  that  faith."    "  Tell  me  what  you  know 
about  love  and  charity."    He  answered,  "  They  are  that  faith." 
«  What  do  you  think  of  the  commandments  of  the  Decalogue 
and  the  rest  of  the  Word  ?"  He  replied,  "  They  are  included  in 
that  faith."     Then  said  the  angel,  "  You,  therefore,  will  do 
nothing  ?"    He  answered,  "  What  am  I  to  do  ?  I  have  no  abil- 
ity of  myself  to  do  good  that  is  good."    The  angel  said,  «  Can 


508 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VI. 


you  have  faith  of  yourself  ?"  He  replied,  "  That  I  do  not  in- 
quire into ;  I  must  have  faith."  Finally  the  angel  said, ''  Surely 
you  know  something  more  about  the  state  of  salvation  ?"  He 
answered,  "  What  more  should  I  know,  when  salvation  comes 
through  that  faith  alone  ?"  Then  the  angel  said,  '<  You  answer 
like  a  man  playing  but  one  note  on  a  flute.  I  hear  nothing  but 
faith.  If  you  know  about  that  and  nothing  else,  you  know 
nothing  at  all.  Gro  and  see  where  your  companions  are.''  He 
went,  and  found  them  in  a  desert  where  there  was  no  grass. 
He  asked  why  this  was  so,  and  was  told  that  it  was  because 
they  possessed  nothing  of  the  church. 

[3]  With  the  one  who  had  faith  conjoined  with  charity,  the 
angel  spoke  as  follows  :  "  Friend,  what  are  you?''  He  replied, 
"  I  am  a  Reformed  Christian."  "  What  is  your  doctrine,  and 
your  religion  derived  from  it  ?"  He  answered,  "  Faith  and 
charity."  The  angel  said,  "  These  are  two  things."  He  replied, 
"They  cannot  be  separated."  The  angel  asked,  "What  is 
faith  ?"  He  answered,  "  To  believe  what  the  Word  teaches." 
"  And  what  is  charity  ?"  He  replied,  "  To  do  what  the  Word 
teaches."  He  asked,  "Have  you  merely  believed  what  the 
Word  teaches,  or  have  you  also  done  it  ?"  He  answered,  "  I 
have  also  done  it."  The  angel  of  heaven  then  looked  at  him 
and  said,  "  My  friend,  come  with  me  and  dwell  with  us." 


N.  392] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


509 


CHAPTER   VII. 

CHARITY,  OR  LOVE  TO  THE  NEIGHBOR,  AND  GOOD  WORKS. 

392.  Having  treated  of  faith,  charity  now  follows,  because 
faith  and  charity  are  conjoined  like  truth  and  good,  and  these 
two  like  light  and  heat  in  spring.    This  is  said  because  spiritual 
light,  which  is  the  light  that  goes  forth  from  the  sun  of  the 
spiritual  world,  is  in  its  essence  truth ;  and  consequently  in  that 
world  wherever  truth  appears,  it  shines  with  a  splendor  propor- 
tionate to  its  purity ;  and  spiritual  heat,  which  also  goes  forth 
from  that  sun,  in  its  essence  is  good.    This  too  is  said  because 
it  is  the  same  with  charity  and  faith  as  with  good  and  truth ; 
for  charity  is  the  complex  of  all  things  pertaining  to  the  good 
that  a  man  does  to  his  neighbor,  while  faith  is  the  complex  of 
all  things  pertaining  to  the  truth  that  a  man  thinks  respecting 
God  and  things  Divine.    [2]  As,  therefore,  the  truth  of  faith  is 
spiritual  light,  and  the  good  of  charity  spiritual  heat,  it  follows 
that  it  is  the  same  witn  that  light  and  heat  as  with  the  light 
and  heat  of  the  natural  world,  that  is  to  say,  as  by  the  conjunc- 
tion of  the  latter  all  things  on  earth  spring  forth,  so  by  the 
conjunction  of  the  former  all  things  spring  forth  in  the  human 
mind ;  but  with  the  distinction  that  on  the  earth  this  growth 
is  effected  by  natural  heat  and  light,  but  in  the  human  mind  it 
is  effected  by  spiritual  heat  and  light,  and  this  latter  being  spir- 
itual, is  wisdom  and  intelligence.    Moreover,  as  there  is  a  cor- 
respondence between  these,  the  human  mind  in  which  charity 
is  conjoined  with  faith  and  faith  with  charity  is  in  the  Word 
likened  to  a  garden,  and  this  is  what  is  meant  by  the  garden  of 
Eden.    (This  has  been  fully  shown  in  the  Arcana  Cmlestia,  pub- 
lished in  London.)    [3]  Again,  having  treated  of  faith,  charity 
must  be  treated  of  for  the  further  reason  that  otherwise  what 
faith  is  could  not  be  comprehended,  since,  as  stated  and  shown 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  faith  without  charity  is  not  faith,  nor 
is  charity  without  faith  charity,  and  neither  of  them  is  living 
except  from  the  Lord  (n.  355-801) ;  also  that  the  Lord,  charity, 
and  faith  make  one,  like  life,  will,  and  understanding,  and  if 
they  are  divided,  each  perishes,  like  a  pearl  reduced  to  powder 


510 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VII. 


N.  394] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


511 


(n.  362-367) ;  and  finally,  that  charity  and  faith  are  together  in 
good  works  (n.  373-378). 

393.  It  is  an  unchanging  truth,  that,  for  man  to  have  spir- 
itual life,  and  therefore  salvation,  faith  and  charity  must  not 
be  separated.    This  is  self-evident  to  any  man's  understanding, 
even  if  it  is  not  enriched  with  the  treasures  of  learning.    When 
one  hears  it  said,  that  whoever  lives  ivell  and  believes  aright  is 
saved,  does  he  not  see  this  from  a  kind  of  interior  perception 
and  therefore  assent  to  it  with  his  understanding  ?    And  when 
he  hears  it  said  that  he  who  believes  aright  and  does  not  live 
well  is  also  saved,  does  he  not  reject  it  from  his  understanding, 
as  he  would  a  piece  of  dirt  falling  into  his  eye  ?    For  from  in- 
terior perception  the  thought  instantly  occurs.  How  can  any 
one  believe  aright  when  he  does  not  live  well  ?    In  that  case, 
what  is  believing  but  a  painted  picture  of  faith,  and  not  its  liv- 
ing image?     So  again,  if  any  one  hears  it  said,  that  whoever 
lives  well  is  saved,  although  he  does  not  believe,  does  not  the  un- 
derstanding, while  reflecting  upon  this  or  turning  it  over  and 
over,  see,  perceive  and  think,  that  this  also  is  not  consistent, 
since  right  living  is  from  God,  because  all  good  that  is  essen- 
tially good  is  from  God  ?    What  then  is  living  aright  and  not 
believing,  but  like  clay  in  the  hands  of  a  potter,  which  cannot 
be  formed  into  a  vessel  that  would  be  of  use  in  the  spiritual 
kingdom,  but  only  in  the  natural  ?    Furthermore,  cannot  any 
one  see  a  contradiction  in  these  two  statements,  namely,  that 
he  is  saved  who  believes  but  does  not  live  well,  and  that  he  is 
saved  who  lives  well  but  does  not  believe?     Since,  then,  living 
well,  which  pertains  to  charity,  is  at  this  day  both  imderstood 
and  not  understood— living  well  naturally  being  understood, 
while  living  well  spiritually  is  not— therefore  this  subject,  be- 
cause it  pertains  to  charity,  shall  be  treated  of,  and  this  shall 
be  done  under  a  series  of  distinct  propositions. 


i 
I 


I. 


THERE  ARE  THREE  UNIVERSAL  LOVES THE  LOVE  OF  HEAVEN, 

THE  LOVE  OF  THE  WORLD,  AND  THE  LOVE  OF  SELF. 

394.  These  three  loves  must  first  be  considered  for  the  rea- 
son that  these  three  are  the  universal  and  fundamental  of  all 
loves,  and  that  charity  has  something  in  common  vdth  each  of 
them.  For  the  love  of  heaven  means  both  love  to  the  Lord  and 
love  towards  the  neighbor;  and  as  each  of  these  looks  to  use 
as  its  end,  the  love  of  heaven  may  be  called  the  love  of  uses. 
The  love  of  the  world  is  not  merely  a  love  of  wealth  and  posses- 
sions, but  is  also  a  love  of  all  that  the  world  affords,  and  of  all 
that  delights  the  bodily  senses,  as  beauty  delights  the  eye,  har- 
mony the  ear,  fragrance  the  nostrils,  delicacies  the  tongue, 
softness  the  skin ;  also  becoming  dress,  convenient  houses,  and 
society,  thus  all  the  enjoyments  arising  from  these  and  many 
other  objects.  The  love  of  self  is  not  merely  the  love  of  honor, 
glory,  fame,  and  eminence,  but  also  the  love  of  meriting  and 
seeking  office,  and  so  of  ruling  over  others.  Charity  has  some- 
thing in  common  with  each  of  these  three  loves,  because  viewed 
in  itself  charity  is  the  love  of  uses;  for  charity  wishes  to  do 
good  to  the  neighbor,  and  good  and  use  are  the  same,  and  from 
these  loves  every  one  looks  to  uses  as  his  end;  the  love  of 
heaven  looking  to  spiritual  uses,  the  love  of  the  world  to  nat- 
ural uses,  which  may  be  called  civil,  and  the  love  of  self  to  cor- 
poreal uses,  which  may  also  be  called  domestic  uses,  that  have 
regard  to  oneself  and  one's  own. 

395.  That  these  three  loves  reside  in  every  man  from  crea- 
tion and  therefore  from  birth,  and  that  when  rightly  subordi- 
nated they  perfect  him,  and  when  not,  they  pervert  him,  will  be 
shown  in  the  next  article.  It  may  serve  for  the  present  merely 
to  state,  that  these  three  loves  are  rightly  subordinated  when 
the  love  of  heaven  forms  the  head,  the  love  of  the  world  the 
breast  and  abdomen,  and  the  love  of  self  the  feet  and  their 
soles.  As  repeatedly  stated  above,  the  himian  mind  is  divided 
into  three  regions.  From  the  highest  region  man  looks  to  God, 
from  the  second  or  middle  region  to  the  world,  and  from  the 


WiiiiiitTfinilifh'fiTliiifftr 


512 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VII. 


third  or  lowest  to  himself.    The  mind  being  such  it  can  be  raised 
and  can  raise  itself  upward,  because  to  God  and  to  heaven ;  it 
can  be  extended  and  can  extend  itself  to  the  sides  in  all  di- 
rections, because  into  the  world  and  its  nature ;  and  it  can  be 
let  downward  and  let  itself  downward,  lx;cause  to  earth  and  to 
hell.    In  these  respects  the  bodily  vision  emulates  the  mind's 
vision ;  it  also  can  look  upward,  round  about,  and  downward. 
[2]  The  human  mind  is  like  a  house  of  three  stories  which 
communicate  by  stairs,  in  the  highest  of  which  angels  from 
heaven  dwell,  in  the  middle  men  in  the  world,  and  in  the  lowest 
one,  genii.    The  man  in  whom  these  three  loves  are  rightly  sub- 
ordinated can  ascend  and  descend  in  this  house  at  his  pleasure ; 
and  when  he  ascends  to  the  highest  story,  he  is  in  company 
with  angels  as  an  angel;  and  when  he  descends  from  that 
to  the  middle  story  he  is  in  company  with  men  as  an  angel 
man ;  and  when  from  this  he  descends  still  further,  he  is  in 
company  with  f/enil  as  a  man  of  the  world,  instructing,  reprov- 
ing, and  subduing  them.    [3]  In  the  man  in  whom  these  three 
loves  are  rightly  subordinated,  they  are  also  co-ordinated  thus  : 
The  highest  love,  which  is  the  love  of  heaven,  is  inwardly  in 
the  second,  which  is  the  love  of  the  world,  and  through  this  in 
the  third  or  lowest,  which  is  the  love  of  self ;  and  the  love 
that  is  within  directs  at  its  will  that  which  is  without.    So 
when  the  love  of  heaven  is  inwardly  in  the  love  of  the  world, 
and  through  this  in  the  love  of  self,  man  from  the  God  of  hea^ 
ven,  performs  uses  in  each.    In  their  operation  these  three 
loves  are  like  will,  understanding,  and  action ;  the  will  flows 
into  the  understanding,  and  there    provides  itself  with  the 
means  whereby  it  produces  action.    But  on  these  points  more 
will  be  seen  in  the  following  article,  where  it  will  be  shown 
that  these  three  loves,  when  rightly  subordinated,  perfect  man, 
but  when  not  rightly  subordinated,  pervert  and  invert  him. 

396.  But  in  order  that  what  follows  in  this  and  the  succeed- 
ing chapters  on  Freedom  of  Choice,  on  Eeformation,  on  Regen- 
eration, and  so  forth,  may  be  so  presented  in  the  light  of  rea- 
son as  to  be  clearly  seen,  it  is  necessary  to  premise  something 
respecting  the  will  and  understanding,  good  and  tntth,  lorn  in 
general,  the  love  of  the  world  and  love  of  self  in  particular,  the 
external  and  internal  man,  and  the  merely  natural  and  sensual 


N.  396] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


513 


r,^an,  These  things  must  be  made  clear,  that  the  rational  sight 
of  man,  in  his  perception  of  what  follows  further  on,  may  not 
be  as  it  were  ma  dense  fog,  and  in  that  state  be  bke  one  wan- 
dering through  the  streets  of  a  city  until  he  knows  not  the 
way  home.  For  what  is  theology  separated  f^o^i  the  under- 
standing  or  with  the  understanding  not  enlightened  when  the 
Word  is'^^^^^^  but  like  a  lamp  in  the  hand  giving  no  light  such 
as  were  those  of  the  five  foolish  virgins  who  had  no  oil.  On 
each  of  these  subjects,  then,  in  their  order. 

397     (1)   The  wiU  and  understanding,    1.  Man  has  two  fac- 
ulties  which- constitute  his  life;  one  called  tlie  will  and  the 
:  her  the  understanding.    These  are  distinct  from  each  othe.^ 
but  so  created  as  to  be  one,  and  when  they  are  one  they  a  e 
called  the  mind;  consequently  these  are  the  human  mmd,  and 
n  them  the  whole  of  man's  life  resides  in  its  principles,  and 
therefrom  in  the  body.    2.  As  all  things  in  the  imivei.e  which 
are  according  to  order,  have  relation  to  good  and  truth,  so  ail 
tWs  In  man  have  relation  to  the  will  and  understanding; 
since  good  in  man  pertains  to  the  will,  and  truth  to  the  under- 
standing;  for  these  two  faculties  or  these  two  hves  of  man  are 
Sr  rec  ptacles  and  subjects-the  w;ill  being  the  receptac  e 
and  subject  of  all  things  of  good,  and  the  understanding  the 
receptacle  and  subject  of  all  things  of  truth.    Here  and  n(> 
wTeS  else  are  the  goods  and  truths  in  man,  and  as  goods  and 
Truths   n  mtn  are  n'owhere  else,  so  love  and  faith  are  nowhere 
ebe  since  love  belongs  to  good  and  good  to  love,  while    aith 
Sngs  to  truth  and  truth  to  faith.    3.  Again  the  will  and  un- 
Srstfnding  constitute  man's  spirit,  for  in  these  his  wisdom 
and  intelligence  reside,  also  his  love  and  charity,  and  m  gen- 
eral Ms  Ife     The  body  is  mere  obedience.    4    Nothing  is  more 
Tportant  than  to  know  how  the  will  and  -^e-^^^^^^^^^ 
one  mind.    They  make  one  mmd  as  good  and  ^-^^^^^^^^^ 
for  there  is  a  marriage  between  the  will  and  the  understand 
£  the  same  as  between  good  and  truth.    Tl^e  nature  of  tha^ 
marriage  will  be  made  clear  in  what  is  now  to  be  set  forth  re- 
rect^g  gTod  and  truth-namely,  that  as  good  is  the  very  be- 
ZXieU  a  thing,  and  truth  its  manifestation  (^^^^^^^^^^ 
from  so  is  the  will  in  man  the  very  bemg  of  his  nfe,  while  the 
undektan^^^^^  is  its  manifestation  therefrom;  for  good,  which 
33 


614 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VII. 


belongs  to  the  will,  takes  form  in  the  understanding,  and  there 
presents  itself  to  view. 

398.  (2)  Good  and  truth.    1.  All  things  in  the  universe  that 
are  in  Divine  order  have  relation  to  good  and  truth ;  for  noth- 
ing can  exist  in  heaven  or  in  the  world  that  does  not  have  re- 
lation to  these  two.    This  is  because  both  of  these,  good  as  well 
as  truth,  go  forth  from  God  from  whom  are  all  things.    [2]  2. 
From  this  it  is  clear  that  it  is  necessary  for  man  to  know  what 
good  is  and  what  truth  is,  how  the  one  has  regard  to  the  other 
and  how  the  one  is  conjoined  with  the  other ;  and  this  is  espe- 
cially necessary  for  the  man  of  the  church,  since  "all  things  of 
the  church  have  relation  to  good  and  truth,  just  as  all  things 
of  heaven  do,  because  the  good  and  truth  of  heaven  are  also 
the  good  and  truth  of  the  church.     [3]  3.  It  is  according  to 
Divine  order  for  good  and  truth  to  be  conjoined  and  not  sepa- 
rated, thus  that  they  be  one  and  not  two ;  for  they  are  con- 
joined when  they  go  forth  from  God  and  are  conjoined  in  hea- 
ven, and  therefore  must  be  conjoined  in  the  church.    The  con- 
junction of  good  and  truth  is  called  in  heaven  the  heavenly 
marriage,  for  all  who  are  there  are  in  that  marriage.    For  this 
reason  in  the  Word  heaven  is  likened  to  a  marriage,  and  the 
Lord  is  called  the  bridegroom  and  husband,  and  heaven,  and 
likewise  the  church,  the  bride  and  wife.     Heaven  and  the 
church  are  so  called  because  those  who  are  there  receive  the 
Divine  good  in  truths.     [4]  4.  All  the  intelligence  and  wisdom 
that  the  angels  have  is  from  that  marriage,  and  nothing  there- 
of is  from  good  separated  from  truth,  or  from  truth  separated 
from  good.  It  is  the  same  with  the  men  of  the  church.     [5]  5. 
Since  the  conjunction  of  good  and  truth  is  like  a  marriage,  it  is 
evident  that  good  loves  truth,  and  that  truth  in  turn  loves 
good,  and. that  each  desires  to  be  conjoined  with  the  other. 
The  man  of  the  church  who  has  no  such  love  and  no  such  d^ 
sire  is  not  in  the  heavenly  marriage ;  therefore  the  church  is 
not  yet  in  him,  since  the  conjunction  of  good  and  truth  is  what 
constitutes  the  church.     [6]  6.  Goods  are  manifold.    In  gen- 
eral there  is  spiritual  good  and  there  is  natural  good,  and  also 
the  two  conjoined  in  genuine  moral  good.    As  with  goods  so 
with  truths,  since  truths  are  of  good  and  are  forms  of  good. 
[7]  7.  As  with  good  and  truth,  so  is  it  in  an  opposite  way  with 


N.  398] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


515 


evil  and  falsity ;  that  is,  as  all  things  in  the  universe  that  are 
in  accordance  with  Divine  order  have  relation  to  good  and 
truth,  so  do  all  things  contrary  to  Divine  order  have  relation 
to  evil  and  falsity.    Again,  as  good  loves  to  be  conjoined  with 
truth,  and  truth  with  good,  so  does  evil  love  to  be  conjoined 
with  falsity  and  falsity  with  evil.    And  further,  as  aU  inteUi- 
gence  and  wisdom  is  born  from  the  conjunction  of  good  and 
truth,  so  is  all  irrationality  and  folly  born  from  the  conjunc- 
tion of  evil  and  falsity.    The  conjunction  of  evil  and  falsity 
viewed  interiorly  is  not  marriage  but  adultery.    [8]  8.  From 
the  fact  that  evil  and  falsity  are  the  opposites  of  good  and 
truth  it  is  clear  that  truth  cannot  be  conjoined  with  evil,  nor 
good  with  the  falsity  of  evil.    If  truth  is  joined  to  evil  it  comes 
to  be  no  longer  truth,  but  falsity,  because  it  is  falsified;  and 
if  good  is  joined  to  the  falsity  of  evil  it  comes  to  be  no  longer 
good,  but  evil,  because  it  is  adulterated.    But  falsity  that  is 
not  the  falsity  of  evil  may  be  joined  to  good.    [0]  9.  No  one 
who  is  in  evil  and  therefrom  in  falsity  by  confirmation  and  life, 
can  know  what  good  and  truth  are,  for  he  believes  his  own  evil 
to  be  good,  and  therefore  his  own  falsity  to  be  truth ;  but  every 
one  who  is  in  good,  and  therefrom  in  truth  by  confirmation 
and  life,  can  know  what  evil  and  falsity  are.    This  is  because 
all  good  and  its  truth  are  in  their  essence  heavenly,  while  all 
evil^nd  its  falsity  are  in  their  essence  infernal,  and  ever}i;hing 
heavenly  is  in  light,  but  everything  infernal  in  darkness. 

399.  (3)  Love  in  general.    1.  The  very  life  of  man  is  his 
love,  and  as  his  love  is  such  is  his  life,  such  even  is  the  whole 
man ;  but  it  is  the  dominant  or  ruling  love  that  makes  the  man. 
This 'love  has  many  loves  subordinate  to  it  which  are  deriva- 
tions from  it ;  and  while  these  are  in  appearance  different  loves, 
yet  they  are   every  one  included  in  the  dominant  love,  and 
with  it  form  one  kingdom.    The  dominant  love  is  like  the  king 
and  head  of  the  others ;  it  directs  them,  and  through  them  as 
mediate  ends  it  looks  to  and  is  intent  upon  its  own  end  (which 
is  the  first  and  last  of  all),  and  this  both  directly  and  indi- 
rectly.   [2]  2.  What  belongs  to  the  dominant  love  is  what  is 
loved  above  all  things.    That  which  man  loves  above  all  things 
is  constantly  present  in  his  thought,  because  it  is  in  his  will 
and  constitutes  his  veriest  life.    For  example,  one  who  loves 


gai^ddffisgibj^ 


516 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VU, 


wealth  above  all  things,  whether  money  or  possessions,  is  con- 
stantly studying  how  to  acquire  it,  is  inmostly  delighted  when 
he  gets  it,  and  inmostly  grieved  when  he  loses  it.  His  heart 
is  in  it.  He  who  loves  himself  above  all  things  is  mindful  of 
himself  in  every  least  thing,  thinks  about  himself,  talks  about 
himself,  acts  in  his  own  behalf,  for  his  life  is  the  life  of  self. 
[3]  3.  What  a  man  loves  above  all  things  is  his  end;  that 
he  looks  to  in  all  things  and  in  every  single  thing.  In  his  will 
it  is  like  the  latent  cui-rent  of  a  river,  which  draws  and  bears 
him  away  even  when  he  is  doing  something  else,  for  it  is  that 
which  influences  him.  This  it  is  that  one  man  searches  out 
and  discovers  in  another,  and  thereby  either  controls  him  or 
acts  with  him.  [4]  4.  Man  is  wholly  such  as  is  that  which 
is  dominant  in  his  life.  By  this  he  is  distinguished  from 
others ;  according  to  it  his  heaven  is  formed  if  he  is  good,  and 
his  hell  if  he  is  evil;  it  is  his  very  will,  his  very  own  {jjro- 
pniim),  and  his  very  nature,  for  it  is  the  very  being  (esse)  of 
his  life.  This  cannot  be  changed  after  death,  for  it  is  the  man 
himself.  [5]  5.  Everything  that  gives  delight,  satisfaction, 
and  hai^piness  to  any  one  is  wholly  from  his  dominant  love, 
and  is  in  accordance  with  it;  for  that  which  he  loves  man  calls 
delightful  because  he  feels  it  to  be  so.  What  he  thinks  about 
and  yet  does  not  love,  he  may  also  call  delightful,  but  it  is  not 
the  delight  of  his  life.  The  delight  of  a  man's  love  is  to  him 
good,  and  what  is  undelightful  is  to  him  evil.  [6]  6.  There 
are  two  loves,  from  which,  as  from  their  very  fountains,  all 
goods  and  truths  spring ;  and  there  are  two  loves  from  which 
all  evils  and  falsities  spring.  The  two  loves  from  which  are 
all  goods  and  truths  are  love  to  the  Lord  and  love  towards  the 
neighbor,  while  the  two  loves  from  which  are  all  evils  and  fal- 
sities are  the  love  of  self  and  the  love  of  the  world.  W^hen  the 
two  latter  loves  are  dominant  they  are  entirely  opposite  to  the 
two  former.  [T]  7.  The  two  loves  from  which  are  all  goods 
and  truths,  which,  as  has  been  said,  are  love  to  the  Lord  and 
love  towards  the  neighbor,  constitute  heaven  in  man,  for  these 
rule  in  heaven ;  and  because  they  constitute  heaven  in  man 
they  also  constitute  the  church  in  him.  The  two  loves  from 
which  are  all  evils  and  falsities,  which,  as  has  been  said,  are 
the  love  of  self  and  the  love  of  the  world,  constitute  hell  in 


N.  399] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


517 


man,  for  they  rule  in  hell ;  and  consequently  they  destroy  the 
church  in  man.  [8]  8.  The  two  loves  from  which  are  all  goods 
and  truths,  which,  as  before  said,  are  the  loves  of  heaven,  open 
and  form  the  internal,  spiritual  man,  because  they  reside  there, 
but  the  two  loves  from  which  are  all  evils  and  falsities,  which, 
as  before  said,  are  the  loves  of  hell,  when  they  predominate, 
close  and  destroy  the  internal  spiritual  man,  and  render  man 
natural  and  sensual  according  to  the  extent  and  nature  of  their 
dominion  over  .him. 

400.  (1)  Love  of  self  and  love  of  the  tvorld  in  paHicular. 
1.  The  love  of  self  is  wishing  well  to  oneself  only,  and  not  to 
others  except  for  the  sake  of  self,  not  even  to  the  church,  one's 
country,  any  human  society,  or  to  a  fellow-citizen ;  it  is  also 
doing  good  to  them  solely  for  the  sake  of  one's  own  reputation, 
honour,  and  glory ;  and  when  these  are  not  perceived  in  the  good 
done  to  others,  saying  in  one's  heart,  "  What  matters  it  ?  Why 
should  I  do  this  ?    What  will  I  gain  by  it  ?"— and  so  leavmg 
it  undone.    This  makes  evident  that  he  who  is  in  the  love  of 
self  does  not  love  the  church,  or  his  country,  or  society,  or  his 
fellow-citizen,  or  anything  truly  good,  but  only  himself  and  his 
own.     [2]  2.  Man  is  in  the  love  of  self,  when  he  has  no  re- 
gard for  the  neighbor  in  what  he  thinks  and  does,  thus  no  re- 
gard for  the  public,  still  less  for  the  Lord,  but  only  for  himself 
and  those  who  belong  to  him,  and  therefore  does  everything 
for  the  sake  of  himself  and  those  who  belong  to  him,  or  if  for 
the  public's  sake,  it  is  for  appearance  only,  or  if  for  the  neigh- 
bor it  is  to  obtain  his  favor.    [3]  3.  It  is  said,  for  the  sake  of 
himself  and  those  who  belong  to  him;  for  he  who  loves  him- 
self loves  also  those  who  belong  to  him,  who  are  especially  his 
children  and  grandchildren,  and  in  general  all  who  make  one 
with  him,  whom  he  calls  his  own.  Loving  these  is  loving  him- 
self for  he  regards  them,  as  it  were,  in  himself,  and  himself  m 
them     Among  those  whom  he  calls  his  own  are  also  mcluded 
all  who  praise,  and  honor,  and  pay  court  to  him.  All  others  he 
indeed  looks  upon  with  his  bodily  eyes  as  men,  but  with  the 
eves  of  his  spirit  he  scarcely  regards  them  otherwise  than  as 
specters     [^1  4.  That  man  is  in  the  love  of  self,  who  despises 
his  neighbor  in  comparison  with  himself,  and  who  regards  his 
neighbor  as  an  enemy  if  he  does  not  favor  him  and  does  not 


518 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VII. 


venerate  and  pay  court  to  hiin.    Still  more  in  the  love  of  self 
IS  he  who  for  these  reasons  hates  his  neighbor  and  persecutes 
him ;  and  still  more  he  who  on  this  account  burns  with  revenge 
against  him  and  desires  his  destruction.    Such  at  length  love 
to  be  cruel.  [5]  5.  The  nature  of  the  love  of  self  can  be  made 
clear  by  comparison  with  heavenly  love.    Heavenly  love  is 
loving  uses  for  the  sake  of  the  uses,  or  goods  for  the  sake  of 
the  goods  which  a  man  does  for  the  church,  his  country,  human 
society,  and  the  fellow-citizen.    But  he  who  loves  these  for  his 
own  sake,  loves  them  only  as  he  loves  his  household  servants, 
because  they  serve  hhn.    From  this  it  follows  that  he  who  is 
in  the  love  of  self,  wishes  the  church,  his  country,  society,  and  his 
fellow-citizens  to  serve  him,  instead  of  his  serving  them ;  he 
places  himself  above  them,  and  them  beneath  himself.     [6]  G. 
Again,  so  far  as  any  one  is  in  heavenly  love,  which  is  loving 
us'es  and  goods  and  having  a  heartfelt  delight  in  promoting 
them,  so  far  he  is  led  by  the  Lord,  because  that  is  the  love  in 
which  the  Lord  is,  and  which  is  from  Hun.    But  so  far  as  any 
one  is  in  the  love  of  self,  so  far  he  is  led  by  himself,  and  so  far 
is  led  by  what  is  his  own  {proprium) ;  and  man's  own  is  noth- 
ing but  evil,  for  it  is  his  inherited  evil,  which  is  loving  oneself 
more  than  God  and  the  world  more  than  heaven.    [7]  7.  ]\Iore- 
over,  the  love  of  self  is  such,  that  so  far  as  the  reins  are  given 
to  it,  that  is,  so  far  as  external  bonds  are  removed,  which  are 
fear 'of  the  law  and  its  penalties,  of  the  loss  of  reputation, 
honor,  wealth,  office,  or  life,  so  far  it  rushes  on  until  its  desire 
is  not  only  to  rule  over  the  whole  world,  but  also  over  heaven, 
and  even  over  God  Himself.    There  is  nowhere  any  limit  or 
end  to  it.    This  lurks  in  every  one  who  is  in  the  love  of  self, 
although  it  is  not  apparent  before  the  world,  where  it  is  held 
in  check  by  the  reins  and  bonds  just  mentioned;  and  any  such 
man,  when  the  impossible  blocks  his  way,  remains  quiet  until 
the  possible  comes  about.    Because  of  all  this  the  man  who  is 
in  such  a  love  is  not  aware  that  such  an  insane  and  limitless 
cupidity  lurks  within  him.    Nevertheless,  that  it  is  so,  no  one 
can  help  seeing  in  rulers  and  kings,  to  whom  there  are  no  such 
reins  and  bonds  and  impossibilities,  who  rush  on  and  subjugate 
provinces  and  kingdoms,  and  so  long  as  they  are  successful, 
aspire  to  unlimited  power  and  glory.    And  still  more  is  it  vis- 


N.  400] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


519 


ible  in  those  who  extend  their  dominion  into  heaven,  and 
transfer  to  themselves  the  whole  of  the  Lord's  Divine  power 
These  continuaUy  desire  more.    [8]  8.  There  are  two  kinds  of 
dominion ;  one  of  love  towards  the  neighbor,  and  another  ot 
love  of  self.    These  two  kinds  of  dominion  are  opposites.    He 
who  exercises  dominion  from  love  towards  the  neighbor    de- 
sires the  good  of  aU,  and  loves  nothing  better  than  to  perform 
uses,  thus  to  serve  others.    Serving  others  is  doing  good  from 
good  will,  and  performing  uses.     Such  is  his  love,  and  the  de- 
light of  his  heart.    Moreover,  so  far  as  he  is  elevated  to  dig- 
nities he  rejoices  in  it,  not  on  account  of  the  dignities,  but  on 
account  of  the  uses  which  he  can  then  perform  to  a  greater 
extent  and  in  a  higher  degree.    Such  is  dominion  m  the  hea- 
vens    But  he  who  exercises  dominion  from  love  of  self  desires 
the  good  of  none  but  himself  and  his  own.    The  uses  he  per- 
forms are  for  the  sake  of  his  o^vn  honor  and  glory,  which  to 
him  are  the  only  uses.    His  end  in  serving  others  is  that  he 
himself  may  be  served  and  honored,  and  may  rule.    He  seeks 
dignities  not  for  the  sake  of  the  goods  he  may  do,  but  m  order 
that  he  may  gain  eminence  and  glory,  and  may  thereby  be  m 
his  heart's  delight.   [9]  9.  His  love  of  dominion  remains  with 
every  one  after  his  life  in  the  world;  but  to  those  who  have 
exercised  dominion  from  love  towards  the  neighbor  there  is 
also  entrusted  dominion  in  the  heavens,  and  then  it  is  not  they 
who  rule,  but  the  uses  and  goods  which  they  love;  and  when 
uses  and  goods  rule,  the  Lord  rules.     But  those  who  m  the 
world  exercised  dominion  from  self-love,  after  their  life  m  the 
world  are   maxie   to  abdicate,  and  are  reduced  to  servitude 
From  all  this  it  is  known  who  these  are  who  are  m  the  love  ot 
self    It  does  not  matter  what  they  may  seem  to  be  externally, 
whether  haughty  or  humble,  since  such  things  reside  m  the 
internal  man,  and,  by  most  men,  the  internal  man  is  kept  hid- 
den  while  the  external  is  trained  to  counterfeit  what  belongs  to 
the  love  of  the  public  and  the  neighbor,  thus  the  contrary  of 
what  is  within ;  and  this  too  is  done  for  the  sake  of  self ;  for  they 
know  that  loving  the  public  and  the  neighbor  interiorly  affects 
all  men,  and  that  they  to  that  extent  gain  esteem     Thxs  love 
thus  affects  men  because  heaven  flows  into  it.    [l«J  10.  ine 
evils  that  prevail  with  those  who  are  in  love  of  self  are,  m  gen- 


hai«:m.«tfii-a»:ajMi>jant  liiiiifKairyamaj 


520 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VII. 


eral,  contempt  of  others,  envy,  enmity  toward  those  who  do  not 
favor  them,  from  which  results  hostility,  hatred  of  various 
kinds,  revenge,  craft,  deceit,  unmercifulness,  cruelty.    And 
where  such  evils  prevail,  there  is  also  a  contempt  of  God,  and 
of  Divine  things,  which  are  the  truths  and  goods  of  the  church. 
If  they  honor  these  things,  it  is  with  the  lips  only,  not  with 
the  heart.    And  because  such  evils  are  from  love  of  self,  like 
falsities  are  also  from  it ;  for  falsities  are  from  evils.    [H]  11. 
But  love  of  the  world  is  a  desire  to  draw  to  oneself  the  wealth 
of  others  by  any  device  whatever,  to  set  the  heart  upon  riches, 
and  to  permit  the  world  to  withdraw  and  lead  one  away  from 
spiritual  love,  which  is  love  towards  the  neighbor,  that  is,  from 
heaven.    Those  are  in  love  of  the  world  who  long  to  draw  to 
themselves  the  goods  of  others  by  various  devices,  but  espe- 
cially those  who  wish  to  do  so  by  craft  and  deceit,  caring  noth- 
ing for  the  good  of  the  neighbor.    Those  who  are  in  that  love 
covet  the  goods  of  others,  and  so  far  as  they  do  not  fear  the 
law  and  the  loss  of  reputation  on  account  of  the  gain,  they  get 
possession  of  others'  goods,  and  even  plunder  them.     [12]  12. 
But  love  of  the  world  is  not  opposed  to  heavenly  love  to  such 
a  degree  as  the  love  of  self  is,  because  so  great  evils  are  not 
concealed  within  it.    [13]  13.  This  love  is  manifold.    There  is  a 
love  of  wealth  as  a  means  of  being  raised  to  honors ;  a  love  of 
honors  and  dignities  as  means  of  acquiring  wealth ;  a  love  of 
wealth  for  the  sake  of  various  uses  that  afford  worldly  pleas- 
ure ;  a  love  of  wealth  for  the  mere  sake  of  wealth,  such  as  the 
avaricious  have ;  and  so  on.    The  end  for  the  sake  of  which 
wealth  is  sought  is  called  the  use,  and  it  is  the  end  or  use  from 
which  love  draws  its  quality ;  for  such  as  the  end  is  for  which 
anything  is  done,  such  is  the  love ;  all  else  serves  it  as  means. 
[14]  14.  In  a  word,  love  of  self  and  love  of  the  world  are  di- 
rectly opposite  to  love  to  the  Lord  and  love  towards  the  neigli- 
bor.    Consequently  love  of  self  and  love  of  the  world,  such  as 
have  just  been  described,  are  infernal  loves,  and  these  reign 
in  hell,  and  also  constitute  hell  in  man.    But  love  to  the  Lord 
and  love  towards  the  neighbor  are  heavenly  loves,  and  these 
reign  in  heaven,  and  also  constitute  heaven  in  man. 

401.   (5)    The  internal  and  external  man,    1.  Man  was  cre- 
ated so  as  to  be  at  the  same  time  in  the  spiritual  world  and  in 


N.  401] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


521 


the  natural  world.    The  spiritual  world  is  where  angels  are, 
and  the  natural  world  where  men  are.    And  as  man  was  so 
created,  there  was  given  him  an  internal  and  an  external-an 
internal  whereby  he  is  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  an  external 
whereby  he  is  in  the  natural  world.    His  internal  is  what  is 
called  the  internal  man,  and  his  external  the  external  man. 
[21  2    Every  man  has  an  internal  and  an  external,  but  with  a 
difference  between  the  good  and  the  evil.    With  the  good  the 
internal  is  in  heaven  and  its  light,  and  the  external  m  the 
world  and  its  light ;  and  this  light  of  the  world  m  them    s 
illumined  by  the  light  of  heaven,  and  therefore  m  f^^^^^^J^ 
ternal  and  external  act  as  one,  like  cause  and  effect  or  like  the 
prior  and  the  posterior.    But  with  the  evil  the  internal 
hell  and  its  light,  and  this  light,  in  comparison  with  the  light 
of  heaven  is  thick  darkness,  althougli  their  external  may  be  m 
a  light  like  that  in  which  the  good  are  ;  thus  there  is  aji  inver- 
sion.   On  this  account  the  evil,  just  like  the  good,  can   alk  and 
teach  about  faith,  charity,  and  God,  but  not    --  ^-^^^^^^^^^ 
itv  and  God      [3]  3.  The  internal  man  is  what  is  called  the 
pSal  man,  because  it  is  in  the  light  of  ^-^'^^^^ 
oni ritual  lieht:  while  the  external  man  is  called  the  natuial 
ninbe  ais    i   is  in  the  light  of  the  .-orld,  which  is  a  natura 
3     The  man  whose  internal  is  in  the  light  of  heaven,  and 
hfs  external  in  the  light  of  the  worhl,  is  a  sp.ntual  ma.rm  re- 
gard to  both,  because  spiritual  light  from  the  interior  illumines 
£  natural   ight,  and  makes  it  as  its  own.    But  the  reverse  is 
true  of  the  evil.    W  4.  The  internal  spiritual  man  viewed  m 
Hmseut  an  angel  of  heaven,  and  while  living  in  the  body  is 
in  a  sLtion  wfth  angels,  although  be  does  not  »-ow  it  •,  a.  d 
when  released  from  the  body  he  goes  among  ^-^g*^      .  ^;™ 
the  evil  the  internal  man  is  a  satan,  and  while  Imng  m  the 
body  is  in  association  with  satans,  and  when  released  from   he 
body  goes  among  them      [5]  5.  With  those  who  -e  ^P-^^ 
men  the  interiors  of  the  mind  are  actually  elevated  towards 
Sen  for  Thy  look  primarily  to  that;  but  with  those  who 
LTmlly  nSal,  the'^interio^  of  the  mind  are  turned  away 
m  heaven  and  towards  the  world,  because  tl-y   o^  P-- 
rily  to  the  world.    [6]  6.  Those  who  cherish  a  me.ely^^^^^^^^ 
idea  of  the  internal  and  external  man,  believe  that  it  is  the  in 


522 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chaf.  VII. 


ternal  man  that  thinks  and  wills,  and  the  external  that  speaks 
and  acts,  because  thinking  and  willing  are  internal,  while  speech 
and  action  are  external    But  let  it  be  understood  that  when  a 
man  thinks  and  wills  rightly  respectmg  the  Lord  and  the  things 
pertaining  to  the  Lord,  and  respecting  the  neighbor  and  what 
pertains  to  the  neighbor,  he  thinks  and  wills  from  a  spiritual 
internal,  because  from  a  belief  in  truth  and  a  love  of  good ; 
but  when  his  thought  and  will  respecting  these  things  are  evil, 
his  thought  and  will  are  from  an  infernal  internal,  because  from 
a  belief  in  falsity  and  a  love  of  evil.    In  a  word,  so  far  as  man 
is  in  love  to  the  Lord  and  love  towards  the  neighbor,  he  is  in 
a  spiritual  internal,  and  from  that  internal  thinks  and  wills 
and  also  speaks  and  acts ;  while  so  far  as  he  is  in  the  love  of 
self  and  the  world,  he  thinks  and  wills  from  hell,  even  when 
he  speaks  and  acts  otherwise.     [7]  7.  It  has  been  2)rovided 
and  arranged  by  the  Lord,  that  so  far  as  man  thinks  and  wills 
from  heaven,  the  spiritual  man  is  opened  and  formed,  the 
opening  being  into  heaven  even  to  the  Lord,  while  the  forming 
is  in  conformity  to  the  things  of  heaven.    I>ut  on  the  contrary 
so  far  as  man  thinks  and  wills,  not  from  heaven  but  from  the 
world,  so  far  the  internal  spiritual  man  is  closed,  and  the  ex- 
ternal is  opened  and  formed,  the  opening  being  into  the  world, 
while  the  forming  is  in  conformity  to  the  things  of  hell.   [8]  8. 
Those  in  whom  the  internal  spiritual  man  is  opened  into  hea- 
ven to  the  Lord  are  in  the  light  of  heaven,  and  in  enlighten- 
ment from  the  Lord,  and  thereby  in  intelligence  and  wisdom ; 
these  see  truth  from  the  light  of  truth  and  perceive  good  from 
the  love  of  good.    But  those  in  whom  the  internal  spiritual 
man  is  closed  do  not  know  what  the  internal  man  is,  neither 
do  they  believe  in  the  Word  or  in  a  life  after  death,  or  in  the 
things  pertaining  to  heaven  and  the  church ;  and  because  they 
are  in  merely  natural  light,  they  believe  nature  to  be  from  it- 
self and  not  from  God;  they  see  falsity  as  truth,  and  have  a 
perception  of  evil  as  good.     [O]  9.  The  internal  and  external 
here  treated  are  the  internal  and  external  of  man's  spirit;  his 
body  is  only  an  additional  external  within  which  the  former 
exist ;  for  the  body  in  no  way  acts  from  itself,  but  acts  only 
from  the  spirit  that  is  in  it.    It  must  be  understood  that  the 
spirit  of  man,  after  its  release  from  the  body,  thinks  and  wills 


N.  401] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


523 


and  speaks  and  acts,  just  a^  before.  Thinking  and  willing  are 
its  internal,  while  speech  and  action  then  constitute  its  ex- 
ternal. , 

402.   (6)   The  merely  natural  and  sensual  man.     As  tUere 
are  few  that  know  who  are  meant  by  sensual  men,  and  what 
their  nature  is,  and  yet  it  is  important  to  know  it,  therefore 
they  shall  be  described:    1.  He  is  called  a  sensual  man  who 
iudges  of  all  things  by  the  bodily  senses,  and  who  believes  m 
nothing  except  what  he  can  see  with  his  eyes  and  touch  with 
his  hands,  calling  this  something  real,  and  rejectmg  every- 
thing else;  consequently,  the  sensual  man  is  the  lowest  nat- 
ural man     [2]  2.  The  interiors  of  his  mind,  which  see  trom 
the  light  of  heaven,  are  closed,  so  that  he  there  sees  nothing 
of  the  truth  that  pertains  to  heaven  and  the  chui-ch,  since  he 
thinks  in  outermosts,  and  not  interiorly  from  any  spiritual 
light     [3]  3.  Because  he  is  in  gross  natural  light  he  is  in- 
wardly opposed  to  the  things  of  heaven  and  the  church,  al- 
though outwardly  he  may  advocate  them  with  a  zeal  propor- 
tionate to  the  dominion  he  may  thereby  secure.    [4]  4.  ben- 
sual  men  reason  keenly  and  ingeniously,  because  their  thought 
is  so  near  to  speech  as  to  be  almost  in  it,  and,  as  it  were  on 
the  lips,  and  because  they  place  all  intelligence  m  speech  from 
memory  only.    [5]  5.  Some  of  them  can  conhrm  whatever  they 
wish,  and  can  confirm  falsities  dexterously;  and  after  confirm- 
ing them  they  believe  them  to  be  truths;  but  their  reasoning 
and  confirming  are  from  the  fallacies  of  the  senses  which  cap- 
tivate and  per  We  the  common  people.  [6]  6    SeW  me. 
are  more  shrewd  and  crafty  than  others.     [T]    i.  The  inte- 
riors of  their  minds  are  loathsome  and  foul,  because  through 
them  they  communicate  with  the  hells.    [8]  8.  Those  who  are 
in  the  hells  are  sensual,  and  the  deeper  they  are  the  more  sen- 
sual    The  sphere  of  infernal  spirits  joins  itself  with  the  sen- 
suaUhings  of  man  from  behind.    [9]  9.  Sensual  men  do  no 
see  any  genuine  truth  in  light,  but  reason  and  dispute  about 
everything,  as  to  whether  it  is  so  or  not ;  and  these  disputes 
when  heard  at  a  distance  from  them  are  like  the  ^^^^ 
teeth  which  viewed  in  themselves  are  the  collision  of  falsities 
wth  elch  other,  and  also  of  falsity  and  truth.    This  therefore 
makes  plain  what  is  meant  in  the  Word  by  the  ^^  gnashing  of 


524 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VIL 


teeth,"  because  reasoning  from  the  fallacies  of  the  senses  cor- 
responds to  the  teeth.  [lO]  10.  Accomplished  and  learned 
men  who  have  deeply  confirmed  themselves  in  falsities,  and 
still  more  those  who  have  confirmed  themselves  against  the 
truths  of  the  Word,  are  more  sensual  than  others,  although 
they  do  not  appear  so  to  the  world.  Heretical  doctrines  have 
been  introduced  chiefly  by  such  sensual  men.  [11]  11.  The 
hypocritical,  the  deceitful,  the  voluptuous,  the  adulterous,  and 
the  avaricious,  are  for  the  most  part  sensual.  [12]  12.  Those 
who  reason  from  sensual  things  only,  and  against  the  genuine 
truths  of  the  Word  and  consequently  of  the  church,  were 
called  by  the  ancients  serpents  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil. 

[13]  As  sensual  things  mean  the  things  presented  to  the 
bodily  senses  and  imbibed  through  those  senses,  it  follows: 
13.  That  by  means  of  sensual  things  man  communicates  with 
the  world,  and  by  means  of  things  rational  above  the  sensual 
he  communicates  with  heaven.  [14]  14.  Things  sensual  fur- 
nish such  things  from  the  natural  world  as  are  of  service  to 
the  interiors  of  the  mind  in  the  spiritual  world.  [15]  15. 
There  are  sensual  things  that  minister  to  the  understanding, 
and  these  are  the  various  natural  studies  called  physics ;  and 
there  are  sensual  things  that  minister  to  the  will,  and  these  are 
the  delights  of  the  senses  and  the  body.  [16]  10.  Unless  the 
thought  is  elevated  above  natural  things  man  has  but  little 
wisdom.  The  wise  man  thinks  above  sensual  things ;  and  when 
thought  is  elevated  above  what  is  sensual  it  enters  into  clearer 
light,  and  finally  into  the  light  of  heaven ;  from  this  man  has 
perception  of  truth  which  is  properly  intelligence.  [17]  17. 
The  elevation  of  the  mind  above  sensual  things,  and  its  witli- 
drawal  therefrom,  was  known  to  the  ancients.  [18]  18.  When 
sensual  things  are  in  the  last  place,  by  means  of  them  a  way 
is  opened  for  the  understanding,  and  truths  are  disengaged  by 
a  kind  of  extraction ;  but  when  sensual  things  are  in  the  first 
place  they  close  the  way,  and  man  sees  truths  only  as  in  a 
mist,  or  as  at  night.  [19]  19.  In  a  wise  man  sensual  things  are 
in  the  last  place,  and  are  subject  to  more  interior  things;  but 
in  an  unwise  man  they  are  in  the  first  place  and  have  do- 
minion.   Such  as  these  are  they  who  are  properly  called  sensual. 


N.  402] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


525 


[20]  20.  In  man  there  are  sensual  things  that  he  has  in  com- 
mon with  beasts,  and  others  not  so.  To  the  extent  that  one 
thinks  above  sensual  things,  he  is  a  man;  but  no  one  can  think 
above  sensual  things  and  see  the  truths  of  the  church,  unless 
he  acknowledges  God  and  lives  according  to  His  command- 
ments ;  for  it  is  God  who  elevates  and  enlightens. 


II. 

THESE  THREE  LOVES,  WHEN  RIGHTLY  SUBORDINATED,  PERFECT 

MAN,  BUT  WHEN  NOT  RIGHTLY  SUBORDINATED,  THEY 

PERVERT  AND  INVERT  HIM. 

403    Something  shaU  first  be  said  of  the  subordination  of 
these  three  imiversal  loves,  which  are  the  love  of  heaven,  the 
love  of  the  world,  and  the  love  of  self,  and  then  of  the  influx 
and  insertion  of  one  into  the  other,  and  finally  of  man's  state 
according  to  that  subordination.    These  three  loves  are  related 
to  each  other  like  the  three  regions  of  the  body,  the  highest  of 
which  is  the  head,  the  mtermediate  the  chest  and  abdomen, 
while  the  knees  and  feet  and  soles  of  the  feet  form  the  third 
When  the  love  of  heaven  constitutes  the  head,  love  of  the  world 
the  chest  and  abdomen,  and  love  of  self  the  feet  and  their  soles, 
man  is  in  a  perfect  state  in  accordance  with  his  creation,  be- 
cause the  two  lower  loves  then  minister  to  the  highest,  as  the 
body  and  all  its  parts  minister  to  the  head.    So  when  the  love 
of  heaven  constitutes  the  head,  it  flows  into  the  love  of  the 
world  which  is  chiefly  a  love  of  wealth,  and  by  means  of  wealth 
it  performs  uses;  and  through  this  latter  love  it  flows  mediately 
mto  the  love  of  self,  which  is  chiefly  the  love  of  dignities,  and 
by  means  of  these  dignities  it  performs  uses.    Thus  do  these 
three  loves,  by  the  influx  of  one  into  the  other,  breathe  forth 
uses     [2]  Who  does  not  comprehend,  that  when  a  man  desires 
to  perform  uses  from  spiritual  love,  which  is  from  the  Lord  and 
is  what  is  meant  by  the  love  of  heaven,  his  natural  man  per- 
forms  them  by  means  of  his  wealth  and  his  other  goods  (the 


526 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VH. 


N.  404] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


^21 


sensual  man  cooperating  in  its  function),  and  that  it  is  to  his 
honor  to  produce  them  ?  Who  does  not  also  comprehend  that 
all  the  works  that  a  man  does  with  his  body  are  done  according 
to  the  state  of  his  mind  in  the  head ;  and  if  the  mind  is  in  the 
love  of  uses,  the  body  by  means  of  its  members  accomplishes 
them  ?  And  this  is  so,  because  the  will  and  the  understanding 
in  their  principles  are  in  the  head,  and  in  their  derivatives  in 
the  body,  as  the  will  is  in  deeds,  and  the  thought  in  speech, 
and  comparatively  as  the  prolific  ^jrinciple  of  the  seed  is  in  the 
whole  tree  and  in  every  jmrt  of  it,  and  through  these  produces 
fi-uit,  which  is  its  use.  Or  it  is  like  fire  and  light  within  a  crys- 
talline vase  which  thereby  becomes  warm  and  shows  the  light 
through  it.  And  again,  the  spiritual  sight  of  the  mind  together 
with  the  natural  sight  of  the  body,  in  one  in  whom  these  three 
loves  are  truly  and  rightly  subordinated,  because  of  the  light 
that  flows  in  through  heaven  from  the  Lord,  may  be  likened 
to  an  African  apple,  which  is  transparent  to  the  very  center, 
where  there  is  the  repository  of  the  seeds.  Something  like  this 
is  meant  by  these  words  of  the  Lord, 

The  lamp  of  the  body  is  the  eye  ;  if  the  eye  be  single  (that  is,  sound), 
the  whole  body  is  full  of  light  {Matt.  vi.  22  ;  Luke  xi.  34). 

[3]  No  man  of  sound  reason  can  condemn  wealth,  for  it  is  in 
the  general  body  like  the  blood  in  a  man ;  nor  can  he  condemn 
the  honors  attached  to  office,  for  they  are  the  hands  of  the  king 
and  the  pillars  of  society,  provided  the  natural  and  sensual  love 
of  them  is  subordinated  to  spiritual  love.  Moreover,  there  are 
administrative  offices  in  heaven  and  honors  attached  to  them; 
but  those  who  administer  them  love  nothing  better  than  to 
perform  uses,  because  they  are  spiritual. 

404.  But  when  love  of  the  world  or  of  wealth  forms  the 
head,  that  is,  when  it  is  the  ruling  love,  man  puts  on  a  wholly 
different  state ;  for  then  the  love  of  heaven  is  exiled  from  the 
head  and  betakes  itself  to  the  body.  The  man  who  is  in  this 
state  prefers  the  world  to  heaven ;  he  worships  God  indeed,  but 
from  merely  natural  love  which  places  merit  in  all  worship; 
he  also  does  good  to  the  neighbor,  but  for  the  sake  of  recom- 
pense. To  such,  heavenly  things  are  like  clothing,  clad  in 
which  they  appear  before  the  eyes  of  men  to  be  walking  in 


brightness,  but  before  the  eyes  of  angels  they  appear  indis- 
tinct, for  when  love  of  the  world  possesses  the  internal  man, 
and  the  love  of  heaven  the  external,  the  former  makes  all  things 
belonging  to  the  church  obscure  and  hides  them  as  under  a  veil. 
But  this  love  is  of  great  variety,  worse  in  the  degree  that  it 
verges  toward  avarice,  in  which  the  love  of  heaven  grows  black ; 
so  too  if  it  verges  toward  pride  and  eminence  over  others  from 
love  of  self.     It  is  different  if  it  verges  towards  prodigality, 
and  is  less  hurtful  if  it  has  in  view  as  an  end  the  splendors  of 
the  world,  as  palaces,  ornaments,  magnificent  clothing,  servants, 
horses  and  carriages  pompously  arrayed,  and  other  like  things. 
The  character  of  every  love  is  determined  by  the  end  which  it 
regards  and  intends.    This  love  may  be  compared  to  blackish 
glass,  which  smothers  the  light  and  variegates  it  only  in  dark 
and  evanescent  hues.    It  is  also  like  mists  and  clouds  which 
take  away  the  rays  of  the  sun.     It  is  also  like  new,  unfer- 
mented  wine,  which  tastes  sweet  but  disturbs  the  stomach. 
Such  a  man  when  viewed  from  heaven  looks  like  a  hunchback, 
walking  with  his  head  down  looking  at  the  ground,  and  when 
he  raises  his  head  towards  heaven  he  strains  the  muscles,  and 
quickly  drops  it  down  again.     The  ancients  in  the  church 
called  such  men  IVIammons,  and  the  Greeks  called  them  Plutos. 
405.  But  when  love  of  self  or  love  of  ruling  constitutes  the 
head,  the  love  of  heaven  passes  down  through  the  body  to  the 
feet ;  and  as  that  love  increases,  the  love  of  heaven  descends 
through  the  ankles  to  the  soles,  and  if  it  increases  still  further, 
it  passes  to  the  heels  and  is  trodden  upon.    There  is  a  love  of 
ruling  arising  from  love  of  the  neighbor,  and  a  love  of  ruling 
arising  from  love  of  self.    Those  who  are  in  the  love  of  ruling 
from  love  of  the  neighbor  seek  dominion  to  the  end  that  they 
may  perform  uses  to  the  public  and  to  individuals ;  and  to  such, 
therefore,  dominion  is  entrusted  in  the  heavens.    [2]  Emperors, 
kings,  and  noblemen,  who  have  been  bom  and  brought  up  to 
positions  of  authority,  if  they  humble  themselves  before  God, 
are  sometimes  less  in  that  love  than  those  who  are  of  hmnble 
origin  and  who  from  pride  are  more  eager  than  others  for 
places  of  pre-eminence.    But  to  those  v/ho  are  in  the  love  of 
ruling  from  love  of  self,  the  love  of  heaven  is  like  a  bench  on 
which,  to  please  the  people,  they  place  their  feet,  but  which. 


\ 


528 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VU. 


when  the  people  are  out  of  sight,  they  toss  into  a  corner  or  out 
of  doors.    This  is  because  they  love  themselves  alone,  and  con- 
sequently immerse  their  wills  and  the  thoughts  of  their  minds 
in  what  is  their  own  {proprium),  which  viewed  in  itself  is  in- 
herited evil,  and  this  evil  is  diametrically  opposed  to  the  love 
of  heaven.    [3]  The  evils  of  those  who  are  in  the  love  of  rule 
from  love  of  self,  are  in  general  as  follows:    Contempt  of 
others,  enmity  against  those  who  do  not  favor  them ;  conse- 
quently, hostility  ;  hatred ;  revenge ;  unmercif ulness  ;  ferocity, 
and  cruelty ;  and  where  such  evils  prevail,  there  is  also  con- 
tempt of  God  and  of  Divine  things,  which  are  the  truths  and 
goods  of  the  church ;  or  if  they  honor  these  it  is  with  the  lips 
only,  lest  they  should  be  denounced  by  the  church  authorities 
and  censured  by  others.     [4]  But  this  love  is  one  thing  with 
the  clergy  and  another  with  the  laity.     AVith  the  clergy  it 
climbs  upward,  when  the  reins  are  given  to  it,  even  until  they 
wish  to  be  gods ;  but  with  the  laity  until  they  wish  to  be  kings  ; 
to  such  an  extent  do  the  hallucinations  of  that  love  carry  their 
minds  away.    U^^  Since  in  the  perfect  man  the  love  of  heaven 
holds  the  highest  place,  and  forms,  as  it  were,  the  head  of  all 
that  follow  from  it,  the  love  of  the  world  being  beneath  it  like 
the  chest  beneath  the  head,  and  the  love  of  self  beneath  this 
like  the  feet,  it  follows,  that  if  love  of  self  were  to  form  the 
head,  the  man  would  be  completely  inverted.    He  would  then 
appear  to  the  angels  like  one  lying  bent  over,  with  his  head  to 
the  ground  and  his  back  toward  heaven ;  and  when  worship- 
ing, he  would  appear  to  be  frolicking  on  his  hands  and  feet 
like  a  panther's  cub.     Furthermore,  such  men  would  appear 
under  the  forms  of  various  beasts  with  two  heads,  one  head 
above  having  the  face  of  a  wild  animal,  and  the  other  below 
having  a  human  face,  which  would  be  constantly  thrust  for- 
ward by  the  upper  one  and  compelled  to  kiss  the  earth.    All 
these  are  sensual  men,  and  are  such  as  were  described  above 
(n.  402). 


N.  406] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


529 


III. 


EVERY    MAN    INDIVIDUALLY    IS    THE  NEIGHBOR    WHO    IS    TO    BE 
LOVED,  BUT  ACCORDING  TO  THE  QUALITY  OF  HIS  GOOD. 

406.  Man  is  born  not  for  the  sake  of  himself  but  for  the 
sake  of  others ;  that  is,  he  is  born  not  to  live  for  himself  alone 
but  for  others ;  otherwise  there  could  be  no  cohesive  society, 
nor  any  good  therein.    It  is  a  common  saying  that  every  man 
is  a  neighbor  to  himself ;  but  the  doctrine  of  charity  teaches 
how  this  is  to  be  understood,  namely,  that  every  one  should 
provide  for  himself  the  necessaries  of  life,  as  food,  clothing, 
a  dwelling,  and  other  things  which  are  necessarily  required  in 
the  social  life  in  which  he  is,  and  this  not  only  for  hunself, 
but  also  for  his  family,  nor  for  the  present  alone,  but  also  for 
the  future.    For  unless  a  man  acquires  for  himself  the  neces- 
saries of  life,  he  is  not  in  a  condition  to  exercise  charity, 
since  he  is  in  want  of  everything.    But  how  every  man  ought 
to  be  a  neighbor  to  himself  may  be  seen  from  the  following 
comparison  :    Every  man  ought  to  provide  his  body  with  food; 
this  must  be  first,  but  the  end  shoukl  ))e  that  he  may  have  a 
sound  mind  in  a  sound  body ;  and  every  man  ought  to  provide 
his  mind  with  food,  namely,  with  such  things  as  pertain  to  in- 
telligence and  judgment ;  but  the  end  should  be  that  he  m^^ 
thereby  be  in  a  state  to  serve  his  fellow-citizens,  society,  his 
country,  the  church,  and  thus  the  Lord.    He  who  does  this 
provides  well  for  himself  to  eternity.    From  this  it  is  plain 
what  is  first  in  time,  and  what  is  first  in  end,  and  that  the 
first  in  end  is  that  to  which  all  things  look.    It  is  also  like 
building  a  house ;  first  the  foundation  must  be  laid ;  but  the 
foundation  must  be  for  the  house,  and  the  house  for  a  dwell- 
ing-place.   He  who  believes  himself  to  be  a  neighbor  to  him- 
self in  the  first  place  or  primarily,  is  like  one  who  regards  the 
foundation,  not  the  dwelling,  as  the  end ;  and  yet  the  dwelhng 
is  itself  the  first  and  the  last  end,  and  the  house  with  its  foun- 
dation is  only  a  means  to  the  end. 

407    ^Vhat  it  is  to  love  the  neighbor  shall  be  explained. 
To  love  the  neighbor  is  not  alone  to  wish  well  and  do  good  to 
34 


530 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chaf.  VIL 


a  relative,  a  friend,  or  a  good  man,  but  also  to  a  stranger,  an 
enemy,  or  a  bad  man.    But  charity  is  to  be  exercised  toward 
the  latter  in  one  way  and  toward  the  former  in  another ;  to- 
ward a  relative  or  friend  by  direct  benefits ;  toward  an  enemy 
or  a  bad  man  by  indirect  benefits,  which  are  rendered  by  ex- 
hortation, discipline,  punishment,  and  consequent  amendment. 
This  may  be  iUustrated  thus :    A  judge  who  punishes  an  evil- 
doer in  accordance  with  law  and  justice,  loves  his  neighbor; 
for  so  he  makes  him  better,  and  consults  the  welfare  of  the  citi- 
zens that  he  may  not  do  them  harm.    Every  one  knows  that  a 
father  who  chastises  his  children  when  they  do  wrong,  loves 
them,  and  that,  on  the  other  hand,  he  who  does  not  chastise 
them' therefor,  loves  their  evils,  and  this  cannot  be  called  char- 
ity.   Again,  if  a  man  repels  an  insulting  enemy,  and  in  self- 
defence  strikes  him  or  delivers  him  to  the  judge  in  order  to 
prevent  injury  to  himself,  and  yet  with  a  disposition  to  be- 
friend the  man,  he  acts  from  a  charitable  spirit.    Wars  that 
have  as  an  end  the  defence  of  the  country  and  the  church,  are 
not  contrary  to  charity.    The  end  in  view  declares  whether  it 

is  charity  or  not.  .      -n        i 

408.  Since,  therefore,  charity  in  its  origin  is  good  will,  and 
good  will  has  its  seat  in  the  internal  man,  it  is  plain  that  when 
any  one  who  has  charity  resists  an  enemy,  punishes  the  guilty, 
and  chastises  the  wicked,  he  does  this  by  means  of  the  external 
man;  aad  therefore,  after  he  has  done  it  he  returns  to  the 
charity  that  resides  in  his  internal  man,  and  then,  so  far  as  he 
can,  and  so  far  as  is  useful,  he  wishes  him  weU,  and  from  good 
will  does  good  to  him.  Those  who  have  genuine  charity  have 
a  zeal  for  what  is  good,  and  that  zeal  may  appear  in  the  ex- 
ternal man  like  anger  and  flaming  fire;  but  its  flame  dies  out 
and  is  quieted  as  soon  as  his  adversary  returns  to  reason.  It 
is  different  with  those  who  have  no  charity.  Their  zeal  is  an- 
ger and  hatred ;  for  by  these  their  internal  man  is  heated  and 

set  on  fire. 

409.  Before  the  Lord  came  into  the  world  scarcely  any  one 
knew  what  the  internal  man  is  or  what  charity  is,  and  this  is 
why  in  so  many  places  He  taught  brotherly  love,  that  is,  char- 
ity ;  and  this  constitutes  the  distinction  between  the  Old  Tes- 
tament or  Covenant  and  the  New.    That  good  ought  to  be  done 


N.  409] 


CILVRITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


531 


from  charity  to  the  adversary  and  the  enemy  the  Lord  taught 
in  Matthew : — 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  to  them  of  old  time,  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  and  hate  tliuie  enemy.  But  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your 
enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and 
pray  for  them  that  hurt  you  and  persecute  you ;  that  ye  may  be  sons  of 
your  leather  who  is  in  the  heavens  (v.  43-45). 

And  when  Peter  asked  Him  how  often  he  should  forgive  one 
sinning  against  him,  whether  lie  should  do  so  until  seven  times. 
He  replied: — 

I  say  not  unto  thee,  until  seven  times,  but  until  seventy  times  seven 
(Matt,  xviii.  21,  22). 

And  I  have  heard  from  heaven  that  the  Lord  forgives  to  every 
one  his  sins,  and  never  takes  vengeance  nor  even  imputes  sin, 
because  He  is  love  itself  and  good  itself ;  nevertheless,  sins  are 
not  thereby  washed  away,  for  this  can  be  done  only  by  re- 
pentance. For  when  He  told  Peter  to  forgive  until  seventy 
times  seven,  what  will  not  the  Lord  do  ? 

410.  Since  charity  itself  has  its  seat  in  the  internal  man, 
wherein  it  is  willing  well,  and  from  that  is  in  the  external 
man,  wherein  it  is  well-doing,  it  follows  that  the  internal  man 
is  to  be  loved,  and  from  that  the  external ;  consequently  that 
a  man  is  to  be  loved  according  to  the  quality  of  the  good  that 
is  in  him.  Therefore  good  itself  is  essentially  the  neighbor. 
This  may  be  illustrated  thus :  When  one  selects  for  himself 
from  among  three  or  four  a  steward  for  his  house,  or  a  servant, 
does  he  not  try  to  find  out  about  his  internal  man,  and  choose 
one  who  is  sincere  and  faithful,  and  for  that  reason  love  him  ? 
In  like  manner  a  king  or  magistrate  from  three  or  four  persons 
would  select  one  competent  for  office,  and  would  refuse  the  in- 
competent, whatever  his  looks,  or  however  favorable  his  speech 
and  actions.  [2]  Since,  then,  every  man  is  the  neighbor,  and 
the  variety  of  men  is  infinite,  and  every  one  is  to  be  loved  as 
a  neighbor  according  to  his  good,  it  is  plain  that  there  are 
genera  and  species  and  also  degrees  of  love  to  the  neighbor. 
And  because  the  Lord  is  to  be  loved  above  all  things,  it  follows 
that  the  degrees  of  love  towards  the  neighbor  are  to  be  meas- 
ured by  love  to  the  Lord,  that  is,  by  how  much  of  the  Lord  or 


632 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VII. 


of  what  is  from  the  Lord  the  other  possesses  in  himself;  for 
thus  far  he  possesses  good,  since  all  good  is  from  the  Lord. 
[3]  But  as  these  degrees  aie  in  the  internal  man,  and  the  in- 
ternal man  rarely  manifests  itself  in  the  world,  it  is  sufficient 
that  the  neighbor  be  loved  according  to  the  degrees  that  are 
known     But  after  death  these  degrees  are  clearly  perceived; 
for  the  affections  of  the  will  and  the  consequent  thoughts  of 
the  understanding  form  a  spiritual  sphere  round  about  those 
in  the  spiritual  world,  which  is  felt  in  various  ways;  while  in 
this  world  this  spiritual  sphere  is  absorbed  by  the  material 
bodv  and  encloses  itself  within  a  natural  sphere,  which  then 
flows  forth  from  man.    That  there  are  degrees  of  love  towards 
the  neighbor,  is  plain  from  the  Lord's  parable  of  the  Samaritan 
who  showed  mercy  to  the  man  wounded  by  thieves,  whom  the 
priests  and  the  Levite  saw  and  passed  by;  and  when  the  Lord 
asked  which  of  those  three  seemed  to  have  been  the  neighbor, 
He  was  answered, 

He  who  showed  mercy  (Luke  x.  30-37). 

411.  It  is  written, 

Thou  Shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  above  all  things,  and  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself  (Luke  x.  27). 

To  love  the  neighbor  as  oneself  is,  not  to  hold  him  in  light  es- 
teem in  comparison  with  oneself,  to  deal  pstly  with  him  and 
not  to  pass  evil  judgments  upon  him.  The  law  of  chanty  set 
forth  and  given  by  the  Lord  is  this  :— 

All  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  unto  you  do  ye 
even  so  unl  them ;  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets  (Matt.  vu.  12 , 
Luke  vi.  31,  32). 

So  do  they  love  the  neighbor  who  are  in  the  love  of  heaven; 
while  those  who  are  in  the  love  of  the  world  ove  the  neighbor 
from  the  world  and  for  the  sake  of  the  world;  and  those  who 
arHn  the  love  of  self  love  the  neighbor  from  self  and  for  the 
sake  of  self. 


N.  412] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  ^yORKS 


533 


IV. 


THE     COLLECTIVE     MAX,    THAT    IS,    A    COMMUNITY    SMALLER    OR 
GREATER,    AND    THE    COMPOSITE    MAX    FORMED    OF    COM- 
MUNITIES,   THAT    IS,    OXE's    COUXTRY,    IS    THE 
NEIGHBOR    THAT    IS    TO    BE    LOVED. 

412.  Those  who  do  not  know  what  the  term  neighbor  means 
in  its  true  sense,  suppose  that  it  means  nothing  else  than  the 
individual  man,  and  that  loving  the  neighbor  means  conferring 
benefits  upon  him.     But  the  neighbor  and  love  to  him  have  a 
wider  meaning  and  a  higher  meaning  as  individuals  are  mul- 
tiplied.    Who  cannot  understand  that  loving  many  men  in  a 
body  is  loving  the  neighbor  more  than  loving  one  individual 
of  a  body  ?    Thus,  a  community  smaller  or  greater  is  the  neigh- 
bor because  it  is  a  collective  man;  and  from  this  it  follows  that 
he  who  loves  a  community  loves  those  of  whom  the  commu- 
nity consists ;  therefore  he  who  wills  and  acts  rightly  towards 
a  community  consults  the  good  of  each  individual.    A  commu- 
nity is  like  a  single  man;  and  those  who  enter  into  it  form  as 
it  were  one  body,  and  are  distinct  from  each  other  like  the 
members  of  one  body.    When  the  Lord  and  the  angels  from 
Him  look  down  upoh  the  earth,  they  see  an  entire  community 
just  like  a  single  man,  with  a  form  according  to  the  qualities 
of  those  in  it.    It  has  been  granted  me  to  see  a  certain  commu- 
nity in  heaven  precisely  as  a  single  man,  in  stature  like  that 
of  a  man  in  the  world.     [2]  That  love  towards  a  community 
is  a  fuller  love  to  the  neighbor  than  love  towards  a  separate  or 
individual  man,  is  obvious  from  this,  that  dignities  are  meas- 
ured out  according  to  the  kind  of  administration  over  commu- 
nities, and  honors  are  attached  to  offices  according  to  the  uses 
they  promote.     For  in  the  world  there  are  higher  and  lower 
offices  subordinated  ^according  to  their  more  or  less  universal 
government  over  communities;  and  the  king  is  he  whose  gov- 
ernment is  the  most  universal;  and  each  one  has  remunera- 
tion, glory,  and  the  general  love  according  to  the  extent  of  his 
duties,  and  the  goods  of  use  which  he  promotes.    [3]  Neverthe- 
less, the  rulers  of  this  age  can  perform  uses  and  consult  the 


534 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VII. 


good  of  society,  and  not  love  tlie  neighbor;  juj  those  do  who 
perform  uses  and  consult  the  good  of  others  with  reference  to 
the  world  or  to  self,  or  for  the  sake  of  appearances,  or  that 
they  may  be  thought  worthy  to  be  elevated  to  higher  dignities. 
But  although  the  character  of  such  is  not  discerned  in  the 
world,  it  is  discerned  in  heaven ;  and  in  consequence  those  who 
have  promoted  uses  from  love  to  the  neighbor,  are  the  ones 
placed  as  rulers  over  heavenly  communities,  and  there  enjoy 
splendor  and  honor;  and  yet  such  do  not  set  their  hearts  upon 
these  things,  but  upon  uses.  But  the  others,  who  have  per- 
formed uses  from  love  of  the  world  and  of  self,  are  rejected. 

413.  The  difference  between  love  to  the  neighbor  and  the 
exercise  of  it  when  directed  towards  man  as  an  individual  and 
towards  the  collective  man  or  a  community,  is  like  that  be- 
tween the  duty  of  a  private  citizen  and  the  duty  of  a  civil  offi- 
cer  or  a  military  officer,  or  like  that  between  the  one  who  traded 
with  two  talents  and  the  one  who  traded  with  five  {Matt.  xxv. 
14-30) ;  or  it  is  like  the  difference  between  the  value  of  a  shekel 
and  that  of  a  talent,  or  between  the  product  from  a  vine  and 
that  from  a  vineyard,  or  between  the  product  from  an  olive 
tree  and  that  from  an  oliveyard,  or  the  product  from  a  tree  and 
that  from  an  orchard.    Moreover,  love  to  the  neighbor  in  man 
ascends  more  and  more  interiorly,  and  as  it  ascends  he  loves  a 
community  more  than  an  individual,  and  his  country  more  than 
a  community.    Since,  then,  charity  consists  in  right  willing 
and  right  doing  therefrom,  it  follows  that  it  ought  to  be  exer- 
cised towards  a  community  in  much  the  same  way  as  towards 
the  individual,  but  in  one  way  towards  a  community  of  good 
men  and  in  another  way  towards  a  community  of  evil  men. 
Towards  the  latter  charity  is  to  be  exercised  according  to  nat- 
ural equity ;  towards  the  former  according  to  spiritual  equity. 
But  on  these  two  kinds  of  equity  something  will  appear  else- 
where. 

414.  One's  country  is  more  a  neighbor  than  a  single  com- 
munitv,  because  it  consists  of  many  communities,  and  conse- 
quently love  towards  the  country  is  a  broader  and  higher  love. 
Moreover,  loving  one's  country  is  loving  the  public  welfare. 
One's  country  is  the  neighbor,  because  it  is  like  a  parent;  for 
one  is  born  in  it,  and  it  has  nourished  him  and  continues  to 


N.  414] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


535 


nourish  him,  and  has  protected  and  continues  to  protect  hiin 
from  injury.  jVIen  ought  to  do  good  to  their  country  from  a 
love  for  it,  according  to  its  needs,  some  of  which  are  natural 
and  some  spiritual.  Natural  needs  relate  to  civil  life  and  order, 
and  spiritual  needs  to  spiritual  life  and  order.  That  one's  coun- 
try should  be  loved,  not  as  one  loves  himself,  but  more  than 
himself,  is  a  law  inscribed  on  the  human  heart;  from  which 
has  come  the  well-known  principle,  which  every  true  man  en- 
dorses, that  if  the  country  is  threatened  with  ruin  from  an 
enemy  or  any  other  source,  it  is  noble  to  die  for  it,  and  glori- 
ous for  a  soldier  to  shed  his  blood  for  it.  This  is  said  because 
so  great  should  be  one's  love  for  it.  It  should  be  known  that 
those  who  love  their  country  and  render  good  service  to  it  from 
good  will,  after  deatli  love  the  Lord's  kingdom,  for  then  that 
is  their  country ;  and  those  who  love  the  Lord's  kingdom  love 
the  Lord  Himself,  because  the  Lord  is  the  all  in  all  things  of 
His  kingdom. 


V. 


THE    CHURCH    IS    THE    NEIGHBOR    WHO    IS    TO    BE    LOVED    IN    A 

STILL    HIGHER    DEGREE,    AND    THE    LORd's    KINGDOM 

IN    THE    HIGHEST    DEGREE. 

415.   Since  man  was  born  for  eternal  life,  and  is  introduced 
into  it  by  the  church,  the  church  is  to  be  loved  as  the  neighbor 
in  a  higher  degree,  because  it  teaches  the  means  which  lead  to 
eternal  life  and  introduces  man  into  it,  leading  to  it  by  the 
truths  of  doctrine  and  introducing  into  it  by  goods  of  life. 
This  does  not  mean  that  the  priesthood  should  be  loved  in  a 
higher  degree,  and  the  church  because  of  the  priesthood ;  but 
it  means  that  the  good  and  truth  of  the  church  should  be  loved, 
and  the   priesthood  for  the  sake  of  these.     The  priesthood 
merely  serves,  and  is  to  be  honored  so  far  as  it  serves.    The 
church  is  the  neighbor  that  is  to  be  loved  in  a  higher  degree, 
thus  even  above  one's  countr}^,  for  the  reason  also,  that  by  his 
country  man  is  initiated  into  civil  life,  but  by  the  church  into 
spiritual  life,  and  by  that  life  man  is  separated  from  a  merely 


536 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VIL 


animal  life.  Moreover,  civil  life  is  a  temporary  life,  which  has 
an  end  and  which  is  then  as  if  it  had  not  been ;  while  the  spir- 
itual life  is  eternal,  having  no  end ;  therefore  of  the  latter  may 
be  predicated  being  (esse),  but  of  the  former  non-being.  The 
distinction  is  like  that  between  the  finite  and  the  infinite,  be- 
tween which  there  is  no  ratio ;  for  the  eternal  is  the  infinite  as 

to  time. 

416.  The  Lord's  kingdom  is  the  neighbor  that  is  to  be  loved 
in  the  highest  degree,  because  the  Lord's  kingdom  means  the 
church  throughout  the  world,  which  is  called  the  communion 
of  saints ;  also  heaven  is  meant  by  it ;  consequently  he  who 
loves  the  Lord's  kingdom  loves  all  in  the  whole  world  who 
acknowledge  the  Lord  and  have  faith  in  Him  and  charity  to- 
wards the  neighbor;  and  he  loves  also  all  in  heaven.  Those 
who  love  the  Lord's  kingdom  love  the  Lord  above  all  things, 
and  are  consequently  in  love  to  God  more  than  others,  because 
the  church  in  the  heavens  and  on  earth  is  the  body  of  the  Lord, 
for  those  who  are  in  it  are  in  the  Lord  and  the  Lord  in  them. 
Therefore  love  towards  the  Lord's  kingdom  is  love  towards  the 
neighbor  in  its  fulness;  for  those  who  love  the  Lord's  king- 
dom, not  only  love  the  Lord  above  all  things,  but  also  love  the 
neighbor  as  themselves ;  for  love  to  the  Lord  is  a  universal 
love,  and  consequently  is  in  each  thing  and  all  things  of  spir- 
itual life,  and  in  each  thing  and  all  things  of  natural  life ;  for 
that  love  has  its  seat  in  the  highest  things  in  man,  and  things 
highest  flow  into  lower  things  and  vivify  them,  as  the  will 
flows  into  all  things  of  intention  and  of  action  therefrom,  and 
the  understanding  into  all  things  of  thought  and  of  speech 
therefrom.    Therefore  the  Lord  says : — 

Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,  and  all  these 
things  shall  be  added  unto  you  {Afatt.  vi  33). 

That  the  kingdom  of  the  heavens  is  the  Lord's  kingdom  is 
evident  from  these  words  in  Daniel : — 

Behold,  there  was  coming  with  the  clouds  of  heaven  one  like  unto  the 
Son  of  Man  ;  and  there  was  given  Him  dominion,  and  glory,  and  a  king- 
dom ;  and  all  peoples,  nations,  and  languages  shall  worship  Him.  His 
dominion  is  a  dominion  of  ages,  which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  His 
kingdom  that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed  (vii.  13,  14). 


N.  417] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


537 


VI. 


TO   LOVE  THE   NEIGHBOR,    VIEWED    IN  ITSELF,   IS    NOT   TO    LOVE 
THE    PERSON,    BUT    THE    GOOD    THAT    IS    IN    THE    PERSON. 

417.  Who  does  not  know  that  a  man  is  not  a  man  because 
of  his  having  a  human  face  and  a  human  body,  but  because  of 
the  wisdom  of  his  understanding  and  the  goodness  of  his  will  ? 
As  the  quality  of  these  ascends,  he  becomes  the  more  a  man. 
At  birth  man  is  more  a  brute  than  any  animal,  but  he  becomes 
a  man  through  instruction  of  various  kinds,  by  receiving  which 
his  mind  is  formed,  and  from  his  mind  and  according  to  it  man 
is  a  man.  There  are  some  beasts  whose  faces  resemble  the 
human  face,  but  these  enjoy  no  faculty  of  understanding  or  of 
doing  anything  from  the  understanding ;  but  they  act  from  the 
instinct  which  their  natural  love  excites.  The  difference  is 
that  a  beast  expresses  by  sounds  the  affections  of  its  love, 
while  man  speaks  them  as  they  are  formulated  in  thought ; 
also,  a  beast  with  his  face  downward  looks  upon  the  ground, 
while  man  with  his  face  raised  beliolds  heaven  all  about  him. 
From  all  this  it  may  be  inferred  that  man  is  a  man  so  far  as 
he  speaks  from  sound  reason,  and  looks  forward  to  his  abode 
in  heaven ;  while  so  far  as  he  speaks  from  perverted  reason, 
and  looks  only  to  his  abode  in  the  world,  so  far  he  is  not  a  man. 
Yet  even  such  are  men  potentially,  though  not  actually ;  for 
every  man  enjoys  the  ability  to  understand  truth  and  to  will 
what  is  good ;  but  so  far  as  he  has  no  wish  to  do  good  or  under- 
stand truth,  he  can  only  counterfeit  man  in  externals  and  play 
the  ape. 

418.  Good  is  the  neighbor,  because  good  belongs  to  the  will, 
and  the  will  is  the  being  (esse)  of  man's  life.  The  truth  of  the 
understanding  is  also  the  neighbor,  but  only  so  far  as  it  pro- 
ceeds from  the  good  of  the  will ;  for  the  good  of  the  will  takes 
form  in  the  understanding,  and  makes  itself  visible  there  in 
the  light  of  reason.  That  good  is  the  neighbor  is  evident  from 
all  experience.  Who  loves  a  person  except  from  the  quality  of 
his  will  and  understanding,  that  is,  from  what  is  good  and  just 
in  him  ?  For  example,  who  loves  a  king,  a  prince,  a  general, 
a  governor,  a  consul,  any  magistrate  or  judge,  except  for  the 


538 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VII. 


judgment  from  which  they  act  and  speak  ?  Who  loves  a  pri- 
mate, a  minister  of  the  church,  or  a  canon,  except  for  his 
learning,  his  integrity  of  life,  and  his  zeal  for  the  salvation  of 
souls  ?  Who  loves  the  general  of  an  army  or  any  officer  under 
him,  except  for  bravery  combined  with  prudence  ?  Who  loves 
a  merchant  except  for  his  honesty  ?  Who  loves  a  workman  or 
a  servant,  except  for  his  fidelity  ?  Nay,  wlio  loves  a  tree  ex- 
cept for  its  fruit,  the  soil  except  for  its  fertility,  a  precious 
stone  except  for  its  value  ?  and  so  on.  And  what  is  remark- 
able, it  is  not  only  the  upright  man  who  loves  what  is  good 
and  just  in  another,  the  man  who  is  not  upright  does  so  also, 
because  with  him  he  is  in  no  fear  of  losing  reputation,  honor, 
or  wealth.  But  the  love  of  good  in  one  who  is  not  upright,  is 
not  love  of  the  neighbor ;  for  he  loves  another  interiorly  only 
so  far  as  he  is  of  service  to  him.  But  loving  what  is  good  in 
another  from  the  good  in  oneself  is  genuine  love  to  the  neigh- 
bor; for  the  goods  then  kiss  and  mutually  unite  with  each 
other. 

419.  The  man  who  loves  good  because  it  is  good,  and  truth 
because  it  is  truth,  loves  the  neighbor  eminently,  because  he 
loves  the  Lord  who  is  good  itself  and  truth  itself.  There  is  no 
love  of  good  and  love  of  truth  from  good,  that  is,  love  to  the 
neighbor,  from  any  other  source.  Love  to  the  neighbor  is  thus 
formed  from  a  heavenly  origin.  It  is  the  same  thing  whether 
you  say  use  or  good ;  therefore  performing  uses  is  doing  good ; 
and  according  to  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  use  in  the 
good  so  far  in  quantity  and  quality  the  good  is  good. 


VII. 


CHARITY   AND    GOOD    WORKS    ARE  TWO    DISTINCT    THINGS,   LIKE 

WILLING    WELL    AND    DOING    WELL. 

420.  In  every  man  there  is  an  internal  and  an  external.  His 
internal  is  what  is  called  the  internal  man,  and  his  external 
what  is  called  the  external  man.  But  one  who  does  not  know 
what  the  internal  man  and  the  external  man  are,  may  suppose 
that  it  is  the  internal  man  that  exercises  thought  and  will,  and 


N.  4201 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


539 


the  external  that  speaks  and  acts.  These  latter  belong,  indeed, 
to  the  external  man,  and  the  former  to  the  internal ;  yet  they 
are  not  what  essentially  constitute  the  external  and  internal 
man.  In  common  perception  indeed  man's  mind  is  his  internal 
man,  but  the  mind  is  itself  divided  into  two  regions ;  the  one 
region  which  is  higher  and  more  internal  is  spiritual ;  and  the 
other  which  is  lower  and  more  external  is  natural.  The  si)ir- 
itual  mind  looks  mainly  to  the  spiritual  world,  and  has  for  its 
objects  the  things  that  are  there,  either  such  as  are  in  heaven 
or  such  as  are  in  hell ;  for  both  are  in  the  spiritual  world.  But 
the  natural  mind  looks  mainly  to  the  natural  world,  and  has 
for  its  objects  the  thhigs  that  are  there,  whether  good  or  evil. 
All  of  man's  action  and  speech  proceeds  from  the  lower  re- 
gion of  the  mind  directly,  and  indirectly  from  its  higher  region, 
since  the  lower  region  of  the  mind  is  nearer  to  the  bodily  senses, 
and  the  higher  region  more  remote  from  them.  There  is  this 
division  of  the  mind  in  man,  because  he  was  so  created  as  to 
be  both  spiritual  and  natural,  and  thus  a  man  and  not  a  beast. 
All  this  makes  clear  that  the  man  who  looks  primarily  to  him- 
self and  the  world  is  an  external  man,  because  he  is  natural, 
not  only  in  body  but  also  in  mind ;  while  the  man  who  looks 
primarily  to  the  things  of  heaven  and  the  church  is  an  in- 
ternal man,  because  he  is  spiritual  both  in  mind  and  body. 
He  is  spiritual  even  in  body,  because  his  actions  and  words 
proceed  from  the  higher  mind  which  is  spiritual  through  the 
lower  which  is  natural.  For  it  is  known  that  effects  proceed 
from  the  body,  and  the  causes  that  produce  the  effects  pro- 
ceed from  the  mind;  also  that  the  cause  is  everything  in  the 
effect.  That  the  human  mind  is  so  divided  is  clearly  evident 
from  the  fact  that  a  man  can  act  the  part  of  a  dissembler,  a 
flatterer,  a  hypocrite,  or  an  actor ;  and  that  he  can  assent  to 
what  another  says  and  yet  laugh  at  it;  doing  one  from  the 
higher  mind  and  the  other  from  the  lower. 

421.  From  all  this  it  can  be  seen  how  it  is  to  be  understood 
that  charity  and  good  works  are  distinct  like  willing  well  and 
doing  well ;  that  is  to  say,  formally  they  are  distinct,  as  the 
mind,  which  thinks  and  wills,  is  distinct  from  the  body  through 
which  the  mind  speaks  and  acts;  while  essentially  they  are 
distinct  because  of  the  distinction  in  the  mind  itself  which  has 


540 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIL 


an  inner  region  that  is  spiritual,  and  an  outer  that  is  natural, 
as  said  above ;  so  that  when  works  proceed  from  the  spiritual 
mind,  they  proceed  from  its  good  will,  which  is  charity;  but 
when  they  proceed  from  the  natural  mind,  tliey  proceed  from 
a  good  will  that  is  not  charity.  For  even  when  it  appears  m 
the  external  form  like  charity,  it  is  not  charity  in  the  internal 
form.  In  fact,  charity  in  external  form  merely  presents  the 
show  of  charity,  but  does  not  possess  its  essence.  This  may 
be  illustrated  by  a  comparison  with  seeds  in  the  ground.  Each 
seed  produces  a  plant,  whether  useful  or  useless,  according  to 
the  nature  of  the  seed.  So  is  it  with  spiritual  seed,  which  is 
the  truth  of  the  church  derived  from  the  Word ;  from  this  seed 
doctrine  is  formed,  useful  if  from  genuine  truths,  useless  if 
from  truths  falsified.  It  is  the  same  with  charity  that  springs 
from  good  will,  whether  the  good  will  is  for  the  sake  of  self 
and  the  world  or  for  the  sake  of  the  neighbor  in  a  limited  or  in 
a  broad  sense ;  if  for  the  sake  of  self  and  the  world,  it  is  spuri- 
ous charity,  but  if  for  the  sake  of  the  neighbor,  it  is  genuine 
charity.  But  of  this  more  may  be  seen  in  the  chapter  on  Faith, 
especially  in  the  section  where  it  is  shown  that  charity  is  will- 
ing well,  and  good  works  are  doing  well  from  willing  well  (n. 
374) ;  and  that  charity  and  faith  are  only  mental  and  perishable 
things  unless  they  are  determined  to  works  and  coexist  in  them 
when  possible  (n.  375,  376). 


VIII. 


CHARITY    ITSELF    IS    ACTING  JUSTLY    AND    FAITHFULLY    IN    THE 

OFFICE,  BUSINESS,    AND    EMPLOYMENT    IN    WHICH  A    MAN 

IS    ENGAGED,    AND    WITH    THOSE    WITH    WHOM    HE 

HAS    ANY    DEALINGS. 


422.  Charity  itself  is  acting  justly  and  faithfully  in  the 
office,  business,  and  employment  in  which  a  man  is  engaged, 
because  all  that  such  a  man  does  is  of  use  to  society,  and  use 
is  good;  and  good  in  a  sense  abstracted  from  person  is  the 
neighbor.     (That  not  a  single  man  only,  but  also  a  lesser  com- 


N.  422] 


CHARITY  AN1>  GOOD  WORKS 


541 


munity,  and  even  a  man's  country,  is  the  neighbor,  has  been 
shown  above.)  Take,  for  example,  a  king  who  sets  his  subjects 
an  example  of  well-doing,  who  wishes  them  to  live  according 
to  the  laws  of  justice,  rewards  those  who  so  live,  regards  every 
one  according  to  his  merits,  protects  his  subjects  against  in- 
jury and  invasion,  acts  the  part  of  a  father  to  his  kingdom, 
and  consults  the  general  prosperity  of  his  people ;  in  his  heart 
there  is  charity,  and  his  deeds  are  good  works.  The  priest 
who  teaches  truth  from  the  AYord,  and  thereby  leads  to  good 
of  life,  and  so  to  heaven,  because  he  consults  the  good  of  the 
souls  of  those  of  his  church,  is  eminently  in  the  exercise  of 
charity.  The  judge  who  judges  according  to  law  and  justice, 
and  not  for  reward,  friendship  and  relationship,  consults  the 
good  of  society  and  of  each  individual;  of  society  because  it 
is  thereby  kept  in  obedience  to  law  and  in  the  fear  of  trans- 
gressing it;  and  of  the  individual  because  justice  thereby 
triumphs  over  injustice.  The  merchant  who'  acts  from  honesty 
and  not  from  deceit,  consults  the  good  of  his  neighbor  with 
whom  he  has  business.  It  is  the  same  with  a  common  or 
skilled  workman,  if  he  does  his  work  rightly  and  honestly,  and 
not  fraudulently  and  deceitfully.  It  is  the  same  with  all  others, 
as  with  captains  and  sailors,  with  farmers  and  servants. 

423.  This  is  charity  itself,  because  charity  may  be  defined 
as  doing  good  to  the  neighbor  daily  and  continually,  not  only 
to  the  neighbor  individually,  but  also  to  the  reighbor  collec- 
tively; and  this  can  be  done  only  through  what  is  good  and 
just  in  the  office,  business,  and  employment  in  which  a  man  is 
engaged,  and  with  those  with  whom  he  has  any  dealings ;  for 
this  is  one's  daily  work,  and  when  he  is  not  doing  it  it  still 
occupies  his  mind  continually,  and  he  has  it  in  thought  and 
intention.  The  man  who  thus  practises  charity,  becomes  more 
and  more  charity  in  form ;  for  justice  and  fidelity  form  his 
mind,  and  the  practice  of  these  forms  his  body ;  and  because  of 
his  form  he  gradually  comes  to  will  and  think  only  such  things 
as  pertain  to  charity.  Such  at  length  come  to  be  like  those  of 
whom  it  is  said  in  the  Word,  that  they  have  the  law  written  on 
their  hearts.  Nor  do  they  place  merit  in  their  works,  because 
they  do  not  think  of  merit  but  of  duty, — that  it  becomes  a 
citizen  so  to  act.     But  a  man  can  by  no  means  of  himself  act 


542 


THE  TRUE  CHKIJSTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VIL 


from  spiritual  justice  and  fidelity ;  for  every  man  inherits  from 
his  parents  a  disposition  to  do  what  is  good  and  just  for  the 
sake  of  himself  and  the  world ;  but  no  man  inherits  a  disposi- 
tion to  do  it  for  the  sake  of  what  is  good  and  just ;  conse- 
quently, only  he  who  worships  the  Lord,  and  acts  from  Him 
when  acting  from  himself,  attains  to  spiritual  charity,  and  be- 
comes imbued  with  it  by  the  practice  of  it. 

424.  There  are  many  who  act  justly  and  faithfully  in  their 
occupation,  and  thus  promote  works  of  charity,  and  yet  do  not 
possess  any  charity  in  themselv^es.  But  in  these  the  love  of 
self  and  the  world  predominates,  and  not  the  love  of  heaven ; 
or  if,  perchance,  the  love  of  heaven  is  present,  it  is  beneath  the 
former  love,  like  a  servant  under  his  master,  a  common  soldier 
under  his  officer,  or  a  doorkeeper  standing  at  the  door. 


IX. 

THE    BENEFACTIONS    OF     CHARITY    ARE     GIVING    TO    THE    POOR 
AND    RELIEVING    THE    NEEDY,    BUT    WITH    PRUDENCE! 

425.  We  must  distinguish  between  the  obligations  of  char- 
ity and  its  benefactions.  By  the  obligations  of  charity  those 
exercises  of  it  that  proceed  directly  from  charity  itself  are 
meant.  These,  as  has  just  been  shown,  relate  primarily  to 
one's  occupation.  But  benefactions  mean  such  acts  of  assist- 
ance as  are  given  apart  from  these  obligations.  These  are 
called  benefactions  because  doing  them  is  a  matter  of  free 
choice  and  pleasure ;  and  when  done  they  are  regarded  by  the 
recipient  simply  as  benefactions,  and  are  bestowed  according 
to  the  reasons  and  intentions  that  the  benefactor  has  in  mind. 
In  common  belief  charity  is  nothing  else  than  giving  to  the 
poor,  relieving  the  needy,  caring  for  widows  and  orphans,  con- 
tributing to  the  building  of  hospitals,  infirmaries,  asylums, 
orphans'  homes,  and  especially  of  churches,  and  to  their  decora- 
tions and  income.  But  most  of  these  things  are  not  properly 
matters  of  charity,  but  extraneous  to  it.  Those  who  make 
charity  itself  to  consist  in  such  benefactions  must  needs  claim 
merit  for  these  works;  and  although  they  may  profess  with 


N.  426] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORK8 


o43 


their  lips  that  they  do  not  wish  them  to  be  considered  meritor- 
ious, stiU  a  belief  in  their  merit  lurks  within.    This  is  clearly 
evident  from  the  conduct  of  such  after  death,  when  they  re- 
count their  works,  and  demand  salvation  as  a  reward.    But  the 
origin  of  their  works  and  the  resulting  quality  of  them  is  then 
mquired  mto,  and  if  it  is  found  that  they  proceeded  from  pride 
or  a  striving  for  reputation,  or  from  bare  generosity,  or  friend- 
ship, or  merely  natural  inclination,  or  hypocrisy,  from  that 
origin  the  works  are  judged,  for  the  quality  of  the  origin  is 
withm  the  works.    But  genuine  charity  proceeds  from  those 
who  are  imbued  with  charity  because  of  the  justice  and  judg- 
ment m  the  works,  and  they  do  the  works  apart  from  any  re- 
muneration  as  an  end,  according  to  the  Lord's  words  in  Lake 
(xiv.  12-14).     They  also  call  such  things  as  are  mentioned 
above,  benefactions  as  well  as  duties,  although  they  pertain  to 
cnaritiy, 

426.  It  is  known  that  some  who  perform  these  benefactions 
which  present  to  the  world  an  image  of  charity,  entertain  the 
opinion  and  belief  that  they  have  practised  works  of  charity, 
and  look  upon  them  as  many  in  popedom  regard  indulgences' 
as  means  whereby  they  are  purified  from  sins,  and  that  they 
are  worthy,  as  if  regenerated,  to  have  heaven  bestowed  upon 
chem,  and  yet  they  do  not  regard  adultery,  hatred,  revenge, 
traud,  and  in  genefkl  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  in  which  they  in 
dulge  at  pleasure,  as  sins.    But  in  that  case  what  are  these  good 
works  but  painted  pictures  of  angels  in  company  with  devils 
or  boxes  made  of  lapis  lazuli  containing  hydras  ?    It  is  wholly 
otherwise  when  these  benefactions  are  done  by  those  who  shun 
the  evils  above  mentioned  as  hateful  to  charity.    Nevertheless, 
these  benefactions  are  advantageous  in  many  ways,  especially 
giving  to  the  poor  and  to  beggars ;  for  thereby  boys  and  girls, 
servants  and  maids,  and  in  general  all  simple-minded  persons, 
are  initiated  into  charity,  for  these  are  its  externals  whereby 
such  are  trained  in  the  practice  of  charity,  for  these  are  its 
rudiments,  and  are  then  like  unripe  fruit.     But  with  those 
who  are  afterwards  perfected  in  right  knowledges  respecting 
charity  and  faith,  these  acts  become  like  ripe  fruit,  and  then 
they  look  upon  those  former  works,  which  were  done  in  sim- 
plicity of  heart,  merely  as  what  they  owed  to  others. 


544 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VIL 


427.  At  this  day  these  benefactions  are  believed  to  be  those 
proper  acts  of  charity  that  are  meant  in  the  Word  by  good 
works,  because  charity  is  often  described  in  the  Word  as  giving 
to  the  poor,  helping  the  needy,  and  caring  for  widows  and 
orphans.    But  hitherto  it  has  not  been  known  that  the  Word 
in  its  letter  makes  mention  only  of  the  outer  things  of  wor- 
ship, even  the  outermost  things,  and  that  these  signify  spiritual 
things,   which   are   internal  (as   may  be  seen  above,   in  the 
chapter  on  the  Sacred  Scripture,  n.  193-209).    From  all  this  it 
is  plain,  that  by  the  poor,  the  needy,  the  widows  and  orphans 
there  mentioned,  such  persons  are  not  meant,  but  those  who 
are  spiritually  such.     That  the  "poor"  mean  those  who  are 
without  knowledges  of  truth  and  good,  may  be  seen  in  the 
Apocalypse  Revealed  (n.  209) ;  and  that  "  widows"  mean  those 
who  are  without  truths  and  yet  desire  them  (n.  764);  and  so  on. 
428.  Those  who  are  by  nature  compassionate,  and  do  not 
make  their  natural  compassion  spiritual  by  putting  it  in  prac- 
tice in  accordance  with  genuine  charity,  believe  that  charity 
consists  in  giving  to  every  poor  person,  and  relieving  every 
one  who  is  in  want,  without  first  inquiring  whether  the  poor 
or  needy  person  is  good  or  bad ;  for  they  say  that  this  is  not 
necessary,  since  God  regards  only  the  aid  and  alms.    But  after 
death  these  are  clearly  distinguished  and  set  apart  from  those 
who  have  done  the  beneficent  works  of  charity  from  prudence,! 
for  those  who  have  done  them  from  that  blind  idea  of  charity, 
then  do  good  to  bad  and  good  alike,  and  with  the  aid  of  what 
is  done  for  them  the  wicked  do  evil  and  thereby  injure  the  good. 
Such  benefactors  are  partly  to  blame  for  the  injury  done  to 
the  good.    For  doing  good  to  an  evil-doer  is  like  giving  bread 
to  a  devil,  which  he  turns  into  poison ;  for  in  the  hands  of  the 
devil  all  bread  is  poison,  or  if  it  is  not,  he  turns  it  into  poison 
by  using  good  deeds  as  allurements  to  evil.    It  is  also  like 
handing^'to  an  enemy  a  sword  with  which  he  may  kill  some  one ; 
or  like  giving  the  shepherd's  staff  to  a  wolfish  man  to  guide  the 
sheep  to  pasture,  who,  after  he  has  obtained  it,  drives  them 
away  from  the  pasture  to  a  desert,  and  there  slaughters  them ; 
or  like  giving  public  authority  to  a  robber,  who  studies  and 
watches  for  plunder  only,  according  to  the  richness  and  abun- 
dance  of  which  he  dispenses  the  laws  and  executes  judgments. 


N.  429] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


545 


X. 

THERE    ARE    DUTIES    OF    CHARITY,    SOME    PUBLIC,    SOME 
DOMESTIC,    AXD    SOME    PRIVATE. 

429.  The  benefactions  of  charity  and  the  duties  of  charity 
are  distinct,  like  the  things  done  from  choice  and  the  things 
done  from  compulsion.  But  by  the  duties  of  charity  official  du- 
ties in  a  kingdom  or  state  are  not  meant, — as  the  duties  of  a 
minister  to  minister,  of  a  judge  to  judge,  and  so  on,— but  the 
duties  of  every  one  whatever  his  employment  may  be.  Thus 
these  duties  are  from  a  different  origin,  and  flow  forth  from  a 
different  will,  and  are  therefore  done  from  charity  by  those  who 
have  charity,  and  on  the  other  hand  from  no  charity  by  those 
who  have  no  charity. 

430.  The  public  duties  of  charitij  are  especially  the  payment 
of  tribute  and  taxes,  which  ought  not  to  be  confounded  with 
official  duties.  Those  who  are  spiritual  pay  these  with  one 
disposition  of  heart,  and  those  who  are  merely  natural  with 
another.  The  spiritual  pay  them  from  good  will,  because  they 
are  collected  for  the  preservation  of  their  country,  and  for  its 
protection  and  the  protection  of  the  church,  also  for  the  ad- 
ministration of  government  by  officials  and  governors,  to  whom 
salaries  and  stipends  must  be  paid  from  the  public  treasury. 
Those,  therefore,  to  whom  their  country  and  also  the  church 
are  the  neighbor,  pay  their  taxes  willingly  and  cheerfully,  and 
regard  it  as  iniquitous  to  deceive  or  defraud.  But  those  to 
whom  their  country  and  the  church  are  not  the  neighbor  pay 
them  unwillingly  and  with  resistance ;  and  at  every  opportun- 
ity defraud  and  withhold;  for  to  such  their  own  household 
and  their  own  flesh  are  the  neighbor. 

431.  The  domestic  duties  of  charitij  are  those  of  the  hus- 
band toward  the  wife,  and  of  the  wife  toward  the  husband,  of 
fathers  and  mothers  toward  their  children,  and  of  children 
towards  their  fathers  and  mothers,  also  the  duties  of  masters 
and  mistresses  towards  servants,  male  and  female,  and  of  the 
latter  towards  the  former.  These  duties,  because  they  are  the 
duties  of  education  and  management  at  home,  are  so  numerous 
that  if  recounted  they  would  fill  a  volume.    To  the  discharge 

35 


■  -"-^"^^^-'^TaMiMwmtiiAm 


546 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VIL 


of  these  duties  every  one  is  moved  by  a  love  different  from 
that  which  moves  him  to  discharge  the  duties  of  liis  employ- 
ment; husbands  and  wives  are  moved  to  their  duties  towards 
each  other  by  marriage  love  and  according  to  it;  parents  to- 
wards their  children  by  the  love  implanted  in  every  one,  called 
parental  love;  and  children  towards  their  parents  by  and  ac- 
cording to  another  love  which  is  closely  connected  with  obedi- 
ence from  a  sense  of  duty.  But  the  duties  of  masters  and 
mistresses  towards  their  servants,  male  and  female,  have  their 
source  in  the  love  of  governing,  and  this  love  is  according  to 
the  state  of  each  one's  mind.  [2]  But  marriage  love  and  the 
love  of  children,  with  the  duties  of  these  loves  and  the  prac- 
tice of  these  duties,  do  not  produce  love  to  the  neighbor  as  the 
practice  of  the  duties  in  one's  employment  does ;  for  the  love 
called  parental  love  exists  equally  with  the  bad  and  the  good, 
and  is  sometimes  stronger  with  the  bad;  moreover,  it  exists  in 
beasts  and  birds,  in  which  no  charity  can  be  formed.  It  is 
known  that  it  exists  with  bears,  tigers,  and  serpents,  as  much 
as  with  sheep  and  goats,  and  with  owls  as  much  as  with  doves. 
[3]  As  to  the  duties  of  parents  to  children  in  particular,  they 
are  inw^ardly  different  with  those  w^ho  are  in  charity  and  those 
who  are  not,  although  externally  they  appear  alike.  With 
those  who  are  in  charity,  that  love  is  conjoined  with  love  to- 
wards the  neighbor  and  love  to  God ;  for  by  such  children  are 
loved  according  to  their  morals,  virtues,  good  will,  and  quali- 
fications for  serving  the  public.  But  with  those  who  are  not 
in  charity,  there  is  no  conjunction  of  charity  with  the  love 
called  parental  love;  consequently,  many  such  parents  love 
even  wicked,  immoral,  and  crafty  children  more  than  the  good, 
moral,  and  discreet;  thus  they  love  those  who  are  useless  to 
the  public,  more  than  those  who  are  useful. 

432.  The  private  duties  of  charity  are  also  numerous,  such 
as  the  payment  of  wages  to  workmen,  the  payment  of  interest, 
the  fulfillment  of  contracts,  the  guarding  of  securities,  and  so 
on,  some  of  w^hich  are  duties  enforced  by  statute  law,  some  by 
common  law,  and  some  by  moral  law.  These  duties  also  are 
discharged  by  those  who  are  in  charity  from  one  state  of  mind, 
and  by  those  who  are  not  in  charity  from  another  state  of 
mind.    Those  who  are  in  charity  perform  them  justly  and 


N.  432] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


547 


faithfully ;  for  it  is  a  precept  of  charity  that  every  one  should 
act  justly  and  faithfully  toward  all  with  whom  he  has  any 
business  or  dealing  (on  which  above,  n.  422-425).  But  those 
who  are  not  in  charity  discharge  these  same  duties  very  differ- 
ently. 


XI. 

THE    DIVERSIONS    OF    CHARITY    ARE    DINNERS,    SUPPERS,   AND 

SOCIAL    GATHERINGS. 

433.  It  is  known  that  dinners  and  suppers  are  everywhere 
customary,  and  are  given  for  various  purposes,  and  that  with 
most  they  are  given  for  the  sake  of  friendship,  relationship, 
enjoyment,  gain   and  remuneration;  also  that  they   are  em- 
ployed for  corrupting  men  and  drawing  them  over  to  certain 
parties ;  and  that  among  the  great  they  are  given  for  the  sake 
of  honor,  and  in  kings'  palaces  for  splendor.    But  dinners  and 
suppers  of  charity  are  given  only  among  those  who  are  in 
mutual  love  from  similarity  of  faith.    With  the  Christians  of 
the  primitive  church  dinners  and  suppers  had  no  other  object; 
they  were  called  Feasts,  and  were  given  both  in  order  that 
they  might  heartily  enjoy  themselves,  and  at  the  same  time 
be  drawn  together.    In  the  first  state  of  the  establishment  of 
the  church  suppers  signified  consociation  and  conjunction,  be- 
cause evening,  when  they  took  place,  signified  that  state.    But 
in  the  second  state,  when  the  church  had  been  established, 
there  were  dinners,  for  morning  and  day  signified  that  state. 
At  table  they  conversed  on  various  subjects,  both  domestic 
and  civil,  but  especially  on  such  as  pertained  to  the  church. 
And  because  they  were  feasts  of  charity,  whatever  subject  they 
talked  about,  charity  with  its  delights  and  joys  was  in  their 
speech.    The  si)iritual  sphere  that  prevailed  at  those  feasts 
was  a  sphere  of  love  to  the  Lord  and  love  towards  the  neigh- 
bor, which  cheered  the  mind  of  every  one,  softened  the  tone 
of  every  voice,  and  from  the  heart  communicated  festivity  to 
all  the  senses.    For  there  emanates  from  every  man  a  spirit- 
ual sphere,  which  is  a  sphere  of  his  love's  affection  and  its 
thought  therefrom,  and  this  interiorly  affects  his  associates, 
especially  at  feasts.    This  sphere  emanates  both  through  the 


ili"iiifrifiiilniiit"-*'^'-*'''^'^iiil1iiriinT'iif^iiffl 


548 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VU. 


face  and  through  the  respiration.  It  is  because  dinners  and 
suppers,  or  feasts,  signified  such  association  of  minds  that 
they  are  so  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Word,  and  nothing 
else  is  there  meant  by  them  in  the  spiritual  sense;  and  the 
same  is  meant  in  the  highest  sense  by  the  paschal  supper 
among  the  children  of  Israel,  also  by  their  banquet  at  other 
festivities,  and  by  their  eating  together  of  the  sacrifices  near 
the  tabernacle.  Conjunction  itself  was  then  represented  by 
the  breaking  and  distribution  of  bread,  and  by  drinking  from 
the  same  cup  and  handing  it  to  another. 

434.  As  to  social  gatherings,  they  were  composed  in  the 
primitive  church  of  such  as  called  themselves  brethren  in 
Christ;  they  were  therefore  assemblies  of  charity,  because 
there  was  spiritual  brotheiiiood.  They  were  also  a  consola- 
tion in  the  adversities  of  the  church,  seasons  of  rejoicing  on 
account  of  its  increase,  recreations  of  mind  after  study  and 
labor,  and  at  the  same  time  opportunities  for  conversation  on 
various  subjects;  and  as  they  flowed  from  spiritual  love  as 
from  a  fountain,  they  were  rational  and  moral  from  a  spiritual 
origin.  There  are  at  this  day  assemblies  of  friendship,  which 
regard  as  an  end  the  delights  of  sociability,  the  exhilaration 
of  the  mind  by  conversation,  the  consequent  expansion  of  the 
feelings  and  the  liberation  of  imprisoned  thoughts,  and  thus 
the  rekindling  of  the  sensual  faculties  and  the  renewal  of  their 
state.  But  as  yet  there  are  no  gatherings  of  charity;  for  the 
Lord  says. 

In  the  end  of  the  age  (that  is,  at  the  end  of  the  church),  iniquity  will 
be  multiplied  and  charity  will  grow  cold  {Matt.  xxiv.  12). 

This  is  because  the  church  has  not  yet  acknowledged  the  Lord 
God  the  Saviour  as  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  gone  to 
Him  directly,  from  whom  alone  genuine  charity  goes  forth  and 
flows  in.  But  social  gatherings  where  friendship  emulating 
charity  does  not  bring  minds  together,  are  nothing  but  pretences 
of  friendship,  deceptive  attestations  of  mutual  love,  seduc- 
tive insinuations  into  favor,  and  sacrifices  offered  to  the  de- 
lights of  the  body,  especially  the  sensual,  whereby  people  are 
carried  away  like  ships  by  sails  and  favoring  currents,  while 
sycophants  and  hypocrites  stand  in  the  stem  and  hold  the  helm. 


N.  435] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


549 


XII. 

THE    FIRST    THIXG    OF    CHARITY    IS    TO    PUT   AWAY   EVILS;   AND 
THE    SECOXD    IS    TO    DO    GOODS    THAT    ARE    OF    USE 

TO    THE    NEIGHBOR. 

435.  In  the  doctrine  of  charity  this  holds  the  first  place, 
that  the  first  thing  of  charity  is  not  to  do  evil  to  the  neighbor ; 
and  to  do  good  to  him  holds  the  second  place.    This  tenet  is 
like  a  door  to  the  doctrine  of  charity.    It  is  admitted  that  evil 
is  firmly  seated  in  every  man's  will  from  his  birth;  and  as  all 
evil  has  relation  to  man  both  nearly  and  remotely,  and  also  to 
society  and  one's  country,  it  follows  that  inherited  evil  is  evil 
against  the  neighbor  in  every  degree.    A  man  may  see  from 
reason  itself,  that  so  far  as  the  evil  resident  in  the  will  is  not 
put  away,  the  good  that  he  does  is  impregnated  with  that  evil ; 
for  evil  is  then  inside  the  good,  like  a  kernel  in  its  shell  or  like 
marrow  in  a  bone ;  therefore  although  the  good  that  is  done  by 
such  a  man  appears  to  be  good,  still  intrinsically  it  is  not  good; 
for  it  is  like  a  healthy-looking  shell  containing  a  worm-eaten 
kernel,  or  like  a  white  ahnond  rotten  within,  with  streaks  of 
rottenness  extending  even  to  the  surface.     [2]  Willing  evil 
and  doing  right  are  two  essentially  opposite  things ;  for  evil  be- 
longs to  hatred  towards  the  neighbor  and  good  belongs  to  love 
towards  the  neighbor,  or  evil  is  the  neighbor's  enemy  and  good 
is  his  friend.    These  two  cannot  exist  in  the  same  mind,  that 
is,  evil  in  the  internal  man  and  good  in  the  external ;  if  they 
do,  the  good  in  the  external  is  like  a  wound  superficially  healed, 
within  which  there  is  putrid  matter.    Man  is  then  like  a  tree 
with  a  decayed  root,  which  still  produces  fruit  that  outwardly 
looks  like  well-flavored  and  useful  fruit,  but  is  inwardly  offen- 
sive and  useless.    He  is  also  like  rejected  scoria,  which,  be- 
ing bright  on  the  surface  and  beautifully  colored,  may  be  sold 
for  precious  stones ;  in  a  word,  he  is  like  an  owl's  egg,  which 
men  are  made  to  believe  to  be  a  dove's  egg.    [3]  Man  ought 
to  know  that  the  good  that  a  man  does  by  means  of  his  body 
proceeds  from  his  spirit,  or  out  of  his  internal  man,  the  inter- 
nal man  being  the  spirit  which  lives  after  death.    Therefore 
when  the  man  [above  described]   casts  off  the  body  which 


550 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VIL 


N.  436] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


551 


formed  his  external  man,  all  there  is  of  him  is  in  evils  and 
takes  delight  in  them,  and  is  averse  to  good  as  something  in- 
imical to  his  life.  ['4]  That  until  evil  has  been  put  away  man 
cannot  do  good  that  is  good  in  itself  the  Lord  teaches  in  many 
places : — 

Men  do  not  gather  the  grape  from  thorns  or  figs  from  thistles.  A  cor- 
rupt tree  cannot  bring  forth  good  fruit  {Matt.  vii.  16-18). 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  for  ye  cleanse  the  outside  of 
the  cup  and  the  platter,  but  within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and  excess. 
Thou  blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  the  inside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter, 
that  the  outside  of  them  may  become  clean  also  {Matt,  xxiii.  25,  26). 

And  in  Isaiah  : — 

Wash  you,  put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings,  cease  to  do  evil,  learn  to 
do  well,  seek  judgment.  Then  although  your  sins  have  been  as  scarlet, 
they  shall  become  as  white  as  snow  ;  although  they  have  been  red  like 
crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool  (i.  16-18). 

436.  This  may  be  further  illustrated  by  the  following  com- 
parisons :  One  cannot  visit  another  who  keeps  a  leopard  and 
a  panther  shut  up  in  his  chamber  (living  safely  with  them 
himself  because  he  feeds  them),  until  these  wild  beasts  have 
been  removed.  Who,  when  invited  to  the  table  of  a  king  and 
queen,  does  not,  before  he  goes,  wash  his  hands  and  face  ? 
Who  does  not  purify  ores  by  fire  and  separate  the  dross  before 
he  obtains  pure  gold  and  silver  ?  Who  does  not  separate  the 
tares  from  the  wheat,  before  putting  the  wheat  into  his  gran- 
ary ?  Who  does  not  prepare  raw  food  by  cooking  it  before  it 
is  made  eatable  and  placed  upon  the  table  ?  Who  does  not 
beat  the  worms  from  the  foliage  of  the  trees  in  his  garden,  so 
that  the  leaves  may  not  be  devoured  and  the  fruit  thereby  de- 
stroyed ?  W^ho  loves  and  seeks  to  marry  a  maiden  who  is  full 
of  disease,  and  covered  with  pimples  and  blotches,  however  she 
may  paint  her  face,  dress  finely,  and  labor  by  the  charms  of 
her  conversation  to  affect  him  with  the  enticements  of  love  ? 
Man  himself  ought  to  purify  himself  from  evils  [and  not  wait 
for  the  Lord  to  do  this  without  his  co-operation,  see  n.  331]. 
Otherwise  he  would  be  like  a  servant,  going  to  his  master,  with 
his  face  and  clothes  befouled  with  soot  or  dung,  and  saying, 
"  Master,  wash  me."  Would  not  his  master  answer  liim,  "You 
foolish  servant,  what  are  you  saying?    See,  here  are  water, 


soap,  and  a  towel;  have  you  not  hands  of  your  own  and  the 
power  to  use  them  ?  Wash  yourself."  And  so  the  Lord  God 
will  say,  "  These  means  of  purification  are  from  Me ;  and  your 
ability  to  will  and  do  are  also  from  Me ;  therefore  use  these  My 
gifts  and  endowments  as  your  own,  and  you  will  be  purified." 
437.  At  the  present  day  it  is  believed  that  charity  is  simply 
doing  good,  and  that  then  one  does  not  do  evil;  consequently 
that  the  first  thing  of  charity  is  to  do  good,  and  the  second 
not  to  do  evil.  But  it  is  wholly  the  reverse ;  the  first  thing  of 
charity  is  to  put  away  evil,  and  the  second  to  do  good ;  for  it 
is  a  universal  law  in  the  spiritual  world  and  from  that  in  the 
natural  world  also,  that  so  far  as  one  does  not  will  evil  he  wills 
good  ;  thus  that  so  far  as  he  turns  away  from  hell  from  which 
all  evil  ascends,  so  far  he  turns  towards  heaven  from  which  all 
good  descends  ;  consequently  also,  that  so  far  as  any  one  rejects 
the  devil  he  is  accepted  by  the  Lord.  One  cannot  stand  with  his 
head  vibrating  between  the  two,  and  pray  to  both  at  once ;  for 
of  such  the  Lord  says  : — 

I  know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot ;  would  that  thou 
wert  cold  or  hot.  So  because  thou  art  lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor 
hot,  I  will  spit  thee  out  of  My  mouth  {Apoc.  iii.  15-10). 

Who  can  skirmish  with  his  troop  between  two  armies,  favor- 
ing both  ?  Wlio  can  be  evil  disposed  towards  the  neighbor,  and 
at  the  same  time  w^ell  disposed  towards  him  ?  Does  not  evil 
then  lie  hidden  in  the  good  ?  Although  the  evil  that  so  hides 
itself  does  not  appear  in  the  man's  acts,  it  manifests  itself  in 
many  things  when  they  are  reflected  upon  rightly.  The  Lord 
says : — 

No  servant  can  serve  two  masters  ....  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and 
mammon  {Luke  xvi.  13). 

438.  But  no  one  is  able  to  purify  himself  from  evils  by  his 
own  power  and  his  own  abilities ;  yet  neither  can  it  be  done 
without  the  power  and  abilities  of  man  as  if  these  were  his 
own.  If  these  were  not  as  if  they  were  his  own,  no  man  would 
be  able  to  fight  against  the  flesh  and  its  lusts,  which  every  one 
is  commanded  to  do ;  he  would  not  even  be  able  to  think  of  any 
combat,  thus  his  mind  would  be  opened  to  evils  of  every  sort, 
and  would  be  restrained  from  them  as  deeds  only  by  the  laws 


552 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VII. 


of  justice  established  in  the  world,  and  their  penalties;  and 
thus  he  would  be  inwardly  like  a  tiger,  a  leopard,  or  a  serpent, 
which  never  reflect  at  all  upon  the  cruel  delights  of  their  loves. 
From  this  it  is  clear  that  as  man,  in  contrast  with  wild  beasts, 
is  rational,  he  ought  to  resist  evils  by  the  power  and  abilities 
given  him  by  the  Lord,  which  in  every  sense  appear  to  him  to 
be  his  own ;  and  this  appearance  has  been  granted  by  the  Lord 
to  every  man  for  the  sake  of  regeneration,  imputation,  con- 
junction, and  salvation. 


XIII. 

IN   THE    EXERCISES    OF    CHARITY    MAX    DOES    NOT   PLACE   MERIT 

IN    WORKS    SO    LONU    AS    HE    BELIEVES    THAT    ALL 

GOOD    IS    FROM    THE    LORD. 

439.  To  ascribe  merit  to  works  that  are  done  for  the  sake 
of  salvation  is  harmful  because  evils  lie  concealed  in  so  doing 
of  which  the  doer  is  wholly  ignorant.  There  also  lies  hid  in  it 
a  denial  of  God's  influx  and  operation  in  man ;  also  a  confidence 
in  one's  own  power  in  matters  of  salvation ;  faith  in  oneself 
and  not  in  God;  self-justification;  salvation  by  one's  own  abili- 
ties ;  a  reducing  of  Divine  grace  and  mercy  to  nought ;  a  re- 
jection of  reformation  and  regeneration  by  Divine  means; 
especially  a  limitation  of  the  merit  and  righteousness  of  the 
Lord  God  the  Saviour,  which  such  claim  for  themselves ;  to- 
gether with  a  continual  looking  for  reward,  which  they  regard 
as  the  first  and  last  end ;  a  submersion  and  extinction  of  love 
to  the  Lord  and  love  towards  the  neighbor ;  a  total  ignorance 
and  lack  of  perception  of  the  delight  of  heavenly  love  as  being 
without  merit,  and  a  sense  only  of  self-love.  For  those  who 
put  rewards  in  the  first  place  and  salvation  in  the  second,  and 
who  value  salvation  for  the  sake  of  the  reward,  invert  order  and 
immerse  the  interior  desires  of  the  mind  in  what  is  their  own 
[propriuw^y  and  defile  them  in  the  body  with  the  evils  of  the 
flesh.    This  is  why  the  good  that  claims  merit  appears  to  the 


N.  439] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


55^ 


27) 


angels  as  rust,  and  the  good  that  does  not  claim  merit  as  pur- 
ple. That  good  ought  not  to  be  done  for  the  sake  of  reward  the 
Lord  teaches  in  Luke: ' 

rJ!jr\  ^"^  ^''''^  ^"^  ^^''''^  ''^^'^  ^^  ^^^^^  ^^  y^^^'  ^h^t  thank  have  ye  ?  But 
rather  love  ye  your  enemies,  and  do  good,  and  lend,  hoping  foi  nothin' 

Eil^lf  ''rr^r^  ^^'^"  '^  ^'^^^^'  ^^^  ^^  «han  be  sons  of  he 
Most  High  ;  for  He  is  kind  unto  the  unthankful  and  the  evil  (vi.  33-35). 

And  that  man  cannot  do  good  that  in  itself  is  good,  except  from 
the  Lord,  He  teaches  in  JoJm :~  ^       ^         i 

exctpit  'l^'ATfV.  '^  """""'  ^'f '  ^'^"'^^  ^"""^^  ^^^^  '^'  -f  itself, 
except  It  abide  m  the  vine,  so  neither  can  ye  except  ye  abide  in  Me  •  for 

apart  from  Me  ye  can  do  nothing  (xv.  4,  5).  ' 

And  again, 

A  man  can  receive  nothing,  except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven  (iii. 

440  But  to  tliink  about  getting  into  heaven,  and  that  good 
ought  to  be  done  for  that  reason,  is  not  to  regard  reward  I  an 
end  and  to  ascribe  merit  to  works ;  for  thus  do  those  also  think 
who  love  the  neighbor  as  themselves  and  God  above  all  things- 
so  thinking  from  faith  in  the  Lord's  words,  "^  ' 

That  their  reward  should  be  great  in  the  heavens  {Matt.  v.  11  12  •  vi 
1  ;  X  41,  42  ;  Luke  vi.  2.3,  35  ;  xiv.  12-14  ;  John  iv.  36)  •  '       ' 

1  hat  those  who  have  done  good  shall  possess  as  an  inheritance  a  kin- 
dom  prepared  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  {Matt  xxv!  34) 

That  every  one  is  rewarded  accordin.^  to  his  works  {Matt  xvi  27  :  John 

Such  do  not  trust  to  reward  on  the  ground  of  their  merit,  but 
have  iaith  in  tlie  promise  from  grace.    With  such  the  delight 
of  doing  good  to  tlie  neighbor  is  their  reward.     This  is  the 
delig^it  of  the  angels  in  heaven,  and  it  is  a  spiritual  delight 
which  IS  eternal,  and  immeasurably  exceeds  all  natural  delight 
Those  wlio  are  in  this  delight  are  unwilling  to  hear  of  merit* 
for  they  love  t^o  do,  and  in  doing  they  perceive  blessedness! 
They  are  sad  when  it  is  believed  that  they  work  for  the  sake  of 
recompense     They  are  like  those  who  do  good  to  friends  for 
the  sake  of  friendship,  to  bretliren  for  the  sake  of  brotherhood, 
to  wife  and  chiklren  for  the  sake  of  wife  and  children,  and  to 


s^^ 


iMKU^IMi 


554 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [(  haf.  Vli. 


N.  441] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


555 


their  country  for  their  country's  sake ;  thus  from  friendship 
and  love.  Those  who  do  acts  of  kindness  also  say  and  give 
evidence  that  they  are  doing  this  not  on  their  own  behalf,  but 
on  behalf  of  the  others. 

441.  It  is  wholly  different  with  those  who  regard  reward  as 
the  essential  end  in  their  works.    These  are  like  such  as  form 
friendships  for  the  sake  of  gain,  and  who  make  presents,  per- 
form services,  and  profess  love  seemingly  from  the  heart,  but 
when  they  faU  to  obtain  what  they  hoped  for,  they  turn  about, 
renounce  their  friendship,  and  devote  themselves  to  the  ene- 
mies of  their  former  friends  and  to  those  who  hate  them.    They 
are  also  like  nurses  who  suckle  infants  merely  for  wages,  and 
in  presence  of  their  parents  kiss  and  fondle  them ;  but  as  soon 
as  they  cease  to  be  fed  with  delicacies  and  rewarded  just  as 
they  wish,  they  turn  against  the  infants,  treat  them  harshly, 
beat  them,  and  laugh  at  their  cries.     [2]  They  are  also  like 
those  whose  regard  for  their  country  springs  from  love  of  self 
and  the  world,  and  who  say  that  they  are  willing  to  give  their 
property  and  their  lives  for  it ;  and  yet,  if  they  do  not  acquire 
honors  and  riches  as  rewards,  they  speak  ill  of  their  country, 
and  connect  themselves  with  its  enemies.    They  are  also  like 
shepherds  who  care  for  sheep  merely  for  hire,  and  if  the  hire  is 
not  given  when  they  wish  it,  drive  the  sheep  with  their  crook 
from  the  pasture  to  the  desert.    Like  these  again  are  priests 
who  discharge  the  duties  of  their  office  solely  for  the  sake  of 
the  emoluments  attached  to  them,  and  who,  evidently,  regard 
as  of  little  account  the  salvation  of  the  souls  over  whom  they 
have  been  placed  as  guides.     [3]  It  is  the  same  with  magis- 
trates who  look  only  to  the  dignity  of  their  office  and  its  rev- 
enues ;  and  when  they  do  right,  it  is  not  for  the  sake  of  the 
public  good,  but  for  the  sake  of  the  delight  in  the  love  of  self 
and  the  world,  which  delight  they  breathe  in  as  the  only  good. 
It  is  the  same  with  all  the  rest ;  the  end  in  view  carries  every 
point,  and  the  mediate  causes  pertaining  to  the  function  are 
renounced  if  they  do  not  promote  the  end.     W  And  the  same 
is  true  of  those  who  demand  reward  on  the  ground  of  merit  m 
matters  of  salvation.     Such  after  death  confidently  demand 
heaven ;  but  when  it  has  been  found  that  they  have  no  love  to 
God  or  love  towards  the  neighbor,  they  are  sent  back  to  those 


who  can  instruct  them  concerning  charity  and  faith ;  and  if 
they  repudiate  their  instructions,  they  are  sent  away  to  their 
like,  among  whom  are  some  who  are  enraged  agamst  God  be- 
cause they  do  not  obtain  rewards,  and  who  call  faith  a  mere  fig- 
ment of  reason.     Such  are  meant  in  the  Word  by  "hirelings,'^ 
who  were  allotted  service  of  the  lowest  kind  in  the  outer  courts 
of  the  temple.    At  a  distance  they  appear  to  be  splitting  wood. 
442.  It  must  be  well  understood  that  charity  and  faith  in  the 
Lord  are  closely  conjoined,  consequently,  such  as  the  faith  is 
such  IS  the  charity.    That  the  Lord,  charity,  and  faith  make 
one,  like  life,  will,  and  understanding  [in  man],  and  if  they 
are  divided  each  perishes  like  a  pearl  reduced  to  powder  may 
be  seen  above  (n.  362,  363) ;  and  that  charity  and  faith  are  to- 
gether  m  good  works  (n.  373-377).    From  this  it  follows  that 
such  as  faith  is,  such  is  charity,  and  that  such  as  charity  and 
faith  are  together,  such  are  works.    If  then  there  is  a  faith  that 
all  the  good  that  a  man  does  as  if  of  himself  is  from  the  Lord, 
man  is  the  instrumental  cause  of  that  good,  and  the  Lord  the 
principal  cause,  which  two  causes  appear  to  man  to  be  one,  and 
yet  the  principal  cause  is  the  all  in  all  of  the  instrumental  cause. 
From  this  it  follows  that  when  a  man  believes  that  all  good 
that  is  good  in  itself  is  from  the  Lord,  he  does  not  ascribe  merit 
to  works ;  and  in  the  degree  in  which  this  faith  is  perfected  in 
man,  the  fantasy  about  merit  is  taken  away  from  him  by  the 
Lord.    In  this  state  man  enters  fully  into  the  exercise  of  charity 
with  no  anxiety  about  merit,  and  at  length  i)erceives  the  spir- 
itual delight  of  charity,  and  then  begins  to  be  averse  to  merit 
as  a  something  harmful  to  his  life.    The  sense  of  merit  is 
easily  washed  away  by  the  Lord  with  those  who  become  im- 
bued with  charity  by  acting  justly  and  faithfully  in  the  work, 
business,  or  function  in  which  they  are  engaged,  and  towards 
all  with  whom  they  have  any  dealings  (see  above,  n.  422-424). 
But  the  sense  of  merit  is  removed  with  difficulty  from  those 
who  believe  that  charity  is  acquired  by  giving  alms  and  reliev- 
ing the  needy ;  for  when  they  do  these  things,  in  their  minds 
they  desire  reward,  at  first  openly  and  then  secretly,  and  draw 
to  themselves  merit. 


"'^^'•'—""iMiai 


55G  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VII. 


XIV. 

WHEN    MORAL    LIFE    IS    AT    THE    SAME    TIME    SPIRITUAL,    IT 

IS    CHARITY. 

443.  Every  man  is  taught  by  his  parents  and  teachers  to 
live  morally,  that  is,  to  act  the  part  of  a  good  citizen,  to  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  an  honorable  life  (which  relate  to  the  va- 
rious virtues  that  are  the  essentials  of  an  honorable  life),  and 
to  bring  them  forth  through  the  formalities  of  an  honorable 
life,  which  are  called  proprieties ;  and  as  he  advances  in  years 
he  is  taught  to  add  to  these  what  is  rational,  and  thereby  to 
perfect  what  is  moral  in  his  life.  For  in  children,  even  to  early 
youth,  moral  life  is  natural,  and  becomes  afterwards  more  and 
more  rational.  Any  one  who  reflects  well  upon  it  can  see  that 
a  moral  life  is  the  same  as  a  life  of  charity,  and  that  this  is  to 
act  rightly  towards  the  neighbor,  and  to  so  regulate  the  life  as 
to  preserve  it  from  contamination  by  evils ;  this  follows  from 
what  has  been  shown  above  (435-438).  And  yet,  in  the  first 
period  of  life,  a  moral  life  is  a  life  of  charity  in  outermosts,  that 
is,  it  is  merely  the  outer  and  foremost  part  of  it,  not  the  inner 
part,  [ii]  For  there  are  four  periods  of  life  through  which  man 
passes  from  infancy  to  old  age ;  the  first  is  when  he  acts  from 
others  according  to  instructions ;  the  second,  when  he  acts  from 
himself,  under  the  guidance  of  the  understanding ;  the  thit'd, 
when  the  will  acts  upon  the  understanding,  and  the  under- 
standing regulates  the  will;  and  the  fourth,  when  he  acts  from 
confirmed  principle  and  deliberate  purpose.  But  these  periods 
of  life  are  the  periods  of  the  life  of  a  man's  spirit,  not  in  like 
manner  of  his  body ;  for  the  body  can  act  morally  and  speak 
rationally  while  its  spirit  is  willing  and  thinking  opposite 
thino-s.  That  this  is  the  nature  of  the  natural  man  is  obvious 
in  the  case  of  pretenders,  flatterers,  liars,  and  hypocrites. 
These  evidently  enjoy  a  double  mind,  that  is,  their  minds  are 
divided  into  two  discordant  minds.  It  is  otherwise  with  those 
who  will  rightly  and  think  rationally,  and  consequently  act 
rightly  and  talk  rationally.  These  are  meant  in  the  Word  by 
the  "  simple  in  sjjirit ;"  they  are  called  simple,  because  they  are 
not  double-minded.    [3]  From  all  this  it  can  be  seen  what  is 


N.  443] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


557 


meant  specifically  by  the  external  man ;  also  that    fro,,,  fi. 
morahty  of  the  external  man,  no  one  caufj  m  ^'J^^l 
as  to  the  morality  of  the  internal,  since  tlds  may  L  tm^edl 
an  opposite  direction,  and  may  hide  itself  a.  a  tortoise  Mdes 
Its  head  within  its  shell,  or  as  a  serpent  hides  its  heS  inits 
coil.    For  such  a  soK^alled  moral  man  is  like  a  robberin  a  citv 
and  in  a  forest,  acting  the  part  of  a  moral  person  in  theM  v 
but  of  a  plunderer  in  the  forest.    It  is  whoHy  otlie  w t  S 
those  who  are  moral  inwardly  or  in  the  spirit,  which    hey  ^ 

444.  Moral  life,  when  it  is  also  spiritual,  is  a  life  of  charitv 
because  the  practices  of  a  moral  life  and  of  charity  are  h' 
same;  for  chanty  is  willing  rightly  towards  the  ne  Sboi   -iS 

iiie.     ine  spiritual  law  is  this  law  of  tlie  Lord:— 

,    ui  uiis  IS  tiie  law  and  the  prophets  (Matt.  vii.  12). 

This  same  law  is  the  universal  law  of  moral  life  l^nf  f. 
count  all  the  works  of  charity,  and  to  compt  ^tm  ^^^^^ 
works  of  moral  life,  would  fill  manv  73^-.^.  i,,  A     ^]'^^^^^'^ 

no  luife     That  the        77  ""  '''''  ''''''  '^^  l^-^^P^^  of 
the  fulfilh-ng^,  ,n  these  preceptl,  is  eviS"  fr^thetlt: 

Shalt  nSJea?Tho^raU;°orbl:tl'"'-/''"\^'''''''  '""  '^■"'  TI-u 
and  if  there  te  any  otLTcommandr^P,^  T'  ''''  ^'"'"  ^^""^^  ""*  «°^'^': 
namely,  Thou  shal^  lovfthy  ne'^t  aV  In-T'r^  "?.  '"  "H^  """'' 
.il  to  his  neighbor;  charity  i/the  «„t%?r  LTCS-t,."'' 

t^al'ti"  '^''"^"  *'■""  '^'  '^'''^''^  ^^-^  «"1J'.  cannot  but  wonder 

^Sd  bv  7h  ^°r'"'lr  "*^  °'  ''''  ^^"-'1  *^^1«  --e  prom  1 
gated  by  Jehovah  on  Mount  Sinai  with  so  arpof  ,      •      i 

^v^en  yet  these  same  precepts,  in  alUlTekinlZs    f  J^  d' 
consequently  also  in  Egypt  whence  the  children  of  IsiLThS 


658 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VII. 


lately  come,  were  the  precepts  of  the  law  of  civil  justice,  for 
without  them  no  kingdom  can  continue  to  exist.  But  they 
were  promulgated  by  Jehovah,  and  were,  moreover,  written  by 
His  finger  on  tables  of  stone,  in  order  that  they  might  be  not 
only  the  precepts  of  civil  society,  and  therefore  of  natural-moral 
life,  but  also  the  precepts  of  heavenly  society,  and  therefore  of 
spiritual-moral  life ;  so  that  acting  contrary  to  them  would  be 
not  only  acting  in  opposition  to  men,  but  also  to  God. 

445.  Viewing  moral  life  in  its  essence,  it  can  be  seen  that 
it  is  a  life  that  is  in  accordance  both  with  human  laws  and 
"w^ith  Divine  laws ;  therefore  he  who  lives  in  accordance  with 
these  two  laws  as  one  law,  is  a  truly  moral  man,  and  his  life  is 
charity.  Any  one,  if  he  will,  can  understand  from  external 
moral  life  the  nature  of  charity.  Only  transfer  external  moral 
life,  such  as  prevails  in  civil  communities,  over  into  the  inter- 
nal man,  so  that  in  its  wull  and  thought  there  may  be  a  like- 
ness and  conformity  to  the  acts  in  the  external,  and  you  will 
see  charity  in  its  true  image. 


XV. 

A    FRTEXDSHTP    OF    LOVE,    CONTRACTED    WITH    A    MAX    WITHOITT 

REGARD    TO    HIS    SPIRITUAL    QUALITY,    IS 

DETRIMENTAL    AFTER    DEATH. 

446.  A  friendship  of  love  means  interior  friendship,  which 
is  such  that  not  only  is  the  man's  external  man  loved  but  his 
internal  also,  and  this  without  scrutiny  into  the  quality  of  his 
internal  or  spirit,  that  is,  into  his  mind's  affections,  as  to 
whether  these  spring  from  love  towards  the  neighbor  and  love 
to  God,  and  are  thus  adapted  to  association  with  angels  of 
heaven,  or  whether  they  spring  from  a  love  opposed  to  the 
neighbor  and  a  love  opposed  to  God,  and  are  thus  adapted  to 
association  with  devils.  Such  friendship  is  contracted  in  many 
instances  from  various  causes  and  for  various  purposes.  It  is 
distinct  from  external  friendship,  which  relates  only  to  the 
person  and  exists  for  the  sake  of  various  bodily  and  sensual 


N.  446] 


CHA  RITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


559 


delights,  and  for  the  sake  of  mutual  intercourse  in  various 
ways.  This  kind  of  friendship  may  be  formed  with  any  one, 
even  with  the  clown  who  jokes  at  the  table  of  a  nobleman! 
This  is  caUed  friendship  simply;  but  the  former  is  called  the 
friendship  of  love,  because  friendship  is  natural  conjunction, 
while  love  is  spiritual  conjunction. 

447.  That  the  friendship  of  love  is  detrimental  after  death, 
can  be  seen  from  the  state  of  heaven,  of  hell,  and  of  man's 
spirit  in  relation  to  them.    As  to  the  state  of  heaven,  it  is  di- 
vided into  innumerable  societies  according  to  all  the  varieties 
of  affections  of  the  love  of  good;  while  hell,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  divided  according  to  all  the  varieties  of  affections  of  the  love 
of  evil ;  and  after  death,  man,  who  is  then  a  spirit,  is  at  once 
adjudged,  according  to  his  life  in  the  world,  to  the  society  where 
his  ruling  love  prevails — to  some  heavenly  society,  if  love  to 
God  and  love  towards  the  neighbor  has  formed  the  head  of  his 
loves,  and  to  some  infernal  society,  if  love  of  self  and  the  world 
has  formed  the  head  of  his  loves.    Immediately  after  his  en- 
trance into  the  spiritual  world,  which  is  effected  through  the 
death  of  the  material  body  and  its  rejection  to  the  sepulchre, 
man  for  some  time  undergoes  a  preparation  for  the  society  to 
which  he  has  been  adjudged,  which  preparation  is  effected  by 
the  rejection  of  su(;h  loves  as  are  not  in  accord  with  his  chief 
love.    Thus  one  is  then  separated  from  another,  friend  from 
friend,  dependent  from  patron,  also  parent  from  children,  and 
brother  from  brother ;  and  each  one  of  these  is  connected  with 
those  interiorly  like  himself,  with  whom  he  is  to  live  to  eter- 
nity a  life  in  common  with  them  and  yet  properly  his  own. 
Kevertheless,  during  the  first  period  of  the  preparation  they 
all  come  together,  and  converse  in  a  friendly  way,  as  in  the 
world.    But  little  by  little  they  are  separated,  and  in  ways 
they  are  not  sensible  of. 

448.  But  those  who  in  the  world  have  contracted  with  each 
other  friendships  of  love  cannot  be  separated  like  others  in  ac- 
cordance with  order,  and  adjudged  to  societies  correspondent 
to  their  lives ;  for  they  are  bound  together  interiorly  as  to  the 
spirit,  nor  can  they  be  torn  apart,  because  they  are  like  scions 
ingrafted  into  branches ;  consequently,  if  one  as  to  his  interi- 
ors is  in  heaven,  and  the  other  as  to  his  interiors  in  hell,  they 


560 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VII. 


Stick  together  much  as  a  sheep  tied  to  a  wolf,  or  a  goose  to  a 
fox   or  a  dove  to  a  hawk;  and  he  whose  interiors  are  in  hell 
breLthes  his  infemalism  into  the  other  whose  interiors  are  m 
heaven.    For  among  the  things  well  known  in  heaven  is  this, 
that  evils  may  be  breathed  into  the  good,  but  not  goods  into 
the  evil;  and  for  this  reason  that  every  one  is  in  evils  by  birth ; 
and  in  consequence,  the  interiors  of  the  good,  who  are  thus 
loined  fast  to  the  evil,  are  closed,  and  both  are  thrust  down  to 
hell  where  the  good  spirit  suffers  severely,  but  finally,  after  a 
lapse  of  time,  he  is  released,  and  only  then  begins  his  prepara. 
tion  for  heaven.    It  has  been  granted  me  to  see  spirits  so  bound 
together,  especially  brothers  and  relatives,  also  patrons  and 
their  dependents,  and  many  with  flatterers,  the  two  havmg 
contrary  affections  and  diverse  inclinations.    1  have  seen  some 
who  were  like  kids  with  leopards,  who  were  kissing  each  otiier 
and  swearing  to  maintain  their  former  friendship ;  and  I  then 
perceived  that  the  good  were  absorbing  the  delights  of  the 
evil,  holding  each  other  by  the  hand  and  entering  caves  where 
crowds  of  the  evil  appeared  in  their  hideous  forms,  although 
to  themselves,  owing  to  the  illusions  of  phantasy,  they  seemed 
lovely.    But  after  a  while  I  heard  from  the  good  cries  of  fear, 
as  if  they  were  in  snares,  and  from  the  evil  rejoicings,  like 
those  of  enemies  over  spoils ;  besides  other  sad  scenes ;  aiid  I 
was  told  that  when  the  good  had  been  released  they  were  pre- 
pared for  heaven  by  means  of  reformation,  but  not  so  easily  as 

others.  . 

449.  It  is  wholly  different  with  those  who  love  the  good  in 
another,  that  is,  who  love  justice,  judgment,  sincerity,  and  be- 
nevolence arising  from  charity,  and  especially  with  those  who 
love  faith  in  the  Lord  and  love  to  Him.  Because  these  love 
the  things  within  man  apart  from  the  things  without,  when 
they  do  not  discover  the  same  things  in  the  person  after  death, 
they  at  once  withdraw  from  the  friendship  and  are  associated 
by  the  Lord  with  those  who  are  in  like  good.  It  should  be 
said  that  no  one  is  able  to  explore  the  interiors  of  the  mind  of 
those  with  whom  he  associates  or  deals ;  and  this  is  not  neces- 
sary ;  only  let  him  guard  against  a  friendship  of  love  with  any 
one.  External  friendship  for  the  sake  of  various  uses  does  no 
harm. 


i.1. 


.OOj 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


661 


XVI. 

THERE    IS    SPURIOUS    CHARITY,   HYPOCRITICAL    CHARITY,    AND 

DEAD    CHARITY. 

450.  There  is  no  genuine,  that  is,  living  charity,  except  that 
which  makes  one  with  faith,  and  the  two  look  conjointly  to  the 
Lord ;  for  these  three,  the  Lord,  charity,  and  faith,  are  the  three 
essentials  of  salvation,  and  when  they  make  one,  charity  is 
charity,  and  faith  is  faith ;  and  the  Lord  is  in  them  and  they 
are  in  the  Lord  (see  above,  n.  363-367,  and  n.  368-372).    On 
the  other  hand,  when  these  three  are  not  conjoined,  charity  is 
efther  spui-ious,  or  hypocritical,  or  dead.    In  Christianity  smce 
its  establishment  there  have  been  various  heresies,  even  down 
to  the  present  day,  in  each  of  which  these  three  essentials,  God, 
charity,  and  faith,  have  been  and  still  are  acknowledged;  for 
apart  from  these  three,  there  is  no  religion.    As  to  charity  m 
particular,  it  may  be  joined  to  any  heretical  belief,  as  with  that 
of  the  Socinians,  the  Enthusiasts,  the  Jews,  and  even  to  the 
faith  of  idolaters;  and  they  may  all  believe  it  to  be  charity, 
since  it  appears  like  it  in  the  external  form.    Nevertheless,  the 
quality  of  charity  is  changed  in  accordance  with  the  faith  to 
which  it  is  joined,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  chapter  on  Faith. 

451.  All  charity  that  is  not  conjoined  with  faith  in  one  God 
in  whom  is  a  Divine  trinity,  is  spurious  like  the  charity  of  the 
present  church,  the  faith  of  which  is  a  faith  in  successive  order 
in  three  persons  of  the"  same  Divinity,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Spirit ;  and  being  a  faith  in  three  persons,  each  one  of  whom 
is  a  self-subsistent  God,  it  is  a  faith  in  three  Gods.  To  such  a 
faith  charity  may  be  joined  (as  has  been  done  by  its  sup- 
porters), but  never  can  be  conjoined ;  and  the  charity  that  is 
only  joined  to  faith  is  merely  natural,  and  not  spiritual,  and  is 
therefore  a  spurious  charity.  The  same  is  true  of  the  charity 
of  many  other  heresies,  as  the  charity  of  those  who  deny  a  Di- 
vine trinity  and  thus  approach  God  the  Father  only,  or  the 
Holy  Spirit  only,  or  both  of  these  apart  from  God  the  Saviour. 
To  the  faith  of  such,  charity  cannot  be  conjoined,  or  when  con- 
joined or  joined  to  it  it  is  a  spurious  charity.  It  is  called  spun- 
ous,  because  it  is  like  the  offspring  of  an  illegitimate  bed,  or 
36 


562 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VII. 


like  the  son  of  Hagar  born  to  Abraham,  who  was  cast  out  of  the 
house  (Gen.  xxi.  10).  Such  charity  is  like  fruit  upon  a  tree 
where  it  has  not  grown,  but  has  been  fastened  to  it  with  a 
needle ;  and  it  is  like  a  carriage  to  which  horses  are  fastened 
only  by  the  reins  in  the  driver's  hands,  and  when  they  spring 
forward,  they  drag  the  driver  from  his  seat,  and  leave  the  car- 
riage behind. 

452.  But  hypocritical  charity  is  the  charity  of  those  who  in 
their  churches  and  private  dwellings  humble  themselves  almost 
to  the  floor  before  God,  devoutly  pour  forth  long  prayers,  put 
on  a  holy  expression  of  countenance,  kiss  images  of  the  cross 
and  the  bones  of  the  dead,  and  kneel  beside  sepulchres  and  there 
with  their  mouths  mutter  words  of  holy  veneration  for  God, 
and  yet  in  their  heart  they  are  thinking  of  being  themselves 
worshiped  and  seeking  to  be  adored  as  divinities.  It  is  such 
as  these  whom  the  Lord  describes  in  the  following  words : — 

When  thou  doest  alms,  sound  not  a  trumpet  before  thee,  as  the  hypo- 
crites do  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  streets,  that  they  may  have  glory 
of  men.  And  when  thou  prayest,  thou  shalt  not  be  as  the  hypocrites, 
who  love  to  pray  standing  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  corners  of  the 
streets,  that  they  may  be  seen  of  men  {Matt.  vi.  2,  5). 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites !  for  ye  shut  up  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  before  men  ;  for  ye  enter  not  in  yourselves,  neither 
do  ye  suffer  those  to  enter  who  wish  to  enter.  Woe  unto  you,  hypo- 
crites !  for  ye  compass  sea  and  land  to  make  one  proselyte  ;  and  when  he 
is  made,  ye  make  him  twofold  more  a  son  of  hell  than  yourselves.  Woe 
unto  you,  hypocrites  !  for  ye  make  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the 
platter,  but  within  they  are  filled  with  extortion  and  excess  {Matt,  xxiii. 

13,  15,  25). 

Well  hath  Esaias  prophesied  of  you,  hypocrites,  saying.  This  people 
honoreth  Me  with  their  lips,  but  their  heart  is  far  from  Me  {Mark  vii.  6). 

Woe  unto  you,  hypocrites!  for  ye  are  as  graves  which  appear  not,  and 
the  men  that  walk  over  them  know  it  not  {Luke  xi.  44). 

Beside  other  passages.  Such  are  like  flesh  without  blood,  like 
crows  and  parrots  taught  to  repeat  the  words  of  a  psalm,  and 
like  birds  taught  to  sing  the  tune  of  a  sacred  hymn ;  and  the 
sound  of  their  voice  is  like  that  of  a  bird-catcher's  whistle. 

453.  But  dead  charity  is  the  charity  of  those  whose  faith  is 
dead ;  since  the  charity  is  such  as  the  faith  is.  That  they  make 
one,  has  been  shown  in  the  chapter  on  Faith.  That  the  faith 
of  those  who  are  without  works  is  dead,  appears  from  the 


liNUniMitS 


N.  463] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


663 


Epistle  of  James  (ii.  17,  20).    Furthermore,  faith  is  dead  in 
those  who  do  not  believe  in  God,  but  believe  in  living  and  dead 
men,  and  who  worsliip  images  as  holy  in  themselves,  as  the 
gentiles  formerly  did.    The  offerings  of  those  who  are  in  such 
a  faith  which  for  the  sake  of  salvation  they  bestow  upon  their 
miracle-working  images,  a^  they  call  them,  including  these  of- 
ferings among  works  of  charity,  are  precisely  like  the  gold 
and  silver  that  are  put  in  the  urns  and  monuments  of  the  dead; 
they  are  even  like  the  meat  given  to  Cerberus,  or  the  fee  paid 
to  Charon  for  ferriage  to  the  Elysian  fields.    But  the  charity  of 
those  who  believe  that  there  is  no  God,  but  only  nature  instead 
is  neither  spurious,  hypocritical,  nor  dead;  it  is  no  charity  at 
all,  because  it  is  not  joined  to  any  faith,  and  cannot  be  called 
charity,  since  the  quality  of  charity  is  determined  by  faith. 
Such  charity,  viewed  from  heaven,  is  like  bread  made  of  ashes, 
a  cake  made  of  fishes'  scales,  or  fruit  made  of  wax. 


XVII. 

THE    FRIENDSHIP    OP    LOVE    AMONG    THE    EVIL    IS    IXTESTreE 

HATRED    OF    EACH    OTHER. 

454    It  has  been  shown  above  that  every  man  has  an  inter- 
nal and  an  external,  and  that  his  internal  is  called  the  eternal 
man  and  his  external  the  external  man.    To  this  may  be  added, 
that  the  internal  man  is  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  the  ex- 
ternal in  the  natural  world.    Man  was  so  created  in  order  that 
he  might  be  associated  with  spirits  and  angels  m  their  world 
and  might  thereby  be  able  to  think  analytically,  and  after  death 
be  transferred  from  his  own  world  to  another.    By  the  spir- 
itual world  both  heaven  and  hell  are  meant.    As  the  internal 
man  is  in  company  with  spirits  and  angels  in  their  world,  and 
the  external  man  with  men,  it  is  evident  that  man  can  be  af- 
filiated both  with  the  spirits  of  hell  and  with  the  angels  ot 
heaven     By  this  capacity  and  power  man  is  distinguished  from 
beasts.    Man  is  essentially  {in  se)  such  as  he  is  in  his  internal 
man,  not  such  as  he  is  in  his  external,  for  the  internal  man  is 
his  spirit,  and  this  acts  through  the  external.    The  material 


564 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VU. 


N.  456] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


565 


body  with  which  his  spirit  is  clothed  in  the  natural  world,  is  an 
accessory  for  the  sake  of  procreation  and  for  the  sake  of  the  for- 
mation of  the  internal  man ;  for  the  internal  man  is  formed  in 
the  natural  body  as  a  tree  in  the  soil,  or  as  seed  in  fruit.  More 
on  the  internal  and  external  man  may  be  seen  above  (n.  401). 
455.  But  what  the  evil  man  is  as  to  his  internal  man,  and 
what  the  good  man  is  as  to  his,  may  be  seen  from  the  following 
brief  description  of  hell  and  heaven,  for  the  evil  man's  internal 
is  conjoined  with  the  devils  in  hell,  and  the  good  man's  with 
angels  in  heaven.  Hell  from  its  loves  is  in  the  delights  of  all 
evils,  that  is,  in  the  delights  of  hatred,  revenge,  murder, 
plunder  and  theft,  of  railing  and  blasphemy,  of  denial  of  God 
and  profanation  of  the  Word.  Such  delights  lurk  in  lusts  up- 
on which  man  does  not  reflect.  These  lusts  blaze  in  these  de- 
lights like  lighted  torches  ;  and  are  what  is  meant  in  the  Word 
by  infernal  fire.  But  the  delights  of  heaven  are  the  delights 
of  love  towards  the  neighbor  and  of  love  to  God.  [2]  Inas- 
much as  the  delights  of  hell  are  opposite  to  the  delights  of 
heaven,  there  is  between  them  a  great  interspace,  into  which 
the  delights  of  heaven  flow  from  above,  and  those  of  hell  from 
beneath.  While  man  is  living  in  the  world  he  is  in  the  middle 
of  this  interspace,  in  order  that  he  may  be  in  equilibrium,  and 
thus  in  a  state  of  freedom  to  turn  either  to  heaven  or  to  hell. 
This  interspace  is  what  is  meant  by  "the  great  gulf  fixed" 
between  those  who  are  in  heaven  and  those  who  are  in  hell 
{Luke  xvi.  26).  [3]  From  this  it  can  be  seen  what  the  friend- 
ship of  love  is  among  the  evil,  namely,  that  in  their  external 
man  it  is  posturing  and  mimicry  and  pretences  of  morality,  in 
order  that  they  may  spread  their  nets  and  discover  opportuni- 
ties for  gratifying  their  loves'  delights,  with  which  their  inter- 
nal man  is  on  fire.  Nothing  but  fear  of  the  law  and  consequent 
fears  for  their  rei)utation  and  life  withholds  them  and  restrains 
their  actions.  Consequently  their  friendship  is  like  a  spider 
in  sugar,  a  viper  in  bread,  a  young  crocodile  in  a  cake  of  honey, 
or  a  snake  in  the  grass.  [4]  Such  is  the  friendship  of  the  evil 
with  every  one.  But  among  those  confirmed  in  evil,  such  as 
tliieves,  robbers,  and  pirates,  friendship  is  intimate  so  long  as 
they  are  with  one  mind  bent  on  acquiring  plunder ;  for  they 
then  embrace  each  other  like  brothers,  enjoy  themselves  with 


1 


feasting,  singing,  and  dancing,  and  conspire  to  destroy  others ; 
yet  each  one  within  himself  regards  his  companion  as  one  ene- 
my regards  another ;  this,  too,  is  what  a  cunning  robber  sees 
and  fears  in  his  fellow.  Evidently,  therefore,  among  such  there 
is  no  friendship,  but  intestme  hatred. 

455^.  Any  man  who  has  not  openly  connected  himself  with 
evil-doers  and  committed  robberies,  but  has  led  a  civil  moral 
life  for  the  sake  of  various  uses  as  ends,  and  yet  has  not  curbed 
the  lust  residing  in  his  internal  man,  may  suppose  that  his 
friendship  is  not  of  such  a  nature.  Nevertheless,  from  many 
exemplifications  in  the  spiritual  world,  it  has  been  granted  me 
to  know  with  certainty  that  it  is  such,  in  different  degrees,  with 
all  who  have  rejected  faith  and  despised  the  holy  things  of  the 
ihurch,  regarding  those  as  nothing  to  them,  but  only  for  the 
common  herd.  In  some  of  these  the  delights  of  infernal  love 
have  lain  hidden  like  fire  in  smouldering  logs  covered  with 
bark;  in  some  like  coals  under  ashes;  in  some  like  waxen 
torches  that  blaze  up  when  fire  is  applied  to  them ;  and  in  othei^ 
in  other  ways.  Such  is  every  man  who  has  rejected  from  his 
heart  the  things  of  religion.  The  internal  man  of  such  is  in 
hell ;  but  being  ignorant  of  this  because  of  their  pretended  mor- 
ality in  externals  so  long  as  they  live  in  the  world  they  acknowl- 
edge no  one  as  their  neighbor  except  themselves  and  their  own 
children ;  they  regard  others  either  with  contempt — and  then 
they  are  like  cats  lying  in  wait  for  birds  in  their  nests— or 
with  hatred,  and  then  they  are  like  wolves  when  they  see  dogs 
that  they  may  devour.  These  statements  are  made  to  show 
from  its  opposite  what  charity  is. 


^ 


XVIII. 

THE   CONJUXCTION    OF    LOVE    TO    GOD    AND    LOVE    TOWARDS 

THE    NEIGHBOR. 

456.  It  is  known  that  the  Law  promulgated  from  iVIount 
Sinai  was  written  upon  two  tables,  one  of  which  related  to  God 
and  the  other  to  men ;  that  in  the  hands  of  Moses  they  were 
one  table,  the  writing  on  the  right  side  of  which  related  to 
God,  and  that  on  the  left  to  men ;  and  that  when  so  presented 


-\ 


iateajdj^^^Mi^Mk^^^^^^c^M^^^lg^ 


^|£^^i 


566 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VH. 


to  the  eyes  of  men  the  writing  on  both  sides  was  seen  at  the 
same  time,  thus  one  side  was  m  view  of  the  other,  like  Jehovah 
talking  to  Moses  and  Moses  to  Jehovah,  fa^e  to  face,  as  it  is 
written.    This   was  done  in  order  that  the  tables  so  united 
might  represent  the  conjunction  of  God  with  men,  and  the  re- 
ciprocal conjunction  of  men  with  God;  and  this  is  why  the 
written  law  was  called  a  Covenant  and  a  Testbnony,  "covenant" 
signifying  conjunction,  and  "testimony"  life  according  to  the 
compact.    These  two  tables  so  united  exhibit  the  conjunction 
of  love  to  God  with  love  towards  the  neighbor.    The  lirst  table 
includes  all  things  pertaining  to  love  to  God,  which  are,  prima- 
rily, that  man  should  acknowledge  the  one  God,  the  Divinity 
of  His  Human,  and  the  holiness  of  the  Word,  and  that  God  is 
to  be  worshiped  through  the  holy  things  that  proceed  from 
Him.    That  this  table  includes  these  things  is  evident  from  the 
explanation,  in  chapter  live,  of  the  commandments  of  the  Dec- 
alogue.   The  second  table  includes  all  things  pertaining  to  love 
towards  the  neighbor,  its  lirst  live  commandments  all  things 
pertaining  to  action,  which  are  called  works,  and  the  last  two 
all  things  pertaining  to  the  will,  thus  to  charity  in  its  origin; 
for  in  these  it  is  said,  "Thou  shalt  not  covet,"  and  when  man 
does  not  covet  what  belongs  to  his  neighbor,  he  wishes  well  to 
him     That  the  ten  commandments  of  the  Decalogue  contain  all 
things  pertaining  to  love  to  God  and  all  things  pertaining  to 
love^towards  the  neighbor,  may  be  seen  above  (n.  329-331) ; 
where  it  is  also  shown  that  there  is  a  conjunction  of  the  two 
tables  in  those  who  are  in  charity. 

457.  It  is  different  with  those  who  merely  worship  God,  and 
do  not*  at  the  same  time  do  good  works  from  cliarity.  These 
are  like  those  who  violate  covenants.  It  is  different  again  with 
those  who  divide  God  into  three  and  worship  each  one  sepa- 
rately ;  and  still  different  with  those  who  do  not  approach  God 
in  His  Human ;  these  are  such 

As  enter  not  by  the  door,  but  cHmb  up  some  other  way  {John  x.  1,  9). 

It  is  also  different  with  those  who  from  confirmation  deny  the 
Lord's  Divinity.  With  all  of  these  there  is  no  conjunction 
with  God,  and  therefore  no  salvation;  and  their  charity  is 
nothing  but  spurious  charity,  and  this  does  not  effect  conjunc- 


N.  457] 


CHARITY  AND  GOOD  WORKS 


567 


tion  by  the  face,  but  by  the  side  or  back.    [2]  How  conjunc- 
tion is  effected  shall  be  told  in  a  few  words.    With  every  man 
God  flows  into  man's  knowledge  of  Him  with  acknowledgment 
of  Him,  and  at  the  same  tune  flows  in  with  His  love  towards 
men.    The  man  who  receives  in  the  former  way  only,  and  not 
in  the  latter,  receives  that  influx  m  the  understanding  and  not 
in  the  will,  and  remains  in  knowledge  of  God  without  an  inte- 
rior acknowledgment  of  God;  and  his  state  is  like  that  of  a 
garden  in  winter.    But  the  man  who  receives  in  both  ways,  re- 
ceives the  influx  in  the  will  and  from  that  in  the  understand- 
ing, thus  in  the  whole  mind,  and  he  has  an  interior  acknowl- 
edgment of  God  which  vivifies  in  him  the  knowledges  of  God; 
and  his  state  is  like  that  of  a  garden  in  spring.    [3]  Conjunc- 
tion is  effected  by  charity,  because  God  loves  every  man,  and 
as  He  cannot  do  good  to  man  immediately,  but  only  mediately 
through  men.  He  inspires  men  with  His  own  love,  as  He  in- 
spires parents  with  love  for  their  children;  and  the  man  who 
receives  that  love  has  conjunction  with  God,  and  from  God's 
love  loves  his  neighbor;  and  in  him  God's  love  is  within  man's 
love  towards  the  neighbor,  and  produces  in  him  the  will  and 
the  ability.     [4]  Moreover,  as  man  does  nothing  that  is  good 
unless  it  appears  to  him  that  the  ability,  the  will  and  the  do- 
ing are  from  himself,  this  appearance  is  granted  him ;  and  when 
he  does  good  from  freedom  as  if  of  himself,  it  is  imputed  to 
him,  and  is  accepted  as  the  reciprocation  by  which  conjunction 
is  effected.    This  is  like  active  and  passive,  and  that  co-opera- 
tion of  the  passive  which  is  effected  from  the  active  in  the  pas- 
sive.    It  is  also  like  will  in  doing,  and  like  thought  in  words, 
the  soul  operating  from  the  inmost  into  both.    It  is  also  like 
effort  in  motion ;  and  like  the  prolific  m  seed,  which  from  the 
interior  operates  in  the  juices  through  which  the  tree  grows 
even  to  fruit,  and  through  fruit  produces  new  seed.    It  is  also 
like  light  in  precious  stones  which  is  reflected  according  to  the 
texture  of  the  parts,  producing  various  colors,  belonging  appar- 
ently to  the  stones,  but  in  fact  to  the  light. 

458.  This  makes  clear  the  origin  and  the  nature  of  the  con- 
junction of  love  to  God  and  love  towards  the  neighbor,  as  being 
the  influx  of  God's  love  for  men,  the  reception  of  which  by 
man  and  his  co-operation  therewith  being  love  towards  the 


568 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VIL 


neighbor.  In  a  word  conjunction  is  effected  in  accordance  with 
this  saying  of  the  Lord: — 

At  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  My  Father,  and  ye  in  Me,  and 
I  in  you  {John  xiv.  20). 

Also  according  to  this, 

He  that  hath  My  commandments  and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  lov- 
eth  Me,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  Myself  unto  him  ;  and  We 
will  make  abode  with  him  {John  xiv.  21-23). 

All  of  the  Lord's  commandments  have  relation  to  love  towards 
the  neighbor,  and  in  a  word  they  are  not  doing  evil  to  the  neigh- 
bor, but  doing  good  to  him.  That  those  who  do  this  love  God 
and  God  loves  them,  is  in  accordance  with  these  words  of  the 
Lord.  Because  such  is  the  conjunction  of  these  two  loves,  John 
says : — 

He  that  keepeth  the  commandments  of  Jesus  Christ  abideth  in  Him, 
and  He  in  him.  If  a  man  say,  I  love  God,  but  hateth  his  brother,  he  is  a 
liar  ;  for  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom  he  hath  seen,  how  can  he 
love' God  whom  he  hath  not  seen  ?  And  this  commandment  have  we  from 
Him,  That  he  who  loveth  God  should  love  his  brother  also  (1  John  iii.  24  ; 
iv.  20,  21). 

459.  To  this  the  following  Memorable  Relations  shall  be 

added.    First : — 

I  saw  at  a  distance  five  gj^mnasia,  each  encompassed  by  a 
different  kind  of  light ;  the  first  by  a  flame-colored  light,  the 
second  by  a  yellow  light,  the  third  by  a  white  light,  the  fourth 
by  a  light  intermediate  between  that  of  noon  and  evening,  the 
fifth  was  hardly  visible,  standing  as  if  shrouded  by  the  shades 
of  evening.  And  on  the  roads  I  saw  some  on  horseback,  some 
in  carriages,  some  walking,  and  some  running  and  hurrying 
towards  the  first  gymnasium,  which  was  enveloped  in  the  flamy 

light. 

Seeing  this,  I  was  seized  and  impelled  by  a  strong  desire  to 
go  there  and  to  hear  what  was  under  discussion.  Therefore  I 
quickly  got  ready  and  joined  company  with  those  hastening  to 
the  first  gymnasium,  and  entered  with  them;  and  behold  1  there 
was  a  large  assembly,  part  of  which  moved  off  to  the  right  and 
part  to  the  left,  to  seat  themselves  on  benches  near  the  walls. 
Before  me  I  saw  a  low  pulpit,  in  which  stood  one  who  filled 


X.  439] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


569 


the  office  of  president,  having  a  staff  in  his  hand,  a  cap  on  his 
head,  and  a  robe  tinted  with  the  flame-colored  light  of  the  gym- 
nasium. 

[2]  When  the  people  had  assembled,  he  spoke  aloud  and  said, 
"  Brethren,  you  will  to-day  discuss  the  question,  iVhat  is  char- 
ity? Each  one  of  you  can  understand  that  charity  is  spiritual 
in  its  essence,  and  natural  in  its  practices.'' 

Immediately  one  of  those  on  the  first  bench  on  the  left,  on 
which  those  who  were  reputed  wise  were  sitting,  arose  and  be- 
ginning to  speak,  said,  "It  is  my  opinion  that  charity  is  moral- 
ity inspired  by  faith:'    This  he  corroborated  thus  :  "Who  does 
not  know  that  charity  follows  faith,  as  a  waiting-maid  follows 
her  mistress,  and  that  the  man  who  has  faith  obeys  the  law,  and 
thus  practises  charity  so  spontaneously  that  he  is  unaware  that 
it  is  the  law  and  charity  according  to  which  he  is  living  ?    For 
if  he  did  this  knowingly,  and  at  the  same  time  thought  of  sal- 
vation as  his  end,  he  would  pollute  holy  faith  with  his  selfhood 
{proprium  )  and  thus  impair  its  efficacy.    Is  not  this  in  accord- 
ance with  the  dogma  of  our  church  ?''    And  he  looked  towards 
those  sitting  beside  him,  among  whom  were  some  of  the  regu- 
lar clergy,  and  they  nodded  assent.     [3]  "But  what,"  he  said, 
"is  spontaneous  charity  but  morality  into  which  every  one  is 
initiated  from  infancy,  and  which  is  therefore  in  itself  natural, 
but  becomes  spiritual  when  inspired  by  faith  ?    Who,  from  the 
moral  life  of  men,  can  distinguish  whether  they  have  faith  or 
not,  for  every  man  lives  morally  ?    But  God  alone,  who  im- 
plants and  seals  faith,  recognizes  and  distinguishes.    I  there- 
fore assert  that  charity  is  morality  inspired  by  faith;  and  that 
such  morality,  owing  to  the  faith  in  its  bosom,  is  saving,  while 
all  other  morality  brings  no  salvation,  because  it  claims  merit. 
Thus  all  those  who  mix  together  charity  and  faith,  that. is,  all 
who  conjoin  them  inwardly  instead  of  connecting  them  out- 
wardly, lose  their  oil ;  for  to  mix  and  join  these  together  would 
be  like  putting  into  the  carriage  with  a  primate  the  servant 
who  stands  behind,  or  like  introducing  the  porter  into  the  din- 
ing-hall,  and  seating  him  at  the  table  with  a  nobleman." 

[4]  After  this  another  rose  up  from  the  first  bench  on  the 
right,  and  said,  "  It  is  my  opinion  that  charity  is  piety  inspired 
by  commiseration.    This  opinion  I  corroborate  as  follows  :  That 


570 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VH. 


nothing  has  such  effect  in  propitiating  God  as  piety  arising 
from  a  humble  heart;  and  piety  prays  unceasingly  for  God  to 
bestow  faith  and  charity ;  and  the  Lord  says  :— 
Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you  {Matt.  vii.  7) ; 

and  because  both  are  given,  they  are  both  in  that  piety.    I  say 
that  charity  is  piety  inspired  by  commiseration;  for  aU  devout 
piety  commiserates,  for  piety  so  moves  the  heart  of  man  that 
he  groans,  and  what  is  that  but  commiseration  ?    This  indeed 
recedes  after  we  have  prayed,  but  it  comes  back  when  we  pray 
acrain ;  and  when  it  returns  there  is  piety  in  it,  and  thus  there 
is''  piety  in  charity.    Our  priests  ascribe  all  things  that  promote 
salvation  to  faith,  and  nothing  to  charity.    What  then  remains 
but  piety  praying  fervently  for  both?    When  I  have  read  the 
Word  I  have  been  able  to  see  nothing  else  than  that  faith  and 
charity  are  the  two  means  of  salvation.    But  when  I  have  con- 
sulted the  ministers  of  the  church  I  have  heard  that  faith  is 
the  only  means,  and  that  charity  is  nothing.    And  then  it  has 
seemed  to  me  that  I  was  on  the  sea,  in  a  ship  that  was  driltiiig 
between  two  rocks;  and  when  I  feared  that  the  ship  would  be 
broken  to  pieces,  I  betook  myself  to  a  boat  and  sailed  away 
My  boat  is  piety;  and  piety,  moreover,  is  profitable  for  aU 

things."  ^  ,        -         ,.       .  ,  . 

[5]  After  him  another,  from  the  second  bench  on  the  right, 
arose  and  said,  "  It  is  my  opinion  that  charity  is  doing  good  to 
even,  one,  virtuous  and  vicious  alike  ;  and  this  opinion  I  cor- 
roborate as  follows:  What  is  charity  but  goodness  of  heart? 
And  a  good  heait  wishes  good  to  every  one,  to  the  virtuous  and 
the  vicious  alike.    And  the  Lord  has  said,  that  good  ought  to 
be  done  even  to  our  enemies.    Therefore,  when  you  withhold 
charity  from  any  one,  does  not  charity  on  that  side  become 
null  and  thus  like  a  man  who  has  lost  one  foot,  and  goes  hop- 
pin-  on  the  other  ?     A  vicious  man  is  a  man  equally  with  a 
virtuous  one,  and  charity  regards  a  man  as  a  man;  if  he  is  vi- 
cious, what  is  that  to  me?    It  is  with  charity  as  with  the  heat 
of  the  sun,  which  vivifies  beasts,  both  fierce  and  gentle,  wolves 
as  well  as  sheep,  and  causes  trees  to  grow,  both  good  and  bad, 
and  the  thorns  as  well  as  the  vine."    So  saying  he  took  m  his 
hand  a  fresh  grape,  and  said,  "It  is  with  charity  as  it  is  with 


N.  459] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


571 


this  grape ;  divide  it,  and  all  its  contents  run  out."  He  divid- 
ed it,  and  out  they  ran. 

[6]  After  this  speech  another  from  the  second  bench  on  the 
left,  arose  and  said,  "  It  is  my  opinion  tliat  charity  is  to  serve 
hy  every  means  one's  relatives  and  friends,  which  I  corroborate 
thus:  Who  does  not  know  that  charity  begins  with  oneself, 
since  every  one  is  neighbor  to  himself  ?  Therefore  charity 
goes  forth  from  oneself  through  grades  of  nearness  first  to 
brother  and  sister,  and  from  these  to  kinsmen  and  relatives ; 
and  thus  the  progression  of  charity  is  self-limited.  Those  who 
are  beyond  its  limits  are  strangers,  and  strangers  are  not  in- 
teriorly recognized,  and  thus  are  as  aliens  to  the  internal  man. 
But  those  related  by  blood  and  birth  are  joined  together  by 
nature,  and  friends  by  custom,  which  is  a  second  nature,  and 
these  become  the  neighbor  in  that  way.  Charity  unites  also 
another  to  itself  from  within,  and  so  from  without,  and  those 
not  united  from  within  may  be  called  companions  merely.  Do 
not  all  birds  recognize  their  own  kindred,  not  by  their  plumage 
but  by  the  sound  they  make,  and  when  they  are  near,  by  the 
sphere  of  life  exhaled  from  their  bodies  ?  This  affection  for 
kindred  and  consequent  conjunction  is  called  in  birds  instinct; 
while  the  same  affection  in  men,  when  it  is  for  those  nearest 
to  them,  is  truly  an  instinct  of  human  nature.  What  except 
blood  causes  homogeneity  ?  This  a  man's  mind,  which  is  also 
his  sj)irit,  feels,  and,  as  it  were,  smells.  In  this  homogeneity 
and  consequent  sympathy  the  essence  of  charity  consists.  But 
heterogeneity,  on  the  contrary,  from  which  antipathy  springs, 
is,  as  it  were,  not  blood,  and  therefore  not  charity.  And  as 
habit  is  second  nature,  and  this  also  causes  homogeneity,  it  fol- 
lows that  charity  is  also  doing  good  to  one's  friends.  When 
one  comes  from  the  sea  into  some  port  and  finds  that  it  is  a  for- 
eign country,  the  language  and  customs  of  whose  inhabitants 
he  is  unacquainted  with,  is  he  not,  as  it  were,  out  of  himself, 
feeling  none  of  the  joy  of  love  toward  them?  But  if  he  finds 
himself  in  his  own  country  with  whose  language  and  customs 
he  is  familiar,  he  is,  as  it  were,  within  himself,  and  then  feels 
a  joy  arising  from  love,  which  is  the  joy  of  charity." 

[T]  Then  from  the  third  bench  on  the  right  another  arose, 
and  speaking  with  a.  loud  voice,  said :  "  It  is  my  opinion  that 


I  kDfVimti^tibmttnilita    iftltir 


l*»*rjMiaafc«a..itfc*iai»a<i»WMiMMtf>JIIMia.teJh*<»iUlM^ 


572 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIL 


charity  is  giving  alms  to  the  poor,  and  assisting  the  needy.    This 
surely  is  charity,  for  the  Divine  Word  so  teaches,  the  state- 
ments of  which  admit  of  no  contradiction.    What  is  givmg  to 
the  rich  and  the  possessors  of  abundance  but  vain  glory,  in 
which  there  is  no  charity  but  only  a  looking  for  return  ?    And 
in  this  there  can  be  no  genuine  affection  of  love  towards  the 
neighbor,  but  only  spurious  affection,  which  is  effective  on  earth 
but  not  m  heaven.    Therefore  want  and  poverty  ought  to  be  re- 
lieved, because  into  this  no  idea  of  recompense  enters.    In  the 
city  where  I  lived,  and  where  I  knew  who  were  virtuous  and 
who  were  not,  I  observed  that  all  of  the  virtuous,  when  they 
saw  a  beggar  in  the  street,  would  stop  and  give  him  ahns ;  while 
the  non-virtuous,  seeing  a  beggar  beside  them,  would  pass  him 
by  as  if  blind  to  his  presence  and  deaf  to  his  voice.    And  who 
does  not  know  that  the  virtuous  have  charity,  and  the  non-vir- 
tuous have  not  ?     He  who  gives  to  the  poor  and  relieves  the 
needy,  is  like  a  shepherd  who  leads  hungiy  and  thirsty  sheep 
to  pasture  and  water ;  while  he  who  gives  only  to  those  who 
are  rich  and  possess  abundance,  is  like  one  who  devotes  himself 
to  the  prosperous  or  presses  food  and  drink  upon  those  who 
are  intoxicated.'' 

[8]  After  him  arose  another,  from  the  third  bench  on  the 
left,  and  said:  ''  It  is  my  opinion  that  charity  is  bwllding  hos- 
pitals, infirmaries,  orphans'  homes,  and  asylums,  and  support- 
ing them  hy  contributions.    This  I  corroborate  by  the  fact  that 
such  beneficences  and  aids  are  public,  and  are  many  leagues  be- 
yond private  benefactions;  consequently  charity  becomes  richer 
and  more  replete  with  good,  as  the  good  is  multiplied  by  the 
number  aided,  and  the  reward  hoped  for  from  the  promises  of 
the  Word  become  more  abundant,  for  as  one  ploughs  and  sows, 
so  he  reaps.    Is  not  this  giving  to  the  poor  and  relieving  the 
needy  in  an  eminent  degree  ?    Does  not  one  thereby  secure 
worldly  fame  and  praises  in  the  humble  voice  of  gratitude  from 
those  helped  ?    Does  not  this  exalt  the  heart,  and  with  it  the 
affection  that  is  called  charity,  even  to  the  highest  point  ?    The 
rich,  who  do  not  walk  the  streets,  but  ride,  cannot  notice  and 
hand  pennies  to  those  sitting  at  the  sides  of  the  streets  by 
the  wall  of  the  houses ;  but  they  make  their  contributions  of 
such  a  kind  as  to  serve  many  at  once.    But  lesser  persons  who 


N.  459] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


573 


walk  the  streets  and  have  not  stores  of  wealth,  may  do  other- 
wise." 

[9]  Hearing  this,  another  from  the  same  bench  quickly 
drowned  the  voice  of  the  first  with  his  louder  voice,  saying : 
"  Let  not  the  rich,  however,  exalt  the  munificence  and  excel- 
lence of  their  charity  over  the  pittance  that  one  poor  man  gives 
to  another ;  for  we  know  that  every  one  in  what  he  does  acts 
according  to  what  is  suitable  to  his  person,  whether  he  is  a  king 
or  a  magistrate,  a  commander  or  an  attendant.  For  charity, 
viewed  in  itself,  is  not  estimated  by  the  exceUence  of  the  per- 
son, and  consequently  of  the  gift,  but  by  the  amplitude  of  the 
affection  that  prompts  it;  so  that  a  menial  giving  one  penny 
may  do  so  from  a  larger  charity  than  the  great  man  who  gives 
or  bequeaths  an  immense  sum.  This  is  in  accordance  with 
these  words: — 

Jesus  saw  the  rich  men  casting  their  gifts  into  the  treasury  ;  He  saw 
also  a  certain  poor  widow  casting  in  thither  two  mites  ;  and  He  said,  Of 
a  truth  I  say  unto  you,  that  this  poor  widow  hath  cast  in  more  than  they 
all  {Luke  xxi.  1-3). 

[lO]  After  these  one  arose  from  the  fourth  bench  on  the  left, 
and  said :  "It  is  my  opinion  that  charity  is  to  endow  churches, 
and  to  do  good  to  their  ministers  ;  which  I  confirm  by  this,  that 
he  who  does  so  meditates  upon  what  is  holy  and  acts  from  what 
is  holy  in  his  o^ti  mind,  and  moreover,  that  this  sanctifies  his 
gifts.  Charity  demands  this,  because  it  is  in  itself  holy.  Is  not 
all  worship  in  churches  holy?    For  the  Lord  says. 

Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  My  name,  there  am  I  in 
the  midst  of  them  {Matt,  xviii.  20) ; 

and  the  priests  His  servants  conduct  the  worship.  From  this  I 
conclude  that  the  gifts  which  are  bestowed  upon  ministers  and 
churches  are  superior  to  those  bestowed  upon  other  persons 
and  for  other  objects.  Moreover,  there  is  given  to  a  minister 
the  power  to  bless,  whereby  he  also  sanctifies  those  gifts;  and 
after  that  there  is  nothing  that  expands  and  rejoices  the  mind 
more  than  to  look  upon  one's  gifts  as  so  many  holy  shrines." 

[11]  Then  one  from  the  fourth  bench  on  the  right  arose  and 
spoke  as  foUows :  "  It  is  my  opinion  that  the  old  Chrwtian  broth- 
erhood is  charity.    This  I  confirm  by  the  fact  that  every  church 


574 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VIL 


that  worships  the  true  God  begins  in  charity  the  same  as  the 
early  Christian  church  did.  Because  charity  unites  minds  and 
makes  one  out  of  many,  the  members  of  that  church  called  them- 
selves brethren — but  brethren  in  Jesus  Christ  their  God.  But 
because  they  were  then  surrounded  by  barbarous  nations  whom 
they  feared,  they  established  a  community  of  property,  which 
enabled  them  to  enjoy  themselves  together  in  harmony,  and  at 
the  same  time  conversed  together  daily  at  their  meetings  about 
the  Lord  God  their  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  and  at  their  dinners 
and  suppers  about  charity ;  hence  their  brotherhood.  But  after 
those  times,  when  schisms  began  to  spring  up,  and  finally  the 
abominable  Arian  heresy  arose,  which  with  many  swept  away 
the  idea  of  the  Divinity  of  the  Lord's  Human,  charity  decayed 
and  their  brotherhood  was  dissolved.  It  is  true  that  all  who 
worship  the  Lord  in  truth  and  keep  His  commandments  are 
brethren  {Matt,  xxiii.  8),  but  brethren  in  spirit;  and  as  it  is 
unknown  at  this  day  what  any  man  is  in  spirit,  for  men  to  call 
each  other  brethren  is  of  no  account.  A  brotherhood  of  faith 
alone,  and  still  less  a  brotherliood  of  faith  in  any  other  God 
than  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  is  not  a  brotherhood,  because 
in  that  faith  there  is  no  charity,  which  is  what  makes  brother- 
hood. I  therefore  conclude  that  the  old  Christian  brotherhood 
was  charity.    But  that  was,  and  now  is  not ;  yet  I  prophesy  that 

it  will  return." 

When  he  had  said  this,  a  flame-colored  light  appeared  through 
the  eastern  window,  and  tinged  his  cheeks,  at  the  sight  of  which 
the  assembly  were  amazed. 

[13]  Finally  one  arose  from  the  fifth  bench  on  the  left,  and 
asked  permission  to  add  his  contribution  to  the  remarks  of  the 
last  speaker.  When  this  had  been  granted,  he  said,  "  It  is  my 
opinion  that  charity  is  to  forgive  every  one  his  trespasses.  This 
opinion  I  have  drawn  from  the  customary  saying  of  those  who 
approach  the  Holy  Supper;  for  some  then  say  to  their  friends, 
'  Forgive  me  what  I  have  done  amiss ;'  thinking  that  they  have 
thus  discharged  all  the  duties  of  charity.  But  I  have  thought 
m  my  own  mind  that  this  is  nothing  but  a  painted  picture  of 
charity,  not  the  real  form  of  its  essence ;  for  this  is  said  both  by 
those  who  do  not  forgive,  and  by  those  who  make  no  effort  to 
follow  charity;  and  such  are  not  included  in  the  Prayer  which 


N.  459] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


575 


the  Lord  Himself  taught.  Father,  forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as 
we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against  us.    For  trespasses  are 
like  ulcers,  within  which,  if  they  are  not  opened  and  healed, 
diseased  matter  collects,  which  infects  the  neighboring  parts, 
and  creeping  about  like  a  serpent,  turns  the  blood  everywhere 
into  such  matter.    It  is  the  same  with  trespasses  against  the 
neighbor,  which,  imless  removed  by  repentance  and  by  a  life 
according  to  the  Lord's  commandments,  remain  and  devour; 
while  those  who,  without  repentance,  merely  pray  to  God  to 
forgive  their  sins,  are  like  the  inhabitants  of  a  city,  who,  being 
infected  with  a  contagious  disease,  go  to  the  chief  magistrate 
and  say.  Sir,  heal  us ;  and  he  would  answer.  How  can  I  heal 
you  ?    Go  to  a  physician,  find  out  what  medicines  you  need, 
get  them  for  yourselves  from  an  apothecary  and  take  them, 
and  your  health  will  be  restored.    So  the  Lord  will  say  to  those 
who  pray  for  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins  without  actual  re- 
pentance.    Open  the  Word,  and  read  what  I  have  spoken  in 
Isaiah : — 

Ah,  sinful  nation,  laden  with  iniquity.  When  ye  spread  forth  your 
hands,'  I  hide  Mine  eyes  from  you  ;  yea,  when  ye  make  many  prayers,  I 
do  not  hear.  Wash  you,  put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings  from  before 
Mine  eyes  ;  cease  to  do  evil ;  learn  to  do  well,  and  then  shall  your  sins  be 
removed  and  forgiven"  (i.  4,  15-18). 

[13]  When  all  this  had  taken  place,  I  raised  my  hand,  and 
asked  them  to  permit  me,  although  a  stranger,  to  offer  my 
opinion  also.  The  president  proposed  this,  and  consent  being 
given,  I  spoke  as  follows:  "It  is  my  opinion  that  charity  is  to 
act  with  judgment  from  a  love  of  Justice  in  every  employ  tiieiit  and 
office,  hut  from  a  love  derived  from  no  other  source  than  the  Lord 
God  the  Saviour.  All  that  I  have  heard  from  those  sitting  up- 
on the  benches,  both  on  the  right  and  on  the  left,  are  eminent 
examples  of  charity ;  but,  as  the  president  of  this  assembly 
stated,  at  first,  charity  in  its  origin  is  spiritual,  but  in  its  flow- 
ing forth  is  natural ;  and  natural  charity,  if  it  is  inwardly  spir- 
itual, appears  to  the  angels  transparent  like  a  diamond;  but  if 
not  inwardly  spiritual,  and  therefore  purely  natural,  it  appears 
to  the  angels  like  a  pearl  that  resembles  the  eye  of  a  cooked 
fish.  [14]  It  is  not  for  me  to  say,  whether  the  eminent  exam- 
ples of  charity  which  you  have  presented  hi  order,  are  inspired 


576 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  Vli. 


by  spiritual  charity  or  not;  but  I  can  say  what  the  spiritua 
that  ought  to  be  iu  them,  must  be,  that  they  may  be  natural 
forms  of  spiritual  charity.    The  spiritual  itseM  of  these  is  this, 
that  they  be  done  with  judgment  from  a  love  of  justice ;  that  is, 
that  in  the  exercise  of  charity  man  should  see  clearly  whether 
he  is  acting  from  justice,  and  this  he  sees  from  judgment.    1  or 
a  man  may  do  evU  by  deeds  of  beneficence;  and  by  what  appear 
to  be  evil  deeds  he  may  do  good.    For  example :  One  who  gives 
to  a  needy  robber  the  means  wherewith  to  buy  a  sword,  by  a 
beneficent  act  is  doing  evil ;  although  the  robber  in  begging  the 
money  did  not  teU  what  he  would  do  with  it.    bo  agam,  if  one 
rescues  a  robber  from  prison  and  shows  him  the  way  to  a  for- 
est saying  to  himself.  It  is  not  my  fault  that  he  commits  rob- 
beiV ;  I  have  given  succor  to  the  rmn.    Take  as  another  exam- 
ple, one  who  feeds  an  idler,  and  prevents  his  being  compelled 
to  work,  saying  to  him,  Cxo  into  a  chamber  in  my  house,  and  lie 
in  bed;  why  should  you  weaxy  yourself?    Such  a  one  favors 
idleness.    Or  again,  take  one  who  promotes  relatives  and  friends 
.vith  dishonest  inclinations  to  offices  of  honor,  wherein  they  can 
plot  many  kinds  of  mischief.    Who  cannot  see  that  such  works 
of  charity  do  not  proceed  from  any  love  of  justice  combined 
with  judgment  ?    [15]  On  the  other  hand,  a  man  may  do  good 
through  what  appear  to  be  evil  deeds.    Take  aB  an  example  a 
judge  who  acquits  an  evikloer  because  he  sheds  tears  pours 
out  words  of  piety,  and  begs  the  judge  to  pardon  Inm  because 
he  is  his  neighbor.    But  in  fact  a  judge  performs  a  work  of  char- 
ity when  he  decrees  the  man's  punishment  according  to  tlie 
law;  for  he  thus  guards  against  the  man's  doing  further  evil 
and  being  a  pest  to  society,  which  is  the  neighbor  in  a  higher 
deeree,  and  he  prevents  also  the  scandal  of  an  unjust  judgment. 
Who  does  not  know  also,  that  it  is  good  for  servants  to  be  chas- 
tised by  their  masters,  or  children  by  their  parents,  when  they 
do  wrong  ?    The  same  is  true  of  those  in  hell,  all  of  whom  are 
in  the  love  of  doing  evil    They  are  kept  shut  up  in  prisons, 
and  when  they  do  evil  are  punished,  which  the  Lord  pemits 
for  the  sake  of  their  amendment.    This  is  so  because  the  Lord 
is  justice  itself,  and  does  whatever  He  does  from  judgment 
itself     [16]  From  all  this  it  can  be  seen  clearly,  why,  as  just 
said,  spiritual  charity  is  done  with  judgment  from  a  love  ot 


N.  459] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


677 


justice  and  yet  from  a  love  derived  from  no  other  source  than 
the  Lord  God  the  Saviour.  This  is  because  all  good  of  charity 
is  from  the  Lord ;  for  He  says, 

He  that  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in  him,  the  same  beareth  much  fruit ;  for 

apart  from  Me  ye  can  do  nothing  (John  xv.  6) ;         ^  ^,,  „         ...   ,„.  . 

Also  that  He  has  all  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth  {Matt.  xxvm.  18)  , 

and  all  love  of  justice  with  judgment  is  from  no  other  source 
than  the  God  of  heaven,  who  is  justice  itself,  and  the  source  of 
all  man's  judgment  {Jer.  xxiii.  6;  xxxiu.  15).    [17]  From  all 
this  we  may  conclude  that  .all  that  has  been  said  about  charity 
from  the  benches  on  the  right  and  left,  namely,  That  charity  is 
morality  inspired  by  faith;  That  it  is  piety  inspired  by  com- 
miseration ;  That  it  is  doing  good  alike  to  the  virtuous  and  the 
vicious ;  That  it  is  to  serve  by  every  means  one's  relatives  and 
friends;  That  it  is  giving  to  the  poor  and  assistmg  the  needy ; 
That  it  is  building  infirmaries  and  supporting  them  by  contri- 
butions; That  it  is  endowing  churches  and  douig  good  to  their 
ministers:  That  it  is  the  old  Christian  brotherhood ;  That  it  is 
to  forgive  every  one  his  trespasses ;— all  these  are  eminent  ex- 
amples of  charity  when  they  are  done  with  judgment  from  a 
love  of  justice.    Otherwise  they  are  not  charity,  but  are  merely 
like  brooks  separated  from  their  fountains,  or  like  branches  torn 
from  their  tree;  because  genuine  charity  is  to  believe  m  the 
Lord  and  to  ax^t  justly  and  rightly  in  every  employment  and 
office     Therefore  he  who  from  the  Lord  loves  j  ustice  and  prac- 
tises it  with  judgment,  is  charity  in  its  unage  and  likeness^ 

[18]  When  this  had  been  said  there  was  silence,  such  as 
comes  to  those  who  from  their  internal  man,  but  not  as  yet  m 
the  external,  see  and  acknowledge  that  something  is  true.  This 
I  perceived  from  their  faces.  But  I  was  then  suddenly  removed 
out  of  their  sight,  retummg  from  the  spirit  into  my  material 
body;  for  the  natural  man,  because  of  his  bemg  clothed  with  a 
material  body,  is  not  visible  to  any  spiritual  man,  that  is,  to  a 
spirit  or  angel,  nor  they  to  him. 

460    Second  Memorable  Relation :— 

Onc^  when  looking  about  in  the  spiritual  world  I  heard  some- 
thing  like  the  gnashing  of  teeth,  also  a  kind  of  beating,  and 
min  Jed  with  these  a  grating  sound,  and  I  asked  what  they  were. 
37 


578 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  VH. 


The  angels  wlio  were  with  me  said :  "  They  are  fraternities, 
which  are  called  by  us  debating  clubs,  where  they  dispute  with 
each  other.  Their  disputations  sound  at  a  distance  in  this  way, 
but  near  at  hand  their  disputations  only  are  heard." 

Drawing  near,  I  saw  huts  built  of  reeds  plastered  together 
with  mud.  I  wished  to  look  m  through  a  window  (not  being 
permitted  to  enter  through  the  door,  because  light  would  then 
flow  in  from  heaven  and  produce  confusion),  but  there  was  no 
window.  But  just  then  a  window  was  made  suddenly  on  the 
right  side,  and  then  I  heard  them  complaining  that  they  were 
in  darkness.  Presently  a  window  was  made  on  the  left  side, 
that  on  the  right  being  closed,  and  then  the  darkness  was  grad- 
uaUy  dispeUed,  and  they  appeared  to  themselves  to  be  in  their 
proper  light.    Afterward  I  was  permitted  to  enter  by  the  door 

and  listen. 

In  the  center  there  was  a  table,  and  benches  round  about ;  yet 
to  me  they  all  seemed  to  be  standing  on  the  benches  and  dis- 
puting bitterly  with  each  other  about  faith  and  charity ;  one 
party  maintained  that  faith  is  the  essential  of  the  church,  and 

the  other,  charity. 

Those  who  made  faith  the  essential  thing,  said :  "  By  faith 
do  we  not  deal  with  God,  and  by  charity  with  man  ?  There- 
fore is  not  faith  heavenly,  and  charity  earthly  ?  Is  it  not  by 
means  of  heavenly  things  that  we  are  saved,  and  not  by  means 
of  earthly  things  ?  Again,  cannot  God  bestow  faith  from  hea- 
ven, because  it  is  heavenly,  and  must  not  man  acquire  charity 
for  himself,  because  it  is  earthly  ?  And  what  man  acquires  for 
himself  does  not  pertain  to  the  church,  and  thus  is  not  saving. 
Therefore  can  any  one  be  justified  before  God  by  the  works 
that  are  called  the  works  of  charity  ?  Believe  us,  that  we  are 
not  only  justified  but  also  sanctified  by  faith  alone  if  our  faith 
is  not  defiled  by  a  sense  of  merit  arising  from  works  of  char- 

ity;"  and  so  on. 

[2]  But  those  who  made  charity  the  essential  of  the  church 
sharply  refuted  these  arguments,  saying :  "  Charity  is  saving, 
and  not  faith.  Does  not  God  hold  all  men  dear,  and  desire  the 
good  of  all?  How  can  God  effect  this  good  except  through 
men  ?  Does  God  merely  give  us  the  power  to  talk  to  men  about 
matters  of  faith,  and  not  the  power  to  do  for  them  what  char- 


N.  460] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


579 


ity  requires  ?  Do  you  not  see  that  your  saying  that  charity  is 
earthly  is  absurd  ?  Charity  is  heaven,  and  because  you  do  not 
do  the  good  of  charity,  your  faith  is  earthly.  How  do  you  re- 
ceive your  faith  except  like  stocks  or  stones  ?  You  say.  By 
hearing  the  Word.  But  how  can  the  Word  operate  merely  by 
being  heard,  and  how  upon  a  stock  or  a  stone  ?  It  may  be  that 
you  are  quickened,  yourselves  being  wholly  unconscious  of  it. 
But  what  is  the  quickening,  except  that  you  are  able  to  say 
that  faith  alone  justifies  and  saves  ?  And  what  faith  is,  and 
what  kind  of  faith  is  saving,  you  do  not  know." 

[3]  Then  one  arose  who  by  the  angel  conversing  with  me 
was  called  a  syncretist.  He  took  off  his  cap  and  placed  it  on 
the  table,  but  hastily  put  it  on  his  head  again,  because  he  was 
bald.  He  said :  "  Listen  to  me ;  you  are  all  wrong.  It  is  true 
that  faith  is  spiritual,  and  charity  is  moral ,  but  stiU  they  are 
conjoined  ;  and  they  are  conjoined  by  means  of  the  Word,  and 
thus  by  means  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  by  their  effect  which 
may  be  called  obedience,  although  man  has  no  more  part  what- 
ever in  it  because  when  faith  is  brought  in  man  knows  no  more 
about  it  than  a  statue.  I  have  long  meditated  on  these  sub- 
jects, and  I  have  at  length  discovered  that  man  may  accept 
from  God  a  faith  that  is  spiritual,  but  he  can  no  more  be  moved 
by  God  to  a  charity  that  is  spiritual  than  a  stock.^' 

[4]  When  this  was  said  those  who  were  in  faith  alone  ap- 
plauded, but  those  who  were  in  charity  hissed ;  and  these,  being 
indignant,  said ;  "  Listen,  friend ;  you  do  not  know  that  there 
is  spiritual  moral  life  and  merely  natural  moral  life — spiritual 
moral  life  with  those  who  do  good  from  God  and  yet  as  if  of 
themselves,  and  merely  natural  moral  life  with  those  who  do 
good  from  hell,  and  yet  as  if  of  themselves." 

[5]  I  said  that  the  disputation  sounded  like  the  gnashing  of 
teeth,  also  like  a  kind  of  beating  mingled  with  a  grating  sound. 
The  disputation  that  sounded  like  the  gnashing  of  teeth  was 
from  those  who  made  faith  the  one  only  essential  of  the  church ; 
the  beating  was  from  those  who  made  charity  the  one  only  es- 
sential; and  the  mingled  grating  sound  was  from  the  syncretist. 
The  tones  of  their  voices  were  so  heard  at  a  distance,  because 
they  had  all  when  in  the  other  world  been  given  to  disputation, 
and  had  not  shunned  any  evil,  and  therefore  had  not  done  any 


580 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VU. 


good  that  was  from  a  spiritual  source.  Moreover,  they  were 
wholly  ignorant  that  the  all  of  faith  is  truth  and  the  aU  of  char- 
ity is  good;  that  truth  without  good  is  not  truth  in  spirit,  and 
that  good  without  truth  is  not  good  in  spirit ;  and  thus  that 
each  constitutes  the  other. 

461    Third  Memorable  Relation : — 

I  was  once  carried  away  in  spirit  to  the  southern  quarter 
of  the  spiritual  world,  and  into  a  certain  paradise  there ;  and  1 
saw  that  this  paradise  excelled  all  that  1  had  before  surveyed 
This  was  because  a  garden  signifies  inteUigence,  and  because  all 
those  who  are  pre-eminent  in  intelligence  are  conveyed  to  the 
south  The  garden  of  Eden,  in  which  were  Adam  and  his  wife, 
has  no  other  significance ;  so  their  expulsion  therefrom  in- 
volved expulsion  from  inteUigence,  and  thus  also  from  integrity 
of  life  While  I  was  walking  in  this  southern  paradise,  1  no- 
ticed certain  persons  sitting  under  a  laurel  eating  figs.  I  turned 
to  them  and  asked  them  for  some  figs,  which  they  gave  me ;  and 
lo  in  my  hand  the  figs  became  grapes. 

As  I  wondered  at  this,  an  angelic  spirit  who  stood  near  me 
said  "  The  figs  became  grapes  in  your  hand  because  figs  by 
correspondence  signify  the  goods  of  charity  and  of  faith  there- 
from in  the  natural  or  external  man,  while  grapes  signify  the 
goods  of  charity  and  of  faith  therefrom  in  the  spiritual  or  in- 
ternal man ;  and  this  has  happened  to  you  because  you  love 
spiritual  things ;  for  in  our  world  all  things  occur  and  come 
forth,  and  are  also  changed,  in  accordance  with  correspond- 

GUCGS 

[3]'  Then  suddenly  there  came  upon  me  a  desire  to  know 
how  man  can  do  good  from  God,  and  yet  do  it  altogethex  as  if 
of  himself.  I  therefore  asked  those  who  were  eating  the  figs 
how  they  understood  the  matter.  ,    .    ,,  .  ..    . 

They  said  that  they  could  understand  it  only  in  this  way,  that 
God  effects  this  inwardly  in  man  and  through  man  when  he  is 
ismorant  of  it;  because  if  man  were  conscious  of  it,  and  in  that 
state  were  to  do  good,  he  would  do  only  apparent  good,  which 
inwardly  is  evil.  "  For  all  that  goes  forth  from  man  goes  forth 
from  his  own  (propAum),  and  this  is  evil  from  birth  ;  and  how 
can  good  from  God  and  evil  from  man  be  conjoined,  and  thus 
conjointly  go  forth  into  act?    What  is  man's  own  in  matters 


N.  4G1] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


581 


\ 


pertaining  to  salvation  constantly  breathes  forth  a  sense  of 
merit,  and  so  far  as  it  does  this,  it  detracts  from  the  Lord  His 
own  merit ;  and  this  is  the  height  of  injustice  and  impiety.  In 
a  word,  if  the  good  which  God  works  in  man,  were  to  inflow 
into  man's  willing  and  thence  into  his  doing,  the  good  would 
assuredly  be  defiled  and  also  profaned,  and  this  God  never  per- 
mits. Man  can  think,  indeed,  that  the  good  he  does  is  from 
God,  and  can  say  that  it  is  essentially  God's ;  but  still  that  it 
is  so  we  do  not  comprehend." 

[3]  Then  I  opened  my  mind  and  said,  "You  do  not  com- 
prehend this  because  you  think  from  appearance,  and  thought 
confirmed  from  appearance  is  fallacy.  To  you  there  is  such 
appearance  and  consequent  fallacy  because  you  believe  every- 
thing that  a  man  thinks  and  wills  and  does  and  says  therefrom, 
is  in  himself,  and  consequently  from  himself,  when  in  fact 
there  is  no  part  of  them  in  him  except  the  state  to  receive  what 
inflows.  Man  is  not  life  in  himself,  but  an  organ  receptive  of 
life.    The  Lord  is  life  in  Himself,  as  He  says  in  Jolm  :— 

As  the  Father  hath  life  in  Himself,  so  hath  He  given  to  the  Son  to  have 
life  in  Himself  (v.  26  ;  besides  elsewhere,  as  in  John  xi.  25  ;  xiv.  6,  19). 

[4]  "  There  are  two  things  that  constitute  life,  namely,  love 
and  wisdom,  or  what  is  the  same  thing,  the  good  of  love  and 
the  truth  of  wisdom.    These  flow  in  from  God,  and  are  received 
by  man  as  if  they  were  his ;  and  because  they  are  so  felt  by 
man  they  go  forth  from  man  as  if  they  were  his.    Their  being 
so  felt  by  man  is  the  Lord's  gift,  to  the  end  that  what  flows  in 
may  affect  man,  and  so  be  received  and  remain.    But  hiasmuch 
as  all  evil  likewise  flows  in,  not  from  God  but  from  hell,  and  is 
received  with  delight  (because  man  is  such  an  organ  by  birth), 
so  good  is  received  from  God  only  in  proportion  as  evil  is  re- 
moved by  man  as  if  of  himself;  and  this  is  done  by  repentance 
coupled  with  faith  in  the  Lord.    [5]  That  love  and  wisdom, 
charity  and  faith,  or,  more  generally  speaking,  the  good  of  love 
and  charity,  and  the  truth  of  wisdom  and  faith,  flow  in,  and 
tliat  what  flows  in  appears  in  man  to  be  wholly  his  own,  and 
thus  goes  forth  from  his  own,  all  this  can  clearly  be  seen  from 
the  sense  of  sight,  of  hearing,  of  smell,  of  taste,  and  of  touch. 
All  things  that  are  felt  in  the  organs  of  those  senses  flow  into 


,.a,i^^.i^".«A>«itiAmftJ 


582 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VII. 


those  organs  from  without  and  are  felt  within  them.  It  is  the 
same  in  the  organs  of  the  internal  senses,  with  the  sole  dif- 
ference that  spiritual  things,  which  are  not  manifest,  flow  into 
the  former.  In  a  word,  man  is  an  organ  receptive  of  life  from 
God ;  consequently,  so  far  as  he  refrains  from  evil,  he  is  a  re- 
cipient of  good.  The  power  to  refrain  from  evil  the  Lord  gives 
to  every  man,  because  He  gives  him  the  power  to  will  and  to 
understand ;  and  whatever  man  does  from  his  will  m  accord 
with  his  understanding,  or,  what  is  the  same,  from  freedom  of 
will  in  accord  with  reason  of  the  understanding,  is  permanent. 
It  is  by  means  of  this  that  the  Lord  brings  man  into  a  state  of 
conjunction  with  HimseH,  and  in  that  state  reforms,  regener- 
ates, and  saves  him. 

[6]  «  The  life  that  flows  into  man  is  life  that  goes  forth  from 
the  Lord,  which  life  is  also  called  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  in  the 
Word  the  Holy  Spirit,  a^d  this  life  is  said  to  enlighten  and 
vivify  man,  and  even  to  work  in  him.    But  his  life  is  varied 
and  modified  according  to  the  organization  induced  by  means 
of  his  love.    You  may  also  know  that  all  the  good  of  love  and 
charitv,  and  all  the  truth  of  wisdom  and  faith  flow  in,  and  are 
not  in  man  [originally].    This  may  be  known  from  the  fact 
that  he  who  thinks  that  there  is  anything  of  the  kind  m  man 
by  creation  must  needs  conclude  at  last  that  God  has  infused 
Himself  into  man,  and  thus  that  men  are  partly  gods ;  and  yet 
those  who  so  think  from  faith  become  devils,  and  with  us  smell 
like  corpses.     [T]  Furthermore,  what  is  man's  action  but  the 
mind  acting  ?    For  what  the  mind  wills  and  thinks  it  does  and 
says  by  means  of  its  organ  the  body ;  so  when  the  mind  is  led  by 
the  Lord,  action  and  speech  are  also  led  by  Him;  and  these  are 
by  Him  when  man  believes  in  Him.    If  this  were  not  so,  ex- 
plain, if  you  can,  why  the  Lord,  in  thousands  of  places  in  His 
Word,  has  commanded  man  to  love  his  neighbor,  to  perform 
the  good  works  of  charity,  to  bear  fruit  like  a  tree,  and  to  keep 
the  commandments,  and  all  this  that  he  may  be  saved.    And 
again,  why  He  has  said  that  man  shall  be  judged  according  to 
his  deeds  or  works,  those  who  do  good  to  heaven  and  life,  and 
those  who  do  evil  to  hell  and  death.     How  could  the  Lord 
have  said  such  things,  if  all  that  goes  forth  from  man  must 
need  be  a  matter  of  merit,  and  therefore  evil  ?    Be  it  known  to 


N.  461] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


583 


you,  then,  that  if  the  mind  is  charity,  the  action  is  charity  al- 
so ;  but  if  the  mind  is  faith  alone,  which  is  faith  separate  from 
spiritual  charity,  the  action  also  is  that  faith." 

[8]  Hearing  this,  those  sitting  under  the  laurel  said,  "  That 
you  have  spoken  rightly  we  comprehend,  and  yet  do  not  com- 
prehend." 

I  replied,  "  You  comprehend  that  I  have  spoken  rightly  from 
the  general  perception  that  man  has  from  the  influx  of  light 
from  heaven  when  he  hears  any  truth;  but  your  failure  to  com- 
prehend is  from  the  self-perception  that  man  has  from  the  in- 
flux of  light  from  the  world.  In  wise  men  these  two  kinds  of 
perception,  internal  and  external,  or  spiritual  and  natural,  make 
one.    You  also  can  make  them  one  if  you  look  to  the  Lord  and 

put  away  evils." 

Because  they  understood  this,  I  plucked  some  twigs  from  a 
vine  and  handed  them  to  them,  saying,  *'  Do  you  believe  that 
this  is  of  me,  or  of  the  Lord?" 

They  said  that  it  was  from  me,  but  of  the  Lord.  And  lo,  the 
twigs  put  forth  grapes  in  their  hands. 

But  as  I  withdrew  I  saw  under  a  green  olive  tree  around 
which  a  vine  had  entwined  itself,  a  cedar  table  on  which  there 
was  a  book.  I  looked  and  lo,  it  was  a  book  written  by  me,  en- 
titled Arcana  Ccelestla;  and  I  said  that  it  was  fully  shown  m 
that  book  that  man  is  not  life  but  an  organ  receptive  of  life ; 
also  that  life  cannot  be  created  and  when  so  created  be  m  man, 
any  more  than  light  in  the  eye. 

462.  Fourth  Memorable  Relation : — 

Looking  toward  the  sea-shore  in  the  spiritual  world,  I  saw 
a  splendid  dockyard.  I  went  near  and  looked  into  it,  and  be- 
hold, there  were  large  and  small  vessels,  and  in  them  merchan- 
dise of  every  kind,  and  on  benches  there  were  sitting  boys  and 
girls  distributing  the  merchandise  to  all  who  wanted  it. 

And  they  said, « We  are  waiting  to  see  our  beautiful  tor- 
toises, which  will  soon  rise  up  out  of  the  sea  to  us." 

And  behold,  I  saw  both  large  and  small  tortoises,  on  the 
shells  and  scales  of  which  sat  young  tortoises  looking  toward 
the  surrounding  islands.  The  paternal  tortoises  had  two  heads, 
a  large  one  covered  over  with  a  shell  like  the  shells  on  their 
bodies,  which  gave  them  a  reddish  hue,  and  a  smaU  one,  such 


584 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VII. 


I 


a^  tortoises  have;  this  they  drew  back  into  the  forepart  of  the 
body,  and  also,  in  some  unseen  way,  inserted  into  the  larger 

head.  4.1,  4.  •  4- 

But  I  kept  my  eyes  on  the  large  red  head;  and  1  saw  that  it 

had  a  face  like  the  face  of  a  man,  and  it  talked  with  the  boys 

and  girls  on  the  seats  and  licked  their  hands.    Then  the  boys 

and  girls  patted  them,  and  gave  them  food  and  dainties,  and 

also  costly  things,  such  as  silk  for  clothing,  thyine-wood  for 

tables,  purple  for  decorations,  and  scarlet  for  coloring. 

[2]  Seeing  these  things,  I  wished  to  know  what  they  repre- 
sented, as  I  knew  that  all  things  that  appear  in  the  spiritual 
world  are  correspondences,  and  represent  the  spiritual  things 
pertaining  to  affection  and  to  thought  therefrom. 

They  then  spoke  to  me  from  heaven  and  said,  "  You  yourself 
know  what  the  dockyard  represents,  and  the  ships,  and  the  boys 
and  girls  that  are  on  them ;  but  you  do  not  know  what  the  tor- 
toises signify."    And  they  said,  ^^  The  tortoises  represent  such 
of  the  clergy  there  as  altogether  separate  faith  from  charity 
and  its  good  works,  affirming  in  themselves,  that  there  is  clearly 
no  conjunction  of  these,  but  that  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  man's 
faith  in  God  the  Father  on  account  of  the  merit  of  the  Son,  en- 
ters into  man,  and  puiifies  his  interiors  even  to  his  own  will ; 
out  of  which  they  make  a  sort  of  oval  plane ;  and  they  claim 
that  when  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  near  this 
plane,  it  bends  itself  around  it  towards  the  left  and  does  not 
touch  it  at  all;  so  that  the  inner  or  higher  part  of  man's  nature 
is  for  God,  and  the  outer  or  lower  part  for  man ;  consequently 
nothing  that  man  does,  whether  good  or  evil,  is  apparent  to  God 
—not  the  good,  because  this  is  a  matter  of  merit,  nor  the  evil, 
because  it  is  evil,  for  if  either  of  these  were  to  appear  to  God, 
man  would  perish  because  of  it.    And  this  being  so,  man  is  at 
.  liberty  to  will  and  think  and  say  and  do  whatever  he  pleases, 
provided  he  is  discreet  before  the  world." 

[3]  1  asked  whether  they  also  asserted  that  man  is  permitted 
to  think  of  God  as  not  omnipresent  and  omniscient. 

They  answered  from  heaven  that  this  is  permitted,  for  the 
reason  that  in  a  man  who  has  acquired  faith,  and  has  lieen  puri- 
fied and  justified  therebv,  God  does  not  look  at  anything  per- 
taining to  his  thought  and  will,  and  that  he  stiU  retains  m  his 


N.  462] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


585 


inner  bosom,  or  in  the  higher  region  of  his  mind  or  nature,  the 
faith  that  he  had  received  in  the  act  of  faith,  it  being  sometimes 
possible  for  that  act  to  return  without  man's  being  conscious 
of  it.    "  These  are  the  things  represented  by  the  small  head, 
which  they  draw  into  the  forepart  of  the  body,  and  insert  into 
the  larger  head  when  they  are  talking  with  the  laity ,  for  with 
them  they  do  not  talk  from  the  small  head,  but  from  the  large 
one,  which  in  appearance  is  provided  in  front  with  a  human 
face;  and  with  them  they  talk  from  the  Word  about  love,  char- 
ity, good  works,  the  commandments  of  the  Decalogue,  and  re- 
pentance, selecting  from  the  Word  almost  everything  that  is 
there  said  on  these  subjects.     But  in  so  doing  they  insert  the 
small  head  into  the  large  one,  and  from  this  they  understand 
inwardlv  in  themselves  that  none  of  these  things  are  to  be  done 
for  the  sake  of  God  and  salvation,  but  only  for  the  sake  of  pub- 
lic and  private  good.     W  And  inasmuch  as  they  talk  about 
these  subjects  from  the  Word,  especially  about  the  Gospel,  the 
operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  salvation,  in  a  pleasing  and 
elec^ant  manner,  they  seem  to  their  hearers  to  be  handsome  men 
and  the  wisest  in  all  the  world.    This  is  why,  as  you  saw,  costly  - 
and  precious  things  were  given  them  by  the  boys  and  girls  who 
sat  upon  the  benches  in  the  vessels ;  also  why  you  saw  them 
represented  as  tortoises.    In  your  world  they  are  but  little  dis- 
tinguished from  others,  except  by  this,  that  they  imagine  them- 
selves the  wisest  of  men,  and  laugh  at  others,  even  at  those  who 
entertain  a  like  doctrine  of  faith  but  are  not  in  these  mysteries. 
They  carry  with  them  on  their  clothing  a  certahi  mark  by  which 
they  make  themselves  distinguishable  from  others." 

[5]  He  who  was  talking  to  me  said,  ^'  I  will  not  tell  you  what 
their  sentiments  are  respecting  other  matters  of  faith,  such  as 
election,  freedom  of  choice,  baptism,  and  the  holy  supper, 
which  are  of  such  a  nature  that  they  do  not  divulge  them ;  but 
we  in  heaven  know  what  they  are.  But  because  they  are  such 
in  the  world,  and  because  no  one  is  allowed  after  death  to  think 
one  thing  and  say  another,  and  therefore  they  can  then  do  no 
otherwise  than  speak  from  the  insanities  of  their  thoughts,  they 
are  regarded  as  insane  and  are  expelled  from  societies,  and  fin- 
ally sent  down  to  the  bottomless  pit  spoken  of  in  the  Apocalypse 
(ix.  2).    There  they  become  corporeal  spirits,  and  look  like  the 


jiigftJiiafe'-'agtMirraimryniiriyiii^^ 


586 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  VII. 


mmnmies  of  the  Egyptians.  For  a  callousness  lias  been  induced 
upon  the  interiors  of  their  minds,  owing  to  the  barrier  they  had 
interposed  when  they  were  in  the  world.  The  infernal  society 
composed  of  them  borders  upon  the  infernal  society  from  the 
Machiavelians,  and  they  pass  indiscriminately  from  one  to  the 
other,  and  call  each  other  fellow-members.  But  they  go  back 
because  there  is  a  difference  between  them,  arising  from  the 
fact  that  there  has  been  with  them  some  religious  principle  re- 
specting the  a^t  of  justification  by  faith,  while  the  Machiave- 
lians have  no  religious  principle  at  all." 

[6]  After  I  had  seen  them  expelled  from  societies  and  col- 
lected together  to  be  cast  down,  I  saw  a  vessel  flying  in  the  air 
with  seven  sails,  and  therein  officers  and  sailors  dressed  in  pur- 
ple clothing  and  having  splendid  laurels  on  their  caps,  and 
shouting,  "  Lo,  we  are  in  heaven ;  we  are  purple-robed  doctoi-s 
of  the  highest  degree,  since  of  all  the  wise  men  among  the  clergy 
in  Europe  we  are  the  heads." 

I  wondered  what  this  meant,  and  was  told  that  they  were 
images  of  pride  and  of  the  visionary  thoughts  caUed  fantasies, 
-  which  spring  from  those  who  before  appeared  as  tortoises,  but 
these  had  now  been  cast  out  of  the  societies  as  insane  and  gath- 
ered into  one  body  and  now  stood  together  in  one  place. 

I  then  wished  to  speak  with  them,  and  therefore  went  to  the 
plax?e  where  they  were  standing  and  saluted  them,  and  said, 
«  Are  you  those  who  have  separated  the  internals  of  men  from 
their  externals,  and  who  have  separated  the  operation  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  as  being  in  faith,  from  its  co-operation  with  man 
outside  of  faith,  and  thus  you  have  separated  God  from  man  ! 
Have  you  not  thus  not  only  removed  charity  itself  and  the  works 
of  charity  from  faith,  as  many  others  of  the  learned  clergy  have 
done,  but  also  faith  itself  from  man  as  to  its  manifestation  be- 
fore God  ?  [T]  But  I  pray  you,  which  do  you  prefer,  that  I 
should  speak  to  you  on  this  matter  from  reason,  or  from  Holy 

Scripture  ?" 

They  said,  "  Speak  iirst  from  reason." 

And  I  spoke  as  follows,  "  How  can  the  internal  man  and  ex- 
ternal man  be  separated  ?  Who  does  not  see  or  cannot  see 
from  common  perception,  that  all  of  man's  interiors  go  forth 
and  are  continued  into  his  exteriors,  and  even  into  his  outer- 


N.  462] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


587 


mosts,  in  order  to  work  out  their  effects  and  produce  their 
works  ?    Are  not  internals  for  the  sake  of  externals,  that  they 
may  terminate  in  them  and  find  permanence  in  them,  and  so 
come  forth,  nearly  the  same  as  a  column  rests  upon  its  base  ? 
You  can  see  that  unless  there  were  a  continuation  and  chus  a 
conjunction,  outermosts  would  dissolve  and  pass  away  like 
bubbles  in  the  air.    Who  can  deny  that  the  interior  operations 
of  God  in  man  are  myriads  of  myriads  and  of  these  man  knows 
nothing  ?    And  what  need  is  there  of  his  knowing  about  them, 
provided  he  knows  about  the  outermosts,  in  which,  with  his 
thought  and  will,  he  is  together  with  God  ?    [8]  But  this  shall 
be  illustrated  by  an  example.    Does  man  understand  the  in- 
terior operations  of  his  speech,  as  how  the  lungs  draw  in  the 
air,  and  fill  the  little  vessels  with  it,  and  the  bronchial  tubes, 
and  the  lobes ;  how  they  send  out  the  air  into  the  trachea,  and 
there  turn  it  into  sound ;  how  that  sound  is  modified  in  the  glot- 
tis with  the  aid  of  the  larynx ;  and  how  the  tongue  then  articu- 
lates it,  and  the  lips  complete  the  articulation  that  it  may  be- 
come speech  ?    Do  not  all  these  interior  operations,  of  which 
man  knows  nothing,  exist  for  the  sake  of  the  outermost,  w^hich 
is  that  man  may  have  power  to  speak  ?    Remove  or  separate 
one  of  these  internals  from  its  continuity  with  the  outermosts, 
and  could  man  speak  any  more  than  a  stock?    [0]  Take  another 
example.    The  two  hands  are  the  outermosts  of  man.    Do  not 
the  interiors,  which  are  continued  thither,  come  from  the  head 
through  the  neck,  also  through  the  chest,  the  shoulders,  the 
arms,  and  the  forearms  ?    And  there  are  the  innumerable  mus- 
cular textures,  innumerable  battalions  of  motor  fibers,  innumer- 
able combinations  of  nerves  and  blood-vessels,  and  the  many 
bony  articulations  with  their  ligaments  and  membranes.   What 
does  a  man  know  about  these  things  ?    And  yet  the  working  of 
his  hands  is  from  each  and  all  of  them.    Suppose  that  these 
interior  parts  were  to  turn  back  to  the  right  or  left  near  the 
elbow,  instead  of  continuing  onward,  would  not  the  hand  drop 
down  from  the  forearm  and  rot  like  something  torn  away  from 
the  body  and  deprived  of  life  ?    If  you  will  believe  it,  it  would 
be  with  the  hand  as  it  would  be  with  the  body  if  the  man  were 
beheaded.     It  would  be  precisely  the  same  with  the  human 
mind  and  its  two  lives,  the  will  and  the  understanding,  if  the 


V 


HitituMimilliilirifitlMiiiliiiillMiliM iniiifiKffiSftilMailiM JtMlfelfiflftlliifii'fllriiii  [ 


588 


THE  TKUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VII. 


Divine  operations,  which  are  those  of  faith  and  chanty,  were  to 
cease  haK  way  and  not  pass  by  a  continuous  course  even  to  the 
man  himself.  Clearly  man  would  then  be  not  merely  a  brute, 
but  a  rotten  stick.  All  this  is  in  accordance  with  reason. 
[lO]  Furthermore,  if  you  will  listen,  it  is  also  in  accordance 
with  the  Sacred  Scripture.    Does  not  the  Lord  say. 

Abide  in  Me,  and  I  in  you.  I  am  the  Vine  and  ye  are  ^^^}>'^^^^^l  »« 
that  abideth  in  Me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  beareth  much  fruit  (John  xs. 

Is  not  the  fruit  the  good  works  which  the  Loi'd  does  through 
man,  and  man  does  of  himself  from  the  Lord  ?    The  Lord  also 

says, 

That  He  stands  at  the  door  and  knocks,  and  that  He  comes  in  to  him 
that  onens  and  sups  with  him,  and  he  with  Him  (Apoc.  ui.  20). 

D^not^he  Lord  give  pounds  and  talent,  to  man  to  trade  with  and 
profirby  and  as  man  profits  by  them,  does  He  not  give  him  etenxal  hfe  ? 
(Matt.  XXV.  14-30  ;  Luke  xix.  13-26). 

And  again : — 

That  He  gives  wages  to  every  man  axjcording  to  the  labor  done  in  His 
vineyard  {Matt.  xx.  1-10). 

These  are  but  a  few  passages.  Pages  might  be  filled  from  the 
Word  on  this  subject,  that  man  ought  to  bear  fruit  like  a  tree,  to 
do  axjcording  to  the  commandments,  to  love  God  and  the  neigh- 
bor, and  so  forth.  [U]  But  I  am  aware  that  your  selt-.ntelli. 
gence  is  unable  to  hold  to  anything  such  as  it  is  m  itself  that 
i  in  common  with  these  things  from  the  Word,  for  although 
vou  give  utterance  to  it,  your  ideas  pervert  it.  And  you  cari- 
notdo  otherwise,  because  you  remove  from  man  everything  be- 
longing to  God  as  to  communication  and  conjunction.  A\  hat 
then  remains  but  to  remove  all  that  pertains  tojvorship  also  ^ 

Afterward  these  spirits  appeared  to  me  in  the  light  ot  hea- 
ven which  discloses  and  manifests  the  character  of  every  one. 
And  they  did  not  then  appear  as  they  did  before,  in  a  ship  in 
the  air,  as  if  in  heaven  ;  neither  were  they  clad  m  purple  robes 
and  crowned  with  laurel,  but  in  a  sandy  place  ^^  garmf  ts  of 
rags,  and  girt  about  the  loins  with  network  like  fishers  nets, 
Srough  which  their  nakedness  was  visible.  And  then  they 
lerTsent  down  to  the  society  bordering  on  that  of  the  Machi- 
avelians. 


N.  463] 


FREEDOM   OF   CHOICE 


589 


PART  II. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

FREEDOM    OF    CHOICE. 
I. 

463.  Before  the  doctrine  of  the  New  Church  respecting  free- 
dom of  choice  can  be  properly  set  forth,  it  is  necessary  to  pre- 
mise what  the  present  church  teaches  on  that  subject  in  its  dog- 
matic books,  for  unless  this  is  done  a  man  who  has  sound  sense 
and  religion  may  believe  that  it  is  not  worth  while  to  write  any- 
thing new  about  it.  For  he  would  say  to  himself,  "  Who  does 
not  know  that  man  has  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things  ? 
Otherwise,  why  should  priests  preach  that  men  should  believe 
in  God,  should  be  converted,  should  live  according  to  the  pre- 
cepts in  the  Word,  should  fight  against  the  lusts  of  the  flesh, 
and  should  make  themselves  new  creatures  ?''  and  so  on.  Thus 
he  cannot  but  think  within  himself  that  all  this  would  be  mere 
empty  words,  if  there  were  no  freedom  of  choice  in  matters  of 
salvation,  and  that  to  deny  it  would  be  folly,  because  contrary 
to  common  sense.  Nevertheless  that  the  present  church  stands 
opposed  to  freedom  of  choice  and  banishes  it  from  its  temples, 
may  be  seen  from  the  following  extracts  from  the  book  called 
the  Forrmda  Concordim,  which  the  evangelical  churches  swear 
allegiance  to.  That  a  like  teaching  and  therefore  a  like  belief 
respecting  freedom  of  choice  prevails  with  the  Reformed,  and 


590 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  VIII. 


likewise  throughout  the  entire  Christian  world,  and  thus  in  Ger- 
many, Sweden,  Denmark,  England  and  HoUand,  is  evident  from 
their  dogmatic  books.  The  extracts  that  follow  are  taken  from 
the  Formula  Concordia;,  the  Leipsic  edition  of  175G. 

464.  (i)  "The  doctors  of  the  Augsburg  Confession  assert, 
that  owing  to  the  fall  of  our  first  parents,  man  is  so  thoroughly 
corrupt,  that  in  spiritual  matters,  which  have  regard  to  our  con- 
version and  salvation,  he  is  by  nature  blind,  and  neither  un- 
derstands nor  is  able  to  understand  the  Word  of  God  when 
preached,  but  regards  it  as  a  foolish  thing,  and  never  of  himself 
draws  nigh  unto  God ;  but  is  rather  an  enemy  of  God,  and  so  re- 
mains until  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  operative  through 
the  Word  preached  and  heard,  out  of  pure  grace,  without  any 
co-operation  on  his  part  he  is  converted,  gifted  with  faith,  re- 
generated and  renewed"  (page  665). 

[2]  (ii)  "We  believe  that  in  spiritual  and  Divine  things,  the 
understanding,  heart,  and  will  of  the  man  who  has  not  been 
born  agam,  are  wholly  unable,  by  his  own  natural  powers,  to 
understand,  believe,  embrace,  think,  will,  begin,  finish,  act,  op- 
erate or  co-operate;  but  that  as  to  good  he  is  utterly  corrupt  and 
dead,  so  that  in  his  natui-e  since  the  fall,  before  his  regenera- 
tion, there  does  not  remain  the  least  spark  of  spiritual  power 
by  which  he  can  prepare  himself  for  the  grace  of  God,  or  grasp 
it  when  offered,  or  adapt  himself  to  it,  and  of  himself  be  cap- 
able of  receiving  it.  Neither  can  he  by  his  own  powers  con- 
tribute in  any  way  to  his  own  conversion,  either  in  the  whole 
or  the  half  or  the  smallest  part,  or  act,  operate,  or  co-operate 
from  himself,  or  as  if  from  himself;  but  he  is  a  servant  of  sin 
and  a  slave  to  Satan,  by  whom  he  is  moved.  Consequently  his 
natural  freedom  of  choice,  by  reason  of  his  corrupted  powers 
and  his  depraved  nature,  is  active  and  eflBLcient  only  in  those 
things  that  are  displeasing  to  God  and  opposed  to  Him"  (page 

656). 

[3]  (iii)  "In  civil  and  natural  matters  man  is  diligent  and 
intelligent,  but  in  spiritual  and  Divine  matters,  which  look 
to  the  soul's  salvation,  he  is  like  a  stock  or  a  stone,  or  like 
the  pillar  of  salt  into  which  Lot's  wife  was  turned,  which  have 
not  the  use  of  eyes  or  mouth  or  any  of  the  senses"  (page 
661). 


N.  464] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


591 


[4]  (iv)  "Man,  however,  has  the  power  of  locomotion,  or  of 
controlling  his  external  members,  also  the  ability  to  hear  the 
Gospel,  and  in  some  measure  meditate  on  it ;  and  yet  in  his  se- 
cret thoughts  he  despises  it  as  a  foolish  thing,  and  is  unable  to 
believe  it;  and  in  this  respect  he  is  worse  than  a  stock,  unless 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  efficacious  in  him,  enkindling  and  producing 
in  him  faith  and  other  virtues  pleasing  to  God,  and  also  obedi- 
ence" (page  662). 

[5]  (v)  "  In  one  sense  it  may  be  said  that  man  is  not  a  stone 
or  a  stock.  A  stone  or  a  stock  does  not  resist,  neither  does  it 
understand  or  feel  what  takes  place  in  itself,  as  man  by  his 
will  resists  God  until  he  has  been  converted  to  God.  So  it  is 
true  that  before  conversion  man  is  a  rational  creature,  endowed 
with  understanding,  yet  not  in  Divine  things ;  and  with  a  will, 
yet  not  such  as  wills  any  saving  good.  Nevertheless,  he  is  un- 
able to  contribute  anything  to  his  own  salvation,  and  in  this 
respect  is  worse  than  a  stock  or  a  stone"  (pages  672,  673). 

[6]  (vi)  "The  whole  of  conversion  is  the  operation,  gift,  and 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  alone,  who  effects  and  operates  it  by 
his  own  virtue  and  power  through  the  Word,  in  the  understand- 
ing, heart,  and  will  of  man  as  in  a  passive  subject,  where  the 
man  does  nothing,  but  is  purely  passive.  Nevertheless,  this  is 
not  done  in  the  same  way  as  a  statue  is  formed  from  stone,  or 
a  seal  is  impressed  upon  wax,  since  the  wax  has  neither  knowl- 
edge nor  will"  (page  681). 

[7]  (vii)  "  According  to  the  sayings  of  some  of  the  fathei-s 
and  later  doctors, '  God  draws  only  the  willing ;'  therefore  in  con- 
version man's  will  does  something.  But  this  statement  is  not 
conformable  to  sound  doctrine,  for  it  confirms  a  false  opinion 
respecting  the  powers  of  human  choice  in  conversion"  (page 

582). 

[8]  (viii)  "In  external  worldly  affairs,  which  are  subject  to 
reason,  there  is  still  left  to  man  some  share  of  understanding, 
ability,  and  faculty;  although  these  wretched  remnants  are  ex- 
ceedingly feeble ;  and  moreover,  insignificant  as  they  are,  they 
are  so  poisoned  and  contaminated  by  hereditary  disease,  that 
in  the  sight  of  God  they  are  worthless"  (page  641). 

[9]  (ix)  "  In  conversion,  whereby  from  being  a  child  of  wrath 
man  becomes  a  child  of  grace,  he  does  not  co-operate  with  the 


\ 


Tiiifih  la-iritiJiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiitiiBi 


592 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII. 


Holy  Spirit,  since  his  conversion  is  the  work  exclusively  and 
wholly  of  the  spirit'^  (pages  219,  579  and  following;  663  and 
following ;  Appendix,  page  143).  "  Nevertheless,  the  man  who 
is  born  anew  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  may  co-oper- 
ate, although  much  infirmity  accompanies  his  co-operation ;  and 
he  works  well  so  far  and  so  long  as  he  is  led,  ruled,  and  guided 
by  the  Holy  Spirit.  IS^evertheless,  he  does  not  co-operate  with 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  same  way  as  two  horses  together  draw  a 
carriage"  (page  674). 

[lO]    (x)  "  Original  sin  is  not  some  wrong  that  is  actually 
perpetrated,  but  it  is  inmostly  inherent  and  fixed  in  man's  na- 
ture, substance  and  essence.    It  is  the  fountain  of  all  actual 
sins,  such  as  depraved  thoughts  and  conversation,  and  evil 
deeds"  (page  577).    "This  hereditary  disease,  by  which  man's 
whole  nature  has  been  corrupted,  is  a  horrible  sin,  and  is  in- 
deed the  beginning  and  head  of  all  sins,  from  which  as  a  source 
and  fountain  all  transgressions  flow  forth"  (page  640).    "  By 
this  sin,  as  if  by  a  spiritual  leprosy,  even  throughout  the  in- 
most parts  and  deepest  recesses  of  the  heart,  all  of  man's  na- 
ture is  in  the  sight  of  God  wholly  infected  and  corrupted ;  and 
on  account  of  this  corruption  the  person  of  man  is  by  the  law 
of  God  accused  and  damned,  so  that  we  are  by  nature  children 
of  wrath  and  bondsmen  of  death  and  damnation,  miless  by  the 
gift  of  Christ's  merit  we  are  delivered  and   preserved  from 
these  evils"  (page  639).    "  For  this  reason  there  is  a  total  want 
or  deprivation  of  the  original  righteousness  or  image  of  God 
created  in  connection  with  man  in  Paradise,  and  this  is  the 
source  of  the  impotence,  folly,  and  stupidity  which  render  man 
utterly  incompetent  in  all  Divine  and  spiritual  things.    In  the 
place  of  the  lost  image  of  God  in  man,  there  is  the  inmost, 
vilest,  deepest  inscrutable,  and  ineffable  corruption  of  his  whole 
nature  and  of  all  his  powers  (especially  of  the  higher  and  chief 
faculties  of  the  soul),  in  mind,  understanding,  heart,  and  will" 
(page  640). 

465.  These  are  the  precepts,  dogmas,  and  canons  of  the 
present  church  respecting  man's  freedom  of  choice  in  spirit- 
ual and  in  natural  things,  as  also  respecting  original  sin.  They 
are  here  presented  in  order  that  the  precepts,  dogmas,  and 
canons  of  the  New  Church  on  these  subjects  may  be  seen  more 


N.  466] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


593 


1 


clearly ;  for  from  the  two  formulas  so  contrasted  the  truth  ap- 
pears in  the  light,  just  as  when  an  ugly  face  is  placed  beside 
a  handsome  one  in  a  picture,  the  two  being  seen  at  the  same 
time,  the  beauty  of  one  and  the  ugliness  of  the  other  are  clearly 
displayed  to  the  eye.  The  canons  of  the  New  Church  here 
follow. 


11. 


THE  PLACING  OF  TWO  TREES  IN  THE  GARDEN   OF  EDEN,  ONE  OF 

LIFE,  AND  THE   OTHER  OF   THE   KNOWLEDGE  OF    GOOD  AND 

EVIL,  SIGNIFIES  THAT  FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE  IN  THINGS 

SPIRITUAL  HAS  BEEN  GIVEN  TO  MAN. 

466.  It  is  believed  by  many  that  by  Adam  and  Eve  in  the 
book  of  Moses  the  first  created  persons  are  not  meant,  and  in 
proof  of  this,  arguments  respecting  Pre-adamites  have  been 
brought  forward,  drawn  from  the  computations  and  chronolo- 
gies of  some  heathen  nations,  and  from  the  saying  of  Cain, 
Adam's  firstborn,  to  Jehovah : — 

I  shall  be  a  fugitive  and  a  wanderer  in  the  earth,  so  that  whosoever 
findeth  me  shall  slay  me.  Therefore  Jehovah  set  a  sign  upon  Cain,  lest 
any  finding  him  should  slay  him  {Gen.  iv.  14, 15). 

Afterwards  Cain  went  out  from  the  presence  of  Jehovah,  and  dwelt  in 
the  land  of  Nod,  and  builded  a  city  {Gen.  iv.  16,  17). 

From  this  it  is  claimed  that  the  earth  was  inhabited  before  the 
time  of  Adam.  But  that  by  Adam  and  his  wife  the  Most  An- 
cient church  on  this  earth  is  meant  has  been  abundantly  shown 
in  the  Arcana  Coelest'ia  published  by  me  at  London;  and  in  that 
work  it  is  also  shown  that  "the  garden  of  Eden"  means  the 
wisdom  of  the  men  of  that  church ;  "  the  tree  of  life,"  the  Lord 
in  man  and  man  in  the  Lord;  "the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil,"  man  not  in  the  Lord  but  in  what  is  his  own  (as 
he  is  who  believes  that  he  does  everything,  even  good,  of  him- 
self) ;  and  that  "  eating"  from  that  tree  means  the  appropria- 
tion of  evil. 

467.  "The  garden  of  Eden"  in  the  Word  does  not  mean  a 
garden,  but  intelligence,  nor  does  "tree"  mean  any  tree,  but 

38 


594 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  VIIL 


man.    That  "the  garden  of  Eden"  signifies  intelligence  and 
wisdom,  can  be  seen  from  the  following  passages : — 

In  thy  wisdom  and  thine  intelligence  thou  hast  made  to  thyself  wealth. 

Also  in  what  follows : — 

Full  of  wisdom,  thou  has  been  in  Eden  the  garden  of  God,  every  pre- 
cious stone  was  thy  covering  [Ezek.  xxviii.  4,  12,  13). 

This  is  said  of  the  prince  and  king  of  Tyre,  of  whom  wisdom  is 

predicated,  because  ''  Tyre''  in  the  Word  signifies  the  church  in 

respect  to  knowledges  of  truth  and  good  through  which  comes 

wisdom;  "the  precious  stones"  which  were  his  covering,  also 

signify  knowledges  of  truth  and  good ;  for  tlie  prince  and  the 

king  of  Tyre  were  not  in  the  garden  of  Eden.    [2]  And  again 

in  Ezekiel: — 

Asshur  a  cedar  in  Lebanon.  The  cedars  in  the  garden  of  God  have  not 
hidden  it.  No  tree  in  the  garden  of  God  was  like  unto  it  in  its  beauty. 
All  the  trees  of  Eden  in  the  garden  of  God  envied  it  (xxxi.  3,  8,  9). 

And  again : — 

To  whom  art  thou  thus  become  like  in  glory  and  in  greatness  among 
the  trees  of  Eden  ?  (verse  18). 

This  is  said  of  Assyria,  because  in  the  Word  it  signifies  ration- 
ality and  intelligence  therefrom.    [3]  In  Isaiah : — 

Jehovah  shall  comfort  Zion,  He  will  turn  her  desert  into  Eden,  and 
her  wilderness  into  the  garden  of  Jehovah  (li.  3). 

Here  "  Zion"  means  the  church,  and ''  Eden"  and  <' the  garden  of 
Jehovah"  mean  wisdom  and  intelligence.    In  the  Apocalypse : — 

To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is 
in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God  (ii.  7). 

In  the  midst  of  the  street,  and  on  either  side  of  the  river,  there  will  be 
the  tree  of  life  (xxii.  2). 

[4]  From  these  passages  it  is  clear  that  "the  garden  of  Eden" 
in  which  Adam  is  said  to  have  been  placed,  means  intelligence 
and  wisdom,  because  like  things  are  said  of  Tyre,  Assyria,  and 
Zion.  Elsewhere  in  the  Word  "garden"  signifies  intelligence 
(as  in  Isaiah  Iviii.  11 ;  Ixi.  11 ;  Jer.  xxxi.  12 ;  Amos  ix.  14 ;  Num. 
xxiv.  6).  This  spiritual  meaning  of  a  garden  derives  its  cause 
from  representations  in  the  spiritual  world,  where  paradises  are 
seen  wherever  the  angels  are  in  intelligence  and  wisdom  j  the 


N.  4()7] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


595 


very  intelligence  and  wisdom  which  they  possess  from  the  Lord 
cause  such  things  to  be  present  about  them;  and  this  comes 
from  correspondence,  for  all  things  that  exist  in  the  spiritual 
world  are  correspondences. 

468.  That  "tree"  signifies  man,  can  be  seen  from  the  follow- 
ing passages  in  the  Word : — 

And  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall  know  that  I  Jehovah  humble  the  high 
tree,  exalt  the  low  tree,  dry  up  the  green  tree,  and  make  the  dry  tree  to 
bud  (^ze/c.  xvii.  24). 

Blessed  is  the  man  whose  delight  is  in  the  law.  He  shall  be  like  a  tree 
planted  by  the  streams  of  waters,  that  bringeth  forth  its  fruits  m  its  sea- 
son {Ps.  i.  1-3  ;  Jer.  xvii.  3). 

Praise  Jehovah,  fruitful  trees  {Ts.  cxlviii.  7,  9). 

The  trees  of  Jehovah  are  full  (Ps.  civ.  16). 

The  axe  is  laid  unto  the  root  of  the  tree  ;  every  tree  that  bringeth  not 
forth  good  fruit  shall  be  hewn  down  {}iatt.  iii.  10  ;  vii.  10-21). 

Either  make  the  tree  good  and  the  fruit  good,  or  else  make  the  tree 
corrupt  [and  the  fruit  corrupt] ;  for  the  tree  is  known  by  its  fruit  {Matt. 
xii.  33  ;  Luke  vi.  43,  44). 

I  will  kindle  a  fire  that  shall  devour  every  green  tree  and  every  dry 
tree  {Ezek.  xx.  47). 

Because  "  tree"  signifies  man,  it  was  a  statute 

That  the  fruit  of  a  tree  not  serviceable  for  food  in  the  land  of  Canaan 
should  be  as  uncircumcised  (Lev.  xix.  23,  24). 

Because  an  olive  tree  signifies  a  man  of  the  celestial  church,  it 
is  said: — 

Of  the  two  witnesses  who  prophesied,  that  they  were  two  olive  trees 
standing  near  the  God  of  the  whole  earth  {Aipoc.  xi.  4  ;  also  Zech.  iv.  3, 
11,  12). 

And  in  David  : — 

I  am  like  a  green  olive  tree  in  the  house  of  God  {Ps.  Iii.  3). 

And  in  Jeremiah  : — 

Jehovah  called  thy  name,  a  green  olive  tree,  fair  and  of  goodly  fruit  (xi. 
16,17); 

besides  other  passages  which  are  not  here  presented  on  account 
of  their  great  number. 

469.  At  this  day  any  one  who  is  inwardly  wise  is  able  to  see 
or  divine  that  what  is  written  of  Adam  and  his  wife  involves 
spiritual  things,  which  no  one  has  heretofore  known,  because 
the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  has  not  been  disclosed  imtil 


596 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII. 


now.  Wlio  cannot  readily  see  that  Jehovah  could  not  have 
planted  two  trees  in  the  garden,  and  one  of  them  for  a  stum- 
bling-block, except  for  the  sake  of  some  spiritual  representa- 
tion? Again,  does  it  square  with  Divine,  justice  that  because 
they  both  ate  of  that  tree  they  were  accursed,  and  that  this 
curse  clings  to  every  man  that  comes  after  them,  thus  that  the 
whole  human  race  was  damned  for  the  fault  of  one  man,  in 
which  there  was  no  evil  arising  from  lust  of  the  flesh  or  iniquity 
of  heart  ?  Why  did  not  Jehovah  in  the  first  place  restrain  man 
from  eating  of  the  tree,  since  He  was  present  and  saw  the  con- 
sequences ?  And  why  did  He  not  hurl  tlie  serpent  into  Hades 
before  he  had  persuaded  them  ?  But,  my  friend,  God  did  not 
do  this,  because  He  would  thus  have  deprived  man  of  his  free- 
dom of  choice,  from  which  man  is  mi.n,  and  not  a  beast.  When 
this  is  known  it  is  very  evident  that  by  these  two  trees,  one  of 
life  and  the  other  of  death,  man's  freedom  of  choice  in  spirit- 
ual things  is  represented.  IVloreover,  inherited  evil  is  not  from 
that  source,  but  from  parents,  by  whom  an  inclination  to  the 
evil  in  which  they  themselves  have  been  is  transmitted  to  their 
children.  The  truth  of  this  is  clearly  seen  by  any  one  who  care- 
fully studies  the  manners,  dispositions,  and  faces  of  the  cliil- 
dren,  and  even  of  the  households  that  have  descended  from 
one  father.  Nevertheless,  it  depends  on  each  one  in  a  family 
whether  he  will  accede  to  or  withdraw  from  inherited  evil, 
since  every  one  is  left  to  his  own  choice.  But  the  particular 
significance  of  the  tree  of  life  and  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil  has  been  fully  explained  in  the  Memorable  Kela- 
tion  recorded  above  (n.  48),  which  see. 


III. 

MAX   IS  NOT   LIFE,  BUT  A  RECEPTACLE  OF    LIFE  FROM   GOD. 

470.  It  is  generally  believed  that  life  is  in  man  as  his  own, 
thus  that  he  is  not  only  a  receptacle  of  life,  but  is  also  life. 
This  general  belief  is  from  its  so  appearing,  since  man  lives, 
that  is,  feels,  thinks,  speaks  and  acts,  wholly  as  if  from  him- 
self.  W^herefore  the  statement  that  man  is  a  receptacle  of  life, 


N.  470] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


597 


and  not  life,  must  needs  seem  like  something  unheard  of,  or 
like  a  paradox,  because  it  is  opposed  to  the  appearance,  and  thus 
to  sensual  thought.  The  cause  of  the  fallacious  belief  that  man 
is  also  life  itself,  consequently  that  life  was  created  in  man  and 
afterward  generated  by  parents,  I  have  adduced  from  the  ap- 
pearance; but  the  reason  why  the  fallacy  is  drawn  from  the 
appearance,  is  that  most  men  at  the  present  day  are  natural, 
and  but  few  are  spiritual,  and  the  natural  man  judges  from  ap- 
pearances and  their  fallacies,  which  are  diametricall}^  opposed 
to  the  truth  that  man  is  not  life  but  only  a  receptacle  of  life. 
[2]  That  man  is  not  life  but  a  receptacle  of  life  from  God  can 
be  seen  from  these  evident  proofs,  that  all  created  things  are 
in  themselves  finite,  and  that  man,  being  finite,  could  have  been 
created  only  from  things  finite.  Therefore  it  is  said  in  the  book 
of  Creation,  that  Adam  was  made  from  the  earth  and  its  dust, 
from  which  he  was  also  named,  for  "  Adam"  means  the  earth's 
soil ;  and  it  is  a  fact  that  every  man  consists  only  of  such  things 
as  are  in  the  earth,  and  from  the  earth  in  the  atmospheres.  Those 
things  that  are  in  the  atmospheres  from  the  earth  man  absorbs 
by  means  of  his  lungs  and  the  pores  of  his  whole  body,  and  the 
grosser  elements  he  absorbs  by  means  of  food  composed  of 
earthy  substances.  [3]  But  in  regard  to  man's  spirit,  that  also 
is  created  from  finite  things.  What  is  man's  spirit  but  a  recep- 
tacle of  the  life  of  the  mind?  The  finite  things  of  which  it  is 
composed  are  spiritual  substances,  which  are  in  the  spiritual 
world,  and  are  also  brought  together  in  our  earth  and  hidden 
therein.  Unless  they  were  therein  along  with  material  things 
no  seed  could  be  impregnated  from  things  inmost,  and  then  grow 
in  a  wonderful  manner  undeviatingly  from  the  first  shoot  even 
to  fruit  and  to  new  seed.  Neither  could  any  worms  be  pro- 
created from  effluvia  from  the  earth  and  exhalations  from  vege- 
table matters,  with  which  the  atmospheres  are  impregnated.  [4] 
Who  can  think  rationally  that  the  infinite  can  create  anything 
but  finite  things,  and  that  man,  being  finite,  is  anything  but  a 
form  which  the  infinite  can  vivify  from  the  life  in  itself?  And 
this  is  what  is  meant  by  these  words : — 

Jehovah  God  formed  man,  the  dust  of  the  ground,  and  breathed  into 
his  nostrils  the  breath  of  lives  {Gen.  ii.  7). 

God,  because  He  is  infinite,  is  Life  in  Himself.    This  He  can- 


598 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Cnxv.  VIII. 


not  create  and  then  transfer  into  man,  for  that  would  be  to 
make  man  God.  That  this  was  done  was  the  insane  idea  of  the 
serpent  or  the  devil,  and  from  him  of  Adam  and  Eve ;  for  the 
serpent  said: — 

In  the  day  ye  eat  of  the  fruit  of  this  tree  your  eyes  shall  be  opened, 
and  ye  shall  be  as  God  (Gen.  iii.  5). 

[5]  This  dire  persuasion  that  God  transfused  and  transferred 
Himself  into  men,  was  held  by  the  men  of  the  Most  Ancient 
church  at  its  end,  when  it  was  consummated.  This  I  have  heard 
from  their  own  mouths ;  and  on  account  of  that  horrible  belief 
that  they  were  consequently  gods,  they  lie  deeply  hidden  in  a 
cavern  near  to  which  no  one  can  approach  without  being  seized 
by  an  inward  dizziness  which  causes  him  to  fall.  That  the  Most 
Ancient  church  is  meant  and  described  by  Adam  and  his  wife, 
has  been  made  known  in  the  preceding  section. 

471.  Who  does  not  see,  when  he  is  able  to  think  from  rea- 
son elevated  above  the  sensual  things  of  the  body,  that  life  is 
not  creatable  ?  For  what  is  life  but  the  inmost  activity  of  the 
love  and  wisdom  that  are  in  God  and  are  God,  which  life,  in- 
deed, may  be  called  the  essential  living  force  ?  He  who  sees 
this  can  also  see  that  this  life  cannot  be  transferred  into  any 
man,  except  in  connection  with  love  and  wisdom.  Who  denies 
or  can  deny  that  every  good  of  love  and  every  truth  of  wisdom 
is  solely  from  God,  and  that  so  far  as  man  receives  these  from 
God  he  lives  from  God,  and  is  said  to  be  born  of  God,  that  is, 
regenerated  ?  On  the  other  hand,  so  far  as  one  does  not  receive 
love  and  wisdom,  or  what  is  the  same,  charity  and  faith,  he  does 
not  receive  from  God  the  life  that  is  life  in  itself,  but  life  from 
hell,  and  this  is  no  other  than  inverted  life  which  is  called  spir- 
itual death. 

472.  From  the  foregoing  it  can  be  perceived  and  concluded 
that  the  following  things  are  not  creatable,  namely :  (1)  The  in- 
finite is  not.  (2)  Love  and  wisdom  are  not.  (3)  Consequently 
life  is  not.  (4)  Light  and  heat  are  not.  (5)  Even  activity  it- 
self viewed  in  itself  is  not.  But  organs  receptive  of  these  are 
creatable  and  have  been  created.  These  statements  may  be 
illustrated  by  the  following  comparisons :  Light  is  not  creat- 
able, but  its  organ,  the  eye,  is ;  sound,  which  is  an  activity  of 


iBTIiiBt-tirMaMifrifiiliiiimiTi^^ 


N.  472] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


699 


the  atmosphere,  is  not  creatable,  but  its  organ,  the  ear,  is; 
neither  is  heat,  which  is  the  primary  active  principle,  for  the 
reception  of  which  all  things  in  the  three  kingdoms  of  nature 
have  been  created,  and  according  to  this  reception  are  acted 
upon,  but  do  not  act.  [2]  It  is  from  the  order  of  creation,  that 
wherever  there  are  actives  there  are  also  passives,  and  that  these 
two  should  join  themselves  together  as  a  one.  If  actives  were 
creatable  as  passives  are  there  would  have  been  no  need  of  the 
sun,  and  heat  and  light  from  it,  but  all  created  things  would 
have  permanent  existence  without  these.  But  if  these  should 
be  taken  away  the  created  universe  would  lapse  into  chaos. 
[3]  The  sun  itself  of  this  world  consists  of  created  substances, 
the  activity  of  which  produces  fire.  These  things  are  presented 
for  the  sake  of  illustration.  It  would  be  the  same  with  man, 
if  spiritual  light,  which  in  its  essence  is  wisdom,  and  spiritual 
heat,  which  in  its  essence  is  love,  did  not  flow  into  man  and 
were  not  received  by  him.  The  entire  man  is  nothing  but  a 
form  organized  to  receive  light  and  heat,  both  from  the  natural 
world  and  from  the  spiritual  world,  for  these  two  worlds  cor- 
respond to  each  other.  If  it  were  denied  that  man  is  a  form  re- 
ceptive of  love  and  wisdom  from  God,  influx  would  also  be  de- 
nied, and  thus  that  all  good  is  from  God.  Conjunction  with 
God  would  also  be  denied,  and  consequently,  that  man  can  be 
an  abode  and  temple  of  God  would  be  an  expression  devoid  of 
meaning. 

473.  But  man  does  not  know  this  from  any  light  of  reason, 
for  that  light  is  obscured  by  fallacies  that  arise  from  the  ap- 
pearances pertaining  to  the  external  bodily  senses,  and  that  are 
believed  in.  Man  has  no  other  feeling  than  that  he  lives  from 
his  o^vn  life,  because  the  instrumental  feels  the  principal  to  be 
its  own,  and  is  unable  therefore  to  distinguish  between  the  prin- 
cipal and  the  instrumental,  for  these  two  causes  act  together  as 
one  cause,  according  to  a  theory  known  in  the  learned  world. 
The  principal  cause  is  life,  and  the  instrumental  cause  is  man's 
mind.  The  appearance  is  also  that  beasts  possess  life  created 
within  them,  but  this  is  a  similar  fallacy ;  for  beasts  are  organs 
created  to  receive  light  and  heat  both  from  the  natural  world 
and  from  the  spiritual  world.  For  each  species  is  a  form  of 
some  natural  love,  and  receives  light  and  heat  from  the  spirit- 


600 


THE  TRUE  CHIHSTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII 


ual  world  mediately  through  heaven  and  hell ;  the  gentle  beasts 
through  heaven,  and  the  fierce  through  hell.  Man  alone  re- 
ceives light  and  heat,  that  is,  wisdom  and  love,  immediately 
from  the  Lord.    This  is  the  difference. 

474.  That  the  Lord  is  Life  in  Himself,  thus  Life  itself,  He 
teaches  in  John : — 

The  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the  Word  ;  in  Him  was  life,  and 
the  Ufe  was  the  light  of  men  (i.  1,  4). 

Again : — 

As  the  Father  hath  life  in  Himself,  so  hath  He  given  to  the  Son  to  have 
Ufe  in  Himself  (v.  26). 

And  again : — 

I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  (xiv.  6). 

And  again: — 

He  that  followeth  Me  shall  have  the  light  of  life  (viii.  12). 


IV. 

so    LONG   AS    MAN    LIVES    IN   THE    WORLD,  HE   IS    KEPT   MIDWAY 

BETWEEN  HEAVEN  AND  HELL,  AND  IS  THERE  IN  SPIRITUAL 

EQUILIBRIUM,  WHICH    IS    FREEDOM    OF  CHOICE. 

475.  In  order  to  know  what  freedom  of  choice  is  and  the 
nature  of  it,  it  is  necessary  to  know  its  origin.  Especially  from 
a  recognition  of  its  origin  it  can  be  known,  not  only  that  there 
is  such  a  thing  as  freedom  of  choice,  but  also  what  it  is.  Its 
origin  is  in  the  spiritual  world,  where  man's  mind  is  kept  by  the 
Lord.  Man's  mind  is  his  spirit,  which  lives  after  death ;  and 
his  spirit  is  constantly  in  company  with  its  like  in  the  spirit- 
ual world,  and  at  the  same  time  by  means  of  the  material  body 
with  which  it  is  enveloped,  it  is  with  men  in  the  natural  world. 
Man  does  not  know  that  in  respect  to  his  mind  he  is  in  the 
midst  of  spirits,  for  the  reason  that  the  spirits  with  whom  he 
is  in  company  in  the  spiritual  world,  think  and  speak  spirit- 
ually, while  his  own  spirit  thinks  and  speaks  naturally  so  long 
as  he  is  in  the  material  body ;  and  the  natural  man  cannot  un- 


N.  476] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


601 


dei-stand  or  perceive  spiritual  thought  and  speech,  nor  the  re- 
verse. This  is  why  spirits  cannot  be  seen.  But  when  the  spirit 
of  man  is  in  company  with  spirits  in  their  world,  he  is  also  in 
spiritual  thought  and  speech  with  them,  because  his  mind  is 
interiorly  spiritual  but  exteriorly  natural ;  therefore  by  means 
of  his  interiors  he  communicates  with  spirits,  while  by  means 
of  his  exteriors  he  communicates  with  men.  By  such  communi- 
cation man  has  a  perception  of  things,  and  thinks  about  them 
analytically.  If  it  were  not  for  such  communication,  man  would 
have  no  more  thought  or  other  thought  than  a  beast,  and  if  all 
connection  with  spirits  were  taken  away  from  him,  he  would 
instantly  die.  [i^]  But  to  make  it  comprehensible  how  man  can 
be  kept  midway  between  heaven  and  hell  and  thereby  in  spir- 
itual equilibrium  from  which  he  has  freedom  of  choice,  it  shall 
be  briefly  explained.  The  spiritual  Avorld  consists  of  heaven 
and  hell ;  heaven  then  is  overhead,  and  hell  is  beneath  the  feet, 
not,  however,  in  the  center  of  the  globe  inhabited  by  men,  but 
below  the  lands  of  the  spiritual  world,  which  are  also  of  spirit- 
ual origin,  and  therefore  not  extended  [spatially],  but  with  an 
appearance  of  extension.  [3]  Between  heaven  and  hell  there 
is  a  great  interspace,  which  to  those  who  are  there  appears  like 
a  complete  orb.  Into  this  interspace,  evil  exhales  from  hell  in 
all  abundance ;  while  from  heaven,  on  the  other  hand,  good  flows 
into  it,  also  in  all  abundance.  It  was  of  this  interspace  that 
Abraham  said  to  the  rich  man  in  hell: — 

Between  us  and  you  there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed  ;  so  that  they  who  would 
pass  from  hence  to  you  cannot,  neither  can  they  who  are  there  cross  over 
to  us  {Luke  xvi.  20). 

Every  man,  as  to  his  spirit,  is  in  the  midst  of  this  interspace, 
solely  for  this  reason,  that  he  may  be  in  freedom  of  choice. 
[4]  Because  this  interspace  is  so  large  and  because  it  appears 
to  those  who  are  there  like  a  vast  orb,  it  is  called  the  World  of 
Spirits.  Moreover,  it  is  full  of  spirits,  because  every  man  after 
death  first  goes  there,  and  is  there  prepared  either  for  heaven 
or  for  hell.  There  he  is  among  spirits,  in  company  with  them, 
as  formerly  he  was  among  men  in  the  world.  There  is  no  pur- 
gatory there;  that  is  a  fiction  invented  by  the  Roman  (Catholics. 
But  that  world  has  been  treated  of  particularly  in  the  work  on 
Heaven  and  Hell  (London,  1758,  n.  421-585)."^ 


602 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII. 


476.  Every  man  from  infancy  even  to  old  age  is  changing 
his  locality  or  situation  in  that  world.    When  an  infant  he  is 
kept  in  the  eastern  quarter  towards  the  northern  part;  when  a 
child,  as  he  learns  the  first  lessons  of  religion,  he  moves  grad- 
ually from  the  north  towards  the  south;  when  a  youth,  as  he 
be-ins  to  exercise  his  own  thoughts,  he  is  borne  southward ;  and 
afterwards  when  he  judges  for  himself  and  becomes  his  own 
master,  he  is  borne  into  the  southern  quarter  towards  the  east, 
according  to  his  growth  in  such  things  as  have  regard  ulteriorly 
to  God  and  love  to  the  neighbor.    But  if  he  inclines  to  evil  and 
imbibes  it,  he  advances  towards  the  west.    For  all  m  the  spir- 
itual world  have  their  abodes  according  to  the  quarters  ;  m  the 
east  are  those  who  are  in  good  from  the  Lord,  because  the  sun, 
in  the  midst  of  which  is  the  Lord,  is  in  that  quarter;  m  the 
north  are  those  who  are  in  ignorance;  in  the  south,  those  who 
are  in  intelligence ;  and  in  the  west,  those  who  are  in  evil.    Man 
himself  is  not  kept  as  to  his  body  in  that  interspace  or  middle 
region,  but  only  as  to  his  spirit ;  and  as  his  spirit  changes  its 
state  by  advancing  towards  good  or  towards  evil,  so  is  it  trans- 
ferred to  localities  or  situations  in  this  quarter  or  m  that,  and 
comes  into  association  with  those  who  dwell  there.    But  it  must 
be  understood  that  the  Lord  does  not  transfer  man  to  this  or 
that  place,  but  man  transfers  himself  in  different  ways.    It  he 
chooses  good,  he  together  with  the  Lord,  or  rather  the  Lo^'d  to- 
gether with  him,  transfers  his  spirit  towards  the  east.    But  it 
man  chooses  evil,  he  together  with  the  devil,  or  rather  the  devil 
together  with  him,  transfers  his  spirit  towards  the  west.    It 
must  be  noticed  that  where  the  term  heaven  is  here  used,  the 
Lord  also  is  meant,  because  the  Lord  is  the  all  m  all  things  ot 
heaven;  and  where  the  term  devil  is  used,  hell  also  is  meant, 
because  all  who  are  there  are  devils. 

477  Man  is  kept  in  this  great  interspace,  and  midway  there- 
in continually,  for  the  sole  purpose  that  he  may  have  feedom 
of  choice  in  spiritual  things,  for  this  is  a  spiritual  equilibrium, 
because  it  is  an  equilibrium  between  heaven  and  hell,  thus  be- 
tween good  and  evil.  All  who  are  in  that  great  interspace  are, 
as  to  their  interiors,  conjoined  either  with  the  angels  of  heaven 
or  with  the  devils  of  hell;  or  at  the  present  day  either  with  the 
angels  of  Michael  or  with  the  angels  of  the  dragon.    After  death 


N.  477] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


m?> 


every  man  betakes  himself  to  his  own  in  that  interspace  and 
associates  himself  with  those  who  are  in  a  love  similar  to  his 
own,  for  love  conjoins  every  one  there  with  his  like,  and  causes 
him  to  breathe  out  his  soul  freely,  and  to  continue  in  his  pre- 
vious state  of  life.  But  the  externals  that  do  not  make  one  with 
his  internals  are  then  gradually  put  off,  and  when  this  has  been 
done  the  good  man  is  raised  up  to  heaven,  and  the  evil  man  be- 
takes himself  to  hell,  each  to  such  as  he  is  at  one  with  as  to  his 
ruling  love. 

478.  This  spiritual  equilibrium,  which  is  freedom  of  choice, 
may  be  illustrated  by  various  forms  of  natural  equilibrium.  It 
is  like  the  equilibrium  of  a  man  bound  about  his  body  or  at  his 
arms  between  two  men  of  equal  strength,  one  of  whom  draws 
the  man  between  them  to  the  right,  and  the  other  to  the  left, 
so  that  the  man  in  the  middle  can  freely  turn  this  way  or  that 
as  if  unrestrained  by  any  force ;  and  if  he  turns  toward  the  right 
he  draws  the  man  on  his  left  forcibly  toward  him,  even  bring- 
ing him  to  the  ground.  It  would  be  the  same  with  any  unre- 
sisting person,  even  if  bound  between  three  men  on  his  right, 
and  the  same  number  on  his  left,  of  equal  power ;  also  if  bound 
between  camels  or  horses.  [2]  Spiritual  equilibrium,  which  is 
freedom  of  choice,  may  be  compared  to  a  balance,  in  each  scale 
of  which  equal  weights  are  placed;  but  if  a  slight  weight  is  then 
added  to  either  scale,  the  tongue  of  the  scale  begins  to  vibrate. 
It  is  similar  with  a  pole  or  large  beam  balanced  on  its  support. 
Each  and  all  things  within  man,  as  the  heart,  the  lungs,  the 
stomach,  the  liver,  the  pancreas,  the  spleen,  the  intestines,  and 
the  rest,  are  in  such  a  state  of  equilibrium ;  and  for  this  reason 
each  is  able  to  discharge  its  functions  in  perfect  quiet.  It  is  the 
same  with  all  the  muscles ;  if  they  were  without  such  equilibrium 
all  action  and  reaction  would  cease,  and  man  would  no  longer 
act  as  a  man.  Since,  then,  all  things  of  the  body  are  in  such 
equilibrium,  so  are  all  things  of  the  brain,  and  consequently  all 
things  of  the  mind  therein,  which  relate  to  the  will  and  under- 
standing. [3]  There  is  a  freedom  also  belonging  to  beasts,  birds, 
iishes  and  insects ;  but  these  are  impelled  by  their  bodily  senses, 
prompted  by  appetite  and  pleasure.  Man  would  not  be  unlike 
these  if  his  freedom  to  do  were  equal  to  his  freedom  to  think. 
He,  too,  would  then  be  impelled  by  his  bodily  senses,  prompted 


604 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  VUL 


by  lust  and  pleasure.  It  is  otherwise  with  one  who  heartily  ac- 
cepts the  spiritual  things  of  the  church,  and  by  means  of  them 
restrains  his  freedom  of  choice.  Such  a  man  is  led  by  the  Lord 
away  from  lusts  and  evil  pleasures  and  his  connate  avidity  tor 
them,  and  acquires  an  affection  for  what  is  good,  and  turns  away 
from  evil.  He  is  then  transferred  by  the  Lord  nearer  to  the 
east,  and  at  the  same  time  to  the  south  of  the  spiritual  world, 
and  is  introduced  into  heavenly  freedom,  which  is  freedom  in- 
deed. 


Y. 

IT   IS   CLEARLY   MANIFEST    FROM   THAT    PERMISSION   OF   EVIL   IX 

WHICH    EVERY    ONE's     INTERNAL     MAN    IS    THAT    MAN    HAS 

FREEDOM    OF    CHOICE    IN    SPIRITUAL    THINGS. 

479.  That  man  has  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things  must 
first  b^  confirmed  by  generals  and  afterward  by  particulars 
which  every  one  will  acknowledge  at  first  hearing.    The  gen- 
erals are :    (1)  That  the  wisest  of  mankind,  Adam  and  his  wife, 
suffered  themselves  to  be  seduced  by  a  serpent.    (2)  That  their 
first  son  Cain  slew  his  brother  Abel,  and  Jehovah  God  did  not 
hinder  them  by  speaking  to  them,  but  only  by  a  curse  after  the 
deed.    (3)  That  the  Israelitish  nation  worshiped  a  golden  calf 
in  the  desert,  and  yet  Jehovah  saw  this  from  Mount  Sinai,  and 
did  not  prevent  it.     (4)  That  David  numbered  the  people,  and 
a  plague  was  therefore  sentnipon  them,  by  which  so  many  thou- 
sands of  men  perished ;  and  that  God,  not  before  but  after  the 
deed,  sent  Gad  the  prophet  to  David,  and  denounced  punish- 
ment upon  him.     (5)  That  Solomon  was  permitted  to  estab- 
lish idolatrous  forms  of  worship.     (6)  And  many  kings  after 
him  were  permitted  to  profane  the  temple  and  the  holy  things 
of  the  church,  and  at  length  that  nation  was  permitted  to  cru- 
cify the  Lord.     (7)  That  Mohammed  was  permitted  to  estab- 
lish a  religion  in  many  respects  not  conformable  to  Sacred  Scrip- 
ture.    (8)  That  the  Christian  religion  is  divided  into  many 
sects,  and  each  into  heresies.     (9)  That  there  are  so  many  im- 
pious  persons  in  Christendom,  and  even  a  glorying  in  impieties, 


N.  479] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


605 


as  also  machinations  and  wiles  even  against  the  pious,  right- 
eous and  sincere.  (10)  That  injustice  sometimes  triumphs  over 
justice  in  law  and  business.  (11)  That  even  impious  persons 
are  exalted  to  honors,  and  become  leaders  in  church  and  state. 
(12)  That  wars  are  permitted,  the  slaughter  of  so  many  men, 
and  the  plundering  of  so  mginy  cities,  nations,  and  families ;  and 
so  on.  Can  any  one  deduce  such  things  from  any  other  source 
than  the  possession  of  freedom  of  choice  by  every  man?  The 
permission  of  evil  known  throughout  the  world  has  no  other 
origin.  That  the  laws  of  permission  are  also  laws  of  Divine 
Providence  may  be  seen  in  the  work  on  The  Divine  Providence 
(Amsterdam,  1764,  n.  234-274),  where  the  foregoing  examples 
are  explained. 

480.  The  particulars  which  prove  that  man  has  freedom  of 
choice  as  much  in  spiritual  things  as  in  natural  things,  are  in- 
numerable. Let  any  one,  if  he  wishes,  give  attention  to  him- 
self, and  see  whether  he  cannot,  seventy  times  a  day,  or  three 
hundred  times  a  week,  think  of  God,  the  Lord,  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  Divine  things,  which  are  called  the  spiritual  things  of  the 
church;  and  let  him  see  whether  in  this  he  feels  any  compul- 
sion, whether  he  is  moved  to  think  so  by  any  pleasure,  or  even 
by  any  lust,  and  this  whether  he  has  faith  or  not.  Consider 
also,  in  whatever  state  you  may  be,  whether  you  are  able  to 
think  about  anything  without  freedom  of  choice,  either  in  your 
conversation,  or  in  your  prayers  to  God,  or  in  preaching,  or  even 
in  listening.  Does  not  freedom  of  choice  carry  every  point  in 
these  actions  ?  And  still  further,  Avithout  freedom  of  choice  in 
every  particular,  even  to  the  most  minute  particulars,  you  could 
no  more  breathe  than  a  statue ;  for  respiration  follows  thought 
and  speech  therefrom  in  every  step.  I  say,  no  more  than  a 
statue,  rather  no  more  than  a  beast,  because  a  beast  breathes 
from  a  natural  freedom  of  choice,  but  man  from  a  freedom  of 
choice  both  in  things  natural  and  in  things  spiritual ;  for  a  man 
is  not  born  like  a  beast.  A  beast  is  born  with  all  the  ideas  that 
are  attendant  upon  its  natural  love  in  matters  pertaining  to 
nutrition  and  propagation ;  but  a  man  is  born  destitute  of  con- 
nate ideas,  having  only  the  capacity  to  know,  understand,  and 
become  wise,  and  an  inclination  to  love  both  himself  and  the 
world,  and  also  the  neighbor  and  God.    This  is  why  it  is  said 


\^^b^m^M^M^^^Bt^i^^^Ei 


^mUs^a^ 


r>oo 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII. 


that  if  freedom  of  choice  were  taken  from  man  in  all  the  par- 
ticulars of  his  volition  and  thought,  he  could  no  more  breathe 
than  a  statue,  and  why  it  is  not  said,  no  more  than  a  beast. 

481    No  one  denies  that  man  has  freedom  of  choice  in  nat- 
ural things.    But  this  a  man  has  from  his  freedom  of  choice  m 
spii-itual  things ;  for,  as  has  been  shown  already,  the  Lord  flows 
into  every  man  from  above  or  within  with  the  Divine  good  and 
truth,  and  thereby  breathes  into  man  a  Hfe  distinct  from  the 
life  of  beasts,  and  gives  him  the  power  and  the  will  to  receive 
the  Divine  good  and  Divine  truth  and  to  act  from  these ;  and 
this  He  never  takes  away  from  any.    From  this  it  follows  that 
it  is  the  unceasing  will  of  the  Lord  that  man  should  receive 
truth  and  do  good,  and  thus  become  spiritual,  and  for  this  he 
was  born;  and  to  become  spiritual  without  freedom  of  choice 
in  spiritual  things  is  as  impossible  as  it  is  to  thrust  a  camel 
through  the  eye  of  a  sewing  needle,  or  to  touch  a  star  m  the 
hrmament  with  the  hand.    That  the  ability  to  understand  truth 
and  to  will  it  is  given  to  every  man,  even  to  devils,  and  is  never 
taken  away,  has  been  shown  me  by  living  experience.    On  one 
occasion  one  of  those  who  were  in  hell  was  brought  up  into  the 
world  of  spirits,  and  was  there  asked  by  angels  from  heaven 
whether  he  could  understand  the  things  they  said  to  him,  which 
were  Divine  spiritual  things;  and  he  said  that  he  could     He 
was  then  asked  why  he  did  not  accept  such  things;  and  he  re- 
plied that  he  did  not  wish  for  them  because  he  did  not  love 
them     He  was  then  told  that  he  could  wish  for  them.    He  was 
astonished  at  this,  and  said  that  he  could  not.    Therefore  the 
angels  breathed  into  his  understanding  the  glory  of  reputation 
with  its  pleasantness,  receiving  which  he  did  wish  for  them  and 
even  loved  them.    But  presently  he  was  sent  back  into  his  for- 
mer state,  in  which  he  was  a  plunderer,  an  adulterer,  and  a  ca- 
lumniator of  his  neighbor;  and  then  he  no  longer  understood 
those  things  because  he  did  not  wish  to  do  so.    From  this  it  is 
clear  that  man  is  man  by  virtue  of  his  freedom  of  choice  m 
spiritual  things,  and  that  without  it  he  would  be  like  a  stock, 
or  a  stone,  or  the  statue  of  Lot's  wife. 

482  That  man  would  have  no  freedom  of  choice  m  civil, 
moral, 'and  natural  things,  if  he  had  none  in  spiritual  things,  is 
evident  from  this,  that  spiritual  things,  which  are  called  theo- 


N.  482] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


(;07 


v» 


logical,  have  their  seat  in  the  highest  region  of  his  mind,  like 
the  soul  in  the  body.  They  have  their  seat  there  because  there 
is  the  door  through  which  the  Lord  enters  into  man.  Beneath 
these  are  things  civil,  moral,  and  natural,  which  in  man  receive 
all  their  life  from  the  spiritual  things  that  have  their  abode 
above  them.  And  because  life  from  the  highest  regions  flows 
in  from  the  Lord,  and  man's  life  is  an  ability  to  think  and  will 
freely,  and  to  speak  and  act  therefrom,  it  follows  that  his  free- 
dom of  choice  in  political  and  natural  affairs  is  from  that  source 
and  no  other.  From  that  spiritual  freedom  man  has  a  percep- 
tion of  what  is  good  and  true,  and  of  what  is  just  and  right  in 
civil  matters ;  and  this  perception  is  the  understanding  itself  in 
its  essence.  [2]  Man's  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things  is 
comparatively  like  the  air  in  the  lungs,  which  is  inhaled,  re- 
tained and  expelled  in  accordance  with  all  the  changes  of  his 
thought ;  and  without  that  freedom  he  would  be  worse  than  one 
laboring  under  a  nightmare,  angina,  or  asthma.  It  is  also  like 
the  blood  in  the  heart ;  if  this  began  to  fail  the  heart  would  first 
palpitate,  and  then  after  a  few  convulsive  movements,  would 
cease  to  beat  altogether.  It  may  also  be  compared  to  a  body  in 
motion,  which  keeps  moving  as  long  as  the  effort  in  it  contin- 
ues ;  but  both  motion  and  effort  cease  at  the  same  time.  So  al- 
so is  it  with  the  freedom  of  choice  which  man's  will  possesses. 
Both  of  these,  freedom  of  choice  and  the  will,  may  be  called  the 
living  effort  in  man,  for  when  volition  ceases,  action  ceases, 
and  when  freedom  of  choice  ceases  volition  ceases.  [3]  If  man 
were  deprived  of  spiritual  freedom,  it  would  be  comparatively 
as  if  the  wheels  were  taken  from  machinery,  the  fans  from  a 
windmill,  or  the  sails  from  a  vessel.  It  would  even  be  as  with 
one  who  in  dying  sends  forth  his  last  breath;  for  the  life  of 
man's  spirit  consists  in  his  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things. 
The  angels  weep  when  they  but  hear  it  said  that  this  freedom 
of  choice  is  denied  by  many  ministers  of  the  church  at  this  day ; 
and  they  call  this  denial  madness  upon  madness. 


G08 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII. 


VI. 

WITHOUT  FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE  IN  SPIRITUAL  THINGS  THE  WORD 

WOULD    BE    OF    NO  USE,   AND    CONSEQUENTLY    THE 

CHURCH    WOULD    BE    NOTHING. 

483.  It  is  known  throughout  the  Christian  world  that  in  the 
broadest  sense  the  Word  means  the  law,  or  the  book  ot  the  laws, 
:  atordance  with  which  man  must  1-e  to  obtarn  eterna  hfe 
And  what  is  there  more  frequently  taught  in  it  than  that  man 
fhould  do  good  and  not  evil,  and  should  believe  in  God  and  not 
nTdols''    And  it  is  Ml  of  commands  and  exhortations   o  do 
these  things,  and  of  blessings  and  promises  of  reward  for  those 
who  do  them,  and  of  curses  and  threats  for  those  who  do  not 
To  what  purpose  is  this,  if  man  has  no  freedom  of  choice  in 
spidtual  things,  that  is,  in  such  things  aB  relate  to  salvation 
and  ete  nal  iffe?    Would  it  not  be  void  of  meaning  and  sub- 
'^Tuse  ?    And  if  man  were  to  cling  to  the  idea  that  he  has 
no  power  and  no  liberty  in  spiritual  things,  and  thus  were  to  be 
separated  from  any  power  of  will  in  spiritual  matters,  would  the 
S  d  Sc    ptuiJthen  seem  to  him  to  be  anything  moi.  than 
a  bKnk  sheet  without  a  syllable  upon  it,  or  like  a  sheet  upon 
wi  cfa  wl^le  inkstand  had  been  emptied,  or  like  mere  curves 
Ind  do  s  without  any  letters,  therefore  like  an  empty  volumej 
S  To  confirm  this  from  the  Word  ought  not  to  be  necessary,  . 
tut  i  the  churches  of  to^lay  have  poured  themselves  forth  m 
tlral  inanities  respecting  spiritual  t^ngs    and    o  confirm 
these  have  brought  forth  passages  from  the  A\  ord  which  hav  e 
been  faSv  nterpreted,  it  may  be  well  to  present  others  which 
c— d  man  to  do  and  to  believe.    Such  are  the  followmg:- 
The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation 
bringing  forth  the  f miw  thereof  (>^««J^^'-  ^f,  ^j,,  ^^^  j^  laid 

^Tn\\'fttTrri;'r;re'refo4"tM^^^  not  forth 

unto  the  root  of  the  tree,  e\eiy  tic  ^^^  /r  „i.^  iu  g  0). 

good  fmll  1.  k™  ■!«",  •■;  ~' "*" 'i'  ""d'Sfn.   i  .hln,,  .to.  I 

out  a  foundation  {Luke  vi.  46-49). 


N.  483] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


609 


Jesus  said,  My  mother  and  My  brethren  are  those  who  hear  the  Word 
of  God  and  do  it  {Luke  viii.  21). 

We  know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners  ;  but  if  one  worship  God,  and  do 
His  will,  him  He  heareth  {John  ix.  31). 

If  ye  know  these  things,  blessed  are  ye  if  ye  do  them  {John  xiii.  17). 

He  that  hath  My  commandments  and  doeth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth 
Me  ;  and  I  will  love  him  {John  xiv.  21). 

Herein  is  My  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit  {John  xv.  8). 

Ye  are  My  friends  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you  ;  I  have  chosen 
you,  that  ye  should  bear  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should  remain  [John 

XV.  14,  16). 

Make  the  tree  good,  the  tree  is  known  by  its  fruit  {Matt.  xii.  33). 

Bring  forth  fruits  worthy  of  repentance  {Matt.  iii.  8). 

He  that  is  so\vn  upon  good  ground  this  is  he  that  heareth  the  Word, 
and  beareth  fmit  {Matt.  xiii.  23). 

He  that  reapeth  receiveth  reward,  and  gathereth  fruit  unto  life  eternal 
(Jo/miv.  36). 

Wash  you,  make  you  clean,  put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings  ;  learn  to 
do  good  (Isa.  i.  16, 17). 

The  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  His  Father,  and  then  He 
shall  render  unto  every  one  according  to  his  deeds  {Matt.  xvi.  27). 

And  shall  come  forth,  they  that  have  done  goods,  unto  the  resurrection 
of  life  {John  v.  29). 

Their  works  do  follow  with  them  {Apoc.  xiv.  13). 

Behold,  I  come  quickly  ;  and  My  reward  is  with  Me,  to  give  to  every 
man  according  to  his  work  {Apoc.  xxii.  12). 

Jehovah  whose  eyes  are  open  to  give  every  one  according  to  his  ways. 
According  to  our  doings,  hath  He  dealt  with  us  {Jer.  xxxii.  19  ;  Zech.  i.  6). 

[3]  The  Lord  teaches  the  same  in  His  parables,  many  of  which 
imply  that  those  who  do  good  will  be  accepted  while  those  who 
do  evil  will  be  rejected, 

As  in  the  parable  of  the  workmen  in  the  vineyard  {Matt.  xxi.  33-44). 
Of  the  talents  and  pounds  given  to  trade  with  {Matt.  xxv.  14-31;  Luke 
xix.  13-25). 

So  also  of  Faith ;  Jesus  said, 

Whosoever  believeth  in  Me  shall  never  die,  but  shall  live  {John  xi.  25, 
26). 

This  is  the  will  of  the  Father,  that  every  one  who  believeth  in  the  Son 
may  have  eternal  life  {John  vi.  40). 

He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  eternal  life  ;  but  he  that  believeth  not 
the  Son  shall  not  see  life ;  but  the  wrath  of  God  abide  th  on  him  {John  iii.  36). 

For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  on  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life  {John 
iii.  16). 

39 


610 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.VIU. 


And  again : — 

Thou  Shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind  ;  and  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself. 
On  these  two  commandments  hang  the  law  and  the  prophets  (Matt  xxii. 

37-40). 

But  these  are  only  a  very  few  of  such  passages  in  the  Word, 

and  they  are  like  a  few  cups  of  water  from  the  sea. 

484.  Who  does  not  see  the  emptiness  (I  do  not  wish  to  say 
the  foolishness)  of  the  extracts  quoted  above  (n.  464)  from  the 
ecclesiastical  work  entitled  Formula  Concordice,  when  he  has 
read  them,  together  with  some  passages  quoted  here  and  else- 
where from  the  Word?  Would  he  not  think  to  himself:  If  it 
were  as  there  taught,  that  man  has  no  freedom  of  choice  in  spir- 
itual things,  what  but  an  idle  word  w^ould  religion  be,  which  is 
doing  good  ?  And  w^hat  is  the  church  apart  from  religion  but 
like  a  bark  about  a  stick  which  is  fit  for  nothing  but  to  be 
burned  ?  And  he  would  think,  moreover,  If  there  is  no  church 
because  no  religion,  what  are  heaven  and  hell  but  the  fables 
of  ministers  and  rulers  of  the  church  to  ensnare  the  people,  and 
elevate  themselves  to  higher  honors  ?  And  this  is  the  source 
of  that  detestable  saying  on  the  lips  of  many :  Who  can  do  good, 
or  acquire  faith  of  himself?  Consequently  they  disregard  these 
things,  and  live  like  pagans. 

But  my  friend,  shun  evil  and  do  good  and  believe  in  the  Lord 
from  all  your  heart  and  in  all  your  soul,  and  the  Lord  will  love 
you,  and  will  give  you  a  love  of  doing  and  faith  to  believe. 
Then  from  love  you  will  do  good,  and  from  faith,  which  is  trust, 
you  will  believe;  and  if  you  persevere  in  so  doing,  a  reciprocal 
conjunction  wall  be  effected,  which  will  be  perpetual,  and  this 
is  salvation  itself  and  eternal  life.  If  man  from  the  powers 
given  him  should  fail  to  do  good,  and  from  his  mind  should  fail 
to  believe  in  the  Lord,  what  w^ould  he  be  but  a  wilderness  and 
a  desert,  or  altogether  like  dry  ground,  which  does  not  receive 
the  rain,  but  throw^s  it  off,  or  like  a  sandy  plain  where  there  are 
sheep  without  pasture  ?  And  he  would  be  like  a  dried-up  foun. 
tain,  or  like  stagnant  water  therein,  its  course  being  obstructed; 
or  like  an  abode  where  there  is  neither  harvest  nor  water,  w^h^re, 
unless  he  quickly  fled  from  the  place  and  sought  a  habitable 
abode  elsewhere,  he  would  perish  with  hunger  and  thirst. 


N.  485] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


611 


yii. 


WITHOUT    FREEDOM    OF    CHOICE    IN    SPIRITUAL    THINGS,    THERE 

WOULD  BE  NOTHING  IN    MAN  WHEREBY  HE  COULD  IN  TURN 

CONJOIN  HIMSELF  W^TH  THE  LORD  ;    CONSEQUENTLY 

THERE  WOULD  BE  NO  IMPUTATION,  BUT  MERE 

PREDESTINATION,  WHICH  IS  DETESTABLE. 

485.  That  without  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things 
there  would  be  neither  charity  nor  faith  in  any  man,  still  less 
a  conjunction  of  the  two,  has  been  fully  shown  in  the  chapter 
on  Faith.  From  this  it  follows,  that  wdthout  freedom  of  choice 
in  spiritual  things  there  would  be  nothing  in  man  whereby  the 
Lord  could  conjoin  Himself  to  him,  and  yet,  without  reciprocal 
conjunction,  no  reformation  or  regeneration,  and  thus  no  sal- 
vation is  possible.  That  without  a  reciprocal  conjunction  of 
man  with  the  Lord,  and  of  the  Lord  with  man,  there  would  be 
no  imputation,  is  an  irrefragable  consequence.  The  conclu- 
sions that  follow  from  confirming  the  idea  that  there  is  any  im- 
putation of  good  and  evil  without  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual 
things,  are  numerous,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  this  work,  where 
it  treats  of  the  heresies,  paradoxes,  and  contradictions  flowing 
from  the  faith  of  the  present  day,  which  imputes  to  man  the 
merit  and  righteousness  of  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  these 
preposterous  conclusions  w411  be  exposed. 

486.  Predestination  is  an  offspring  of  the  faith  of  the  pres- 
ent church,  for  it  is  born  from  a  belief  in  man's  absolute  im- 
potence, with  no  powder  of  choice  in  spiritual  things ;  it  is  born 
from  this  doctrine  and  also  from  the  belief  in  man's  conversion 
as  being  a  dead  thing,  in  that  he  is  like  a  stock,  and  has  there- 
fore no  conscious  knowledge  whether  he  is  a  stock  vivified  by 
grace  or  not.  For  it  is  said  that  election  is  of  the  mere  grace 
of  God,  exclusive  of  all  human  action,  whether  it  proceed  from 
the  powers  of  nature  or  of  reason,  and  that  it  takes  place  where 
and  when  God  wills,  thus  from  His  good  pleasure.  The  works 
that  foUoAv  faith  as  evidences  thereof,  resemble,  to  a  reflecting 
mind,  the  works  of  the  flesh;  and  the  spirit  which  produces 
them  does  not  make  evident  their  origin,  but  effects  them  out  of 


612 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  VIII. 


N.  487] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


G13 


grace  or  good  pleasure,  like  faith  itself.    [2]  From  all  this  it  is 
clear  that  the  dogma  of  the  present  church  respecting  predesti- 
nation has  come  forth  from  this  belief  like  a  shoot  from  its  seed ; 
and  I  may  say  that  it  has  flowed  forth  out  of  it  as  an  almost 
inevitable  consequence.     This  consequence  was  first  reached 
by  the  Predestinarians,  then  by  Gottschalk,  afterwards  by  Cal- 
vin and  his  disciples,  and  was  at  length  firmly  established  by 
the  Synod  of  Dort,  and  from  that  was  carried  forth  into  the 
church  as  the  palladium  of  religion,  or  rather  as  the  head  of 
Gorgon  or  Medusa  engraved  on  the  shield  of  Pallas  by  the 
Supra-Lapsarians  and  Infra-Lapsarians.     [3]  But  what  more 
pernicious  thing  could  have  been  devised,  or  could  anything 
more  cruel  be  believed  of  God,  than  that  some  of  the  human  race 
are  damned  by  predestination  ?    For  would  it  not  be  a  cruel 
creed,  that  the  Lord,  who  is  love  itself  and  mercy  itself,  should 
desire  a  multitude  to  be  born  for  hell,  or  that  myriads  of  myr- 
iads should  be  born  doomed,  that  is,  devils  and  satans ;  also  that 
from  His  Divine  wisdom,  which  is  infinite.  He  should  not  have 
provided  and  does  not  provide,  that  those  who  live  well  and  ac- 
knowledge God  should  not  be  cast  into  eternal  fire  and  torment  ? 
He  is  ever  the  Lord,  the  Creator  and  Saviour  of  all,  and  He  alone 
leads  all,  and  desires  not  the  death  of  any.    Therefore,  what 
more  infamous  thing  could  be  believed  or  thought  than  that 
whole  nations  and  peoples  should,  under  His  auspices  and  over- 
sight, be  handed  over  by  predestination  to  the  devil  as  his  prey, 
to  satisfy  his  voracity  ?    But  this  is  an  offspring  of  the  faith  of 
the  present  church;  the  faith  of  the  New  Church  abhors  it  as  a 

monster. 

487.  I  had  thought  that  such  senseless  doctrine  never  could 
have  been  sanctioned  by  any  Christian,  much  less  have  found 
utterance  and  a  public  promulgation ;  and  yet  this  was  done  by 
many  chosen  men  of  the  clergy  at  the  Synod  of  Dort,  in  Hol- 
land, and  the  creed  was  afterward  elegantly  written  and  given 
to  the  public ;  and  because  of  this  and  to  remove  my  doubts, 
some  of  those  who  aided  in  framing  the  decrees  of  that  synod 

were  sent  to  me. 

When  they  appeared  standing  near  me,  I  said,  "Who  from 
any  sound  reason  can  reach  the  conclusion  that  predestination 
is  true  doctrine  ?    Can  it  be  that  any  but  cruel  ideas  of  God  and 


shameful  ideas  of  religion  should  flow  from  it  ?  When  any  one 
has  engraved  predestination  on  his  heart  by  means  of  confirma- 
tions must  he  not  think  of  all  that  pertains  to  the  church  as  des- 
titute of  meaning,  and  the  same  of  the  Word  ?  And  must  he 
not  think  of  God,  who  has  predestined  to  hell  so  many  myriads 
of  men,  as  a  tyrant  ?"  [2]  At  these  remarks  they  looked  at  me 
with  a  Satanic  expression,  and  said,  "  We  were  among  those 
chosen  to  form  the  Synod  of  Dort,  and  we  then  confirmed  our- 
selves and  have  since  continued  to  do  so  still  more  in  many  ideas 
respecting  God,  the  ^A'ord,  and  religion,  which  w^e  have  not  dared 
to  make  public;  but  when  we  have  spoken  on  these  subjects  and 
taught  them,  we  have  twisted  and  woven  a  web  of  various  col- 
ored threads,  and  over  it  strewed  feathers  borrowed  from  the 
wings  of  peacocks."  But  because  they  still  wished  to  do  the 
same,  the  angels,  by  power  given  them  by  the  Lord,  closed  the 
externals  of  their  minds  and  opened  the  internals,  and  from 
these  they  w^ere  compelled  to  speak.  And  then  they  said,  "Our 
faith,  which  we  have  formed  by  conclusions,  one  following  from 
another,  was  and  still  is  as  follows : — 

[3]  (1)  "That  there  is  no  Word  of  Jehovah  God,  but  some 
windy  afiiatus  from  the  mouths  of  the  prophets.  This  we  have 
thought,  because  the  Word  predestines  all  to  heaven,  and  teaches 
that  man  alone  is  in  fault  if  he  does  not  walk  in  the  ways  that 
lead  thither.  (2)  That  religion  exists  because  it  is  necessary; 
but  it  is  like  a  strong  wind  bearing  a  fragrant  odor  for  the  vul- 
gar; therefore  that  it  ought  to  be  taught  by  ministers,  both 
small  and  great,  and  from  the  Word  too,  because  the  Word  is 
accepted.  This  we  have  thought,  because  where  there  is  pre- 
destination there  religion  is  a  nullity.  (3)  That  the  civil  laws 
of  justice  are  religion ;  but  predestination  is  not  determined  by 
a  life  in  accord  with  those  laws,  but  by  the  pure  good  pleasure 
of  God,  as  with  a  king  in  whose  mere  glance  there  is  absolute 
power.  (4)  That  all  that  the  church  teaches  ought  to  be  ex- 
ploded as  vanity,  and  rejected  as  rubbish,  except  that  there  is  a 
God.  (5)  That  spiritual  things,  which  are  so  cried  up,  are  noth- 
ing but  ethereal  substances  beneath  the  sun,  which  induce  upon 
man,  if  they  penetrate  deeply  into  him,  vertigo  and  stupor,  and 
make  him 'a  detestable  monster  in  the  sight  of  God."  (6)  When 
they  were  asked  about  faith  (from  which  they  deduced  predesti- 


i^^Mi 


6-14  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  VIII. 

nation),  whether  they  believed  it  to  be  spiritual,  they  said  that 
it  was  effected  acoording  to  predeetination,  but  when  it  is  given 
men  were  like  stocks.    From  this  they  are  indeed  vivified,  but 

not  spiritually.  .  ,    , ,  i    ^ 

[4]  Aft«r  these  horrible  sayings  they  wished  to  go  away ;  but 
I  said  to  them,  "  Wait  a  little  longer,  and  I  will  read  you  some- 
thing from  Isaiah  ;  "  and  I  read  the  following  :— 

Keioice  not,  O  Philistia,  all  of  thee,  because  the  rod  that  smiteth  thee 
is  broken  ;  for  out  of  the  serpent's  root  hath  gone  forth  a  cockatrice,  whose 
frait  shall  be  a  fiery  flying  serpent  (xiv.  29). 

And  this  I  explained  by  the  spiritual  sense,  showing  that  "  Pliil- 
istia"  means  the  church  separate  from  charity;  that  the  "cock- 
atrice" that  had  gone  forth  from  the  serpent's  root  means  its 
doctrine  of  three  Gods  and  of  imputative  faith  applied  to  each 
singly;  and  that  its  "fruit,"  which  is  a  fiery  flying  serpent, 
means  no  imputation  of  good  and  evil,  but  immediate  mercy, 
whether  man  lives  well  or  ill. 

[5]  Hearing  this,  they  said,  "It  may  be  so;  but  from  that 
volume  which  you  call  the  Holy  Word  select  something  on 
predestination."  And  I  opened  the  book,  and  in  the  same 
Prophet  I  came  upon  the  following  passage,  which  suited  the 
purpose : — 

Thev  hatched  viper's  egffs  and  wove  the  spider's  web  ;  he  that  eatethof 
theli^Bggs  meth  ;  and  when  one  is  cnished  it  breaketh  out  into  a  viper  (Isa. 

lix.  5). 

Hearing  this,  they  could  not  endure  the  explanation ;  but  some 
of  those  who  had  been  sent  to  me  (there  were  five)  burned  away 
into  a  cave,  round  about  which  appeared  a  dusky  burning,  a  sign 
that  they  had  neither  faith  nor  charity  Evidently,  therefoi. 
the  decree  of  that  synod  respecting  predestination  is  not  onlj 
an  insane  but  a  cruel  heresy ;  and  ought  therefore,  to  be  so 
rooted  out  from  the  brain  that  not  a  single  vestige  of  it  shall 

488'  The  inhuman  belief  that  God  predestinates  man  to  hell, 
may  b^  likened  to  the  inhumanity  of  fathers  among  certain  bar- 
barons  races,  who  cast  their  sucklings  and  ^^  ^^f  /^^^^^^^^ 
streets :  or  to  the  inhumanity  of  some  warriors  who  throw  their 
slain  into  forests  to  be  devoured  by  wild  beasts.    It  may  also 


N.  488] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


615 


be  likened  to  the  cruelty  of  a  tyrant,  who  divides  a  people  he 
has  subdued  into  classes,  giving  some  of  them  to  the  hangman, 
throwing  some  into  the  depths  of  the  sea,  and  some  into  the  fire. 
It  may  also  be  likened  to  the  fury  of  some  wild  beasts,  which 
devour  their  own  young ;  and  also  to  the  madness  of  dogs  that 
fly  at  the  reflection  of  themselves  in  a  mirror. 


VIII. 


IF  THERE  WERE  NO  FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE  IN  SPIRITUAL  THINGS, 

GOD   WOULD  BE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVIL,  AND   THUS 

THERE  WOULD  BE  NO  IMPUTATION. 

489.  That  God  is  the  cause  of  evil  follows  from  the  prevail- 
ing belief,  which  was  first  hatched  by  those  who  held  council  in 
the  city  of  Nice.  There  was  concocted  and  established  the  still 
persistent  heresy,  that  there  were  from  eternity  three  Divine 
persons,  each  one  a  God  by  Himself.  This  egg  being  hatched, 
the  adherents  of  the  belief  must  needs  approach  each  Person 
separately  as  God.  They  compiled  a  creed  that  imputed  to  men 
the  merit  or  righteousness  of  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour ;  and 
that  no  man  might  share  with  the  Lord  in  that  merit,  they  took 
away  from  man  all  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things,  and 
decreed  the  utmost  impotence  as  to  that  faith.  And  as  they  de- 
duced everything  spiritual  pertaining  to  the  church  from  that 
faith  alone,  they  asserted  a  like  impotence  with  reference  to 
everything  that  the  church  teaches  concerning  salvation.  Hence 
sprung,  one  after  another,  direful  heresies  based  upon  that  faith 
and  man's  impotence  in  spiritual  things,  and  also  that  most  per- 
nicious heresy,  predestination,  which  was  treated  of  in  the  pre- 
ceding section ;  all  of  which  imply  that  God  is  the  cause  of  evil, 
or  that  He  created  both  good  and  evil.  But,  my  friend,  put  faith 
in  no  council,  but  in  the  Lord's  Word,  which  is  above  councils. 
What  have  not  Eoman  Catholic  councils  produced  ?  Or  that 
of  Dort,  from  which  came  forth  that  terrible  viper,  predestina- 
tion ?    It  Inay  be  thought  that  giving  to  man  freedom  of  choice 


616  THE  TRUE  CHRISTLVN  RELIGION       [Chap.  VIH. 

in  ^niritualthiags  was  the  mediate  cause  of  evil;  consequently, 
hS  ul  S^  of  choice  had  not  heen  given  h„u,  he  could 
Ic^  iave  t  Isgiessed.  But.  my  friend,  pause  here,  and  con- 
:t^:LLr  fny  man  could  have  been  bo  created  as  to  h^^a 
man  without  freedom  of  choice  m  spiritual  things  J^ '^^P";':^ 
of  that  he  would  be  no  longer  a  man  but  only  a  statue  \\  hat 
ftd'c;::  If  choice  butthe  power  to  will  -d  do,  and  ^o Jl  jj^ 
and  sneak  to  all  appearance  as  if  of  oneself,  because  tuib 
'oler  was  .^en  to  man  in  order  that  he  might  hve  as  a  man 

"'l^  Thatlverything  that  God  created  was  good,  appeal, 
from  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  where  it  is  said  (verses  10,  -. 
18  21  95^  «God  saw  that  it  was  good;"  and  hnally(mveise 
S\  thaV"God  saw  everything  that  He  had  made,  and  behold 
ft  iatvery  good;"  also  from  man's  primeval  state  m  paradise 
RuTtUTvil  has  its  origin  in  man,  is  plain  from  Adam's  state 
But  that  eviij^!^  s  ^^^  ^^^^^  expelled  from 

succeedmg  the  fall,  or  a"er  ii,  ^^^^i^,^  of  choice  in 

r^<..-aHi<iP     From  this  it  IS  clear  that  unless  iieeuuu 

Si  "S  He  dee.  ».t  will.tow  ■,  tor  il  H.  were  to  w,lhd.»w 
°1  ,3d  Uunlly  die,  ,..y,  would  lap.,  f  •  ~«°»£  •^° 

^^i^Ti'sJz  sx:Liii  »d  *.  .Hi.  i. 

toe  deS  in  B««l  remain.,  but  then  taeome.  dehght  ,n.v.h 
t  ,'nle»  .  delilhl  .eemingly  .i»il.r  re...m.d, .»«  oonld  not 


N.  400] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


61' 


continue  to  live;  since  delight  constitutes  the  life  of  his  love. 
Nevertheless  these  two  kinds  of  delight  are  diametrically  oppo- 
site to  each  other ;  but  man  does  not  know  this  so  long  as  he 
lives  in  the  world ;  but  he  will  know  it  after  death  and  will  have 
a  clear  perception  of  it,  for  then  delight  of  the  love  of  good  is 
turned  into  heavenly  blessedness,  while  delight  of  the  love  of 
evil  is  turned  into  infernal  horror.  From  the  foregoing  it  is  evi- 
dent that  every  man  was  predestined  to  heaven,  and  no  one  to 
hell ;  but  that  man  gives  himself  over  to  hell  by  the  abuse  of 
his  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things,  whereby  he  embraces 
such  things  as  exhale  from  hell.  For,  as  before  said,  every  man 
is  kept  midway  between  heaven  and  hell,  that  he  may  be  in  a 
state  of  equilibrium  between  good  and  evil,  and  consequently  in 
freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things. 

491.  That  God  has  imi)lanted  freedom  not  only  in  man,  but 
also  in  every  beast,  and  an  analogue  of  it  even  in  things  inan- 
imate, enabling  each  to  receive  it  according  to  its  nature,  as  He 
also  provides  what  is  good  for  them  all ;  but  that  the  objects 
themselves  turn  the  good  into  evil,  may  be  illustrated  by  com- 
parisons. The  atmosphere  gives  to  every  man  the  ability  to 
breathe,  and  in  like  manner  to  every  beast  tame  or  wild,  also  to 
every  bird,  the  owl  and  dove  alike ;  it  also  gives  the  ability  to 
fly,  and  yet  it  is  not  the  atmosphere  that  causes  its  gifts  to  be 
received  by  creatures  of  contrary  genius  and  nature.  The  ocean 
furnishes  in  itself  an  abode  and  also  offers  nourishment,  to  every 
iish ;  but  the  ocean  does  not  cause  one  fish  there  to  devour  an- 
other, or  the  crocodile  to  turn  its  food  into  poison  with  which 
it  kills  men.  The  sun  i)rovides  heat  and  light  for  all  things ; 
but  objects,  such  as  the  various  vegetable  productions  of  the 
earth,  receive  these  diversely,  a  good  tree  and  a  good  shrub  in 
one  way,  and  the  thorn  and  thistle  in  another;  or  a  harmless 
herb  in  one  way,  and  a  i)oisonous  herb  in  another.  The  rain 
falls  from  the  higher  region  of  the  atmosphere  upon  all  parts 
of  the  earth ;  and  the  earth  administers  the  waters  therefrom  to 
every  shrub,  herb,  and  grass,  and  each  one  of  them  takes  to  it- 
self according  to  its  need.  This  is  what  is  called  an  analogue  of 
freedom  of  choice,  because  they  drink  in  the  rain  freely  through 
their  little  mouths,  i)ores,  and  ducts,  which  stand  open  in  the 
warm  seasons,  the  earth  merely  supplying  the  fluids  and  ele- 


618 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII. 


inents,  and  the  plants  partaking  of  them  from  a  certain  kind  of 
Imnger  and  thirst.  The  like  is  true  of  men,  in  that  the  Lord 
flows  into  every  man  with  spiritual  heat,  which  in  its  essence 
is  good  of  love,  and  with  spiritual  light,  which  in  its  essence 
is  the  truth  of  wisdom;  but  man  receives  these  according  to 
whether  he  turns  towards  God  or  towards  self.  Therefore  the 
Lord,  in  teaching  about  love  towards  the  neighbor,  says  :— 

That  ye  may  be  the  children  of  the  Father,  who  rnaketh  His  sun  to  rise 
on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  im- 
]\int{Matt.  V.  45). 

And  elsewhere  He  says : — 

That  He  desires  the  salvation  of  all. 

492.  To  the  foregoing  I  add  this  Memorable  Relation: — 
Several  times  I  have  heard  expressions  respecting  good  of 
charity  made  to  descend  from  heaven,  which  passed  through  the 
world  of  spirits  and  penetrated  into  hell,  even  to  its  depths ; 
and  in  their  progress  these  expressions  were  turned  into  such 
as  were  directly  contrary  to  good  of  charity,  and  finally  into 
expressions  of  hatred  of  the  neighbor;  a  sign  that  everything 
that  goes  forth  from  the  Lord  is  good,  and  that  it  is  turned  into 
evil  by  the  spirits  in  heU.  The  same  was  done  with  certain 
truths  of  faith,  which  in  their  progress  were  turned  into  the 
opposite  falsities.  For  it  is  the  recipient  form  itself  that  turns 
whatever  enters  into  it  into  what  is  in  accord  with  itself. 


IX. 

EVERYTHING    SPIRITUAL    OF    THE     CHURCH     THAT    ENTERS    INTO 
MAN    IN    FREEDOM,  AND    IS   RECEIVED    WITH    FREE- 
DOM,  REMAINS;    BUT    NOT    THE    REVERSE. 

493.  That  which  is  received  by  man  with  freedom  remains 
in  him,  because  freedom  belongs  to  his  will ;  and  because  it  be- 
longs to  his  will  it  also  belongs  to  his  love.  That  the  will  is 
the  receptacle  of  love  has  been  shown  elsewhere.  That  eveiy- 
thmg  belonging  to  love  is  free,  and  also  is  of  the  will  every  one 


N.  493] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


619 


understands  when  it  is  said,  "This  I  will,  because  I  love  it;" 

and  on  the  other  hand,  "  Because  I  love  this  I  will  it."    But 

man's  will  is  two-fold,  interior  and  exterior,  that  is,  it  belongs 

to  the  internal  and  to  the  external  man;  therefore  a  deceiver 

may  act  and  talk  before  the  world  in  one  way  and  with  his 

familiar  friends  in  another  way.    Before  the  world  he  acts  and 

talks  from  the  will  of  his  external  man,  but  with  his  familiar 

friends  from  the  will  of  his  internal  man ;  but  the  will  here 

meant  is  that  of  the  internal  man,  where  his  ruling  love  dwells. 

From  these  few  remarks  it  is  clear  that  the  interior  will  is  the 

man  himself,  for  in  it  is  the  very  being  and  essence  of  his  life ; 

while  the  understanding  is  the  form  thereof  whereby  the  will 

renders  its  love  visible.    Everything  that  man  loves  and  wills 

from  love  is  free ;  for  whatever  proceeds  from  the  love  of  the 

internal  will  is  his  life's  delight;  and  because  this  is  the  being 

of  his  life,  it  is  also  his  very  own  {proprmm)\  and  this  is  why 

that  which  is  received  with  the  freedom  of  this  will,  remains, 

for  it  adds  itself  to  what  is  his  own.    On  the  contrary,  anything 

that  is  introduced  into  man  when  he  is  not  in  freedom  is  not 

thus  received.    But  of  this  in  what  follows. 

494.  But  it  must  be  well  understood  that  the  spiritual  things 
of  the  Word  and  church  which  man  imbibes  from  love,  and 
which  his  understanding  confirms  are  what  remain  in  hmi,  but 
not  so  things  civil  and  political ;  because  spiritual  things  ascend 
into  the  highest  region  of  the  mind,  and  there  take  form.  This 
is  because  the  Lord's  entrance  into  man  with  Divine  truths  and 
goods  is  there,  and  that  region  is  like  a  temple  in  which  He 
resides.  But  because  things  civil  and  political  belong  to  the 
world,  they  occupy  the  lower  regions  of  the  mind,  and  some  of 
them  become  there  like  little  buildings  around  that  temple, 
and  some  like  vestibules  through  which  there  is  entrance.  An- 
other reason  why  the  spiritual  things  of  the  church  dwell  in 
the  highest  region  of  the  mind,  is  that  they  belong  to  the  soul, 
and  have  regard  to  its  eternal  life ;  and  the  soul  is  in  things 
highest,  and  derives  its  nourishment  from  no  other  than  spir- 
itual food.  This  is  why  the  Lord  calls  Himself  "  Bread,"  for 
He  savs : — 

I  am  the  living  bread  which  came  down  out  of  heaven  ;  if  any  man  eat 
of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever  {John  vi.  51). 


620 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  VIII. 


That  region  is  also  the  seat  of  man's  love,  which  is  the  source 
of  his  happiness  after  death ;  and  there  too  his  freedom  of  choice 
in  spiritual  things  chiefly  resides,  and  from  this  descends  all  the 
freedom  that  man  possesses  in  natural  things;  and  such  being 
the  origin  of  this  freedom  it  enters  into  all  forms  of  freedom  of 
choice  in  natural  things,  and  by  means  of  these  the  ruling  love, 
which  occupies  the  highest  region,  takes  on  whatever  is  condu- 
cive to  its  own  ends.  The  communication  between  these  is  like 
that  between  a  spring  and  the  waters  that  flow  from  it,  or  like 
the  communication  between  the  prolific  principle  itself  of  a  seed 
and  each  and  all  parts  of  the  tree,  especially  the  fruit,  in  which 
it  renews  itself.  But  when  any  one  denies  freedom  of  choice  in 
spiritual  things,  and  thus  rejects  it,  he  makes  for  himself  an- 
other fountain,  and  opens  a  cliannel  from  that ;  and  this  changes 
spiritual  freedom  into  merely  natural,  and  finally  into  infernal, 
freedom.  And  infernal  freedom  becomes  like  the  prolific  prin- 
ciple of  a  seed,  freely  traversing  the  trunk  and  branches  to  the 
fruit,  which  owing  to  its  origin  is  inwardly  rotten. 

495.  All  freedom  that  is  from  the  Lord  is  freedom  indeed, 
but  that  which  is  from  hcdl,  and  in  man  therefrom,  is  bondage. 
Yet  to  one  who  is  in  infernal  freedom  spiritual  freedom  must 
needs  appear  like  bondage,  because  the  two  are  opposite.  But 
all  who  are  in  spiritual  freedom  not  only  know,  but  also  see, 
that  infernal  freedom  is  bondage ;  and  the  angels  therefore  tm-n 
away  from  that  freedom  as  from  a  cadaverous  stench,  while  in- 
fernal spirits  draw  it  in  like  an  aromatic  odor.  It  is  known  from 
the  Lord's  Word  that  worship  from  freedom  is  tmly  worship, 
and  that  spontaneity  is  pleasing  to  the  Lord  j  therefore  it  is  said 
in  David : — 

I  will  freely  sacrifice  unto  God  (P.s.  liv.  0). 

And  again: — 

The  willing  ones  of  the  people  are  gathered  together,  even  the  people 
of  the  God  of  Abraham  (Ps.  xlvii.  0). 

Therefore  there  were  free  will  offerings  among  the  children  of 
Israel ;  their  sacred  worship  consisted  chiefly  of  sacrifices,  and 
!)ecause  of  God's  pleasure  in  what  is  spontaneous,  it  was  com- 
manded : — 


N.  495] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


()21 


That  every  man  whose  heart  impelled  him,  and  every  one  whose  will- 
ing spirit  moved  him,  should  bring  an  offering  to  Jehovah  for  the  work  of 
the  tabernacle  (Ex.  xxxv.  5,  21,  29). 

And  the  Lord  says : — 

If  ye  abide  in  My  Word,  ye  are  truly  My  disciples  ;  and  ye  shall  know 
the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free.  If  therefore  the  Son  shall 
make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  truly  free.  But  every  one  that  committeth 
sin  is  the  servant  of  sin  {John  viii.  31-36). 

496.  That  which  a  man  receives  with  freedom  remains,  be- 
cause liis  will  accepts  it  and  appropriates  it,  and  because  it  enters 
his  love,  and  the  love  acknowledges  it  as  its  own,  and  by  means 
of  it  is  formed.  This  shall  be  illustrated  by  comparisons,  in 
which,  because  they  are  taken  from  natural  things,  heat  will  be 
substituted  for  love.  It  is  well  known  that  by  means  of  heat,  and 
according  to  the  amount  of  it,  the  doors  are  opened  in  every 
plant,  and  as  these  are  opened  the  plant  inwardly  returns  into 
the  form  of  its  nature,  spontaneously  partakes  of  its  proper 
nutriment,  retains  what  is  suitable,  and  grows.  It  is  the  same 
with  a  beast ;  all  that  it  selects  and  eats  from  the  love  of  nutri- 
tion which  is  called  appetite,  is  added  to  its  body,  and  thus  re- 
mains. That  which  is  suitable  is  continuall}^  added  to  the  body, 
because  all  its  components  are  perpetually  renewed.  This  is 
known  to  be  so,  although  by  few.  [ii]  Also  with  beasts  heat 
opens  all  parts  of  the  body,  and  causes  their  natural  love  to  act 
freely.  This  is  why  in  spring  and  summer  they  enter  and  re- 
turn into  the  instinct  of  propagating  and  rearing  their  young, 
which  they  do  from  the  utmost  freedom,  because  to  do  so  be- 
longs to  the  ruling  love  implanted  in  them  by  creation  for  the 
sake  of  preserving  the  universe  in  the  state  in  which  it  was 
created.  [3]  The  freedom  of  love  may  be  illustrated  by  this 
freedom  induced  by  heat,  because  love  produces  heat,  as  is  evi- 
dent from  its  effects,  for  man  is  enkindled,  heated  and  inflamed 
as  love  is  exalted  to  zeal,  or  to  a  blaze  of  anger.  The  heat  of  the 
blood  or  the  vital  heat  of  men,  and  of  animals  in  general,  is  from 
no  other  source.  It  is  because  of  this  correspondence  that  it  is 
by  heat  that  the  bodily  parts  are  adapted  to  receive  freely  those 
things  to  which  the  love  aspires.  [4]  In  such  equilibrium  and 
consequent  freedom  are  all  things  that  are  within  man.  In  such 
freedom  the  heart  propels  its  blood  upward  and  downward 


622 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII. 


alike,  the  mesentery  distributes  its  chyle,  the  liver  does  its  work 
for  the  blood,  the  kidneys  secrete,  the  glands  filter  and  so  on 
If  this  equilibrium  were  to  suffer  the  member  would  sicken,  and 
would  labor  under  a  paralysis  or  loss  of  strength;  and  herein 
equilibrium  and  freedom  are  one.  There  is  not  a  substance  m 
the  created  universe  that  does  not  tend  to  equilibrium,  in  order 
that  it  may  be  in  freedom. 


X. 

MA.N'S    WILL    AND    UNDERSTANDIXG  ARE  IX    THIS    FREEDOM    OF 
choice;    nevertheless    IX    BOTH    WORLDS,    THE    SPIRIT- 
UAL   AND     THE    NATURAL,    THE    DOING    OF    EVIL    IS 
RESTRAINED     BY    LAWS;     BECAUSE    OTHERWISE 
SOCIETY   IN  BOTH  WORLDS  W^OULD  PERISH. 

497    Every  man  can  know  that  he  has  freedom  of  choice  in 
spiritual  things  merely  by  observing  his  own  thought.    Is  not 
any  man  able  to  think  in  freedom  about  God,  the  Trmity,  char- 
itv  and  the  neighbor,  faith  and  its  operation,  and  about  the 
Word  and  all  its  teachings,  and,  when  he  has  studied  theology, 
about  the  particulars  of  these  subjects  ?    And  who  cannot  think 
and  even  draw  conclusions,  and  teach  and  write,  either  tor  or 
against  these  things?    If  man  were  deprived  of  this  freedom 
for  a  single  moment,  could  he  continue  to  think;  would  not  his 
tongue  be  dumb,  and  his  hand  powerless  ?  Therefore,  my  t riend 
you  may  if  you  choose,  by  merely  observing  your  own  thought, 
reiect  and  detest  that  absurd  and  hurtful  heresy,  which  at  this 
day  has  induced  upon  Christendom  a  lethargy  respectmg  the 
heavenly  doctrine  of  charity  and  faith,  and  of  salvation  there- 
by,  and  eternal  life.    [2]  The  reasons  why  this  freedom  ot 
choice  resides  in  man's  will  and  understanding  are  the  follow- 
ing-   (1)  Because  these  two  faculties  must  first  be  mstructed 
and  reformed,  and  then  by  means  of  these  the  two  faculties  of 
the  external  man,  which  cause  him  to  speak  and  act.     (J)  l^e- 
cause  these  two  faculties  of  the  iuternal  man  constitute  his 
spirit  which  lives  after  death,  and  which  is  subject  only  to  Di- 


N.  497] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


623 


vine  law,  the  primary  thing  of  which  is,  that  man  should  think 
of  the  law,  should  practise  and  obey  it  of  himself,  although  from 
the  Lord.  [3]  (3)  Because,  as  to  his  spirit,  man  is  midway  be- 
tween heaven  and  hell,  thus  between  good  and  evil,  and  there- 
fore in  equilibrium,  and  in  consequence  of  this  he  has  freedom 
of  choice  in  spiritual  things  (on  which  equilibrium  see  above, 
n.  475  seq.).  But  so  long  as  man  lives  in  the  world,  he  is  as 
to  his  spirit  in  equilibrium  between  heaven  and  the  world,  and 
then  he  is  scarcely  aware  that  so  far  as  he  withdraws  from  hea- 
ven  and  draws  nearer  to  the  world,  he  draws  near  to  hell.  He 
is  aware  of  this  and  yet  not  aware,  in  order  that  even  in  this 
respect  he  may  be  in  freedom,  and  may  be  reformed.  [4]  (4) 
Because  these  two,  the  will  and  the  understanding,  are  the  two 
receptacles  of  the  Lord,  the  will  the  receptacle  of  love  and  char- 
ity, the  understanding  the  receptacle  of  wisdom  and  faith;  and 
each  one  of  these  is  made  active  by  the  Lord  while  man  is  in 
complete  freedom,  in  order  that  there  may  be  a  mutual  and  re- 
ciprocal conjunction  between  them,  whereby  salvation  is  ef- 
fected. (5)  Because  all  the  judgment  that  is  effected  in  man 
after  death  is  in  accord  with  the  use  he  has  made  of  freedom 
of  choice  in  spiritual  things. 

498.  The  conclusion  from  all  this  is  that  freedom  of  choice 
itself  in  spiritual  things  resides  in  the  soul  of  man  in  all  per- 
fection, and  from  that  it  flows,  like  a  stream  into  a  fountain,  ni- 
to  his  mind,  into  the  two  parts  of  it,  which  are  the  will  and  the 
understanding,  and  through  these  into  the  bodily  senses,  and 
into  speech  and  actions.  For  in  man  there  are  three  degrees 
of  life,  the  soul,  the  mind,  and  the  sentient  body ;  and  all  that 
is  included  in  the  higher  degree  is  more  perfect  than  that  which 
is  in  a  lower  degree.  It  is  this  freedom  of  man,  through  which, 
in  which,  and  with  which,  the  Lord  is  present  in  him,  and  un- 
ceasingly urgent  to  be  received;  but  He  in  no  way  sets  aside  or 
takes  away  this  freedom,  since,  as  said  above,  whatever  man 
does  in  spiritual  things,  that  is  not  done  from  freedom,  does  not 
endure.  It  may  therefore  be  said  that  the  Lord's  abode  in  man 
is  this  freedom  of  man  which  is  in  his  soul.  [2]  It  is  evident 
without  explanation  that  the  doing  of  evil,  in  both  the  spiritual 
and  the  natural  world,  is  restrained  by  laws,  since  otherwise  so- 
ciety would  everywhere  cease  to  exist.    Nevertheless,  it  must 


624 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [(^iiap.  VIII. 


be  made  clear  that  without  such  external  bonds,  not  only  would 
society  cease  to  exist,  but  the  whole  human  race  would  perish. 
For  man  is  enticed  by  two  loves,  the  love  of  ruling  over  all,  and 
the  love  of  possessing  the  wealth  of  all.  These  loves,  if  un- 
curbed, rush  onward  to  infinity.  The  hereditary  evils  mto  which 
man  is  born  have  arisen  principally  from  these  two  loves ;  nor 
was  the  sin  of  Adam  any  other  than  a  desire  to  become  as  God, 
which  evil  the  serpent  infused  into  him,  as  it  is  written;  there- 
fore in  the  curse  pronounced  upon  him  it  is  said : — 

That  the  earth  should  brhig  forth  the  thorn  and  the  thistle  to  him  {Gen. 
iii.  5,  18); 

which  means  all  evil  and  falsity  therefrom.     All  who  are  en- 
slaved by  these  loves,  look  upon  themselves  as  the  one  only  ob- 
ject in  which  and  for  which  all  others  exist.   Such  have  no  pity, 
no  fear  of  God,  no  love  for  the  neighbor ;  consequently  they  are 
unmerciful,  inhuman  and  cruel,  and  are  possessed  by  an  infer- 
nal lust  and  greed  for  robbing  and  plundering,  and  by  craft  and 
cunning  in  working  out  their  purposes.     Such  evils  are  not  in- 
nate in  the  beasts  of  the  earth;  these  do  not  slaughter  and  de- 
vour each  other,  except  from  the  love  of  satisfying  their  hunger 
or  defending  themselves.    Therefore  a  wicked  man,  viewed  with 
reference  to  these  loves,  is  more  inhmnan,  fiercer,  and  worse 
than  any  beast.     [3]  That  man  is  inwardly  such,  is  manifest  m 
seditious  disturbances  when  the  bonds  of  law  are  loosed,  and 
also  in  massacres  and  pillaging,  when  the  signal  is  given  to  sol- 
diers that  they  are  free  to  satiate  their  fury  upon  the  conquered 
or  besieged;  from  which  scarcely  any  one  desists  until  the  drmn 
beats  the  order  to  do  so.    From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  if  no  fear 
of  legal  penalties  restrained  men,  not  only  society,  but  the  whole 
human  race,  would  be  destroyed.    But  none  of  these  evils  can 
be  removed  except  by  the  true  use  of  freedom  of  choice  m  spir- 
itual things,  and  this  is  done  by  directing  the  mind  to  reflection 
upon  the  state  of  life  after  death. 

499.  But  this  shall  be  still  further  illustrated  by  compari- 
sons, as  follows :  Without  some  kind  of  freedom  of  choice  m  all 
created  things,  both  animate  and  inanimate,  no  creation  could 
have  taken  place ;  for  without  freedom  of  choice  in  natural 
things  for  beasts  there  would  be  no  choice  of  food  conducive  to 


N.  499] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


625 


their  nourishment,  and  no  propagation  and  preservation  of  off- 
spring; thus,  no  beasts.    If  the  fishes  of  the  sea  and  the  shell- 
fish at  its  bottom,  had  no  such  freedom,  there  would  be  no  fish 
or  shell-fish.    In  like  manner,  unless  this  freedom  were  in  every 
insect,  there  would  be  no  silk-worm  yielding  silk,  no  bee  fur- 
nishing wax  and  honey,  no  butterfly  sporting  with  its  consort 
in  the  air,  feeding  on  the  juices  of  flowers,  and  representing, 
after  he  has  shed  his  exuvim  as  a  worm,  the  happy  state  of  man 
in  the  heavenly  realm,     [i^]  Unless  there  were  something  analo- 
gous to  freedom  of  choice  in  the  earth's  soil,  in  the  seed  sown 
in  it,  in  all  parts  of  the  tree  that  has  grown  out  of  it,  and  in  its 
fruit,  and  again  in  the  new  seed,  there  would  be  no  plant  life. 
Unless  there  were  something  analogous  to  freedom  of  choice  in 
every  metal,  and  in  every  stone  both  precious  and  common,  there 
would  be  no  metal  or  stone,  or  even  a  grain  of  sand ;  for  even  this 
freely  absorbs  the  ether,  emits  its  natural  exhalations,  throws 
off  its  worn-out  elements  and  restores  itself  with  new.    From 
this  there  is  a  magnetic  sphere  about  the  magnet,  an  iron  sphere 
about  iron,  a  coppery  one  about  copper,  a  silver  sphere  about 
silver,  a  golden  one  about  gold,  a  stony  sphere  about  stone,  a  ni- 
trous sphere  about  niter,  a  sulphur  sphere  about  sulphur,  and  a 
different  sphere  about  every  particle  of  dust.    From  this  sphere 
the  inmost  of  every  seed  is  impregnated,  and  its  prolific  princi- 
ple vegetates  ;  for  without  such  an  exhalation  from  every  least 
particle  of  the  earth's  dust,  there  would  be  no  beginning  of  ger- 
mination and  no  continuance  of  it.    How  could  the  earth,  ex- 
cept by  what  is  exhaled  from  it,  penetrate  with  dust  and  water 
to  the  inmost  center  of  a  grain  sown  in  it,  as  into  a  grain  of 
mustard  seed,  for  example : — 

Which  is  less  than  all  seeds,  but  when  it  is  grown,  it  is  greater  than 
herbs,  and  becometh  a  tree  ?  {Matt.  xiii.  32  ;  Mark.  iv.  30-32). 

[3]  Since  freedom  has  been  thus  implanted  in  all  created  sub- 
jects, in  each  according  to  its  nature,  why  should  not  freedom 
of  choice  have  been  implanted  in  man  according  to  his  nature, 
that  he  may  become  spiritual  ?  This  is  the  reason  that  free  will 
in  spiritual  things  is  given  to  man,  from  the  womb  to  the  last 
hour  of  his  life  in  the  world,  and  afterward  to  eternity. 
40 


626 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIU. 


XI. 

IF   MEN   HAD   NOT   FREEDOM    OF   CHOICE    IN    SPIRITUAL    THINGS, 

ALL    THE    INHABITANTS    OF    THE   WORLD    MIGHT    IN    ONE 

DAY   BE   LED    TO    BELIEVE   IN    THE    LORD ;    BUT   THIS 

CANNOT    BE    DONE,    BECAUSE     THAT    WHICH    IS 

NOT  RECEIVED  BY  MAN  WITH  FREEDOM 

OF    CHOICE    DOES    NOT    REMAIN 

500    That  God  could,  in  one  day,  if  freedom  of  choice  in  spii- 
itualthings  had  not  been  given  to  man,  lead  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  worid  to  believe  in  Him,  follows  as  a  true  conclusion  from 
the  Divine  omnipotence  when  not  rightly  understood.    Those 
who  do  not  understand  the  Divine  omnipotence,  may  suppose 
either  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  order,  or  that  God  can  act 
contrary  to  order  as  well  as  according  to  it;  when  yet  without 
order,  no  creation  was  possible.    The  primary  thing  of  order  .s 
for  man  to  be  an  image  of  God,  consequently,  that  he  be  con- 
tinually perfecting  in  love  and  wisdom,  and  thus  becoming  that 
image  more  and  more.    To  this  end  God  is  working  continually 
in  man:  but  this  would  be  in  vain,  for  it  would  be  impossible, 
if  man  were  destitute  of  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  thmgs 
whereby  he  could  turn  to  God  and  reciprocally  conjoin  himself 
with  God     For  there  is  an  orde^  from  which  and  according  to 
which  the  whole  universe,  with  each  and  all  things  in  it,  was 
created-  and  because  aU  creatioi.  was  effected  from  that  order 
and  according  to  it  God  is  called  Order  itself.    Thus  it  is  the 
same  whether  we  say,  acting  contrary  to  order,  or  acting  con- 
trary to  God.    God  Himself,  even,  cannot  act- contrary  to  His 
own  Divine  order,  since  this  would  be  to  act  contrary  to  His 
very  Self;  and  therefore  He  leads  every  man  according  to  that 
order  which  is  Himself,  guiding  the  wandering  and  the  fallen 
into  it,  and  the  resisting  toward  it.    If  man  could  have  been 
created  without  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things   what 
would  have  been  more  easy  for  an  omnipotent  God  than  to  lead 
all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  to  believe  in  the  Lord  ?    Could 
He  not  have  implanted  this  faith  in  every  one,  both  without 
means  and  by  means,  without  means  by  His  absolute  power  and 
its  irresistible  operation,  which  is  unceasing  m  its  efforts  to  save 


w' 


N.  500] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


627 


man ;  or  by  means,  through  torments  brought  upon  man's  con- 
science, or  through  mortal  convulsions  of  the  body  and  awful 
threats  of  death,  if  he  did  not  receive  that  faith ;  or  still  fur- 
ther, by  the  opening  of  hell  and  the  presence  of  devils  there- 
from holding  frightful  torches  in  their  hands,  or  by  calling  forth 
therefrom  the  dead  whom  they  had  known,  in  the  forms  of  fear- 
ful specters  ?  But  to  all  this  there  is  a  reply  in  the  words  of 
Abraham  to  the  rich  man  in  hell, 

If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be  persuaded 
though  one  rose  from  the  dead  {Luke  xvi.  31). 

501.  It  is  asked  at  the  present  day,  why  miracles  do  not  take 
place  as  formerly ;  for  it  is  believed  that  if  they  were  to  occur, 
there  would  come  from  every  one  a  hearty  acknowledgment. 
F>ut  miracles  are  not  now  wrought  as  formerly  because  they 
compel  [belief]  and  take  away  man's  freedom  of  choice  in  spir- 
itual things,  and  make  man  natural  instead  of  spiritual.  Every 
one  in  the  Christian  world,  since  the  Lord's  coming,  has  the 
ability  to  become  spiritual,  and  he  becomes  spiritual  solely  from 
the  Lord  through  the  Word;  but  the  capacity  to  become  so 
would  perish  if  man  were  led  to  believe  through  miracles,  be- 
cause, as  just  said,  miracles  compel  and  deprive  man  of  free- 
dom of  choice  in  spiritual  things ;  and  everything  that  is  com- 
])ulsory  in  such  matters  betakes  itself  to  the  natural  man,  and 
closes  the  door,  as  it  were,  to  the  spiritual  man,  which  is  the 
truly  internal  man,  depriving  it  of  all  power  to  see  any  truth 
in  clear  light,  with  the  result  that  man  then  reasons  about  spir- 
itual things  from  the  natural  man  alone,  Avhich  sees  everything 
truly  spiritual*  inversely.  [2]  But  before  the  Lord's  coming 
miracles  were  wrought  because  the  men  of  the  church  were  then 
natural  men,  to  whom  spiritual  things,  which  belong  to  an  in- 
ternal church,  could  not  be  disclosed ;  for  if  these  had  been  dis- 
closed they  would  have  been  profaned.  Therefore  all  their  wor- 
ship consisted  in  rituals  which  represented  and  signified  the 
internal  things  of  the  church ;  and  they  could  be  led  to  observe 
these  rituals  only  by  means  of  miracles ;  and  not  even,  indeed, 
by  means  of  miracles,  because  those  representatives  had  in 
them  a  spiritual  internal,  as  is  evident  from  the  children  of  Is- 
rael in  the  desert,  who,  although  they  had  seen  so  many  mira- 


w^ 


028 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [C  iiAr.  VIII. 


N.  502] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


629 


cles  in  Egypt,  and  afterward  that  greatest  of  miracles  upon 
Mount  Sinai,  stiU,  after  Moses'  absence  for  a  month,  danced 
around  a  golden  calf,  and  shouted  that  it  had  led  them  out  of 
Egypt.    In  the  land  of  Canaan  they  acted  in  a  like  manner, 
although  they  witnessed  the  great  miracles  wrought  by  Elijah 
and  Elisha,  and  tinally  the  truly  Divine  miracles  by  the  Lord. 
[3]  Miracles  are  not  wrought  at  the  present  day,  especially  for 
the  reason  that  the  church  has  deprived  man  of  aU  freedom  of 
choice.    This  it  has  done  by  decreeing  that  man  is  unable  to 
contribute  anything  whatever  toward  the  acquisition  of  faith 
or  toward  conversion,  or  in  general  toward  salvation  (see  above, 
n.  464).    The  man  who  accepts  this  belief  becomes  more  and 
more  natural;  and  the  natural  man,  as  said  above,  looks  at 
everything  spiritual  inversely,  and  consequently  thinks  in  O})- 
position  to  it.    In  this  case  the  higher  region  of  the  man's  mind, 
where  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things  has  its  i)rimary  seat 
is  thereby  closed  up  and  the  spiritual  things  which  miracles 
seemingly  confirm  occupy  the  lower  region  of  the  mind,  which 
is  merely  natural,  and  the  falsities  respecting  faith,  conversion, 
and  salvation,  thus  remain  above  this  region,  and  in  conse- 
quence it  comes  to  pass  that  satans  have  their  abode  above  and 
angels  below,  like  hawks  above  chickens.    Then  after  a  little 
while  the  satans  break  doTvni  their  bars,  and  rush  forth  with 
fury  upon  the  spiritual  things  which  hold  a  place  below  them, 
not  only  denving  these,  but  also  blaspheming  and  profaning 
them ;  and  the  result  is  that  the  latter  state  of  man  becomes 
worse  than  the  former. 

502.  The  man  who  V)y  means  of  falsities  respecting  the  spir- 
itual thnigs  of  the  church  has  become  natural,  must  needs  think 
of  the  Divine  omnipotence  as  superior  to  order,  and  thus  of  a 
Divine  omnipotenc^e  without  order,  in  consequence  of  which  he 
would  fall  into  the  following  insane  thoughts  :  AYhy  the  Lord's 
advent  into  the  world,  and  why  was  redemption  effected  in  that 
way,  when  by  His  omnipotence  God  could  have  accomplished 
the  same  thing  out  of  heaven  as  well  as  upon  the  earth  ?  Why 
might  He  not  by  redemption  have  saved  the  whole  human  race 
without  an  Exception  ?  How  is  it  that  the  devil  has  since  l>een 
able  to  prevail  over  the  Kedeemer  in  man  ?  Why  is  there  a 
hell  ?   Could  not  God  have  blotted  out  hell  by  His  omnipotence, 


( 


I 


and  cannot  He  now  do  so,  or  else  deliver  all  men  from  it,  and 
make  them  angels  of  heaven  */    Why  a  last  judgment  ?    Cannot 
God  transfer  all  the  goats  from  His  left  to  His  right,  and  make 
them  sheep?    Why  did  He  cast  down  the  angels  of  the  dragon 
and  the  dragon  himself  from  heaven,  instead  of  changing  them 
into  angels  of  Michael?    Why  does  He  not  to  all  of  these  im- 
part faith  and  impute  His  Son's  righteousness,  and  thus  forgive 
their  sins,  and  justify,  and  sanctify  them?    Why  does  He  not 
cause  the  beasts  of  the  field,  the  birds  of  the  air,  and  the  fishes 
of  the  sea  to  talk,  give  them  intelligence,  and  introduce  them 
along  with  men  into  heaven  ?    Why  did  He  not,  or  does  He  not, 
make  the  whole  world  a  paradise,  with  no  tree  of  the  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil  and  no  serpent  in  it ;  and  where  all  the  hills 
would  flow  with  generous  wine  and  produce  gold  and  silver  nat- 
urally, so  that  all  might  live  therein  with  jubilee  and  song,  and 
thus  in  perpetual  festivity  and  joy,  as  images  of  God  ?    Would 
not  such  things  be  worthy  of  an  omnipotent  God?    Besides 
other  like  questions.    But,  my  friend,  this  is  all  idle  talk.    The 
Divine  omnipotence  is  not  without  order;  God  is  Himself  Or- 
der; and  all  things  were  created  from  order,  in  order,  and  for 
order,  because  they  were  created  from  God.    There  is  an  order 
into  which  man  was  created,  namely,  that  blessing  or  curse  de- 
pends for  him  upon  his  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things; 
for,  as  said  above,  it  is  impossible  to  create  a  man  without  free- 
dom of  choice,  nor  even  a  beast,  a  bird,  or  a  fish.    But  beasts 
have  only  a  natural  freedom  of  choice,  while  man  has  not  only 
natural  freedom  of  choice  but  also  spiritual  freedom  of  choice. 
503.  To  the  foregoing  these  Memorable  Relations  shall  be 
added:  First: — 

I  heard  that  an  assembly  was  convoked,  which  was  to  delib- 
erate on  man's  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things.  This  was 
in  the  spiritual  world.  There  were  present  learned  men  from 
every  quarter,  who  had  thought  upon  that  subject  in  the  world 
in  which  they  had  formerly  lived,  also  many  who  had  been  pres- 
ent at  the  greater  and  smaller  councils  both  before  and  after  that 
of  Nice.  They  were  assembled  in  a  kind  of  circular  temple  like 
the  temi)le  at  Rome  called  the  Pantheon,  which  was  formerly 
consecrated  to  the  worship  of  all  the  gods,  and  afterward  dedi- 
cated by  the  Papal  chair  to  the  worship  of  all  the  holy  martyrs. 


01^8 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chai-.  VIII. 


cles  in  Egypt,  and  afterward  that  greatest  of  miracles  upon 
Mount  Sinai,  still,  after  Moses'  absence  for  a  month,  danced 
around  a  golden  calf,  and  shouted  that  it  had  led  them  out  of 
Egypt.    In  the  land  of  Canaan  they  acted  in  a  like  manner, 
although  they  witnessed  the  great  miracles  wrought  by  Elijah 
and  Elisha,  and  finally  the  truly  Divine  miracles  by  the  Lord. 
[3]  Miracles  are  not  wrought  at  the  present  day,  especially  for 
the  reason  that  the  church  has  deprived  man  of  all  freedom  of 
choice.    This  it  has  done  by  decreeing  that  man  is  unable  to 
contribute  anything  whatever  toward  the  acquisition  of  faith 
or  toward  conversion,  or  in  general  toward  salvation  (see  above, 
n.  464).    The  man  who  accepts  this  belief  bec^omes  more  and 
more  natural;  and  the  natural  man,  as  said  above,  looks  at 
everything  spiritual  inversely,  and  consequently  thinks  in  oi)- 
position  to  it.    In  this  case  the  higher  region  of  the  man's  mind, 
where  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things  has  its  primary  seat 
is  thereby  closed  up  and  the  spiritual  things  which  miracles 
seemingly  confirm  occupy  the  lower  region  of  the  mind,  which 
is  merely  natural,  and  the  falsities  respecting  faith,  conversion, 
and  salvation,  thus  remain  above  this  region,  and  in  conse- 
quence it  comes  to  pass  that  satans  have  their  abode  above  and 
angels  below,  like  hawks  above  chickens.    Then  after  a  little 
while  the  satans  break  down  their  bars,  and  rush  forth  with 
fury  upon  the  spiritual  things  which  hold  a  place  below  them, 
not  only  denying  these,  but  also  blaspheming  and  profaning 
them ;  and  the  result  is  that  the  latter  state  of  man  becomes 
worse  than  the  former. 

502.  The  man  who  l)y  means  of  falsities  respecting  the  spir- 
itual things  of  the  church  has  become  natural,  must  needs  think 
of  the  Divine  omnipotence  as  superior  to  order,  and  thus  of  a 
Divine  omni})otence  without  order,  in  consequence  of  which  he 
would  fall  into  the  following  insane  thoughts  :  Why  the  Lord's 
advent  into  the  world,  and  why  was  redemption  effected  in  that 
way,  when  by  His  omnipotence  God  could  have  accomplished 
the  same  thing  out  of  heaven  as  well  as  upon  the  earth  ?  Why 
might  He  not  by  redemption  have  saved  the  whole  human  race 
without  an  Exception  ?  How  is  it  that  the  devil  has  since  Ixien 
able  to  prevail  over  the  Eedeemer  in  man  ?  Why  is  there  a 
heU  ?   Could  not  God  have  blotted  out  hell  by  His  omnipotence, 


N.  502] 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE 


629 


and  cannot  He  now  do  so,  or  else  deliver  all  men  from  it,  and 
make  them  angels  of  heaven  ?  Why  a  last  judgment  ?  Cannot 
God  transfer  all  the  goats  from  His  left  to  His  right,  and  make 
them  sheep  ?  Why  did  He  cast  down  the  angels  of  the  dragon 
and  the  dragon  himself  from  heaven,  instead  of  changing  them 
into  angels  of  Michael?  Why  does  He  not  to  all  of  these  im- 
l)art  faith  and  impute  His  Son's  righteousness,  and  thus  forgive 
their  sins,  and  justify,  and  sanctify  them?  Why  does  He  not 
cause  the  beasts  of  the  field,  the  birds  of  the  air,  and  the  fishes 
of  the  sea  to  talk,  give  them  intelligence,  and  introduce  them 
along  with  men  into  heaven  ?  Why  did  He  not,  or  does  He  not, 
nuike  the  whole  world  a  paradise,  with  no  tree  of  the  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil  and  no  serpent  in  it ;  and  where  all  the  hills 
would  flow  with  generous  wine  and  produce  gold  and  silver  nat- 
urally, so  that  all  might  live  therein  with  jubilee  and  song,  and 
thus  in  perpetual  festivity  and  joy,  as  images  of  God  ?  Would 
not  such  things  be  worthy  of  an  omnipotent  God?  Besides 
other  like  questions.  But,  my  friend,  this  is  all  idle  talk.  The 
Divine  omnipotence  is  not  without  order;  God  is  Himself  Or- 
der; and  all  things  were  created  from  order,  in  order,  and  for 
order,  because  they  were  created  from  God.  There  is  an  order 
into  which  man  was  created,  namely,  that  blessing  or  curse  de- 
pends for  him  upon  his  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things ; 
for,  as  said  above,  it  is  impossible  to  create  a  man  without  free- 
dom of  choice,  nor  even  a  beast,  a  bird,  or  a  fish.  But  beasts 
have  only  a  natural  freedom  of  choice,  while  man  has  not  only 
natural  freedom  of  choice  but  also  spiritual  freedom  of  choice. 
503.  To  the  foregoing  these  Memorable  Relations  shall  be 
added:  First: — 

I  heard  that  an  assembl}'  was  convoked,  which  was  to  delib- 
erate on  man's  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things.  This  was 
in  the  spiritual  world.  There  were  present  learned  men  from 
every  quarter,  who  had  thought  upon  that  subject  in  the  world 
in  which  they  had  formerly  lived,  also  many  who  had  been  pres- 
ent at  the  greater  and  smaller  councils  both  l^fore  and  after  that 
of  Nice.  They  were  assembled  in  a  kind  of  circular  temple  like 
the  temple  at  Rome  called  the  Pantheon,  which  was  formerly 
consecrated  to  the  worship  of  all  the  gods,  and  afterward  dedi- 
cated by  the  Papal  chair  to  the  worship  of  all  the  holy  martyrs. 


630 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIIL 


In  this  temple  near  the  walls  were  what  seemed  to  be  altars, 
but  near  them  were  low  benches,  and  upon  these  the  assembly 
reclined,  resting  their  elbows  on  the  altars,  as  upon  so  many 
tables  No  president  was  appointed  to  act  as  primate  among 
them,  but  each  one,  when  the  desire  seized  him,  rushed  forth 
into  their  midst,  poured  out  what  he  had  at  heart,  and  delivered 
his  opinion;  and  what  I  wondered  at,  all  who  were  m  the  as- 
sembly were  full  of  proofs  of  man's  utter  impotence  m  spiritual 
things,  and  ridiculed  the  idea  of  freedom  of  choice  m  such 

TTi  3  inters 

[3]  As  soon  as  they  had  all  come  together  one  of  them  sprang 
up  suddenly  into  the  midst,  and  with  a  loud  voice  harangued 
them  as  follows :    "  Man  has  no  more  freedom  of  choice  ni  spir- 
itual things  than  Lot's  wife  had  after  she  had  been  turned 
into  a  pillar  of  salt.    If  man  had  any  more  freedom  of  choice 
than  that,  he  would  surely  of  himself  arrogate  to  himself  the 
faith  of  our  church,  which  faith  is,  that  God  the  Father  bestows 
faith  gratuitously  to  whom  He  will  and  when  He  will,  out  of 
His  entire  freedom  and  good  pleasure.    This  good  pleasure  and 
gratuitousness  would  be  impossible  to  God,  if  man  from  any 
freedom  or  good  pleasure  could  arrogate  that  faith  to  himself, 
and  thus  indeed,  our  faith,  which  is  like  a  star  shining  before 
us  night  and  day,  would  be  dissipated  like  a  meteor  m  t'-e 


[3]  After  him  another  sprang  up  from  his  bench  and  said, 
i^Man  has  no  more  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things  than  a 
beast,  or  even  a  dog;  for  if  he  had,  he  would  do  good  of  Inm- 
self,  when  yet  all  good  is  from  God,  and  man  can  take  to  him- 
self'nothing  that  is  not  given  him  from  heaven." 

After  him  another  sprang  up  from  his  seat  into  the  middle 
space  and  raised  his  voice,  saying,  "  ^lan  has  no  more  freedom  of 
choice  in  spiritual  things,  not  even  in  the  discernment  of  them, 
than  an  owl  has  in  the  day  time,  or  even  a  chicken  still  hidden 
in  the  shell;  in  these  things  he  is  as  wholly  blind  as  a  mole ;  lor 
if  he  were  lynx-eyed  in  his  clear  perception  of  matters  of  faith 
salvation,  and  eternal  life,  he  would  still  believe  that  he  could 
regenerate  and  save  himself,  and  would  endeavor  to  do  so,  and 
thus  would  profane  his  thoughts  and  deeds  by  adding  merit  to 
merit." 


mt^^t 


N.  503] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


631 


Again  another  ran  out  into  the  middle  space  and  delivered 
this  speech:  "The  man  who  imagines  himself  to  be  able,  since 
Adam's  fall,  to  will  or  understand  anything  spiritual  is  insane 
and  becomes  a  maniac,  since  he  would  then  believe  himself  to 
be  a  little  god  or  a  kind  of  deity,  possessing  a  share  of  the  Di- 
vine power  in  his  own  right." 

[4]  After  him  another  rushed  panting  to  the  middle  spa^e 
carrying  under  his  arm  a  book  called  the  Formula  Concordice 
by  the  orthodoxy  of  which,  as  he  called  it,  the  Evangelicals  now 
swear.    This  he  opened,  and  from  it  read  the  following •   "Man 
is  wholly  corrupt  and  dead  to  good,  so  that  in  his  nature  since 
the  fall,  before  regeneration,  there  does  not  remain  or  abide  even 
a  spark  of  spiritual  power,  whereby  he  is  able  to  be  prepared 
for  the  grace  of  God,  or  to  apprehend  it  when  offered,  or  from 
and  by  himself  to  be  receptive  of  it,  or  in  spiritual  things  to 
understand,  believe,  embrace,  think,  will,  begin,  finish,  act,  op- 
erate, co-operate,  or  apply  or  adapt  himself  to  receive  grace,  or 
to  do  anything  of  himself  toward  his  conversion,  either  in  the 
half  or  in  the  smallest  part.    And  in  spiritual  things,  which  re- 
gard the  salvation  of  the  soul,  man  is  like  the  pillar  of  salt  in- 
to which  Lot's  wife  was  turned,  or  like  a  lifeless  stock  or  stone, 
having  no  use  of  eyes,  or  mouth,  or  any  of  the  senses.    Never- 
theless, he  has  the  power  of  locomotion,  or  of  directing  his  ex- 
ternal members,  to  attend  public  meetings,  and  hear  the  Word 
and  the  Gospel."     (This  is  found  in  my  edition,  on  pages  QbQ 
658,  661-663,  671-673.)  ^       ^  ^ 

After  this  they  all  crowded  together  and  together  exclaimed 
"  This  IS  true  orthodoxy."  ' 

[5]  I  stood  near  and  listened  intently  to  all  that  had  been 
said ;  and  my  spirit  being  aroused,  I  asked  with  a  loud  voice, 
"If  you  make  man  in  spiritual  things  a  pillar  of  salt,  a  beast,' 
blind,  and  irrational,  what  is  your  theology  ?  Is  not  each  and 
all  things  of  that  spiritual  ?" 

To  this,  after  a  period  of  silence,  they  replied :  "  In  our  whole 
theology  there  is  nothing  spiritual  whatever  that  the  reason 
comprehends.  The  only  thing  spiritual  in  it  is  our  faith;  but 
that  we  keep  strictly  closed  up,  that  no  one  may  look  into  it; 
and  we  have  taken  care  that  not  a  single  ray  of  spiritualitv 
shall  escape  therefrom  and  appear  before  the  understanding. 


632 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  VIII. 


N.  503] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


r>33 


Moreover,  man  does  not  contribute  thereto  the  least  particle 
from  any  choice  of  his  own.    Charity  also  we  have  removed  from 
everything  spiritual,  and  have  made  it  merely  moral;  likewise 
the  Decalogue.    Respecting  justification,  the  forgiveness  of  sms, 
regeneration,  and  salvation  thereby,  we  teach  nothing  spiritual; 
we  say  that  these  are  wrought  by  faith,  but  how,  we  are  utterly 
ignorant.    In  place  of  repentance,  we  have  put  contrition,  and 
lest  this  should  be  believed  to  be  spiritual,  we  have  removed  it 
from  faith,  even  as  to  any  least  touch.    Eespecting  redemption 
we  have  adopted  none  but  purely  natural  ideas,  which  are  that 
God  the  Father  included  the  whole  human  race  in  a  sentence 
of  damnation,  and  that  His  Son  took  that  damnation  upon  Him- 
self, suffered  Himself  to  be  hanged  upon  a  cross,  and  thus 
moved  His  Father  to  compassion;  besides  other  like  idea^,  m 
which  you  will  find  nothing  spiritual,  but  only  what  is  natural 

[6]  But  at  this  my  former  indignation  continued,  and  1  said 
-If  man  had  no  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things   what 
would  he  be  but  a  brute?    Is  it  not  by  means  of  that  that  he 
is  above  brute  beasts  ?    Without  that,  what  is  the  church  but 
the  black  face  of  a  fuller,  with  a  white  speck  only  m  his  ^es  ? 
Without  it,  what  is  the  Word  but  an  unmeaning  volume  ?  W  hat 
is  more  frequently  declared  and  commanded  therein,  than  that 
man  should  love  God  and  should  love  the  neighbor,  and  should 
also  believe ;  and  again,  that  he  has  life  and  salvation  m  the 
measure  of  his  love  and  faith  ?    Is  there  any  man  who  has  not 
the  abilitv  to  understand  and  do  what  is  commanded  m  the  W  orcl 
and  in  the  Decalogue  ?     How  could  God  have  given  such  pre- 
cepts and  commandments  to  men  without  an  ability  to  do  them  ? 
[7]  Tell  any  rustic  whose  mind  has  not  been  blocked  up  by  tal- 
lacies  in  theological  matters,  that  he  has  no  more  ability  to  un- 
derstand and  will  in  matters  of  faith  and  charity,  and  of  salva- 
tion  therefrom,  than  a  stock  or  a  stone  and  no  abi  ity  to  adapt  or 
conform  himself  to  them ;  will  he  not  most  heartily  laugh  at  you 
and  say,  ^  What  can  be  more  irrational  ?  Wliat  then  have  I  to  do 
with  the  priest  and  his  preaching  ?  AMiat  is  a  church  more  than 
a  stable?    And  what  is  worship  more  than  ploughing?    What 
madness  to  speak  so !    It  is  folly  upon  folly.    Who  denies  that 
all  good  is  from  God  ?    Is  it  not  given  to  man  to  do  good  ot  him- 
self  from  God?    It  is  the  same  with  believing.' '' 


Hearing  this  they  all  cried  out,  "  We  spoke  from  orthodoxy  in 
an  orthodox  way;  but  you  from  rustic  notions  in  a  rustic  way  '^ 

Then  suddenly  lightning  fell  from  heaven,  and  lest  it  should 
consume  tliein,  they  rushed  out  in  troops  and  fled  away,  each 
to  his  own  home. 

504.  Second  Memorable  Eelation : 

I  was  once  in  that  interior  spiritual  sight  in  which  the  angels 
of  the  superior  heaven  are,  but  I  was  then  in  the  world  of  spirits. 
And  I  saw  two  spirits  not  far  away,  standing  apart  from  eacli' 
other ;  and  1  perceived  that  one  of  them  loved  good  and  truth, 
and  was  thereby  in  conjunction  with  heaven,  while  the  other 
loved  evil  and  falsity,  and  was  thereby  m  conjunction  with  hell. 
f  approached  and  called  them;  and  from  their  tones  and  their 
replies,  I  gathered  that  one  could  perceive  truths  as  well  as  the 
other,  could  acknowledge  them  when  perceived,  could  thus  think 
from  the  understanding,  could  direct  his  intellectual  faculties 
as  he  pleased,  and  his  voluntary  faculties  as  he  wished ;  conse- 
quently that  they  were  in  like  freedom  of  choice  in  rational  mat- 
ters.   I  observed,  moreover,  that  from  that  freedom  there  ap- 
peared m  their  minds  a  lucidity  extending  from  their  first  sight, 
which  was  that  of  perception,  to  their  last,  which  was  that  of 
the  eye.    [2]  But  when  the  one  who  loved  evil  and  falsity  was 
left  to  his  own  thought,  I  noticed  tliat  a  kind  of  smoke  arose 
from  hell,  and  extinguished  that  lucidity  which  was  above  the 
memory,  so  that  there  was  a  thick  darkness  in  him  there  like 
that  of  midniglit ;  and  also  that  the  smoke  ignited  and  burned 
like  a  flame,  which  illuminated  the  region  of  his  mind  below  the 
memory,  and  this  caused  him  to  think  enormous  falsities  aris- 
ing froni  the  evils  of  the  love  of  self.    But  when  the  other,  who 
loved  good  and  truth,  was  left  to  himself,  I  saw,  as  it  were,  a 
gentle  flame  flowing  down  from  heaven,  which  illuminated  the 
region  of  his  mind  above  the  memory,  and  also  the  region  below 
it  even  to  the  eye ;  also  that  the  light  from  that  flame  shone 
brighter  and  brighter,  in  proportion  as  from  the  love  of  good  he 
had  a  perception  and  tliouglit  of  the  truth. 

From  seeing  this,  it  was  made  clear  to  me  that  every  man, 
good  and  evil  alike,  has  spiritual  freedom  of  choice,  but  that  hell 
sometimes  extinguishes  it  in  the  wicked,  while  heaven  exalts 
and  enkindles  it  in  the  good. 


63-t 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  VIII. 


N.  504] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


635 


[31  Afterward  I  talked  with  both  of  them,  first  with  the^one 
who  loved  evil  and  falsity,  and  when,  after  a  tew  words  about 
S  lot  I  mentioned  freedom  of  choice,  he  fired  up,  and  said, 
X-ht;  madness  it  is  to  believe  chat  man  has  freedom  of  cho.ce 
in  spiritual  things !  What  man  can  acqmre  ^^f  ^  o  J^-B^Jt' "^ 
do  sood  of  himself?    Does  not  the  priesthood  of  to^aj  teach 

torn  the  Word  that  no  man  can  ^^'^^ --y^'l'-^.^^S^Z 
eiven  him  from  heaven  ?    And  the  Lord  Christ  said  to  His  d  s 
c  pies  'Apart  from  Me  ye  can  do  nothing.'    To  which  I  will 
add  that  no  man  can  move  hand  or  foot  to  do  any  good  or  move 
Ms  ton'ue  to  speak  any  truth  from  good.    Therefore  the  church 
t    he^  wise  mln  has  concluded  that  man  can  -  'no-  will  un- 
derstand or  think  anything  spiritual,  or  even  adapt  himself  to 
Sg,  understanding,  or  thinking  truth,  than  a  stat-e^-^-k 
or  a  stone-  and  therefore  it  is  God  who  according  to  His  good 
lasure  inspires  faith,  to  whom  alone  belongs  most  free  and 
unlimited  power;  and  this  faith,  without  any  labor  or  power  o 
ours  under  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  produces  all  that 
the  unlearned  ascribe  to  man."  j  „„.i +,.„tVi- 

[4]  I  then  talked  with  the  other,  who  loved  good  and  tiuth, 
and  when,  after  a  few  remarks  about  his  lot,  I  mentioned  free- 
dom of  choice,  he  said,  "What  madness  it  is  to  deny  man  s 
fr^dom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things !    Who  is  not  able  to  w,l 
and  do  good,  and  think  and  speak  what  is  true  of  himself  from 
the%\^rd  thus  from  the  Lord  who  is  Uie  Word  ?    For  He  has 
sa  d  ' Make  the  fruit  good,'  and ' Believe  in  the  right,'  and  'Love 
one  another,'  and  'Love  God ,'  and  also, '  mosoever  heareth  My 
precepts  ank  doeth  them,  loveth  Me,  and  I  will  -e  W  ^- 
sides  thousands  of  like  sayings  throughout  the  ^^  ord.    W  hat 
then  is  the  Word  good  for,  if  man  has  no  power  to  will  and 
think  and  from  that  to  do  and  say  what  is  there  commanded^ 
TLlt  that  power  in  man,  what  would  religion  in  the  church 
te  but  like  a  wrecked  vessel  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  with 
the  captain  standing  on  the  very  top  of  the  -^^\^^;^'^l^^ 
<I  can  do  r.othing;'  while  he  sees  the  crew  in  the  small  boats 
witl  sails  spread  and  sailing  away?    Was  there  not  given  to 
Adam  the  freedom  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life  and  also  of  the  tree 
of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil?    And  because  fro m  h  s 
?  eedom  he  ate  of  this  latter  tree,  smoke  from  the  serpent,  that 


^  is,  from  hell,  entered  his  mind,  on  account  of  which  he  was  cast 
out  of  Paradise  and  cursed.  And  still  he  did  not  lose  his  free- 
dom of  choice,  for  we  read  that  the  way  to  the  tree  of  life  was 
guarded  by  a  cherub,  and  unless  this  had  been  done,  he  might 
still  have  wished  to  eat  of  it." 

[5]  At  these  remarks  the  other,  who  loved  evil  and  falsity, 
said,  "  What  I  have  heard,  I  pass  by ;  what  I  before  advanced, 
I  still  adhere  to.  But  who  does  not  know  that  God  alone  is 
alive  and  thus  active,  while  man  is  of  himself  dead  and  there- 
fore merely  passive  ?  How  can  a  being  who  is  in  himself  dead 
and  merely  passive  take  to  himself  anything  living  and  active  ?" 

To  this  I  replied,  "Man  is  an  organ  of  life,  and  God  alone  is 
life;  and  God  pours  His  life  into  the  organ  and  into  every  least 
part  of  it;  as  the  sun  pours  its  heat  into  a  tree  and  every  least 
part  of  it.    It  is  also  God's  gift  that  man  should  feel  that  life 
in  himself  as  if  it  were  his  own,  and  it  is  God's  will  that  he 
should  so  feel  it,  in  order  that  man  as  if  of  himself  may  live  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  of  order,  which  are  as  numerous  as 
the  precepts  of  the  Word,  and  thus  may  dispose  himself  for  the 
reception  of  God's  love.    Nevertheless,  God  perpetually  holds 
with  His  finger  the  perpendicular  above  the  scales,  and  moder- 
ates man's  freedom  of  choice,  but  never  violates  it  by  compul- 
sion.    [6]  A  tree  cannot  receive  anything  that  the  heat  of  the 
sun  brings  to  it  through  its  roots,  unless  it  grows  warm  and  is 
heated  in  every  least  fiber;  nor  can  the  elements  rise  up  through 
its  roots,  unless  every  least  fiber  gives  out  heat  from  that  which 
it  has  received,  and  thus  contributes  to  the  passage  of  those 
elements.    Man  does  likewise  from  the  heat  of  life  that  he  re- 
ceives from  God;  but  unlike  a  tree,  man  feels  the  heat  as  his 
own,  and  yet  it  is  not  his  own ;  and  while  so  far  as  he  believes 
that  it  is  his  and  not  God's,  he  receives  the  light  of  life,  he  does 
not  receive  the  heat  of  love  from  God,  but  the  heat  of  love  from 
hell ;  and  this  being  gross  obstructs  and  closes  the  purer  branch- 
lets  of  the  organism,  as  impure  blood  clogs  the  capillary  vessels 
of  the  body.    Thus  man  from  being  spiritual  makes  himself 
merely  natural.     [7]  Man's  freedom  of  choice  is  from  this,  that 
any  life  in  himself  is  felt  as  his  own,  and  that  God  leaves  him 
so  to  feel  in  order  that  a  conjunction  may  be  effected  between 
them,  which  is  not  possible  miless  it  is  reciprocal ;  and  it  be- 


080 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII. 


N.  506J 


MEMORABLE  RELATION    THIRD 


637 


comes  reciprocal  when  man  acts  from  freedom  altogetlier  as  if  . 
of  himself.  If  God  had  not  left  this  to  man,  he  woukl  not  be 
man,  neither  would  he  have  eternal  life;  for  reciprocal  conjunc- 
tion with  God  is  the  cause  that  man  is  man,  and  not  a  beast, 
and  also  that  he  lives  after  death  to  eternity.  This  is  the  ef- 
fect of  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things." 

[8]  After  hearing  this,  the  evil  spirit  removed  to  a  distance, 
and  then  I  saw  upon  a  certain  tree  a  flying  serpent,  such  as  is 
called  a  fiery  serpent,  which  held  out  to  somebody  fruit  from 
the  tree.  I  then  drew  near  in  spirit  to  the  place,  and  instead  of 
the  serpent  a  monstrous  man  was  seen  there,  his  face  so  covered 
with  beard  that  only  his  nose  was  visible ;  and  instead  of  the 
tree  there  was  a  burning  stump,  near  which  stood  the  man 
whose  mind  the  smoke  had  formerly  entered,  and  who  had  after- 
wards rejected  the  idea  of  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things. 
And  just  then  a  similar  smoke  came  out  of  the  stump,  and  en- 
veloped them  both ;  and  as  they  were  thus  taken  out  of  my  sight, 
I  went  away.  But  the  other  spirit,  who  loved  good  and  truth, 
and  held  that  man  has  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things, 
accompanied  me  home. 

505.  Third  Memorable  Relation: — 

I  once  heard  a  grating  sound  like  that  of  two  mill-stones  grind- 
ing on  each  other;  I  approached  the  sound  and  it  ceased. 

Then  I  saw  a  narrow  gate  leading  obliquely  downward  to  a 
kind  of  vaulted  house,  in  which  were  severals  chambers  contain- 
ing cells,  and  in  each  cell  sat  two  persons,  who  were  collecting 
from  the  Word  proofs  of  justification  by  faith  alone;  one  col- 
lecting the  proofs,  and  the  other  writing  them  down,  and  this 

by  turns. 

I  approached  one  cell,  which  was  near  the  door,  and  asked, 

"What  are  you  collecting  and  writing?" 

They  said,  "  Concerning  the  Act  of  Justification,  or  Faith 
in  Act,  which  is  faith  itself  justifying,  vivifying  and  saving, 
and  is  the  chief  doctrine  of  the  church  in  our  part  of  Chris- 
tendom. 

I  then  said  to  him,  "  Tell  me  some  sign  of  that  act,  when  that 
faith  is  brought  into  the  heart  and  soul  of  man." 

He  replied,  "  The  sign  of  that  act  appears  at  the  moment  that 
man  is  overcome  by  conviction  that  he  is  damned,  and  when  m 


that  state  of  contrition  he  thinks  of  Christ  as  having  taken  away 
he  condemnation  of  the  law,  and  lays  hold  upon  this  merit  of 

Cortlri^^^.r       r''  ^^^^  ^^'^  ''  "^  ^^^^  ^^^^^^^^  approaches 
Orod  the  lather  and  prays." 

[2]  Then  I  said,  "Thus  is  the  act  accomplished,  and  that  is 
the  moment  of  its  accomplishment.    But,"  I  asked,  "How  am 
I  to  understand  what  is  said  of  this  act,  namely,  that  nothing 
pertaining  to  man  concurs  in  it,  any  more  than  if  he  were  a 
stock  or  a  stone;  and  in  respect  to  the  act  man  is  incapable  of 
begmnmg,  willing,  understanding,  thinking,  operating,  co-oper- 
atmg,  or  applying  and  adapting  himself  thereto  ?  Tell  me  how 
this  agrees  with  your  remarks,  that  the  act  takes  place  when 
man  thinks  of  the  claims  of  the  law,  of  its  condemnation  hav- 
ing been  taken  away  by  Christ,  of  the  trust  with  which  he  lays 
hold  on  that  merit  of  Christ's,  and  with  it  in  his  thought,  ap- 
proaches (xod  the  Father  and  prays?    Is  not  all  this  done  by 
man  ?"  "^ 

He  answered,  "  It  is  not  done  by  man  actively,  but  passively." 
l-i]  I  answered,  "  How  can  any  man  think,  trust  and  p4y 
passively  •.    Take  away  from  man  acti  vity  and  co-operation,  and 
do  you  not  also  take  away  receptivity,  thus  everything,  anc' 
with  everything  the  act  itself?    What  does  your  act  then  be- 
come but  a  purely  ideal  thing,  such  as  is  called  an  entity  of  rea- 
son'.    I  hope  that  you  do  not  believe  with  some,  that  such  an 
act  takes  place  in  the  predestined  only,  who  know  nothing  what- 
ever of  the  infusion  of  faith  into  them.    They  may  throw  dice 
and  m  that  way  determine  whether  faith  has  been  infused  into 
them  or  not.    Therefore,  my  friend,  believe  that  man  with  re- 
gard to  faith  and  charity  is  active  of  himself  from  the  Lord  and 
without  this  activity  of  man,  your  act  of  faith,  which  you  have 
called  the  chief  doctrine  of  the  church  in  Christendom,  is  noth- 
ing more  than  the  statue  of  Lot's  wife  composed  of  mere  salt 
which  tinkles  when  scratched  by  a  scribe's  pen  or  finger  nail 
(Luke  xvii.  32) .    This  I  have  said,  because  as  to  that  act  of  faith 
you  make  yourselves  like  statues." 

When  I  said  this,  he  picked  up  his  candlestick,  intending  to 
throw  It  with  all  his  might  in  my  face;  but  the  light  going  out 
suddenly,  he  struck  the  forehead  of  his  companion,  and  I  went 
away  laughing. 


638 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII. 


N.  606] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


639 


506    Fourth  Memorable  Relation  :— 

Theie  appeared  in  the  spiritual  world  two  flocks,  one  of  goats 
and  the  other  of  sheep.    I  wondered  who  they  were,  as  1  knew 
that  the  animals  seen  in  the  spiritual  world  were  not  animals, 
buVcorrespondences  of  the  afiections,  and  the  thoughts  there- 
from, of  those  who  are  there.    I  therefore  drew  nearer,  and  as 
I  approached,  the  animal  forms  vanished,  and  in  pla^e  of  them 
men  were  seen ;  and  it  became  maaiifest  that  those  ^vho  formed 
the  flock  of  goats  were  such  as  had  confirmed  themselves  in  the 
doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  alone,  while  those  who  made 
up  the  flock  of  sheep  were  those  who  believed  that  chanty  and 
faith  are  one,  as  good  and  truth  are  one. 

[21  I  then  spoke  with  those  who  appeared  as  goats,  and  said, 
«  Why  are  you  thus  gathered  together?"  Most  of  them  were  of 
the  clerical  order,  who  gloried  in  their  reputation  for  learnmg, 
because  they  knew  the  mysteries  of  justification  by  faith  alone. 
They  said  that  they  had  assembled  to  hold  a  counci ,  because 
they  had  heard  [that  some  were  claiming]  that  Paul's  saymg. 
That  a  man  is  justified  by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law  (Rom.  iii. 
28), 

was  not  rightly  understood,  for  by  faith  here  [it  was  claimed] 
Taul  did  not  mean  the  faith  of  the  present  ^^^f^^f  -- 
faith  in  three  Divine  persons  from  eternity,  but  faith  m  the 
ltd  "od  the  Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  also  that  by  ^^  the  deeds  of 
the  law,"  he  did  not  mean  the  deeds  of  the  law  of  the  Decalogue, 
but  the  deeds  of  the  Mosaic  law,  which  were  for  the  Jewsjthus 
that  by  a  wrong  interpretation  of  those  few  words  two  enor- 
lus    alsities  had  been  established,  one,  that  Paul  here  mean 
7e  faith  of  the  present  church,  and  the  other,  that  he  mean 
the  deeds  of  the  law  of  the  Decalogue.    It  is  clear  y  evident 
rthese  claimed]  that  Paul  meant  the  works  of  the  Mosaic  law, 
S^  were  for  the  Jews,  and  not  the  works  of  the  Decalogue, 
from  what  he  said  to  Peter,  whom  he  accused  of  Judaizmg,  al- 
though he  knew 

That  no  one  is  jiistified  by  the  works  of  the  law,  but  by  the  faith  of 
Jesus  Christ  {Gal.  ii.  14-16); 

"  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ"  meaning  faith  in  Him  and  from  Him 
(as  may  be  seen  above,  n.  338).    And  because  by  "  the  deeds  of 


the  law"  Paul  meant  the  deeds  of  the  Mosaic  law,  he  distin- 
guished between  the  law  of  faith  and  the  law  of  works,  and 
between  the  Jews  ana  the  Gentiles,  or  "circumcision"'  and 
"uncircumcision,"  "circumcision"  signifying  Judaism  here  as 
everywhere  else.    Moreover,  Paul  closes  with  these  words  :— 

Do  we  then  make  the  law  of  none  effect  through  faith  ?  God  forbid; 
but  we  establish  the  law  (saying  this  in  connection  with  the  f oregoinc) ' 
{Rom.  iii.  27-31). 

Likewise  in  the  preceding  chapter : — 

Not  the  hearers  of  a  law  shall  be  justified  before  God,  but  the  doers  of 
a  law  shall  be  justified  {Rom.  ii.  13); 

again : — 

God  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  deeds  {Rom.  ii.  6) ; 
and  again: — 

For  we  must  all  be  made  manifest  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Clirist, 
that  every  one  may  receive  the  things  done  through  the  body,  whether  it 
be  good  or  bad  (2  Cor.  v.  10); 

besides  other  passages  in  his  writings.  From  all  this  it  is  clear 
that  Paul  rejected  faith  without  works,  just  as  James  did  (ii. 
17--26).  [3]  That  Paul  meant  the  deeds  of  the  Mosaic  law, 
which  were  for  the  Jews,  these  were  still  further  convinced  from 
the  fact  that  all  the  statutes  written  for  the  Jews  in  Hoses  are 
called  "the  law,"  thus,  "the  deeds  of  the  law,"  as  can  be  seen 
from  the  following: — 

This  is  the  law  of  the  meal-offering  {Lev.  vi.  14,  18  seq.). 

This  is  the  law  for  the  burnt-offering,  for  the  meal-offering,  and  for 
the  sin-offering,  and  for  the  guilt-offering,  and  for  the  consecrations  (Lev 
vii.  37).  ^ 

This  is  the  law  of  the  beast  and  of  the  fowl  {Lev.  xi.  46  seq.). 

This  is  the  law  for  her  that  beareth  a  son  or  a  daughter  {Lev.  xii.  7). 

This  is  the  law  of  leprosy  {Lev.  xiii.  60 ;  xiv.  2,  32,  54,  57). 

This  is  the  law  of  him  that  hath  an  issue  {Lev.  xv.  32). 

This  is  the  law  of  jealousy  {Num.  v.  29,  30). 

This  is  the  law  of  the  Nazarite  {Num.  vi.  13,  21). 

This  is  the  law  of  cleansing  {Num.  xix.  14). 

This  is  the  law  respecting  the  red  heifer  {Num.  xix.  2). 

The  law  for  the  king  {Deut.  xvii.  15-19). 

Indeed,  the  whole  book  of  Moses  is  called  "the  book  of  the 
law,"  Beut.  xxxi.  9,  11,  12,  26;  also  in  Luke  ii.  22;  xxiv.  44; 
John  i.  45;  vii.  22,  23;  viii.  5. 


(J40  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  YUl. 

[4]  To  this  they  have  also  added,  that  they  saw  in  Paul  that 
men  should  live  according  to  the  law  of  the  Decalogue,  and  that 
the  law  is  fulliUed  by  charity  (Eom.  xiii.  &-11);  and  that  he 

also  says: — 

That  these  are  three,  faith,  hope,  charity,  and  that  the  greatest  of  these 
is  charity  (1  Cor.  xiii.  13), 
not  faith  therefore.    For  these  reasons  they  said  that  they  had 

been  assembled.  . 

But  lest  I  should  disturb  them  I  withdrew ;  and  again  they 
appeared  at  a  distance  Uke  goats,  and  sometimes  as  if  lying 
down,  sometimes  as  if  standing,  but  they  turned  away  from  the 
flock  of  sheep.  They  seemed  to  be  lying  down  when  they  were 
deliberating,  and  to  be  standing  when  they  had  formed  their 

conclusions.  , 

But  I  kept  my  sight  fixed  on  their  horns ;  and  I  wondered 
that  those  in  their  foreheads  seemed  at  one  time  to  reach  for- 
ward and  upward,  at  another  to  bend  backward  towards  then- 
backs,  and  finally  to  turn  entirely  back.  Just  then  they  turned 
towards  the  flock  of  sheep,  but  still  retamed  the  appearance  of 
goats.    I  therefore  approached  them  again  and  asked,  ^'\\  hat 

now  ^" 

They  said  they  had  decided  that  faith  alone  produces  the 

goods  of  charity,  as  a  tree  produces  fruit. 

Then  thunder  was  heard,  and  lightning  was  seen  overhead; 
and  immediately  an  angel  appeared  standing  between  the  two 
flocks ;  and  he  cried  out  to  the  flock  of  sheep,  "  Do  not  listen  to 
them-  they  have  not  receded  from  their  former  faith,  which  is, 
that  faith  alone  justifies  and  saves,  and  actual  charity  contri- 
butes nothing  whatever  thereto.  Faith  is  not  the  tree,  but  man 
is  the  tree.  But  repent,  and  look  to  the  Lord,  and  you  will  have 
faith.    Before  that,  faith  is  not  a  faith  that  has  anything  hviiig 

Then  the  goats,  with  their  horns  turned  back,  wished  to  ap- 
proach the  sheep.    But  the  angel  standing  between  them  sepa- 
rated the  sheep  into  two  flocks ;  and  he  said  to  those  on  the  left 
"Join  the  goats;  but  I  tell  you  that  a  wolf  is  coming,  that  will 
carry  them  off,  and  you  along  with  them." 

[5]  But  when  the  two  flocks  of  sheep  had  been  separated,  and 
those  on  the  left  had  heard  the  threatening  words  of  the  angel, 


N.  606] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


641 


they  looked  at  one  another  and  said,  "  Let  us  speak  to  our  for- 
mer  companions." 

The  left-hand  flock  then  spoke  to  the  right,  saying,  "  Why  did 
you  desert  our  shepherds  ?  Are  not  faith  and  charity  one,  as  a 
tree  and  its  fruit  are  one?  For  the  tree  through  its  branches 
IS  continued  into  the  fruit.  Tear  from  the  branch  tliat  through 
which  the  tree  by  continuity  flows  into  the  fruit,  wiU  not  the 
fruit  perish,  and  with  it  all  the  seed  of  any  tree  to  be  repro- 
duced from  it?    Ask  our  priests  if  it  is  not  so." 

They  asked  the  priests,  who  looked  round  upon  the  rest,  and 
these  were  winking  at  them  to  have  them  say  that  they  had 
spoken  rightly.  And  the  priests  then  answered, "  You  have  well 
said;  but  as  to  the  continuation  of  faith  into  good  works,  Uke 
that  of  a  tree  into  the  fruit,  we  know  many  mysteries  which  must 
not  be  made  known  here.  In  the  chain  or  thread  of  faith  and 
charity  there  are  many  knots,  which  we  priests  only  are  able  to 
untie." 

[6]  Then  one  of  the  priests  from  among  the  sheep  on  the  right 
arose  and  said,  "  They  have  told  you  that  this  is  so,  but  they  tell 
their  own  that  it  is  not  so,  because  they  think  differently  » 

Therefore  they  asked,  "How  then  do  they  think ?  Do  thev 
not  think  as  they  teach  ?" 

He  answered, «  No ;  they  think  that  any  good  of  charity,  which 
is  called  a  good  work,  that  is  done  by  man  for  the  sake  of  sal- 
vation and  eternal  life,  is  not  good  in  the  least  degree,  for  the 
reason  that  it  is  the  man's  wish  to  save  himself  by  work  that 
he  does  of  himself,  appropriating  to  himself  the  merit  and  right- 
eousness of  the  one  Saviour;  and  they  claim  that  it  is  so  with 
every  good  work  in  which  man  is  sensible  of  his  own  will  There 
fore  they  assert  that  there  is  no  conjunction  whatever  between 
faith  and  charity;  and  that  faith  is  not  even  retained  and  pre- 
served by  good  works." 

[7]  But  those  of  the  left  flock  said,  «  You  tell  lies  about  them. 
Do  they  not  openly  preach  to  us  charity  and  the  works  of  char- 
ity, which  they  call  works  of  faith  ?" 

He  replied,  "You  do  not  understand  their  preaching;  only  a 
clergyman  who  may  be  present  attends  to  it  and  understands  it 
They  mean  moral  charity  only,  and  its  civil  and  political  good 
works,  those  they  call  the  works  of  faith,  although  they  are  noth- 
41 


642 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  Vlll. 


ing  of  the  kind,  for  an  atheist  may  do  them  in  the  same  man- 
ner and  under  the  same  form.  Therefore  with  one  accord  they 
declare  that  no  one  is  saved  by  any  works,  but  by  faith  only. 
But  let  this  be  illustrated  by  comparisons :  An  apple  tree  pro- 
duces apples;  but  if  a  man  does  good  for  the  sake  of  salvation, 
as  the  tree  produces  those  apples  by  continuity,  then  such  apples 
are  mwardly  rotten  and  fuU  of  worms.  They  also  say  that  a 
vine  produces  grapes ;  but  that  if  a  man  were  to  do  spiritual 
good  works  as  the  vine  produces  grapes,  he  would  produce  wild 

^^^[S^Then  they  asked, "  What  is  the  nature  of  their  goods  of 
charity  or  works,  which  are  the  fruits  of  faith  ?" 

He  replied  "  They  regard  them,  perhaps,  as  something  imper- 
ceptible, located  somewhere  near  faith,  but  having  no  connection 
with  it  being  like  the  shadow  that  follows  a  man  when  he  faces 
the  sun,  which  shadow  he  does  not  notice  unless  he  turns  around ; 
or  I  may  say,  they  are  lilve  horses'  tails,  which  are  now  cut  off 
in  many  countries ;  for  the  people  say,  What  is  the  use  of  them  ? 
They  are  good  for  nothing;  if  they  remain  on,  they  are  quickly 

befouled. " 

Hearing  this,  one  from  the  left  flock  said,  indignantly,  "  There 
is  certainly  some  conjunction ;  otherwise,  how  can  they  be  call- 
ed the  works  of  faith  ?  Perhaps  the  goods  of  charity  are  in- 
sinuated by  God  into  man's  voluntary  works  by  some  influx, 
as  by  some  affection,  aspiration,  inspiration,  incitement,  or  ex- 
citement of  the  will  by  tacit  perception  in  thought  and  exhor- 
tation therefrom,  by  contrition  and  thus  conscience,  and  the 
urgincr  thereof,  by  obedience  to  the  Decalogue  and  the  W  ord, 
such  as  is  rendered  by  a  child  or  a  wise  man,  or  by  some  other 
similar  means.    Otherwise,  how  can  they  be  called  the  fruits  of 

faith?"  ^  .^  ^,         ,  .      ^,    ^ 

To  this  the  priest  replied,  «Xot  so;  and  if  they  claim  that 
anything  is  done  by  such  means,  they  still  in  their  sermons 
overload  it  with  words  which  make  out  that  such  works  are 
not  from  faith.  Nevertheless,  some  teach  such  works,  although 
as  signs  of  faith,  and  not  as  the  bonds  connecting  it  with  char- 
ity.   And  some  have  divined  a  conjunction  by  means  of  the 

Word." 

Some  then  said,  <'Is  not  conjunction  so  effected? 


N.  500j 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOLTiTH 


But  he  replied,  "They  do  not  think  that;  but  only  that 


643 


it  is 


effected  .^  .^.  xx.ctrmg  oi  ine  word;  for  they  maintain  that 
everythnig  of  man's  rationality  and  volition  in  matters  of  faith 
is  impure  and  tainted  with  a  sense  of  merit,  since  man  in  spir- 
itual things  IS  no  more  able  to  understand,  will,  operate,  or  co- 
operate, than  a  stock."  ;      ^u- 

[0]  But  when  one  of  them  heard  that  man  is  believed  to  be 
such  m  all  things  pertaining  to  faith  and  salvation,  he  said  "I 
heard  a  man  say,  a  have  planted  a  vineyard;  now  I  will  drink 
wine  until  I  am  drunk.'  But  another  asked  him,  ^  WiU  you  drink 
the  wine  from  your  own  cup  by  your  own  right  hand  ?'  He  an- 
swered,  ^  ^o ;  but  from  an  unseen  cup  by  an  unseen  hand.'  And 
the  other  replied,  ^  You  will  certainly  not  get  drunk ' '' 

Presently  the  same  man  said,  "Iprayyou,  listen  to  me;  I  ad- 
vise you  to  drink  wme  from  the  Word  understood.  Do  you  not 
know  that  the  Lord  is  the  Word?  Is  not  the  Word  from  the 
Lord  Is  He  not  m  it  therefore  ?  Consequently,  if  you  do  good 
from  the  ^\  ord,  are  you  not  doing  it  from  the  Lord,  from  His 

•11  ri         I    "V^^  '^  ^"^  '^^^  ^^^^  '^  '^^  I^-^d.  He  Himself 
will  lead  and  teach  you,  and  you  will  do  that  good  of  yourselves 

romtheLord.  Whothatdoes  something  at  f he  word  and  mZ 
date  of  a  king,  can  say,  ^This  I  do  from  my  own  word  or  man- 
date,  and  from  my  own  will  ?' " 

nf  rS  ^'^  *''!"  ^''f  ^f  ^""^^"'^  *^®  ''^'^'•g^'  ^""^  «aid  "Ministers 
ot  (jod,  do  not  mislead  the  flock." 

Hearing  these  remarks,  the  greater  part  of  the  flock  on  the 
left  withdrew,  and  united  with  the  flock  on  the  right 

Then  some  of  the  clergy  said,  «  We  have  heard  what  we  never 
heard  before ;  we  are  the  shepherds ;  we  will  not  leave  the  sheep  " 
And  they  withdrew  also ;  and  they  said,  "  This  man  spoke  a  true 
Old.    ^Vhothatactsfromthe  Word,  thus  from  the  Lord,  iZ 
Ins  lips  and  will,  can  say,  'This  I  do  from  myself?'    Who  that 
acts  f roni  the  word  and  will  of  a  king  can  say,  <  This  I  do  f^Jm 
my  self  .->    Iv  ow  we  behold  the  Divine  Providence,  why  it  is  that  a 
conj  unction  of  faith  and  good  works,  acknowledged  b,>  an  ecde 
siastical  society,  has  not  been  found.    It  coulcf  not'be  foiSd 
because  It  could  not  exist,  for  there  Im  been  no  faith  in  the 

S\L  Word."  '''"''  "'  ''"''""  *'"^  ^^^  "^^  -  "^^^ 


im^mi 


aftaaAMin'lftiErJmiri  aet.*i^^ahMMiilfa 


644  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIII. 

But  the  other  priests,  who  belonged  to  the  flock  of  goats,  went 
away,  waving  their  caps  and  shouting, "  Faith  alone !    Long  live 

faith  alone !" 

507    Fifth  Memorable  Relation :— 

Once  when  conversing  with  the  angels,  I  finally  spoke  of  the 
lust  of  evil  which  is  in  every  man  from  his  birth.    One  s^d, 
«In  the  world  where  I  am,  those  who  are  in  lust  seem  to  us  an- 
gels as  if  they  were  infatuated;  but  to  «-"'f  ^^^ ^^^f^w 
to  be  consummately  wise.     Therefore    in  order  to  -tMi^w 
them  from  their  infatuation,  they  are  let  alternately  in  o  ,t  and 
into  the  rationality  which  they  possess  in  externals ;  but  in  th  s 
Lr  state  although  they  see,  acknowledge,  ami  eo"  es    tj^^r 
foUv  they  long  to  return  from  their  rational  to  then  toohsti 
sUte  and  they  let  themselves  down  into  that  state  as  if  they 
ler^'exchan^ing  what  is  compulsory  and  disagreeable  for  wha 
Ts  free  ^nd  d^elightful.    Thus  it  is  lust  and  not  intelbgence  tha 
gives  them  inttrior  delight.     L^]    There  are  thi.e  univei.al 
love!  of  which  every  man  is  by  creation  composed ;  love  of  the 
nelXr,  which  is  also  a  love  of  performing  uses,  which  love  is 
sp  rit^l'  love  of  the  world,  which  is  also  a  love  of  possessing 
wea  h  wHch  love  is  material;  and  love  of  self,  which  is  also 
Tloveo    ruling  over  others,  which  love  is  corporal.    Man  is 
truly  a  man,  when  love  of  the  neighbor,  or  love  of  performing 
uses  constitutes  the  head;  and  love  of  the  worid,  or  love  of 
rssessing  wealth  constitutes  the  chest  and  abdomen ;  while 
fove  of  seff  or  of  ruling  over  others,  forms  the  feet  and  the  soles 
of  the  feet     But  when  love  of  the  world  forms  the  head,  man 
is  merely  hunchbacked;  while  if  love  of  self  forms  the  head  he 
s  not  like  a  man  standing  on  his  feet,  but  like  one  standing 
on  the  palms  of  his  hands  with  his  head  down  and  his  poste- 
rior?L  the  air    [3]  When  a  love  of  doing  forms  the  head,  and 
Co  her  two  folm  the  body  and  feet  in  their  order  the  man 
appears  in  heaven  with  an  angelic  fa«e  and  a  beautiful  ra.n- 
Sw  aLt  his  head;  but  if  the  love  of  ^^^ -f  J/^^^J  ^, 
forms  the  head,  he  appears  from  heaven  with  a  face  Pale  Uke 
hat  of  a  corpse,  and  a  yellowish  circle  about  the  he^^;  and 
love  of  self  or  of  ruling  over  others,  f  onns  the  head,  he  appears 
tmheaten  with  a  du^ky-glowiBg  face  and  a  white  circle  about 

the  head." 


N.  607] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIFTH 


645 


Thereupon  I  asked,  -  What  do  the  ch-cles  about  the  head  rep- 
resent  ?"  ^ 

They  replied,  "They  represent  inteUigence;  the  white  circle 
about  the  head  with  the  dusky-glowing  face  represents  that  the 
intelligence  of  that  man  is  in  externals  or  round  about  him, 
while  m  his  internals  or  witliin  him  there  is  folly;  and  further! 
more  such  a  man  is  wise  when  in  the  body,  but  foolish  when  in 
tlie  spirit;  and  no  man  is  wise  in  spirit  except  from  the  Lord, 
and^he  becomes  such  when  he  is  born  and  created  anew  by  the 

W  After  these  remarks  the  earth  was  opened  toward  the  left 
and  I  saw  rising  up  through  the  opening  a  devil  with  a  dusky- 
glowing  face  and  a  wliite  circle  about  liis  head ;  I  asked  «  Who 
are  you?"  ",     nuu 

T  ,.!!^i  '''''^'  "IT^  ^''"''^^''  "'®  '"'^  "^  t^**  morning;  and  because 
I  made  myself  like  unto  tlie  Most  High,  I  was  cast  down,  as  I 
mn  described  m  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  IsaiahJ'  He  was  not 
that  Lucifer,  but  he  believed  that  he  was. 

I  said,  « Since  you  have  been  cast  down,  how  can  you  rise 
again  out  of  hell?"  •'  ® 

He  replied,  "There  I  am  a  devil;  but  here  I  am  an  angel  of 
light.    Do  you  not  see  that  my  head  is  girt  with  a  white  band? 
1  ou  shall  also  see,  if  you  wish,  that  I  am  moral  among  the  moral 
rational  among  the  rational,  and  even  spiritual  among  those 
who  are  spiritual.    I  have  also  been  able  to  preach." 
1  asked,  "  How  did  you  preach  ?" 

He  replied,  "Against  defrauders,  adulterers,  and  all  infernal 
loves;  and  then  being  Lucifer,  I  even  called  myself  the  devil 
and  against  myself  I  accursed  him ;  and  for  so  doing  I  was  bonie 
up  to  heaven  with  praises.    That  is  why  I  have  been  called  the 
son  of  the  morning.    And  what  astonished  myself,  when  I  was 
in  the  pulpit  I  had  no  thought  but  what  I  was  speaking  rightly 
aiid  truly.    But  the  cause  of  this  was  disclosed  to  me,  namely 
that  I  was  in  externals,  and  these  were  then  separated  from  my 
internals.    But  although  this  was  disclosed  to  me,  still  I  could 
not  change,  because  I  had  exalted  myself  above  the  Most  High 
and  set  myself  up  against  Him."  ' 

[5]  Finally  I  asked, "  How  could  you  talk  so,  when  you  your- 
selt  are  a  defrauder  and  an  adultei-er  ?" 


646 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIIL 


N.  507] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIFTH 


647 


He  replied, "  I  am  one  thing  when  in  externals  or  in  the  body, 
and  another  when  in  internals  or  in  spirit.  In  the  body  I  am 
an  angel,  but  in  spirit  a  devil;  for  in  the  body  I  am  in  under- 
standfng,  but  in  spirit  I  am  in  the  will;  and  the  understanding 
carries  me  upward,  while  the  will  carries  me  downward.  While 
1  am  in  the  understanding  a  white  band  encompasses  my  head ; 
but  when  the  understanding  gives  itself  up  wholly  to  the  will, 
and  becomes  the  will's,  which  is  our  final  lot,  then  the  band 
grows  black  and  disappears,  and  when  this  takes  place,  I  am  no 
longer  able  to  ascend  into  this  light.'' 

But  all  at  once,  as  he  saw  the  angels  with  me,  his  face  grew 
red  and  his  voice  excited,  and  even  the  band  about  his  head  be- 
came black,  and  he  sank  down  to  hell  through  the  opening  by 
which  he  had  arisen. 

From  what  they  had  seen  and  heard,  the  bystanders  came  to 
this  conclusion,  that  a  man's  quality  is  such  as  his  wiU  is,  not 
such  as  his  understanding  is,  since  the  will  easily  draws  the  un- 
derstanding over  to  its  side  and  enslaves  it. 

[O]  I  then  asked  the  angels, "  Whence  have  the  devils  ration- 
ality?'' ^^  ^      ^ 

And  they  said,  ^'  It  is  from  the  glory  of  the  love  of  self,  for  the 
love  of  self  is  encompassed  with  a  glory,  this  glory  being  the  re- 
splendence of  its  fire,  and  it  exalts  the  understanding  almost  in- 
to the  light  of  heaven.    For  the  understanding  in  every  man  is 
capable  of  elevation  according  to  his  knowledges ;  but  the  will 
can  be  elevated  only  by  a  life  according  to  the  truths  of  the 
church  and  of  reason.    Hence  it  is  that  even  atheists,  who  are 
in  the  glory  of  fame  from  self-love,  and  thereby  in  the  pride  of 
self -intelligence,  enjoy  a  loftier  rationality  than  many  others; 
but  that  is  when  they  are  in  the  thought  of  tlie  understanding, 
noG  in  the  love  of  the  will,  and  the  love  of  the  will  possesses  the 
internal  njan,  but  the  thought  of  the  imder standing  the  exter- 
nal."   The  angel  furthermore  explained  why  man  is  composed 
of  three  loves,  namely,  the  love  of  use,  the  love  of  the  world, 
and  the  love  of  self ;  it  is  in  order  that  man  may  think  from 
God,  yet  wholly  as  if  of  himself.     He  said  that  the  highest 
things  of  man's  mind  were  turned  upward  towards  God,  the  in- 
ternrediate  outward  towards  the  world,  and  the  lowest  down- 
ward into  the  body ;  and  because  these  latter  are  turned  down- 


waid,  although  man  thinks  from  God,  he  thinks  wholly  as  of 
508.  Sixth  Memorable  Eelation  — 

in^om'^the  w'  7"?"^  *°  "''  *  niagnificent  temple,  sqnare 
ifed  i.Ti  1  >  \7^'  crown^haped,  arched  above  and 
raised  lound  about;  its  walls  were  continuous  windows  of  crvs- 
ta  ;  Its  door  wa«  of  a  pearly  substance.  Within  on  the  south 
side,  towards  the  west  wa.  a  pulpit,  on  the  righlhand  side  of 
which  lay  the  oi^n  Word  enveloped  in  a  sphL  of  l^M  the 
splendor  of  whicli  surrounded  and  illuminated  the  whole  pul- 
pit.  In  the  center  of  the  temple  was  a  sanctuary,  befo  e  wlSh 
there  was  a  veil,  at  tliat  time  raised,  and  there  a  golden  cherub 
stood  with  a  sword  turning  hither  and  thither  iif  hisZd! 

one  of  thei'fl      t    .''*  "''''  *'"'^^''  '^'  significance  of  each 
T^      T    ^'^  '"*°  "^  meditation :  The  temple  signified 
the  ^  ew  Church ;  the  door  of  pearly  substance,  entrance  into  it 
the  windows  of  crystal,  the  truths  that  enlighten  it;  the  pulpit 
SXatd  in     '-^"^P-^^i-'g'  *he  Word  lying  op;n  upS 

la  oITh.     T'"1'"^'  ''"'  ^Pi'""^  P"'*  °^  i*'  signifi'^d  the  reve- 
lation of  the  mternal  sense  of  the  Word,  which  is  spiritual-  the 

sanctuaiy  in  the  center  of  the  temple  signified  the  conjim  t  o^ 

in  th? w"f  •  "f  *''  '"^""^  '"'^''''^ '  *^«  S°1J-  cherub  t  W 
11,  the  Word  in  he  sense  of  the  letter;  the  sword  waving  in  h's 

hand  signified  that  this  sense  can  be  turned  in  any  diLtio-T 
provided  It  IS  done  in  adaptation  to  some  truth ;  the'^eil  So"' 
the  chenib  being  raised,  signified  that  the  Word  i^  now  laid  open 
«li  ,1^*™*!' ^^hen  I  drew  nearer,  I  saw  this  inscripLn 
above  the  door,  mne  Lleet-It  is  now  per.nitted-..],i,Y,  sign" 
hed  that  It  IS  now  permitted  to  enter  understandingly  into  the 

riTu  t?f ;  •''""  T"^  *^'^  "^^'^"P"-  it  came  iito 
my  thought  that  it  is  exceedingly  dangerous  to  enter  with  the 

lu  derstandmg  into  dogmas  of  faith  that  are  concocted  out  ot 
self-mtelligence,  and  therefore  out  of  falsities,  and  still  more  so 
to  confirm  them  from  the  W^ord ;  by  this  means  the  understand- 
ing IS  closed  above,  and  gradually  below  as  well,  to  such  a  de- 
gree that  theology  is  not  only  despised  but  also  obliterated  from 
the  mind,  as  writing  on  paper  is  by  worms,  or  the  wool  of  a  gar- 
ment by  moths.  Then  the  understanding  abides  only  in  polit- 
ical matters,  which  have  regard  to  man's  life  under  the  govern- 


648 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  VIIL 


N.  609] 


REPENTANCE 


649 


ment  where  he  is,  and  in  the  civil  matters  pertaining  to  his  em- 
ployment, and  in  the  domestic  affairs  of  his  own  house.  And 
in  aU  these  things  he  constantly  kisses  nature,  and  owing  to  the 
allurements  of  her  pleasures,  loves  her  as  an  idolater  loves  the 

golden  image  in  his  bosom. 

[4]  Since  then,  the  dogmas  of  the  present  Christian  churches 
have  not  been  formed  from  the  Word,  but  from  self-intelligence, 
and  therefore  from  falsities,  and  also  have  been  conlirmed  by  cer- 
tain passages  from  the  Word;  by  the  Lord's  Divine  Providence 
the  Word  among  the  Eoman  Catholics  has  been  taken  trom  the 
laity,  and  among  Protestants  has  been  opened,  and  yet  has  been 
closed  by  their  common  declaration  that  the  understanding  must 
be  held  in  obedience  to  their  faith. 

[5]  But  in  the  New  Church  the  contrary  is  the  case ;  there 
it  is  permitted  to  enter  with  tlie  understanding  and  penetrate 
into  all  her  secrets,  and  to  conlirm  them  by  the  Word,  because 
her  doctrines  are  continuous  truths  laid  open  by  the  Lord  by 
means  of  the  Word,  and  confirmations  of  these  truths  by  ra- 
tional  means  cause  the  understanding  to  be  opened  above  more 
and  more,  and  thus  to  be  raised  into  the  light  in  which  the^an- 
gels  of  heaven  are.    That  light  in  its  essence  is  truth,  and  m 
that  light  acknowledgment  of  the  Lord  as  the  God  of  heaven  and 
earth  shines  in  its  glory.    This  is  what  is  meant  by  the  inscrip- 
tion Nunc  Licet  over  the  door  of  the  temple,  and  also  by  the  veil 
of  the  sanctuary  before  the  cherub  being  raised,    h  or  it  is  a 
canon  of  the  New  Church,  that  falsities  close  the  understand- 
ing, and  that  truths  open  it.  '   f    ^, 
[6]  After  this  I  saw  above  my  head  something  like  an  intant, 
holding  in  his  hand  a  paper.    As  he  drew  near  to  me,  he  in- 
creased to  the  stature  of  a  medium-sized  man.    He  was  an  an- 
gel from  the  third  heaven,  where  all  at  a  distance  look  like  m- 
fajits     When  he  came  to  me,  he  handed  me  the  paper;  but  as 
the  writing  was  in  rounded  letters,  such  as  they  have  m  that 
heaven,  I  returned  the  paper,  and  asked  him  to  explain  to  me 
the  meaning  of  the  words  there  written,  in  terms  adapted  to 

the  ideas  of  my  thought.  ^,     .  ^ 

He  replied, "  This  is  what  is  here  written :  Enter  hereafter  into 
the  mysteries  of  the  Word,  which  has  been  heretofore  shut  np:  >• 
the  particular  truths  therein  are  so  many  mirrors  of  the  Lord. 


CHAPTEE    IX. 


REPENTANCE. 


509.    After   treating   of  Faith,  Charity,  and  Freedom   of 
Choice,  next  in  connection  comes  Kepentance,  because  without 
repentance  true  faith  and  genuine  charity  are  impossible ;  and 
without  freedom  of  choice  no  man  can  repent.    Kepentance  is 
now  treated  of  for  the  further  reason  that  the  subject  of  Re- 
generation follows,  and  no  man  can  be  regenerated  until  the 
more  grievous  evils,  which  render  him  detestable  in  the  sight  of 
God,  are  put  away,  and  this  is  done  by  means  of  repentance. 
What  is  an  unregenerate  man  but  an  impenitent  one  ?    And  is 
not  an  impenitent  man  like  one  who  is  in  a  state  of  lethargy, 
who  knows  nothing  of  sin,  and  therefore  cherishes  it  in  his 
bosom,  and  kisses  it  every  day,  as  an  adulterer  kisses  a  harlot 
in  his  bed  ?    But  to  make  clear  what  repentance  is,  and  what  it 
accomplishes,  the  treatment  of  it  shall  be  separated  into  sections. 


I. 

REPENTANCE  IS  THE   FIRST  THING  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  MAN. 

510.  The  communion  called  the  church  consists  of  all  men 
in  whom  the  church  is,  and  the  church  enters  into  man  when 
he  is  becoming  regenerate,  and  every  one  becomes  regenerate 
by  abstaining  from  the  evils  of  sin,  and  shunning  them  as  one 
would  an  infernal  horde  with  torches  in  hand,  endeavoring  to 
overtake  him  and  throw  liim  upon  a  burning  pile.  There  are 
many  means  by  whicli  man,  as  he  progresses  in  his  early  years, 
is  prepared  for  the  church  and  introduced  into  it ;  but  the 
means  whereby  the  church  is  established  in  man  are  acts  of  re- 
pentance. Acts  of  repentance  are  all  such  things  as  cause  man 
not  to  will  and  consequently  not  to  commit  evils,  which  are 
sins  against  God ;  for  until  this  takes  place  man  stands  outside 
of  regeneration,  and  if  any  thought  respecting  eternal  salvation 


650 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


should  then  creep  into  his  mind,  he  turns  toward  it,  but  im- 
mediately turns  away  from  it ;  for  it  enters  the  man  no  further 
than  into  the  ideas  of  his  thought,  and  from  that  goes  forth 
into  the  words  of  his  speech,  and  also,  it  may  be,  into  some 
gestures  conformable  to  speech.    But  when  such  thought  enters 
the  will,  it  is  in  the  man ;  for  the  will  is  the  man  himself,  be- 
cause in  it  his  love  resides,  while  thought  is  outside  of  the  man, 
except  when  it  proceeds  from  his  will,  and  then  will  and  thought 
act  as  one,  and  both  together  constitute  the  man.    From  this  it 
follows,  that,  for  repentance  to  be  repentance,  and  to  be  effec- 
tive in  man,  it  must  be  a  repentance  of  the  will  and  from  that 
of  the  thought,  and  not  of  the  thought  only  ;  therefore  that  it 
should  be  actual  repentance,  and  not  merely  verbal.    That  re- 
pentance is  the  first  thing  of  the  church,  is  very  evident  from 
the  Word.    John  the  Baptist,  who  was  sent  beforehand  to  pre- 
pare men  for  the  church  which  the  Lord  was  about  to  establish, 
when  he  baptized  preached  at  the  same  time  repentance ;  and 
therefore  his  baptism  was  called  the  baptism  of  repentance,  for 
the  reason  that  baptism  signified  spiritual  washing,  which  is  a 
cleansing  from  sin.    This  John  did  in  Jordan,  because  Jordan 
signified  introduction  into  the  church,  for  it  was  the  first  boun- 
dary of  the  land  of  Canaan  where  the  church  was.    The  Lord 
himself  also  preached  repentance  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
teaching  thereby  that  repentance  is  the  first  thing  of  the  church, 
and  that  so  far  as  man  repents  his  sins  are  put  away,  and  so 
far  as  they  are  put  away,  they  are  forgiven.    And  still  further, 
the  Lord  commanded  His  twelve  apostles,  and  also  the  seventy 
whom  He  sent  forth,  to  preach  repentance.    From  all  this  it  is 
clear  that  the  first  thing  of  the  church  is  repentance. 

511.  That  the  church  is  not  in  man  until  the  sins  in  him 
have  been  put  away,  any  one  may  conclude  from  reason,  and 
it  may  be  illustrated  by  the  following  comparisons :  Who  can 
introduce  sheep,  and  kids  and  lambs  into  fields  or  woods  where 
there  are  all  kinds  of  wild  beasts,  before  he  has  driven  out  the 
beasts  ?  Who  can  make  a  garden  out  of  a  piece  of  ground  that 
is  overgrown  with  thorns,  briars,  and  nettles,  before  he  has 
rooted  out  those  noxious  weeds  ?  Who  can  establish  a  mode  of 
administering  justice  according  to  judicial  practices  in  a  city 
held  by  hostile  forces,  and  establish  citizenship,  before  he  has 


-riinrWflilitiriliTlflll 


N.  511] 


REPENTANCE 


651 


expelled  those  forces  ?  It  is  the  same  with  evils  in  man  They 
are  like  wild  beasts,  like  thorns  and  briars,  and  like  hostile 
forces;  and  the  church  can  no  more  have  a  common  abode 
with  evils  than  a  man  can  dwell  in  a  cage  where  there  are  tigers 
and  leopards ;  or  sleep  in  a  bed  with  poisonous  herbs  strewed 
upon  It  and  stuffed  into  the  pillows;  or  sleep  at  night  in  a 
church,  beneath  the  floor  of  which  are  sepulchres  containing 
dead  bodies.    Would  not  ghosts  infest  him  there  like  furies  v 


II. 

THE     CONTRITION,    WHICH     AT    THE    PRESENT   DAY    IS     SAID     TO 
PRECEDE    FAITH,   AND    TO    BE    FOLLOWED    BY    THE    CONSO- 
LATION   OF    THE    GOSPEL,    IS    NOT    REPENTANCE. 

512.  In  the  Reformed  Christian  world  a  certain  kind  of 
anxiety,  grief,  and  terror  are  spoken  of,  which  they  call  con- 
trition,  which  precedes  faith  in  those  who  are  about  to  be  re- 
generated, and  which  is  followed  by  the  consolation  of  the  Gos- 
pel.   They  claim  that  this  contrition  in  such  persons  arises 
from  a  fear  of  that  just  wrath  of  God  and  consequent  eternal 
damnation  which  inheres  in  every  man,  owing  to  the  sin  of 
Adam  and  the  resulting  proclivity  of  man  to  evil;  also,  that 
without  that  contrition,  the  faith  which  imputes  to  man  the 
merit  and  righteousness  of  the  Lord  the  Saviour,  is  not  be- 
stowed ;  and  tha  t  those  who  have  obtained  this  faith,  receive 
the  consolation  of  the  Gospel,  which  is,  that  they  are  justified, 
that  IS,  renewed,  regenerated  and  sanctified,  without  any  co- 
operation of  their  own,  and  are  thus  transferred  from  a  state 
of  damnation  to  one  of  eternal  blessedness,  which  is  life  eter- 
nal.   But  respecting  this  contrition  the  following  questions  are 
to  be  considered:  1.  Is  it  repentance?    2.  Is  it  of  any  conse- 
quence ?    3.  Is  there  such  a  thing  ? 

513.  Whether  contrition  is  repentance  or  not,  may  be  inferred 
from  the  description  of  repentance  given  hereafter,  where  it  is 
shown  that  repentance  is  impossible  unless  man  is  aware  that 
not  only  generally  but  hi  every  least  particular  he  is  a  sinner; 


652 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


and  this  no  man  can  know,  unless  he  examines  himself,  sees  the 
evils  that  are  in  him,  and  condemns  himself  on  account  of  them. 
But  the  contrition  that  is  declared  to  be  necessary  to  faith,  has 
nothing  in  common  with  all  this ;  for  it  is  merely  the  thought 
and  the  confession  therefrom,  that  man  is  born  into  the  sin  of 
Adam,  and  into  a  proclivity  to  the  evils  springing  from  it ;  con- 
sequently, that  the  wrath  of  God  is  upon  him,  and  therefore  a 
well-deserved  damnation,  doom,  and  eternal  death.  From  all 
this  it  is  plain  that  contrition  is  not  repentance. 

514.  The  next  point  is,  since  that  contrition  is  not  repent- 
ance, is  it  of  any  consequence  ?    It  is  said  to  contribute  to  faith 
as  an  antecedent  to  its  consequent,  although  it  does  not  enter 
into  faith  and  conjoin  itself  with  it  by  mingling  tlierewith. 
But  what  is  the  faith  that  follows  it,  but  that  God  the  Father 
imputes  the  righteousness  of  His  Son,  and  then  declares  man, 
while  he  is  yet  unconscious  of  any  sin,  to  be  righteous,  renewed, 
and  holy,  and  thus  clothes  him  in  a  robe  washed  and  made 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  ?    And  when  man  walks  in  this 
robe,  what  are  the  evils  of  his  life  but  like  stones  of  sulphur 
thrown  into  the  depths  of  the  sea  ?    And  what  is  then  the  sin 
of  Adam  but  something  covered  over,  or  set  aside,  or  carried 
away  by  the  imputed  righteousness  of  (Christ  ?    When  man,  be- 
cause of  that  faith,  walks  in  the  righteousness  and  at  the  same 
time  in  the  innocence  of  God  the  Saviour,  what  is  the  use  of 
that  contrition  imless  to  give  him  the  assurance  that  he  is  in 
Abraham's  bosom,  and  may  therefore  regard  those  who  have 
not  experienced  the  contrition  that  precedes  faitli  as  miserable 
in  hell,  or  as  dead,  since  it  is  said  that  those  who  lack  contri- 
tion have  no  living  faith  ?    Consequently  it  may  be  asserted 
that  when  those  who  have  experienced  such  contrition  have 
sunk  or  are  sinking  into  damnable  evils,  they  pay  no  more  at- 
tention to  them,  and  are  no  more  senj^ible  of  them,  than  pigs 
lying  in  muddy  gutters  of  the  street  are  sensiV)le  of  the  stench. 
Evidently,  therefore,  such  contrition,  not  being  repentance,  is 

of  no  consequence. 

515.  The  third  point  to  be  considered  is,  Whether  apart  from 
repentance  there  can  he  any  such  contrition?  In  the  spiritual 
world  I  asked  many  who  had  (confirmed  in  themselves  a  faith 
imputative  of  Christ's  merit,  whether  they  had  experienced  any 


N.  615] 


REPENTANCE 


653 


contrition ;  and  they  replied,  -  Why  contrition,  when  from  child- 
hood we  have  believed  as  a  certainty  that  Christ  took  away  all 
our  sms  by  His  passion  ?    Contrition  does  not  square  with  this 
•    belief;  for  contrition  is  a  man's  casting  himself  into  hell  and 
torturing  his  conscience,  when  he  knows,  nevertheless,  that  he 
has  been  redeemed  and  thus  delivered  from  hell,  and  is  conse- 
quently secure  from  harm."    To  this  they  added,  that  this  law 
of  contrition  is  a  purely  fictitious  thing  accepted  in  place  of  the 
repentance  that  is  so  frequently  mentioned  and  also  enjoined  in 
the  Word;  although  with  the  simple,  perhaps,  who  know  but 
little  about  the  Gospel,  there  is  some  emotion  of  mind  when 
they  hear  or  think  about  the  torments  of  hell.    They  also  said, 
that  the  consolation  of  the  Gospel  impressed  upon  their  minds 
from  earliest  youth  so  banished  contrition,  that  in  their  hearts 
they  laughed  at  the  mere  mention  of  it;  and  that  hell  could  no 
more  strike  them  with  terror  than  the  fires  of  Vesuvius  or  Etna 
could  terrify  those  who  live  at  Warsaw  or  Vienna,  or  than  the 
basilisks  and  vipers  in  the  deserts  of  Arabia,  or  the  tigers  and 
hons  in  the  forests  of  Tartary,  could  terrify  those  who  live  in 
safety,  tranqinllity,  and  quiet  in  some  European  city;  also  that 
he  wrath  of  God  excited  no  more  terror  or  contrition  in  them 
than  the  wrath  of  the  king  of  Persia  would  excite  in  those  who 
live  ml  ennsylvania.    By  all  this  together  with  rational  infer- 
ences  from  their  declarations  I  was  convinced  that  contrition 
unless  It  IS  repentance  such  as  is  hereinafter  described,  is  noth- 
ing but  a  freak  of  imagination.    The  reason  why  the  Reformed 
adopted  contrition  in  place  of  repentance,  was  that  they  miL^ht 
separate  themselves  from  the  Roman  Catholics,  who  insist  upon 
repentance  and  at  the  same  time  upon  charity ;  and  when  they 
afterward  established  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  alone 
they  alleged  as  their  reason  for  this  change,  that  by  repentance,' 
as  by  charity,  something  of  the  man's  own,  which  savored  of 
merit,  entered  into  his  faith  and  blackened  it. 


654 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


III. 


THE    MERE    LIP-CONFESSION    THAT    ONE    IS    A    SINNER    IS    NOT 

REPENTANCE. 

516.  On  this  lip-confession  the  Eeformed  who  adhere  to  the 
Augsburg  Confession  teach  as  follows : — 

"  No  man  can  ever  know  his  sins ;  wherefore  they  cannot  be 
enumerated ;  moreover,  they  are  interior  and  hidden,  so  that  a 
confession  of  them  would  be  false,  uncertain,  maimed  and  muti- 
lated; but  he  who  confesses  himself  to  be  nothing  but  sin,  in- 
cludes all  sins,  excludes  none,  and  forgets  none.  Still  the  enu- 
meration of  sins,  although  not  necessary,  is  not  to  be  done  away 
with,  out  of  regard  for  tender  and  timid  consciences ;  but  this 
is  only  a  childish  and  common  form  of  confession  for  simpler 
and  ruder  people"  {Formula  Concorclice,  pages  327,  331,  380). 

But  by  the  Eeformed,  after  they  had  separated  from  the  Ro- 
man Catholics,  this  confession  was  adopted  in  place  of  actual  re- 
pentance, because  it  is  based  upon  their  imputative  faith,  which 
alone  apart  from  charity,  and  thus  apart  from  repentance  also, 
works  the  forgiveness  of  sins  and  regenerates  man ;  it  is  based 
also  upon  this,  which  is  an  inseparable  appendix  to  that  faith, 
that  there  is  no  co-operation  on  man's  part  with  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  the  act  of  justification;  also  upon  this,  that  man  has  no  free- 
dom of  choice  in  spiritual  things ;  and  again  upon  this,  that  all 
things  depend  upon  mercy  apart  from  means,  and  nothing  what- 
ever is  effected  mediately  by  or  through  man. 

517.  Among  the  many  reasons  why  the  mere  lip-confession 
of  being  a  sinner  is  not  repentance,  is  this,  that  every  one,  an 
impious  man  or  even  a  devil,  may  make  that  declaration,  and 
this  with  external  devotion,  when  he  thinks  of  the  torments  of 
hell,  either  those  present  or  impending.  But  who  does  not  see 
that  this  is  not  from  any  internal  devotion,  consequently  that 
it  is  imaginary  and  therefore  a  matter  of  the  lungs,  and  not  a 
matter  of  the  will  from  within,  and  thus  of  the  heart?  For  an 
impious  man  and  a  devil  still  burn  inwardly  with  the  lusts  of 
the  love  of  doing  evil,  by  which  they  are  moved  like  windmills 
driven  by  strong  winds ;  therefore  such  a  declaration  is  nothing 


N.  517] 


REPENTANCE 


(ioo 


but  a  contrivance  to  cheat  God  for  the  sake  of  deliverance  or  to 
deceive  the  simple.    For  what  is  easier  than  to  compel  the  lips 
to  cry  out,  and  the  breath  of  the  mouth  to  adapt  itself  thereto 
and  to  turn  up  the  eyes  and  raise  the  hands  ?    This  is  the  same 
as  what  the  Lord  says  in  Mark : 

Well  hath  Isaiah  prophesied  of  you,  hypocrites,  This  people  honoreth 
Me  with  their  lips,  but  their  heart  is  far  from  Me  (vii.  0); 

and  in  Matthew: — 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees  !  for  ye  cleanse  the  outside  of  the 
cup  and  the  platter,  but  within  they  are  full  with  extortion  and  excess. 
Thou  blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  the  inside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter 

chapteiO ''''  "^^^  ^^  ''^^^''  ^^^"^  ^'^^''''  ^'''  ^^  '  ^"""^  "^""^  ^^  ^^'^  ^^"^^ 

518.  Ill  a  like  hypocritical  worship  are  those  who  have  con- 
firmed m  themselves  the  faith  of  the  present  church,  that  the 
Lord  by  tlie  passion  of  the  cross  took  away  all  the  sins  of  the 
world,  meaning  thereby  the  sins  of  every  man,  if  only  they  pray 
according  to  the  formularies  about  propitiation  and  mediation 
home  of  them  can  pour  forth  from  the  pulpit,  with  loud  voices 
and  apparently  burning  zeal,  many  holy  utterances  about  repent- 
ance and  charity,  while  they  deem  both  of  these  useless  in  re- 
spect to  salvation ;  for  by  repentance  they  mean  no  other  than 
lip-confession,  and  by  charity  that  charity  only  that  pertains  to 
public  life;  but  this  they  do  to  please  the  people.    It  is  such 
who  are  meant  by  these  words  of  the  Lord : 

Many  will  say  to  Me  in  that  day.  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied 
by  Thy  name  ?  and  in  Thy  imme  done  many  mighty  works  ?  ^ut  4en 
will  1  profess  unto  them,  I  know  you  not ;  depart  from  Me,  ye  that  work 
iniquity  {Matt.  vii.  22,  23).  '  ^  ^ 

In  the  spiritual  world  I  once  heard  a  man  praying  after  this 
manner :  - 1  am  full  of  sores,  leprous,  unclean  from  my  mother's 
womb;  there  is  not  a  sound  spot  in  me  from  my  head  to  the  sole 
of  my  foot;  I  am  not  worthy  to  raise  my  eyes  towards  God-  I 
am  deserving  of  death  and  eternal  damnation ;  have  mercy  up- 
on me  for  the  sake  of  Thy  Son ;  purify  me  in  His  blood ;  on  Thy 
good  pleasure  depends  the  salvation  of  all;  I  implore  mercy'' 

Hearing  him  pray  thus,  the  bystanders  asked,  '^How  do  you 
know  that  you  are  such?" 

He  replied,  "  I  know  it  because  I  have  heard  so." 


656 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


N.  520] 


But  he  was  then  sent  to  angelic  examiners,  before  whom  he 
spoke  in  the  same  way ;  and  these,  after  examination,  reported 
that  he  had  spoken  the  truth  about  himself,  and  yet  without 
knowing  a  single  evil  m  himself,  because  he  had  never  exam- 
ined himself,  but  had  believed  that  after  lip-confession  evils 
were  no  longer  evils  in  the  sight  of  God,  both  because  God  turns 
His  eyes  away  from  them,  and  because  He  has  been  propitiated. 
In  consequence  of  this  he  had  not  come  to  a  sense  of  any  evil, 
although  he  was  a  willful  adulterer,  a  thief,  a  wily  detractor, 
and  intensely  revengeful;  such  he  was  in  heart  and  will,  and 
therefore  would  be  such  in  word  and  deed  did  not  the  fear  of 
the  law  and  of  the  loss  of  reputation  restrain  him.  After  he. 
was  found  to  be  such,  he  was  judged  and  sent  away  to  the  hypo- 
crites in  hell. 

519.  The  character  of  such  may  be  illustrated  by  compari- 
sons. They  are  like  temples  where  only  the  spirits  of  the  dragon, 
and  those  who  are  meant  by  "  locusts''  in  the  Apocahjpse,  are 
congregated ;  and  they  are  like  the  pulpits  therein,  where  the 
AVord  is  not  because  it  is  put  beneath  the  feet.    They  are  like 
plastered  walls  with  the  plaster  beautifully  colored,  but  within 
them  when  the  windows  are  opened,  owls  and  direful  night  birds 
are  flying  about.    They  are  like  whitened  sepulchres  which  con- 
tain dead  men's  bones.    They  are  like  coins  made  of  the  dregs 
of  oil  or  of  dried  dung  covered  with  gold.    They  are  like  the 
bark  and  wood  filler  covering  rotten  wood;  like  the  garments  of 
Aaron's  sons  about  a  leprous  body ;  and  even  like  ulcers  contain- 
ing pus  covered  over  with  a  thin  skin,  and  supposed  to  be  healed. 
Who  does  not  know  that  a  holy  external  and  a  profane  internal 
do  not  accord  ?    Such  also  are  more  afraid  than  others  to  ex- 
amine themselves ;  therefore  they  are  no  more  sensible  of  the 
viciousness  within  them,  than  they  are  of  the  pungent  and  ill- 
smelling  substances  in  their  stomachs  and  bowels  before  they 
are  cast  out  into  the  draught.    But  it  must  be  remembered  that 
those  here  spoken  of  are  not  to  be  confounded  with  those  who 
do  weU  and  believe  rightly,  nor  with  those  who  repent  of  some 
sins,  and  when  worshiping,  and  still  more  when  in  spiritual 
temptation,  speak  within  themselves  or  pray  from  a  like  oral 
confession;  for  such  a  general  confession  both  precedes  and  fol- 
lows reformation  and  regeneration. 


REPENTANCE 


IV. 


657 


MAN  IS  BOKN  [WITH  AN  INCLIXATIOX]  TO  EVILS  OF  EVERY  KIXD; 

AND   UNLESS   HE   TO   SOME  EXTENT    REMOVES   HIS   EVILS   BY 

REPENTANCE,  HE    REMAINS    IN   THEM;    AND    HE  WHO 

REMAINS    IN    EVILS,    CANNOT    BE    SAVED. 

520.  That  every  man  is  born  [with  an  inclination]  to  evils, 
so  that  he  is  nothing  but  evil  from  his  mother's  womb,  is  well 
known  in  the  church;  and  it  has  become  known  because  it  has 
been  handed  down  by  the  councils  and  leaders  of  the  churches, 
that  the  sin  of  Adam  was  transmitted  to  all  his  posterity ;  and 
that  for  this  sin  alone  every  man  after  him  has  been  damned 
along  with  him;  and  that  it  is  this  sin  that  is  inherent  in  every 
man  by  birth.    On  this  assertion,  moreover,  other  things  taught 
by  the  churches  are  based,  as  that  the  washing  of  regeneration, 
which  is  called  baptism,  was  instituted  by  the  Lord  in  order 
that  this  sin  might  be  removed;  that  tliis  was  the  reason  for  the 
Lord's  coming;  and  that  faith  in  His  merit  is  the  means  whereby 
it  is  removed,  besides  other  doctrines  which  have  been  based  by 
the  churches  upon  this  assertion.    But  that  there  is  no  inherited 
evil  from  that  origin  can  be  seen  from  what  has  been  shown 
above  (n.  466,  sefj.),  that  Adam  was  not  the  first  man,  but  that 
the  story  of  Adam  and  his  wife  representatively  describes  the 
first  church  on  this  earth,— the  garden  of  Eden  its  wisdom,  the 
tree  of  life  its  looking  to  the  Lord  who  was  to  come,  and  the 
tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  its  looking  to  self  and 
not  to  the  Lord.    That  this  church  is  what  is  representatively 
described  by  the  first  chapters  of   Genesis  has  been  clearly 
proven  by  many  parallel  passages  from  the  Word  in  the  Arcana 
Cmlestta,  published  at  London.    When  these  things  are  under- 
stood and  accepted  the  opinion  heretofore  entertained  that  the 
evil  innate  in  man  from  his  parents  is  from  that  source  falls  to 
the  ground,  for  that  evil  has  a  different  origin.     In  the  chapter 
on  Freedom  of  Choice  it  has  been  fully  shown  that  the  tree  of 
life  and  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  are  in  every 
man,  and  that  they  are  said  to  be  located  in  a  garden  to  signify 
man's  freedom  of  choice  to  turn  to  the  Lord  or  to  turn  away 
from  Him. 
42 


„.l.^t-J.-  -A.,-  ^^.^■■■.     ■>■   ■■■>». ^--■■.o..,;.i>i-aaJj 


658 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[C'lIAP.  IX. 


521.  But,  my  friend,  parents  are  the  only  source  of  inherited 
evil ;  not  the  evil  itself  which  a  man  actually  commits,  but  the 
inclination  thereto.  Every  one  who  combines  reason  and  exper- 
ience will  acknowledge  that  this  is  so.  Who  does  not  know  that 
children  are  born  with  a  general  resemblance  to  their  parents  in 
features,  manners,  and  disposition,  and  even  grandchildren  and 
great-grandchildren  with  a  resemblance  to  grandparents  and 
great-grandparents ;  also  that  many  are  able  thus  to  distinguish 
families  from  each  other,  and  even  nations,  as  Africans  from 
Europeans,  Neapolitans  from  Germans,  Englishmen  from 
Frenchmen,  and  so  on  ?  Who  does  not  recognize  a  Jew  by  his 
face,  eyes,  speech  and  gestures  ?  And  if  you  were  sensible  of 
the  sphere  of  life  flowing  out  from  the  native  genius  of  every 
one,  you  would  in  like  manner  be  convinced  of  the  resemblance 
of  dispositions  and  minds.  [2]  From  all  this  it  follows,  that 
man  is  not  born  into  actual  evils,  but  only  into  an  inclination 
to  evils,  but  with  a  greater  or  less  proclivity  towards  particular 
evils ;  consequently  after  death  man  is  not  judged  from  any  in- 
herited evil,  but  from  the  actual  evils  which  he  himself  has  com- 
mitted. This  is  also  evident  from  the  following  statute  of  the 
Lord : — 

The  father  shall  not  die  for  the  son,  and  the  son  shall  not  die  for  the 
father  ;  every  one  shall  die  for  his  own  sin  {Deut.  xxiv.  16). 

This  was  made  certain  to  me  in  the  spiritual  world  from  the 
state  of  those  who  die  in  infancy ;  in  that  they  have  only  an  in- 
clination to  evils,  and  thus  favor  them  in  Avill,  but  do  not  com- 
mit them ;  for  they  are  educated  under  the  auspices  of  the  Lord, 
and  are  saved  [3]  The  aforesaid  inclination  and  proclivity  to 
the  evils  that  are  transmitted  by  parents  to  children  and  their 
posterity,  are  broken  only  by  the  new  birth  from  the  Lord,  which 
is  called  regeneration.  Without  this,  that  inclination  not  only 
continues  uninterrupted,  but  is  also  increased  by  successive  i)ar- 
ents,  and  becomes  a  stronger  proclivity  to  evil,  and  at  length  a 
proclivity  to  every  kind  of  evil.  It  is  from  this  that  the  Jews 
are  still  images  of  their  father  Judah,  who  took  a  Canaanitish 
woman  to  wife,  and  committed  adultery  with  Tamar  his  daugh- 
ter-in-law, and  thus  begat  three  branches  of  them.  Therefore, 
this  inherited  disposition  has  in  process  of  time  so  increased  in 
them  that  they  are  still  unable  to  embrace  the  Christian  religion 


N.  521] 


REPENTANCE 


(>o9 


with  a  hearty  faith.  They  are  said  to  be  unable  to  do  so,  be- 
cause the  interior  will  of  their  minds  is  adverse  thereto,  and 
this  adverse  will  is  the  cause  of  their  inability. 

522.  That  all  evil,  unless  removed,  remains  in  man,  and  that 
man  cannot  be  saved  if  he  remains  in  his  evils,  follows  of  itself. 
That  no  evil  can  be  removed  except  by  the  Lord,  and  except  in 
those  who  believe  in  Him  and  love  the  neiglibor,  can  be  clearly 
seen  from  what  has  abeady  been  said,  especially  from  the  fol- 
lowing in  the  chapter  on  Faith. 

The  Lord,  charity,  and  faith  make  one,  like  life,  will,  and  un- 
derstanding, and  if  they  are  divided,  each  perishes  like  a  pearl 
reduced  to  poAvder. 

And  from  this : — 

The  Lord  is  charity  and  faith  in  man,  and  man  is  charity  and 
faith  in  the  Lord. 

But  it  is  asked,  How  can  man  enter  into  this  union  ?  The 
reply  is,  that  he  cannot,  unless  to  some  extent  he  removes  his 
evils  by  repentance.  It  is  said  that  man  must  remove  them,  be- 
cause this  is  not  done  by  the  Lord  directly,  apart  from  man's 
co-operation ;  which  is  also  fully  shown  in  that  same  chapter, 
and  in  that  following  on  Freedom  of  Choice. 

523.  J.t  is  asserted  that  no  man  can  fulfil  the  law,  and  the  less 
so,  since  he  who  trespasses  against  one  commandment  of  the 
Decalogue  trespasses  against  all.  But  tlie  meaning  of  this  asser- 
tion is  different  from  its  sound,  for  it  is  to  Idc  understood  thus, 
that  he  who  purposely  or  deliberately  acts  contrary  to  one  com- 
mandment, acts  contrary  to  the  rest,  since  to  so  act  from  pur- 
pose and  deliberation  is  to  deny  utterly  that  it  is  sin,  and  when 
it  is  said  to  be  sin,  to  reject  the  statement  as  of  no  account;  and 
he  who  so  denies  and  rejects  the  idea  of  sin  gives  no  thought 
to  anything  that  is  called  sin.  Those  who  are  unwilling  to  hear 
anything  about  repentance  come  into  this  fixed  attitude  of  mind ; 
but  on  the  other  hand,  those  who  by  repentance  have  removed 
some  evils  that  are  sins,  come  into  a  settled  purpose  to  believe 
in  the  Lord  and  love  the  neiglibor.  Such  are  kept  by  the  Lord 
in  the  purpose  to  refrain  from  other  evils ;  and  if  therefore  from 
ignorance  or  some  over-powerful  lust,  they  are  led  to  commit 
sin,  it  is  not  imputed  to  them,  because  they  did  not  commit  it 
deliberately,  and  do  not  confirm  it  in  themselves.    This  may  be 


660 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


confirmed  by  the  following  facts :  In  the  spiritual  world  I  have 
met  with  many  who  in  the  natural  world  had  lived  like  others, 
dressing  finely,  feasting  delicately,  making  money  by  trading 
like  others,  attending  theaters,  joking  about  lovers  as  if  from 
licentiousness,  and  doing  other  like  things ;  and  yet  the  angels 
charged  these  things  upon  some  as  evils  of  sin,  and  not  upon 
others,  declaring  the  latter  innocent,  but  the  former  guilty.  Be- 
ing asked  the  reason  of  this,  since  all  had  done  the  same  things, 
they  replied,  that  all  are  viewed  by  them  from  their  purpose, 
intention,  and  end,  and  are  distinguished  accordingly ;  and  there- 
fore they  excuse  or  condemn  those  whom  the  end  excuses  or  con- 
demns, since  good  is  the  end  of  all  in  heaven,  and  evil  the  end 
of  all  in  hell. 

524.  But  these  statements  shall  be  illustrated  by  compari- 
sons :  The  sins  an  impenitent  man  holds  fast  to  may  be  compared 
to  various  diseases  in  him,  from  which  he  dies  unless  remedies 
are  applied  and  the  malignities  thereby  removed.  They  may  be 
compared  especially  to  the  disease  called  gangrene,  which,  un- 
less healed  in  time,  spreads,  and  causes  inevitable  death ;  in  like 
mann.er  to  imposthumes  and  abscesses,  unless  they  break  out  or 
are  opened;  for  from  them  empyemafa  or  collections  of  pus  will 
be  diffused  into  the  neighboring  parts,  from  these  m^  adjoin- 
ing viscera,  and  finally  into  the  heart,  from  which  comes  death. 
[2]  These  sins  may  also  be  compared  to  tigers,  leopards,  lions, 
wolves,  and  foxes,  which  unless  kept  in  dens  or  bound  with 
chains  or  ropes,  would  attack  the  flocks  and  herds  and  kill  them 
as  the  fox  does  poultry ;  also  to  poisonous  serpents,  which  un- 
less held  tight  with  sticks,  or  deprived  of  their  teeth,  would  in- 
flict deadly  wounds  upon  man.  A  whole  flock,  if  left  in  fields 
where  there  are  poisonous  herbs,  instead  of  being  led  by  the 
shepherd  to  safe  pastures,  would  perish.  So  the  silk-worm  would 
perish,  and  all  silk  with  it,  unless  other  worms  were  kept  from 
the  leaves  of  its  tree.  [3]  These  sins  may  also  be  compared  to 
grain  in  granaries  or  barns,  which  would  be  rendered  musty  and 
rotten  and  thus  useless,  if  the  air  were  not  permitted  to  pass 
freely  through  it,  and  remove  whatever  is  injurious.  If  a  fire 
were  not  quenched  at  the  very  outset,  it  might  lay  waste  a  whole 
city  or  forest.  Thorns,  briars,  and  thistles  would  take  full  pos- 
session of  a  garden  unless  rooted  out.    Gardeners  know  that  a 


N.  624] 


REPENTANCE 


661 


tree  sprung  from  a  bad  seed  and  root  conveys  its  bad  sap  to  the 
branch  of  a  good  tree  budded  or  engrafted  upon  it,  and  that  the 
bad  sap  which  comes  up  is  turned  into  good  sap,  and  produces 
useful  fruit.  And  the  like  takes  place  in  man  through  the  re- 
moval of  evil  by  means  of  repentance;  for  man  is  thereby  en- 
grafted into  the  Lord  as  a  branch  into  a  vhie,  and  bears  good 
fruit  (John  xv,  4^6). 


V. 

RECOGNITION     OF    SIN     AND    THE    DISCOVERY    OP    SOME     SIN     IN 
ONESELF,  IS    THE    BEGINNING    OF    REPENTANCE. 

525.  Xo  man  in  the  Christian  world  can  be  without  recog- 
nition  of  sin,  for  every  one  is  taught  from  infancy  what  evil  is 
and  from  childhood  what  the  evil  of  sin  is.    All  youths  learn 
this  from  parents  and  teachers,  also  from  the  Decalogue  (which 
IS  the  primary  instruction  given  to  all  within  Christendom)  al- 
so, m  their  subsequent  progress,  from  preaching  at  church  and 
instruction  at  home,  and  in  fulness  from  the  Word  •  and  fur 
thermos  from  the  civil  laws  of  justice,  which  teach  the  same 
things  as  are  taught  in  the  Decalogue  and  other  parts  of  the 
A\  ord     For  the  evil  of  sin  is  no  other  than  evil  against  the 
neighbor,  and  evil  against  the  neighbor  is  also  evil  against  God 
which  IS  sm.    But  recognition  of  sin  effects  nothing  until  a 
man  examines  the  actions  of  his  life,  and  sees  whether  he  has 
secretly  or  openly  done  any  such  thing.    Until  then,  there  is 
nothing  but  knowledge,  and  what  the  preacher  then  says  is  a 
mere  sound  going  in  at  the  left  ear  and  out  at  the  right,  and 
finally  it  becomes  a  mere  matter  of  thought  and  something  de- 
vout  m  the  breathing,  and  with  many  merely  imaginative  and 
chimerical.    But  it  is  wholly  different  if  man,  according  to  what 
he  recxDgnizes  as  sin,  examines  himself,  discovers  something  in 
himself,  says  to  himself,  -This  evil  is  a  sin,-  and  from  fear  of 
eternal  punishment  abstains  from  it.    Then  what  has  been  said 
m  churches  in  the  way  of  instruction  and  devotion  is  first  re- 
ceived by  both  ears,  is  communicated  to  the  heart,  and  from  a 
pagan  the  man  becomes  a  Christian. 


662 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


526.  Can  there  be  anything  better  known  in  the  Christian 
world  than  that  man  ought  to  examine  himself?  For  every- 
where in  empires  and  kingdoms,  whether  in  those  adhering  to 
the  Roman  Catholic  or  to  the  Evangelical  religion,  before  ap- 
proaching the  holy  supper,  men  are  taught  and  admonished  to 
examine  themselves,  to  recognize  and  acknowledge  their  sins, 
and  to  live  a  new  and  different  life.  In  the  English  domin- 
ions this  exhortation  is  accompanied  with  fearful  threatenings, 
where,  from  the  address  preceding  the  communion,  the  follow- 
ing is  read  and  proclaimed  by  the  priest  from  the  altar : — 

"  The  way  and  means''  to  become  a  worthy  partaker  of  the 
holy  supper,  "  is  first  to  examine  the  deeds  and  conversations 
of  your  life  by  the  rule  of  God's  commandments,  and  wherein- 
ever  ye  shall  perceive  yourselves  to  have  offended,  either  by 
will,  word,  or  deed,  there  to  bewail  your  own  sinful  nature,  and 
to  confess  yourselves  to  Almighty  God,  with  full  purpose  of 
amendment  of  life.  And  if  ye  shall  perceive  your  offences  to 
be  such  as  are  not  only  against  God  but  also  against  your  neigh- 
bor, then  ye  shall  reconcile  yourselves  unto  him,  being  ready 
to  make  restitution  and  satisfaction,  according  to  the  uttermost 
of  your  powers,  for  all  injuries  and  wrongs  done  by  you  to  any 
other,  and  being  likewise  ready  to  forgive  others  that  have  of- 
fended you,  as  ye  would  have  forgiveness  of  your  offences  at 
God's  hand;  for  otherwise  the  receiving  of  the  holy  communion 
does  nothing  else  but  increase  your  damnation.  Therefore  if 
any  of  you  be  a  blasphemer  of  God,  a  hinderer  or  slanderer  of 
His  Word,  an  adulterer,  or  be  in  malice  or  envy,  or  in  any 
other  grievous  crime,  repent  ye  of  your  sin,  or  else  come  not  to 
that  holy  table,  lest  after  the  taking  of  that  holy  sacrament,  the 
devil  enter  into  you  as  he  entered  into  Judas,  and  fill  you  full 
of  all  iniquity,  and  bring  you  to  destruction  both  of  body  and 

soul." 

527.  Yet  there  are  some  who  cannot  examine  themselves, 
such  as  infants,  boys  and  girls  before  they  arrive  at  the  age 
when  they  are  capable  of  self-examination,  also  the  simple- 
minded,  who  are  not  capable  of  reflection;  and  again,  all  those 
who  have  no  fear  of  God,  and  beside  these  some  who  are  sick 
in  mind  and  body ;  and  above  all  those  who  are  confirmed  in  the 
doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  alone,  which  imputes  Christ's 


N.  627] 


REPENTANCE 


663 


merit  to  man,  and  who  have  persuaded  themselves,  that  by  such 
examination  and  repentance  something  of  man  would  enter 
which  would  destroy  faith,  and  thus  would  banish  and  reject 
salvation  from  its  one  only  abiding-place.  To  all  sucli  a  mere 
lip-confession  is  serviceable.  That  this  is  not  repentance  has 
been  shown  above  in  this  chapter.  [2]  But  those  who  know 
what  sin  is,  and  still  more  those  who  know  many  things  from 
the  Word  and  teach  them,  and  yet  do  not  examine  themselves, 
and  consequently  see  no  sin  in  themselves,  may  be  likened  to 
those  who  scrape  up  wealth  and  lay  it  up  in  chests  and  coffers, 
making  no  further  use  of  it  than  to  look  at  it  and  count  it;  also 
to  those  who  gather  into  their  treasuries  jewels  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver, or  hide  them  in  vaults,  for  the  mere  sake  of  being  rich. 

Such  are  like  the  trader  who  hid  his  talent  in  the  earth,  and  like  him 
who  liid  his  pound  in  a  napkin  {Matt.  xxv.  25  ;  Luke  xix.  20). 

They  are  also  like  the  hard  wayside  and  the  stony  places  upon  which 
the  seed  fell  {Matt.  xiii.  4,  5). 

Also  like  fig-trees  full  of  leaves  but  bearing  no  fruit  {Mark  xi.  13). 

They  are  the  hearts  of  adamant,  which  do  not  become  hearts  of  flesh 
{Zech.  vii.  12). 

They  are  like  the  partridges  which  gather  and  bring  not  forth  ;  they 
get  riches,  but  not  with  judgment;  they  leave  them  in  the  midst  of  their 
days,  and  at  their  end  become  fools  {Jer.  xvii.  11). 

They  are  like  the  five  virgins  who  had  lamps  but  no  oil  (Matt,  xxv 
1-12).  ^ 

[3]  Those  who  acquire  from  the  Word  much  about  charity  and 
repentance,  and  who  have  abundant  knowledge  of  its  teachings, 
and  yet  do  not  live  in  accordance  therewith,  may  be  compared 
to  gluttons,  who  stuff  their  food  into  their  mouths  in  chunks, 
and  swallow  it  without  chewing,  so  that  it  remains  undigested 
in  the  stomach,  and  when  it  passes  out  vitiates  the  chyle,  and 
brings  on  lingering  diseases,  from  which  they  finally  die  a  mis- 
erable death.  And  as  such  are  without  spiritual  heat,  however 
much  light  they  may  possess,  they  may  be  called  winters,  fro- 
zen grounds,  arctic  climates,  and  even  fields  of  snow  and  ice. 


664  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


VI. 

ACTUAL     REPENTANCE     IS     EXAMINING     ONESELF,    RECOGNIZING 

AND    ACKNOWLEDGING    ONE's    SINS,    PRAYING    TO    THE 

LORD,    AND    BEGINNING    A    NEW    LIFE. 

528.  That  man  ought  by  all  means  to  repent,  and  that  his 
salvation  depends  thereon,  is  evident  from  many  passages. and 
plain  sayings  of  the  Lord  in  the  Word,  from  among  which  the 
following  shall  at  present  be  mentioned : — 

John  preached  the  baptism  of  repentance,  and  said,  Bring  forth  fruits 
worthy  of  repentance  {Luke  iii.  3,  8  ;  Mark  i.  4). 

Jesus  began  to  preach  and  to  say,  Repent  {Matt.  iv.  17). 

And  He  said,  Because  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand,  Repent  ye  {Mark 
i.  14, 15). 

Again : — 

Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  perish  {Luke  xiii.  5). 
Jesus  commanded  His  disciples,  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
should  be  preached  in  His  name  among  all  nations  (Luke  xxiv.  47;  Mark 

vi.  12). 

Therefore  Peter  preached  repentance  and  baptism  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins  {Luke  ii.  38). 

And  he  also  said : — 

Repent  ye  and  turn  again,  that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out  {Acts  iii. 

19). 

Paul  preached  that  they  should  all  everywhere  repent  {Acts  xviii.  30). 

Paul  also  declared  in  Damascus,  and  at  Jemsalem,  and  throughout  all 
the  country  of  Judea,  and  to  the  Gentiles,  that  they  should  repent  and 
turn  to  God,  and  do  works  worthy  of  repentance  {Acts  xxvi.  20). 

Again  he  testified  both  to  Jews  and  to  Greeks,  repentance  toward  God 
and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  {Acts  xx.  21). 

The  Lord  said  to  the  church  at  Ephesus : — 

I  have  against  thee,  that  thou  hast  left  thy  first  charity;  repent,  but  if 
not  I  will  move  thy  lampstand  out  of  its  place,  except  thou  repent  {Apoc. 
ii.  4,  6). 

To  the  church  at  Pergamos : — 

I  know  thy  works,  repent  {Apoc.  ii.  13, 10). 

To  the  church  at  Thyatira : — 


N.  528] 


REPENTANCE 


665 


{aI^c^X  S''  ^''''  '''^''''"'''  '^''^'  ''''^  ""P"^'  "^  ''''''  ^^^ks 
To  the  chui-ch  of  the  Laodiceans  :— 

I  know  thy  works,  be  zealous,  and  repent  {Apoc  iii.  15,  19) 
There  IS  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth  {Luke  xv  7) 
(Beside  other  passages).  ^    «/tt;  xv.  /;. 

From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  men  ouglit  by  all  means  to  repent- 
but  the  quahty  and  mode  of  their  repentance  shall  be  shown 
in  what  follows. 

529.  Cannot  any  man  understand,  from  the  reason  given 
hmi,  that  the  mere  lip-confession  of  being  a  sinner  is  not  re- 
pentance, or  the  recounting  of  various  particulars  in  regard  to  it 
as  the  hypocrite  did  who  was  mentioned  above  (n.  518)  '^    For 
what  is  easier  for  a  man  when  he  is  in  trouble  and  agony  than 
to  utter  sighs  and  groans  from  his  lungs  and  lips,  and  also  to 
beat  his  breast  and  make  himself  guilty  of  all  sins,  and  still  not 
be  conscious  of  any  sin  in  himself?    Do  the  diabolical  horde 
who  then  occupy  Ins  loves,  depart  along  with  his  sio-hs  ^    Do 
they  not  rather  hiss  at  those  things,  and  remain  in  him  as  be- 
fore, as  m  their  own  house  ?    From  this  it  is  clear  that  such  re- 
pentance IS  not  what  is  meant  in  the  Word;  but  repentance 
Irom  evil  works,  as  is  said. 

530.  The  question  therefore  is,  How  ought  man  to  repent^ 
And  the  reply  is,  Actually ;  that  is  to  say,  he  must  examine  him- 
self, recognize  and  acknowledge  his  sins,  pray  to  the  Lord  and 
begin  a  new  life.     That  without  examination  repentance  is  not 
possible,  has  been  shown  in  the  preceding  section.    But  of  what 
use  is  examination  except  that  one  may  recognize  his  sins  ^ 
And  why  should  he  recognize  his  sins,  except  that  he  may  ac- 
knowledge that  they  are  in  him  ?    And  of  what  use  are  these 
three  things,  except  that  man  may  confess  his  sins  before  the 
Lord  pray  for  help,  and  .then  begin  a  new  life,  which  is  the  end 
sought  ?    This  is  actual  repentance.    That  man  ought  so  to 
proceed  and  do,  every  one  may  know  (after  he  has  passed  the 
lirst  period  of  life,  and  more  and  more  as  he  comes  under  his 
mvn  control  and  into  the  exercise  of  his  own  reason)  first  from 
his  baptism,  the  washing  of  which  means  regeneration ;  for  in 
baptism  his  sponsors  have  promised  for  him  that  he  will  reject 


666 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


N.  532] 


the  devil  and  all  his  works,  and  also  from  the  holy  supper  for 
all  are  forewarned  that  before  they  can  worthily  approach  it, 
they  must  repent  of  their  sins,  turn  to  God,  and  enter  upon  a 
new  life:  and  still  further,  from  the  Decalogue  or  Catechism 
which  is  in  the  hands  of  all  Christians,  where,  m  six  of  the  com- 
mandments nothing  is  commanded  but  that  they  should  not  do 
what  is  evil.  And  unless  evils  are  removed  by  repentance,  man 
cannot  love  his  neighbor,  stiU  less  God ;  yet  on  these  two  com- 
mandments hang  the  law  and  the  prophets,  that  is,  the  Word, 
consequently  salvation.  If  at  recurring  seasons  there  is  actual 
repentance,  as  often,  for  instance,  as  a  man  prepares  for  the 
communion  of  the  holy  supper,  and  if  he  afterward  abstains 
from  one  or  another  sin  which  he  then  discovers  m  himself,  this 
is  sufacient  to  initiate  him  into  the  actuality  [of  the  repent- 
ance], and  when  he  is  in  that  he  is  on  the  way  to  heaven  for  he 
then  from  being  natural  begins  to  be  spiritual,  and  to  be  born 

anew  from  the  Lord. 

531    This  may  be  illustrated  by  the  following  comparisons. 
Before  repentance  man  is  like  a  desert  where  there  are  terrible 
wild  beasts,  dragons,  owls  of  various  kinds,  vipers  and  poison- 
ous serpents,  and  in  the  thickets  are  the  ochim  and  the  tzvun, 
and  there  satyrs  dance.    But  when  these  have  been  east  out  by 
the  industry  and  labor  of  man,  that  desert  may  be  ploughed  and 
made  ready  for  planting,  and  so^vn  first  with  oats,  beans,  and 
flax,  and  afterward  with  barley  and  wheat.    Man  before  repent- 
anc;  may  also  be  compared  to  the  wickedness  that  reigns  so 
largely  among  men  where  the  wicked  are  not  corrected  accord- 
ing to'^law  and  punished  by  stripes  or  death,  m  which  case  no 
city,  nor  anv  kingdom  even,  could  continue     Man  is  l^^e  ^  "^^^^- 
iature  society,  unless  he  deals  with  himself  m  a  spiritual  man- 
ner, as  the  wicked  in  society  at  large  are  dealt  with  ma  natura 
manner,  after  death  he  will  be  corrected  and  punished  until  he 
"eases  to  do  evil  for  fear  of  the  penalty,  although  he  can  never 
be  brought  to  do  good  from  the  love  of  good. 


REPENTANCE 


VII. 


G67 


TRUE  REPENTANCE   IS  EXAMINING,   NOT   ONLY   THE   ACTIONS  OP 
ONE^S    LIFE,  BUT  ALSO    THE    INTENTIONS    OF  ONE's  WILL. 

532.  True  repentance  is  examining,  not  only  the  actions  of 
one's  life,  but  also  the  intentions  of  one's  will,  for  the  reason 
that  the  acts  are  done  by  the  understanding  and  will ;  for  man 
speaks  from  his  thought,  and  acts  from  his  will;  therefore 
speech  is  the  thought  speaking,  and  action  is  the  will  actmg. 
And  this  being  the  source  of  words  and  deeds,  it  follows  indu- 
bitably that  it  is  will  and  thought  that  sin  when  the  body  sins. 
Man  can  indeed  repent  of  evils  that  he  has  done  in  body,  and 
still  think  and  will  evil ;  but  this  is  like  cutting  off  the  trunk 
of  a  bad  tree,  and  leaving  its  root  in  the  ground,  from  which  the 
same  bad  tree  grows  up  again,  and  spreads  forth  its  branches. 
But  It  is  different  when  tlie  root  also  is  torn  up;  and  this  is 
done  m  man  when  he  examines  the  intentions  of  his  wiU,  and 
puts  away  his  evils  by  repentance.    Man  examines  the  inten- 
tions of  his  will  when  he  examines  his  thoughts,  for  in  these 
the   intentions   make   themselves   manifest;  as,  for  example, 
when  his  thought,  will  and  intention  incline  to  revenge,  adul- 
tery, theft,  false  witness,  and  to  lust  therefore,  also  to  blas- 
phemy against  God  and  the  holy  Word  and  the  church,  and  so 
on;  if  he  continues  to  direct  his  attention  to  this,  and  to  in- 
quire whether  he  would  actually  commit  these  evils  if  fear  of 
the  law  aiid  for  his  reputation  did  not  hinder;  and  if  after  this 
scrutiny  he  determines  that  he  will  not  will  to  do  these  things, 
because  they  are  sins,  he  truly  and  interiorly  repents ;  and  still 
more  when  these  evils  are  delightful  to  him,  and  he  is  free  to  do 
them,  and  yet  resists  and  abstains.    He  who  practises  this  re- 
peatedly, perceives  the  delights  of  evil,  when  they  return,  as 
undelightful,  and  finally  he  condemns  them  to  hell.    This  is 
what  is  meant  by  these  words  of  the  Lord: 

Whoever  wisheth  to  find  his  soul  shall  lose  it ;  and  whoever  would  lose 
his  soul  for  My  sake  shall  find  it  {Matt.  x.  39). 

He  that  puts  away  the  evils  of  his  will,  by  such  repentance,  is 
like  one  who  in  due  time  plucks  up  the  tares  sown  in  his  field 
by  the  devil,  so  that  the  seed  implanted  by  the  Lord  God  the 


tWiiiitjMliM*fW  tfc.-ftti'lHililhiiifcfrwf  iiTlii?ih  ti     ^-*-  -  — — ' '  -■  -*SlaJairf-at^AM»riln  ■».%  ^.fcWVjjg" 


668 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IX. 


N.  533] 


REPENTANCE 


669 


Saviour  finds  a  clear  soil  and  grows  to  a  harvest  (Matt.  xiii. 

24-30). 

533.  There  are  two  loves  which  have  long  been  enrooted  in 
the  human  race,  the  love  of  ruling  over  all,  and  the  love  of  pos- 
sessing the  goods  of  all.    The  former  love,  if  free  rein  is  given 
to  it,  rushes  on  even  so  far  as  to  wish  to  be  the  God  of  heaven ; 
and  the  latter,  if  free  rein  is  given  to  it,  rushes  on  even  so  far 
as  to  wish  to  be  the  God  of  the  world.    To  these  two  loves  are 
subordinated  all  other  evil  loves,  of  which  there  are  hosts;  but 
to  examine  these  two  is  exceedingly  difficult,  because  they  re- 
side most  deeply  within  and  hide  themselves;  for  they  are  like 
vipers  concealed  in  a  cloven  rock,  which  retain  their  poison,  so 
that  when  one  lies  down  upon  the  rock  they  give  their  deadly 
stroke,  and  again  withdraw  to  their  hiding-places.    They  are 
also  like  the  sirens  of  the  ancients,  who  allured  men  by  their 
song,  and  by  that  means  slew  them.    These  two  loves  also  deco- 
rate themselves  in  splendid  attire,  as  a  devil  by  magical  hallu- 
cinations does  among  his  own,  or  among  those  whom  he  wishes 
to  delude.    [i2]  But  it  must  be  clearly  understood  that  these  two 
loves  may  bear  rule  among  the  humble  more  than  among  the 
great,  among  the  poor  more  than  among  the  rich,  among  sub- 
jects more  than  among  kings;  for  the  latter  classes  are  born  to 
dominion  and  wealth,  and  these  they  at  length  come  to  regard 
in  the  same  way  as  any  other  man,  a  governor,  a  director,  a  sea- 
captain,  or  even  a  poor  farmer,  regards  his  servants  and  pos- 
sessions.   It  is  different,  however,  with  kings  who  aspire  to 
dominion  over  the  kingdoms  of  others.    [3]  The  intentions  of 
the  will  must  be  examined,  because  in  the  will  the  love  resides, 
for  the  will  is  its  receptacle,  as  shown  above.    From  the  will 
every  love  breathes  out  its  delights  into  the  perceptions  and 
thoughts  of  the  understanding,  for  these  act  from  the  will  and 
not  at  all  from  themselves,  because  they  wait  on  the  will  and 
consent  to  and  confirm  all  that  pertains  to  its  love.    The  will 
therefore  is  the  very  house  in  which  the  man  dwells,  and  the 
understanding  is  the  hall  through  which  he  goes  out  and  in. 
This  is  why  it  has  been  said  that  the  will's  intentions  must  be 
examined;  and  when  these  have  been  examined  and  removed, 
man  is  lifted  out  of  the  natural  wiU  in  which  both  inherited 
and  actual  evils  have  their  seat,  into  the  spiritual  will  through 


.ne^s  21^."'^  >-f-- and  regenerates  the  natural,  and  by 
means  of  this  again,  what  is  sensual  and  voluntary  in  the  body 
thus  the  whole  man.  ''  ^> 

534.  Those  who  do  not  examine  themselves,  are  comnarative 
ly  hke  invalids  whose  blood  is  vitiated  by  the    lolg  of  Jie 
capillary  vessels,  which  causes  atrophy,  numbness  of  the  Jimte 
and  painful  chronic  diseases  arising  from  a  thickening   tena 
c  ty  a^ndness,  and  acidity  of  the  humors,  and  conseque^try  of 
he  blood.    But  on  the  other  hand,  those  who  examte  them 
selves  even  as  to  the  intentions  of  the  will,  are  like  those  w^o 
have  been  cured  of  these  diseases,  and  restored  to  the  life  the^ 
enjoyed  in  youth.    Those  who  examine  themselves  properlv 
are  hke  ships  froin  Ophir  la,len  with  gold,  silver,  and  va luabTes 

hwled  w  ith  hlth,  su<.h  as  are  used  to  carry  off  the  mud  and  or- 
d^ire  of  the  streets.  Those  who  examine  themselves  interioriy 
become  like  mines,  all  the  walls  of  which  are  resplendent  vh 
ores  of  precious  metals;  but  before  this,  they  are  like  mai^hes 

^v  th  gh  ter  ng  skins  and  noxious  insects  with  shining  wings 
Those  who  do  not  examine  themselves  are  like  the  dry  bonesi 
the  valley;  but  after  tliey  have  examined  tliemselves^  they  are 
hke  these  same  bones  when  the  Loi.l  Jehovah  had  la  d  sinews 
upon  them,  caused  flesh  to  come  upon  them,  covered  th  ,    will 
skin   and  put  breath  in  them,  and  they  lived  {Ezek.  xxxv 


VIII. 

THOSK    ALSO    REPENT   WHO    ALTHOUGH   THEV    no   NOT    EXAMINE 
THEM.SELVES,  YET  REFRAIN  KKOM  EVIL.S  BECAUSE  THEY  ARE     ' 
SINS ;    AND  THOSE  WHO  FROM   RELIGION  DO  THE   WORKS 
OF    CHARITY    EXERCISE    SUCH    REPENTANCE. 

535.  Since  actual  repentance,  whicli  is  examining  oneself 
recognizing  and  acknowledging  one's  sins,  praying  to  the  Lor.1 
and  l«gmning  a  new  life,  is  in  the  Eeformed  Christian  wwH 

^tT/^  ^^^  '"""^  ^''^^""^  "-*  ^-"  be  given  in  the 
last  section  of  this  chapter,  therefore  an  easier  kind  of  repent- 


670 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


N.  636] 


REPENTANCE 


()71 


ance  is  here  presented,  which  is,  that  when  any  one  is  givmg 
thought  to  any  evil  and  intending  it,  he  shall  say  to  himself, 
"  Although  I  am  thinking  about  this  and  intending  it,  I  will 
not  do  it  because  it  is  a  sin/'    By  this  means  the  temptation 
injected  from  hell  is  checked,  and  its  further  entrance  pre- 
vented.   It  is  strange  that  any  one  can  find  fault  with  another 
for  his  evil  intentions,  and  say,  "  Do  not  do  that  because  it  is  a 
sin,"  and  yet  find  it  difficult  to  say  this  to  himself ;  but  this  is 
because  the  latter  touches  the  will,  but  the  former  only  the 
thought  nearest  to  hearing.  Inquiry  was  made  in  the  spiritual 
world  as  to  who  were  capable  of  this  [actual]  repentance,  and 
they  were  found  to  be  as  few  as  doves  in  a  vast  desert.     Some 
said  that  they  could  repent  in  the  easier  way ;  but  were  not 
able  to  examine  themselves  and  confess  their  sins  before  God. 
All  who  do  good  from  religion,  avoid  actual  evils,  but  they  very 
rarely  reflect  upon  the  interiors  pertaining  to  the  will,  for  they 
believe  that  they  are  not  in  evil  because  they  are  in  good,  and 
even  that  the  good  covers  the  evil.    But,  my  friend,  the  first 
thing  of  charity  is  to  shun  evils.  This  is  taught  in  the  Word, 
the  Decalogue,  baptism,  the  holy  supper  and  even  by  the  rea- 
son ;  for  how  can  any  one  flee  away  from  evils  and  banish  them 
without  some  self-inspection  ?    And  how  can  good  become  good 
until  it  has  been  interiorly  purified  ?    I  know  that  all  pious 
men,  and  also  all  men  of  somid  reason,  will  assent  to  this  when 
they  read  it,  and  will  see  it  as  genuine  truth ;  but  still,  that  few 
wiU  act  accordingly. 

536.  And  yet  all  who  do  good  from  religion,  not  only  Chris- 
tians, but  even  pagans,  are  accepted  and  after  death  adopted  l)y 
the  Lord ;  for  the  Lord  said : — 

I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  Me  to  eat ;  I  was  thirsty  and  ye  gave 
Me  to  drink  ;  I  was  a  sojourner,  and  ye  took  Me  in  ;  naked,  and  ye  clothed 
Me  •  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  Me  ;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto 
Me  '  And  He  said,  Inasmuch  a.s  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  My  brethren,  even 
the  least,  ye  did  it  unto  Me.  Come,  ye  blessed,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  {Matt.  xxv.  31,  seq.). 

To  this  I  will  add  the  following,  which  is  new :  All  those  who 
do  good  from  religion,  after  death  reject  the  doctrine  of  the 
present  church  respecting  three  Divine  persons  from  eternity, 
and  also  its  faith  as  applied  to  the  three  in  their  order.    These 


turn  to  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour,  and  accept  with  pleasure 
what  belongs  to  the  New  Church.    [2]  But  the  rest,  who  have 
not  exercised  charity  from  religion,  have  hearts  of  adamant 
that  is,  hardened  hearts.    They  first  approach  three  Gods,  then 
the  i  ather  alone,  and  finally  no  God.    They  look  upon  the  Lord 
God  the  Saviour  as  the  son  of  Mary  only,  born  from  marriage 
with  Joseph,  and  not  as  the  Son  of  God ;  and  then  they  discard 
all  the  goods  and  truths  of  the  New  Church,  and  straightway 
connect  themselves  with  the  spirits  of  the  dragon,  and  with 
them  are  driven  away  into  deserts  or  into  caverns  on  the  very 
confines  of  what  is  called  the  Christian  world ;  and  after  a 
time,  because  they  are  separated  from  the  Kew  Heaven,  they 
rush  into  crime,  and  are  therefore  sent  down  to  hell.     [3] '  Such 
is  the  lot  of  those  who  do  not  do  works  of  charity  from  relig- 
ion, because  of  their  belief  that  no  one  is  able  to  do  good  of 
himself,  except  such  as  he  claims  merit  for;  consequently  they 
disregard  such  works,  and  associate  themselves  with  the  goats 
who  are  damned  and  cast  into  the  eternal  fire  prepared  for  the 
devil  and  his  angels,  because  they  have  not  done  what  was  done 
by  the  sheep  (jMatt  xxv.  41-46).    It  is  not  there  said  that  they 
did  what  IS  evil,  but  that  tney  did  not  do  what  is  good:  and 
those  who  do  not  do  what  is  good  from  religion  do  what  is  evil 
since,  ' 

No  man  can  serve  two  masters  ;  for  either  lie  hates  the  one  and  loves 
the  other,  or  he  holds  to  the  one  and  despises  the  other  {Matt.  vi.  24). 

Jehovah  says  through  Isaiah  :— 

Wa.sh  you,  make  you  clean  ;  put  away  the  evil  of  your  doin-s  from  be- 
fore mme  eyes ;  cease  to  do  evil ;  learn  to  do  well ;  then  although  your  sins 
have  been  a.s  scarlet,  they  shall  become  as  white  as  snow  ;  aUhough  they 
have  been  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool  (i.  10-18). 

And  in  Jeremiah  : — 

Stand  in  the  gate  of  Jehovah's  house,  and  proclaim  there  this  word 
Thus  said  Jehovali  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  Amend  your  ways  and  your 
domgs,  trust  ye  not  in  lying  words,  saying,  The  temple  of  Jehovah,  The 
temple  of  Jehovah,  this  is  the  temple  of  Jehovah  (that  is,  the  church) 
Will  ye  steal,  murder,  and  swear  falsely,  and  then  come  and  stand  be- 
tore  Me  m  this  house,  upon  which  My  name  is  named,  and  say  We  are 
delivered  while  we  do  all  these  abominations  ?  Is  this  house  become  a 
denofrobbei's.'»    Behold,  even  I  have  seen  it,  saith  Jehovah  (vii  2-4  9-11) 


672 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


N.  638] 


REPENTANCE 


073 


537.  It  must  be  understood  that  those  who  do  good  from 
natural  goodness  only,  and  not  also  from  religion,  are  not  ac- 
cepted after  death,  because  there  is  only  natural  good  m  their 
charity,  and  not  spiritual  good  also;  and  it  is  the  spiritual  that 
conjoins  the  Lord  to  man,  and  not  the  natural  apart  from  the 
spiritual.    Natural  goodness  belongs  to  the  flesh  merely,  being 
acquired  by  birth  from  parents ;  but  spiritual  goodness  belongs 
to  the  spirit  born  anew  from  the  Lord.    Those  who  do  the  good 
works  of  charity  from  religion,  and  consequently  do  not  com- 
mit evil,  before  they  have  accepted  the  doctrine  of  the  New 
Church  concerning  the  Lord,  may  be  likened  to  trees  that  bear 
good  fruit,  although  but  little,  and  also  to  trees  that  bear  ex- 
cellent small  fruit,  which  are  nevertheless  cared  for  m  gardens. 
They  may  also  be  likened  to  olive  trees  and  lig-trees  m  forests, 
and  ao-ain  to  fragrant  herbs  and  balsamic  shrubs  on  hills.    They 
are  like  little  chapels  or  houses  of  God,  where  pious  worship  is 
performed;  for  they  are  the  sheep  on  the  right  hand,  and  the 
rams  which  the  goats  assault,  according  to  Daniel  (viu.  2-14). 
In  heaven  such  are  clothed  in  garments  of  a  red  color,  and  when 
they  have  been  initiated  into  the  goods  of  the  New  Church, 
they  are  clothed  with  garments  of  a  purple  color,  which  ac- 
quire a  beautiful  golden  glow  in  proportion  as  they  also  receive 
truths. 


IX. 

CONFESSION    OUGHT   TO    BE    MADE    BEFORE   THE   LORD    GOD   THE 

SAVIOUR,  FOLLOWED  BY  SUPPLICATION  FOR  HELP 

AND    THE    POWER    TO    RESIST    EVILS. 

538  The  Lord  God  the  Saviour  is  to  be  approached  because 
He  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  the  Eedeemer  and  Saviour, 
to  whom  omnipotence,  omniscience,  omnipresence,  mercy  itself, 
and  also  justice,  belong;  also  because  man  is  His  creature  and 
the  church  is  His  sheepf old ;  also  because  in  the  New  Testament 
He  frequently  commands  men  to  approach,  worship  and  adore 
Him.  That  He  alone  is  to  be  approached  He  has  enjoined  in 
the  following  words  in  John: — 


Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  entereth  not  through  the  door 
into  the  sheepfold,  but  climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the  same  is  a  thief 
and  a  robber  ;  but  he  that  entereth  in  through  the  door  is  the  shepherd  of 
the  sheep,  I  am  the  door,  through  Me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be 
saved,  and  shall  tind  pasture.  The  thief  cometh  not  but  for  to  steal,  and 
to  kill,  and  to  destroy.  I  came  that  they  may  have  life,  and  may  have 
abundance.     I  am  the  good  shepherd  (x.  1,  2,  9-11). 

That  man  is  not  "  to  climb  up  some  other  way"  means  that  he 
is  not  to  approach  God  the  Father,  because  He  is  invisible  and 
therefore  inaccessible,  and  conjunction  with  Him  is  impossible, 
and  this  is  why  He  Himself  came  into  the  world,  and  made  Him- 
self visible  and  accessible,  and  conjunction  with  Him  possible ; 
which  was  done  solely  that  man  might  be  saved.  For  unless  in 
thought  God  is  approached  as  a  Man,  every  idea  of  God  perishes; 
it  falls  as  sight  does  when  directed  out  upon  the  universe,  that 
is,  into  empty  nothingness,  or  into  nature,  or  into  what  is  met 
within  nature.  That  God  Himself,  who  from  eternity  is  One, 
came  into  the  world,  is  clearly  evident  from  the  birth  of  the 
Lord  the  Saviour,  in  that  He  was  conceived  by  the  power  of  the 
Most  High  through  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  from  this  conception 
His  Human  was  born  of  the  virgin  Mary ;  from  which  it  follows, 
that  His  soul  was  the  Divine  Itself  that  is  called  the  Father  (for 
God  is  indivisible) ;  and  that  the  Human  born  therefrom  is  the 
Human  of  God  the  Father,  which  is  called  the  Son  of  God  (Luke 
i.  32,  34,  35).  From  this  again  it  follows  that  when  the  Lord 
God  the  Saviour  is  approached,  God  the  Father  is  approached 
also ;  therefore,  to  Philip  asking  Him  to  show  them  the  Father, 
He  replied : — 

He  that  seeth  Me  seeth  the  Father  ;  how  sayest  thou  then,  show  ils  the 
Father  ?  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in 
Me  ?  Believe  Me,  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  Me  {John 
xiv.  6-11). 

But  on  these  points  more  may  be  seen  in  the  chapters  on  God, 
the  Lord,  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  Trinity. 

539.  There  are  two  duties  incumbent  on  man.  to  be  done  after 
examination,  namely,  supplication  and  confession.  The  suppli- 
cation should  be  that  the  Lord  may  be  merciful,  that  He  may 
give  power  to  resist  the  evils  that  have  been  repented  of,  and 
that  He  will  provide  inclination  and  affection  for  doing  good. 

Since  apart  from  the  Lord  man  can  do  nothing  [John  xv.  5). 
43 


MiaiiafiMiMafii^BfiWiii 


674 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IX. 


N.  560] 


KEPENTANCE 


675 


The  confession  will  be  that  he  sees,  recognizes,  and  acknowl- 
edges his  evils,  and  finds  himself  to  be  a  miserable  sinner.  Tliere 
is  no  need  for  man  to  enumerate  his  sins  before  the  Lord,  nor 
to  supplicate  forgiveness  of  them.  He  need  not  enumerate  them, 
because  he  has  searched  them  out  and  seen  them  in  himself,  and 
consequently  they  are  present  to  the  Lord  because  they  are  pres- 
ent to  himself.  Moreover,  the  Lord  led  him  to  search  them 
out,  disclosed  them,  and  inspired  grief  for  them,  and  together 
with  this  an  effort  to  refrain  from  them  and  begin  a  new  life. 
Supplication  need  not  be  made  to  the  Lord  for  forgiveness  of 
sins,  for  the  following  reasons :  First,  because  sins  are  not  abol- 
ished, but  removed ;  and  they  are  removed  so  far  as  man  contin- 
ues to  refrain  from  them  and  enters  upon  a  new  life;  for  there 
are  innumerable  lusts  inherent,  coiled  up  as  it  were,  in  every 
evil,  and  they  cannot  be  put  away  instantly,  but  only  gradually, 
as  man  permits  himself  to  be  reformed  and  regenerated.  The 
second  reason  is,  that  as  the  Lord  is  mercy  itself,  He  forgives 
all  men  their  sins,  nor  does  He  impute  a  single  sin  to  any  one, 
for  He  says,  "  They  know  not  what  they  do."  Nevertheless,  the 
sins  are  not  thereby  taken  away;  for  to  Peter  asking  how  often 
he  should  forgive  his  brother's  trespasses,  whether  he  should 
do  so  seven  times,  the  Lord  said : — 

I  say  not  unto  thee,  until  seven  times,  but  luitil  seventy  times  seven 
(Matt  xviii.  21-22). 

What,  then,  will  not  the  Lord  do  ?  Still  it  does  no  harm  for  one 
burdened  in  conscience  to  enumerate  his  sins  before  a  minister 
of  the  church,  in  order  to  lighten  his  burden  and  obtain  abso- 
lution ;  because  he  is  thereby  initiated  into  a  habit  of  examin- 
ing himself,  and  reflecting  upon  each  day's  evils.  But  this  kind 
of  confession  is  natural,  while  that  described  above  is  spiritual. 
560.  To  adore  as  God  some  vicar  on  earth,  or  to  invoke  as 
God  some  saint,  has  no  more  weight  in  heaven  than  to  make 
supplication  to  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  or  to  ask  for  a  response 
from  a  diviner  and  believe  what  he  puts  forth,  which  is  idle. 
It  would  be  also  like  worshiping  a  temple,  and  not  worshiping 
God  in  the  temple ;  it  would  be  like  supplicating  a  king's  ser- 
vant  carrying  the  scepter  and  crown  in  his  hand,  for  the  honors 
of  glory,  instead  of  the  king  himself;  and  this  would  be  as  use- 


t 


less  as  trying  to  kiss  the  splendor  of  purple,  renown,  light,  the 
golden  rays  of  the  sun,  or  a  mere  name,  apart  from  their  sub- 
jects.   For  those  who  do  such  things  are  these  words  in  John : — 

We  abide  in  the  truth  in  Jesus  Christ.    This  is  the  true  God  and  eter- 
nal life.    Little  children,  guard  yourselves  from  idols  (1  Epis.  20,  21). 


X. 

ACTUAL     REPENT AXCE     IS     EASY     FOR     THOSE    WHO     HAVE     NOW 
AND    THEN    PRACTISED    IT,   BUT    IT    IS    A    VERY   DIFFI- 
CULT   TASK    FOR    THOSE  WHO    HAVE    NOT. 

561.  Actual  repentance  is  to  examine  oneself,  to  recognize 
one's  sins,  to  confess  them  before  God,  and  thus  to  begin  a  new 
life ;  this  is  in  accord  with  the  previous  description  of  it.  To 
the  Keformed  Christian  world  (meaning  by  this  all  those  who 
are  separate  from  the  church  of  Eome,  and  also  to  those  at- 
tached to  that  church  who  have  not  practised  actual  repent- 
ance), this  repentance  is  a  very  difficult  task.  This  is  because 
some  are  unwilling  and  some  are  afraid  to  practise  it ;  and  con- 
tinued neglect  establishes  a  habit,  induces  unwillingness,  and 
at  length  gains  the  endorsement  of  the  reasoning  intellect,  and 
this  with  some  produces  sadness,  dread,  and  terror  at  the  thought 
of  repentance.  Actual  repentance  is  so  extremely  difficult  in 
the  Reformed  Christian  world  chiefly  because  of  their  belief 
that  repentance  and  charity  contribute  nothing  to  salvation, 
but  faith  alone,  from  the  imputation  of  which  forgiveness  of 
sins,  justification,  renovation,  regeneration,  sanctification,  and 
eternal  salvation  follow.  Moreover,  their  dogmatic  writers  say 
that  man's  co-operation  of  himself,  or  as  if  of  himself,  is  use- 
less, is  an  obstacle  to  Christ's  merit,  and  is  repugnant  and  in- 
jurious to  it.  And  this  idea  is  implanted  in  the  minds  of  the 
common  people,  although  they  are  ignorant  of  the  mysteries  of 
that  faith,  merely  by  the  sayings,  that  "  faith  alone  saves,"  and 
"who  can  possibly  do  good  of  himself?"  For  this  reason,  re- 
pentance among  the  Reformed  is  like  a  nest  of  young  birds  de- 
prived  of  the  parent  birds,  which  have  been  captured  and  killed 


G76 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IX. 


N.  562] 


REPENTANCE 


677 


by  the  fowler.  To  this  another  reason  may  be  added,  that  a  so- 
called  Reformed  Christian  is  associated  in  the  spiritual  world 
as  to  his  spirit,  only  with  such  as  are  like  himself,  who  intro- 
duce such  things  into  the  ideas  of  his  thought,  and  lead  him 
away  from  the  very  first  step  toward  self-inspection  and  self- 
examination. 

562.  I  have  asked  many  of  the  Reformed  in  the  spiritual 
world,  why  they  did  not  practise  actual  repentance,  when  it 
was  enjoined  upon  them  both  in  the  Word  and  at  baptism,  as 
also  before  the  holy  communion  in  all  their  churches.  They 
made  various  replies.  Some  said  that  contrition  with  a  lip- 
confession  that  they  were  sinners,  is  sufficient ;  some  that  such 
repentance,  because  it  takes  place  while  man  is  acting  from  his 
own  will,  is  not  consistent  with  the  generally  accepted  faith. 
Others  said,  ^^How  can  any  one  examine  himself,  when  he 
knows  that  he  is  nothing  but  sin  ?  This  would  be  like  casting 
a  net  into  a  lake  filled  from  bottom  to  top  with  mud  containing 
noxious  worms.''  Others  said,  *^Who  can  look  into  himself  so 
deeply  as  to  see  in  himself  Adam's  sin,  from  which  all  his  act- 
ual evils  flow  ?  Are  not  both  kinds  of  evil  washed  away  by  the 
water  of  baptism,  and  removed  or  covered  up  by  the  merit  of 
Christ?  What  then  is  repentance  but  a  requirement,  which 
sadly  disturbs  the  conscientious  ?  By  the  Gospel  are  we  not 
under  grace,  and  not  under  the  hard  law  of  that  repentance  ?" 
and  so  on.  Some  said,  that  whenever  they  undertake  to  ex- 
amine themselves,  dread  and  terror  fill  their  minds  as  if  they 
saw  a  monster  near  their  bed  in  the  morning  twilight.  From 
all  this  the  reasons  are  made  clear  why  actual  repentance  in  the 
Reformed  Christian  world  has  become  rusty,  as  it  were,  and  is 
discarded.  [2]  In  the  presence  of  these  persons  I  also  asked 
some  who  adhered  to  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  about  their 
actual  confession  to  their  ministers,  whether  it  was  difficult. 
They  replied,  that  after  they  had  been  initiated  into  it  they 
were  not  afraid  to  recount  their  trespasses  to  a  confessor  who 
was  not  severe,  that  they  gathered  them  up  with  a  kind  of 
pleasure,  telling  the  lighter  ones  cheerfully,  and  the  more  seri- 
ous somewhat  timidly;  also  from  habit  they  freely  returned 
annually  to  their  appointed  confession,  and,  after  receiving  ab- 
solution, to  festivity;  moreover,  that  they  look  upon  all  who 


are  not  willing  to  disclose  the  defilements  of  their  hearts,  as 
impure.  Hearing  this,  the  Reformed  wlio  were  present  hast- 
ened away,  some  deriding  and  laughing,  some  astounded  and 
yet  commending.  [3]  Afterward  some  drew  near  who  belonged 
to  that  same  church,  but  had  lived  in  Protestant  countries,  who, 
according  to  tlie  usage  there  established,  did  not  make  a  special 
confession,  as  their  brethren  do  elsewhere,  but  a  general  confes- 
sion to  one  who  held  the  keys  for  them.  These  said  that  they 
were  utterly  unable  to  examine  themselves,  to  trace  out  and  set 
forth  their  actual  evils  and  the  secrets  of  their  thoughts ;  and 
that  they  felt  this  to  be  as  repugnant  and  terrifying  as  an  at- 
tempt to  cross  a  ditch  to  a  rampart  where  an  armed  soldier 
stands  and  cries,  "Keep  back."  From  all  this  it  is  now  clear 
that  actual  repentance  is  easy  to  those  avIio  at  times  practise  it, 
but  is  extremely  difficult  to  those  who  have  not  practised  it. 

563.  It  is  known  that  habit  is  a  second  nature,  and  that 
therefore  what  is  easy  for  one  is  difficult  for  another ;  and  this 
is  true  of  self-examination  and  a  confession  of  what  is  thereby 
discovered.  What  is  easier  for  a  hired  laborer,  a  porter,  or  a 
farmer,  than  to  work  with  his  hands  from  morning  till  evening, 
while  a  gentleman  or  a  delicate  person  could  not  do  the  same 
work  for  half  an  hour  without  fatigue  and  sweating  ?  It  is 
easy  for  a  footman  with  a  staif  and  easy  boots  to  pursue  his 
way  for  miles,  while  one  accustomed  to  ride  can  hardly  run 
slowly  from  one  street  to  another.  Every  mechanic  who  is  at- 
tentive to  his  task  goes  through  it  easily  and  willingly,  and 
when  he  leaves  it,  longs  to  return;  while  another,  who  under- 
stands the  same  trade,  but  is  indolent,  can  scarcely  be  driven 
to  work.  The  same  is  true  of  every  one,  whatever  may  be  his 
office  or  pursuit.  To  one  diligent  in  piety,  what  is  easier  than 
to  pray  to  God  ?  while  to  one  who  is  a  slave  to  impiety,  what 
is  more  difficult  ?  and  vice  versa.  What  priest,  preaching  before 
a  king  for  the  first  time,  does  not  feel  timid  ?  but  after  doing 
it  frequently  he  goes  through  boldly.  What  is  easier  for  an 
angelic  man  than  to  raise  his  eyes  to  heaven,  or  for  a  devilish 
man  than  to  cast  them  down  toward  hell?  But  if  the  latter 
becomes  a  hypocrite,  he  too  can  look  up  to  heaven,  but  his  heart 
is  turned  away.  Every  one  becomes  imbued  with  the  end  he 
has  in  view  and  the  habit  arising  therefrom. 


i 


678 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IX. 


XL 


ONE    WHO    HAS    NEVER    REPENTED    OR    HAS    NEVER    LOOKED    IN- 
TO   AND    SEARCHED    HIMSELF,  FINALLY    CEASES    TO    KNOW 
WHAT    DAMNING    EVIL    OR    SAVING    GOOD    IS. 

564.  As  few  in  the  Eefonned  Christian  world  practise  re- 
pentance, this  is  here  added,  that  he  who  has  not  looked  into 
and  searched  himself,  finally  ceases  to  know  what  damning  evil 
or  saving  good  is,  because  he  has  no  religion  from  which  to 
know  it ;  for  the  evil  that  a  man  does  not  see,  recognize  and  ac- 
knowledge, remains ;  and  whatever  remains  becomes  more  and 
more  enrooted,  until  it  obstructs  the  interiors  of  the  mind, 
whereby  man  becomes  first  natural,  then  sensual,  and  finally 
corporeal,  and  in  such  states  he  knows  not  any  damning  evil 
or  saving  good.  He  becomes  like  a  tree  growing  on  a  hard 
rock,  which  spreads  its  roots  among  the  crevices  and  finally 
withers  away  from  lack  of  moisture.  [2]  Every  man  rightly 
educated  is  rational  and  moral ;  but  there  are  two  ways  to  ra- 
tionality, one  from  the  world  and  the  other  from  heaven.  He 
who  has  become  rational  and  moral  from  the  world  only,  and 
not  from  heaven,  is  rational  and  moral  in  word  and  gesture 
only,  but  is  inwardly  a  beast,  and  even  a  wild  beast,  because 
he  acts  as  one  with  those  who  are  in  hell,  where  all  are  wiUl 
beasts.  But  he  who  is  rational  and  moral  from  heaven  also,  is 
truly  rational  and  moral,  because  he  is  so  at  once  in  spirit,  word 
and  body ;  the  spiritual  being  within  these  two  latter  like  a  soul 
actuating  the  natural,  sensual  and  corporeal ;  it  also  acts  as  one 
with  those  who  are  in  heaven.  Therefore  there  can  be  a  spir- 
itual-rational and  moral  man,  and  also  a  merely  natural-rational 
and  moral  man.  These  two  are  not  distinguished  from  each 
other  in  the  world,  especially  if  the  man  has  by  practice  become 
imbued  with  hypocrisy ;  but  they  are  distinguished  by  the  an- 
gels in  heaven  as  easily  as  doves  from  owls  or  sheep  from  tigers. 
[3]  The  merely  natural  man  can  see  good  and  evil  in  others, 
and  also  rebuke  others ;  but  not  having  looked  into  and  exam- 
ined himself,  he  does  not  see  any  evil  in  himself,  and  if  any  is 
discovered  by  another,  he  cloaks  it  by  means  of  his  rationality, 


N.  564] 


REPENTANCE 


679 


as  a  serpent  hides  his  head  in  the  dust,  and  immerses  himself 
in  it,  as  a  hornet  buries  himself  in  mud.  This  is  done  by  the 
delight  of  evil,  which  encompasses  him  as  a  fog  does  a  marsh, 
absorbing  and  extinguishing  the  rays  of  light.  Infernal  de- 
light is  no  other.  It  is  exhaled  from  hell,  and  flows  into  every 
man,  into  the  soles  of  his  feet,  his  back,  and  his  occiput;  and 
when  it  is  received  by  the  head  in  the  forehead  and  by  the  body 
in  the  breast,  man  is  made  a  slave  to  hell;  and  for  the  reason 
that  the  human  cerebrum  is  devoted  to  the  understanding  and 
the  wisdom  it  contains,  but  the  cerebellum  to  the  will  and  its 
love.  This  is  why  there  are  two  brains.  But  that  infernal  de- 
light can  be  corrected,  reformed  and  invertoi  solely  by  the  spir- 
itual-rational and  moral. 

565.  There  shall  now  be  given  a  brief  description  of  the 
merely  natural-rational  and  moral  man,  who  viewed  in  himself 
is  sensual,  and  if  he  goes  on,  becomes  corporeal  or  fleshly ;  but 
the  description  shall  be  sketched  in  separate  statements. 

The  sensual  is  the  outmost  of  the  life  of  man's  mind,  adher- 
ent to  and  coherent  with  his  five  bodily  senses. 

He  is  called  a  sensual  man  who  judges  of  everything  from 
the  bodily  senses,  and  believes  nothing  but  what  he  can  see 
with  his  eyes  and  touch  with  his  hands,  calling  that  something 
real,  and  rejecting  everything  else. 

The  interiors  of  his  mind,  which  have  their  vision  from  the 
light  of  heaven,  are  closed,  so  that  he  sees  nothing  of  the  truth 
that  relates  to  heaven  and  the  church. 

Such  a  man  thinks  in  outermosts,  and  not  interiorly  from  any 
spiritual  light,  because  he  is  in  gross  natural  light;  therefore  he 
is  interiorly  opposed  to  the  things  that  pertain  to  heaven  and 
the  church,  although  outwardly  he  can  speak  in  favor  of  them, 
even  zealously,  in  proportion  to  his  hope  of  gaining  power  and 
wealth  by  means  of  them. 

Men  of  learning  and  erudition,  who  have  confirmed  them- 
selves deeply  in  falsities,  and  still  more  those  who  have  con- 
firmed themselves  against  the  truths  of  the  Word,  are  more  sen- 
sual than  others. 

[2]  Sensual  men  reason  acutely  and  skilfully,  because  their 
thought  is  so  near  to  speech  as  to  be  almost  in  it,  as  it  were,  on 
the  lips ;  also  because  they  ascribe  all  intelligence  to  the  speech 


G80 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


that  is  from  memory  alone.  Moreover,  they  can  dexterously 
confirm  falsities,  and  after  confirming  them  they  l^elieve  them 
to  be  true;  but  their  reasoning  and  confirmation  are  from  the 
fallacies  of  the  senses,  which  captivate  and  persuade  the  com- 
mon people. 

Sensual  men  are  more  cunning  and  malicious  than  others. 

The  avaricious,  adulterous,  and  crafty  are  especially  sensual, 
although  to  the  world  they  seem  talented. 

The  interiors  of  their  minds  are  vile  and  filthy ;  by  these 
they  communicate  with  the  hells ;  in  the  AVord  they  are  called 
dead. 

Those  who  are  in  the  hells  are  sensual,  and  more  so  the  more 
deeply  they  are  in  them;  and  the  sphere  of  infernal  spirits  con- 
joins itself  from  behind  with  man's  sensual.  In  the  light  of 
heaven  their  occiput  seems  hollow. 

Those  who  reasoned  from  sensual  things  only,  were  called  by 
the  ancients  serpents  of  the  tree  of  knowledge. 

[3]  Sensual  things  ought  to  occupy  the  last  place,  not  the 
first ;  and  in  a  wise  and  intelligent  man  they  do  occupy  the  last 
place,  and  are  subordinate  to  things  interior ;  but  in  a  foolish 
man  they  occupy  the  first  place,  and  are  predominant. 

When  things  sensual  occupy  the  last  place,  a  way  is  opened 
by  means  of  them  to  the  understanding,  and  truths  are  perfected 
by  the  method  of  extraction. 

Such  sensual  things  stand  most  near  to  the  world,  and  admit 
what  flows  to  them  from  the  world,  and,  as  it  were,  sift  it. 

By  means  of  sensual  things  man  communicates  with  the 
world,  and  by  means  of  rational  things  with  heaven. 

Sensual  things  supply  what  is  of  service  to  the  interiors  of 
the  mind. 

There  are  sensual  things  that  supply  what  is  serviceable 
both  to  the  intellectual  and  to  the  voluntary  part. 

Unless  thought  is  raised  above  sensual  things  man  has  but 
little  wisdom.  When  man's  thought  is  raised  above  sensual 
things,  he  comes  into  a  clearer  light,  and  at  length  into  heav- 
enly light,  and  then  he  has  a  perception  of  such  things  as  flow 
down  from  heaven. 

The  outmost  of  the  understanding  is  the  natural  knowing 
faculty,  and  the  outmost  of  the  will  is  sensual  delight. 


N.  566] 


REPENTANCE 


r,8i 


566.  As  to  his  natural  man,  man  is  like  a  beast;  he  acquires 
the  image  of  a  beast  by  means  of  life.  Consequently  in  the  spir- 
itual world  there  appear  about  such  a  man  beasts  of  all  kinds, 
which  are  correspondences.  Yov  man's  natural,  viewed  in  itself, 
is  purely  animal;  but  because  there  is  a  spiritual  superadded,  he 
can  become  a  man ;  and  if  he  does  not  become  a  man  from  the 
capacity  to  become  so,  he  can  counterfeit  one,  although  he  is 
then  only  a  talking  beast ;  for  he  talks  from  the  natural-rational, 
but  thinks  from  spiritual  insanity,  and  he  acts  from  natural 
morality,  but  loves  from  a  spiritual  satyriasis.  His  actions,  seen 
by  a  spiritually  rational  man,  are  but  little  different  from  the 
dance  of  one  bitten  by  a  tarantula,  or  that  called  St.  Vitus' 
dance,  or  the  dance  of  St.  Guy.  Who  does  not  know  that  a 
hypocrite  can  talk  about  God,  a  robber  about  honesty,  an  adul- 
terer about  chastity,  and  so  on  ?  But  unless  man  had  the  abil- 
ity to  shut  and  open  the  door  between  his  thoughts  and  his 
words,  and  between  his  intentions  and  his  actions,  and  unless 
])rudence  or  cunning  were  the  doorkeeper,  he  would  rush  into 
crimes  and  cruelties  more  fiercely  than  any  wild  beast.  But  in 
every  man  after  death  that  door  is  opened;  and  then  what  he 
has  been  is  apparent;  but  he  is  kept  under  restraint  by  pun- 
ishments and  confinements  in  hell.  Therefore,  kind  reader, 
look  into  yourself,  and  find  out  one  or  another  evil  that  is  in 
you,  and  from  religion  dismiss  it.  If  you  dismiss  evils  from 
any  other  purpose  or  end,  you  do  so  only  that  they  may  not  ap- 
pear before  the  world. 

567.  To  all  this  the  following  Memorable  Relations  shall  be 
added.    ¥irst : — 

I  was  suddenly  seized  with  a  disease  almost  deadly ;  my  whole 
head  was  oppressed ;  a  pestilential  smoke  was  let  into  it  from 
the  Jerusalem  which  is  called 

Sodom  and  Egypt  {Apoc.  xi.  8). 

I  was  half  dead  with  the  fierce  pain ;  I  expected  my  end.  In 
this  state  I  lay  in  my  bed  for  three  days  and  a  half.  My  spirit 
was  brought  into  that  condition,  and  from  it  my  body. 

Then  I  heard  about  me  the  voices  of  some,  who  said,  "Be- 
hold, he  who  preached  repentance  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins 
and  ('hrist  as  alone  man,  lies  dead  in  the  street  of  our  city." 


682 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


And  they  asked  some  of  the  clergy  whether  that  man  was 
worthy  of  burial;  and  they  answered,  " No ;  let  him  lie  and  be 
looked  at.''    And  they  kept  going,  and  coming,  and  scoffing. 

Of  a  truth  this  so  happened  to  me  while  explaining  the  elev- 
enth chapter  of  The  Apocalypse. 

Then  harsh  remarks  were  heard  from  the  scoffers,  especially 
these :  "  How  can  man  repent  without  faith  ?  How  can  the  man 
Christ  be  adored  as  God  ?  Since  we  are  saved  freely  without 
any  merit  of  our  own,  what  need  is  there  of  anything  except 
the  faith  only  that  God  the  Father  sent  the  Son  to  take  away 
the  damnation  of  the  law,  to  impute  to  us  His  merit,  and  so 
justify  us  before  Him,  absolve  us  from  our  sins  by  the  declar- 
ation of  a  priest,  and  then  give  us  the  Holy  Spirit  to  work  in 
us  all  good  ?  Is  this  not  in  accordance  with  Scripture  and  also 
in  accordance  with  reason  ?''  At  this  the  crowd  that  stood  by 
applauded. 

[2]  I  heard  this  and  was  unable  to  reply,  because  I  lay 
almost  dead.  But  after  three  days  and  a  half  my  spirit  re- 
covered, and  in  spirit  I  went  out  on  the  street  into  the  city 
and  said  again,  "  Kepent,  and  believe  in  Christ,  and  your  sins 
will  be  forgiven,  and  you  will  be  saved ;  otherwise,  you  will 
perish.  Did  not  the  Lord  Himself  preach  repentance  for  the 
forgiveness  of  sins,  and  that  they  should  believe  in  Him  ? 
Did  He  not  command  His  disciples  to  preach  the  same  ?  Does 
not  complete  unconcern  about  life  follow  the  dogma  of  your 
faith  ?" 

But  they  said,  "  AMiat  nonsense !  Has  not  the  Son  made  sat- 
isfaction ?  Does  not  the  Father  impute  this  to  us  ?  We  who 
believe  this  He  justifies ;  thus  we  are  led  by  the  spirit  of  gi-ace. 
"What  then  is  sin  in  us,  and  what  is  death  with  us  ?  Preacher 
of  sin  and  repentance,  do  you  understand  this  gospel  T^ 

Then  a  voice  came  forth  out  of  heaven,  saying,  "  What  is  the 
faith  of  an  impenitent  man  but  a  dead  faith?  The  end  has 
come,  the  end  has  come  upon  you,  unconcerned,  blameless  in 
your  own  eyes,  justified  in  your  own  belief,  satans.'^  Then  sud- 
denly a  chasm  was  opened  in  the  midst  of  the  city ;  it  widened ; 
liouse  after  house  fell  into  it,  and  they  were  swallowed  up ;  and 
straightway  water  welled  up  from  the  wide  gulf  and  ovei*flowed 
the  waste. 


N.  567] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


683 


[3]  When  they  had  thus  sunk  down  and  been  apparently 
overflowed,  I  was  wishing  to  know  their  lot  in  the  abyss,  and 
1  was  told  from  heaven,  "  You  shall  see  and  h^ar.^' 

And  then  the  waters  by  which  they  seemed  to  be  overflowed 
disappeared  before  my  eyes ;  for  waters  in  the  spiritual  world 
are  correspondences,  and  therefore  appear  about  those  who  are 
in  falsities.  I  then  saw  them  in  the  sandy  bottom,  where  heaps 
of  stones  were  piled,  among  which  they  were  running  about  and 
lamenting  that  they  had  been  cast  out  of  their  great  city. 

They  shouted  and  cried  out,  "  Why  has  this  come  upon  us  ? 
Are  we  not,  by  our  faith,  clean,  pure,  just,  and  holy?  Are  we 
not,  by  our  faith,  cleansed,  purified,  justified  and  sanctified  ?" 
And  others  cried  out,  "Are  we  not,  by  our  faith,  made  such  that 
before  God  the  Father  we  appear,  are  seen,  and  are  reputed,  and 
before  the  angels  are  declared  to  be  clean,  pure,  just  and  holy? 
Have  we  not  been  reconciled,  propitiated,  expiated,  and  there- 
fore absolved,  washed,  and  cleansed  from  sin  ?  Has  not  the  con- 
demnation of  the  law  been  taken  away  by  Christ  ?  Why,  then, 
have  we  been  cast  down  into  this  place  as  if  damned  ?  We  heard 
a  bold  preacher  against  sin  say  in  our  great  city,  ^  Believe  in 
Christ,  and  repent.'  Have  we  not  believed  in  Christ,  since  we 
have  believed  in  His  merit?  Have  we  not  repented,  since  we 
have  confessed  that  we  are  sinners  ?  Why  then  has  this  befallen 

us?" 

[4]  Then  was  heard  a  voice  from  one  side  saying  to  them,  "  Do 
you  know  of  any  one  sin  in  which  you  are  ?  Have  you  ever  ex- 
amined yourselves,  and  consequently  shunned  any  evil  as  a  sin 
against  God  ?  He  who  does  not  shun  evil  is  in  evil.  Is  not  sin 
the  devil  ?    Therefore  you  are  those  of  whom  the  Lord  says : — 

Then  shall  ye  begin  to  say,  We  have  eaten  and  drunk  before  Tliee,  and 
Thou  hast  taught  in  our  streets.  But  He  will  say,  I  tell  you,  I  know  you 
not  whence  ye  are  ;  depart  from  Me,  all  ye  workers  of  iniquity  {Luke  xiii. 
26,  27  ;  as  also  those  of  whom  He  speaks,  Matt.  vii.  22,  23). 

Away,  therefore,  each  to  his  own  place.  You  see  openings  in 
the  caverns ;  enter,  and  to  each  one  of  you  will  be  given  his  own 
task  to  be  done,  and  then  food  in  proportion  to  your  work.  If 
you  do  not,  hunger  will  soon  compel  you  to  go  in.-' 

[5]  Afterward  there  came  a  voice  out  of  heaven  to  some  on 
the  earth  who  were  outside  of  that  great  city  (who  also  are  spo 


G84 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IX. 


ken  of  in  Aj)oc.  xi.  13),  saying  loudly, "  lieware,  beware  of  affili- 
ation with  such  spirits.  Can  you  not  understand  that  the  evils 
which  are  called  sins  and  iniquities  render  man  unclean  and 
impure?  How  can  man  be  cleansed  and  purilied  from  them 
except  by  actual  repentance,  and  by  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  ? 

"Actual  repentance  is  to  examine  oneself,  to  recognize  and  ac- 
knowledge one's  sins,  to  hold  oneself  guilty,  to  confess  sins  be- 
fore the  Lord,  to  pray  for  help  and  power  to  resist  them,  and 
thus  refrain  from  them  and  begin  a  new  life ;  and  all  this  you 
must  do  as  if  of  yourselves.    Do  so  once  or  twice  a  year,  when 
you  come  to  the  holy  communion ;  and  afterward,  whenever  the 
sms  of  which  you  have  found  yourselves  guilty  recur,  say  to 
yourselves,  *  We  will  not  do  this  because  it  is  a  sin  against  God.' 
This  is  actual  repentance.     [6]  Who  cannot  understand  that  he 
who  does  not  examine  and  see  his  sins  remains  in  them?    For 
every  evil  is  delightful  to  a  man  from  his  birth ;  it  is  delightful 
to  him  to  take  revenge,  to  commit  whoredom,  to  defraud,  to 
blaspheme,  and  especially  to  exercise  dominion  from  self-love; 
and  does  not  this  delight  prevent  your  seeing  these  sins  ?    And 
if,  perchance,  you  are  told  that  they  are  sins,  do  you  not  from 
their  delight  excuse  them,  and  even  prove  to  yourselves  by 
means  of  falsities  that  they  are  not  sins  ?    And,  therefore,  you 
remain  in  them,  and  afterward  commit  them  more  frequently 
than  before,  and  this  even  until  you  do  not  know  what  sin  is, 
or  indeed  whether  there  is  any  such  thing.     With  any  one 
who  actually  repents  it  is  different.    His  evils,  such  as  he  has 
recognized  and  acknowledged,  he  calls  sins,  and  therefore  be- 
gins to  shun  them  and  turn  away  from  them;  and  finally  to 
feel  their  delight  to  be  undelightful.     And  so  far  as  this  is 
done  he  sees  and  loves  good,  and  at  length  feels  the  delight 
of  good,  which  is  the  delight  of  the  angels  of  heaven.    In  a 
word,  so  far  as  any  one  puts  the  devil  behind  him,  he  is  accept- 
ed by  the  Lord,  and  is  taught,  led,  withheld  from  evil,  and  kept 
in  good  by  Him;  and  this  is  the  way,  and  the  only  way,  from 
hell  to  heaven." 

[7]  It  is  wonderful  that  with  the  Reformed  there  is  a  certain 
enrooted  objection,  repugnance  and  aversion  to  actual  repent- 
ance, which  is  so  great  as  to  ])revent  their  compelling  them- 


L^^^-A■J>.aw■J>:»^-.^»-,-  ^^ . -> 


N.  567] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


685 


selves  to  examine  themselves,  to  see  their  sins,  and  to  confess 
them  before  God ;  it  is  as  if  horror  seized  them  when  this  is  pro- 
posed. In  the  spiritual  world  I  have  asked  very  many  about 
this,  and  they  all  have  declared  that  it  was  beyond  their  power. 
When  they  have  heard  that  this  is  still  done  by  the  papists, 
that  is,  that  they  examine  themselves,  and  openly  confess  their 
sins  to  a  monk,  they  have  been  very  much  astonished,  and  es- 
pecially that  the  Eeformed  could  not  even  do  this  in  secret  be- 
fore God,  although  it  is  equally  enjoined  upon  them  before  they 
come  to  the  holy  supper.  Some  there  wished  to  know  why 
this  is  so ;  and  they  found  that  such  a  state  of  impenitence  and 
such  a  heart  are  induced  by  faith  alone.  Then  it  was  granted 
them  to  see  that  those  Roman  Catholics  who  worship  Christ 
and  do  not  invoke  saints  are  saved. 

[8]  After  this,  something  like  thunder  was  heard,  and  a  voice 
speaking  from  heaven,  saying,  "  We  are  amazed.  Say  to  the  as- 
sembly of  the  Reformed,  '  Believe  in  Christ,  repent,  and  you 
will  be  saved.' " 

This  I  said,  adding  also,  "  Is  not  baptism  a  sacrament  of  re- 
pentance, and  therefore  introduction  into  the  church?  What 
do  the  sponsors  promise  for  him  who  is  about  to  be  baptized, 
but  that  he  will  renounce  the  devil  and  his  works  ?  Is  not  the 
holy  supper  a  sacrament  of  repentance,  and  thus  introduction 
into  heaven  ?  Are  not  communicants  told  by  all  means  to  re- 
pent before  coming  to  it  ?  Does  not  the  catechism,  the  doctrine 
of  the  entire  Christian  church,  teach  repentance?  Is  it  not 
there  said,  in  the  six  commandments  of  the  second  table,  Thou 
shalt  not  do  this  or  that  evil,  and  not,  Thou  shalt  do  this  or  that 
good?  From  this  you  may  know  that  so  far  as  any  one  re- 
nounces evil  and  turns  away  from  it,  so  far  he  is  moved  by  and 
loves  good,  and  until  then  does  not  know  what  good  is,  nor  even 
what  evil  is." 

568.  Second  Memorable  Relation: — 

AVhat  pious  and  wise  man  does  not  wish  to  know  his  life's 
lot  after  death  ?  I  will  therefore  set  forth  plainly  some  general 
truths  in  order  that  it  may  be  known. 

Every  man,  when,  after  death,  he  feels  that  he  is  still  alive, 
and  that  he  is  in  another  world,  and  hears  that  heaven,  where 
there  are  eternal  joys,  is  above  him,  and  hell,  where  there  are 


680 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


eternal  sorrows,  is  beneath  him,  is  at  first  remitted  into  his  ex- 
ternals, in  which  he  was  in  the  former  world ;  and  he  then  be- 
lieves that  he  is  certainly  going  to  heaven,  and  talks  intelli- 
gently and  acts  prudently. 

And  some  then  say,  ^*  We  have  lived  morally,  we  have  pursued 
honesty,  we  have  not  done  evil  purposely.''  Others  say,  '^  We 
have  frequented  churches,  heard  masses,  kissed  sacred  images, 
and  on  our  knees  poured  out  prayers.''  Others  again,  "  AVe  have 
given  to  the  poor,  helped  the  needy,  read  i)ious  books,  and  also 
the  Word,"  with  other  like  things. 

[ii]  But  when  they  have  said  these  things,  angels  approach 
and  say,  "  All  that  you  have  mentioned  you  have  done  in  exter- 
nals, but  you  do  not  yet  knoAV  what  you  are  in  your  internals. 
You  are  now  spirits  in  a  substantial  body,  and  the  spirit  is  your 
internal  man.  It  is  this  in  you  that  thinks  what  it  wills  and 
wills  what  it  loves ;  and  that  is  the  delight  of  its  life.  Every 
man  from  infancy  begins  life  from  externals,  and  learns  to  act 
morally  and  talk  intelligently ;  and  when  he  begins  to  gain  some 
idea  of  heaven  and  its  happiness,  he  begins  to  pray,  to  frequent 
churches,  and  to  observe  the  solemnities  of  worship ;  and  yet 
when  evils  spring  forth  from  their  native  fountain,  he  hides 
them  in  his  mind's  bosom,  and  also  ingeniously  covers  them 
over  with  reasonings  from  fallacies  to  such  an  extent  that  he 
does  not  even  know  that  evil  is  evil.  And  then  because  the 
evils  are  veiled  over  and  covered  up  as  it  were  with  dust,  he 
thinks  no  more  about  them,  except  to  guard  against  their  ap- 
pearing before  the  world.  Thus  he  endeavors  merely  to  lead  a 
moral  life  in  externals,  and  thus  he  becomes  a  double  man, — a 
sheep  in  externals,  and  a  wolf  in  internals;  and  he  is  like  a 
golden  box  containing  poison,  or  like  a  man  with  a  foul  breath 
holding  something  aromatic  in  his  mouth  to  prevent  those  near 
him  from  perceiving  it;  or  he  is  like  a  mouse's  skin  that  smells 
of  balsam.  [3]  You  said  that  you  had  lived  morally,  and  had 
followed  pious  pursuits ;  but  tell  me,  have  you  ever  examined 
your  internal  man  and  there  perceived  any  lusting  after  revenge 
even  to  murder,  after  libidinous  living  even  to  adultery,  after 
defrauding  even  to  theft,  after  lying  even  to  false  witness  ?  In 
four  of  the  commandments  of  the  Decalogue  it  is  said,  Thou 
shalt  not  do  these  things,  and  in  the  two  last.  Thou  shalt  not 


N.  568] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


()87 


lust  after  them.  Do  you  believe  that  in  these  things  your  in- 
ternal man  has  been  like  your  external  ?  If  you  do  you  are  per- 
haps deceived." 

[4]  To  this  they  replied,  "What  is  the  internal  man?  Is 
not  the  internal  and  the  external  one  and  the  same  ?  We  have 
heard  from  our  ministers  that  the  internal  man  is  nothing  but 
faith,  and  that  oral  piety  and  a  morality  of  life  are  the  signs  of 
it,  because  they  are  its  operation." 

To  this  the  angels  answered,  "  Saving  faith  is  in  the  internal 
man,  and  charity  likewise;  and  from  them  come  Christian  fidel- 
ity and  morality  in  the  external  man.  But  if  the  above-men- 
tioned lusts  remain  in  the  internal  man,  thus  in  the  will  and 
therefrom  in  the  thought,  and  if  in  consequence  you  love  these 
things  interiorly,  and  yet  act  and  speak  otherwise  in  externals, 
evil  is  then  with  you  above  good,  and  good  below  evil ;  conse- 
quently, however  you  may  talk  as  if  from  the  understanding, 
and  act  from  love,  evil  is  within  and  thus  is  veiled  over;  and 
then  you  are  like  cunning  apes  which  perform  actions  like  those 
of  men,  but  the  human  heart  is  wholly  lacking.  [5]  But  what 
your  internal  man  is,  of  which  you  know  nothing,  because  you 
have  not  examined  yourselves  and  afterwards  repented,  you  will 
see  after  a  while,  when  you  put  off  your  external  man  and  are 
let  into  the  internal.  When  this  takes  place  you  will  no  longer 
be  recognized  by  your  companions,  nor  even  by  yourselves. 
Wicked  men,  who  were  moral,  I  have  then  seen  to  be  like  wild 
beasts,  looking  at  the  neighbor  with  savage  eyes,  burning  with 
deadly  hatred,  and  blaspheming  God,  whom  they  adored  while 
in  the  external  man." 

Hearing  this  they  withdrew ;  and  the  angels  then  said,  "  You 
will  see  your  life's  lot  after  a  little;  for  your  external  man  will 
soon  be  taken  away  from  you,  and  you  will  enter  into  the  in- 
ternal, which  is  now  your  spirit." 

569.  Third  Memorable  Relation : — 

Every  love  in  man  breathes  forth  a  delight  by  which  it  makes 
itself  felt.  It  is  breathed  forth  first  into  the  spirit  and  from 
that  into  the  body ;  and  the  delight  of  one's  love,  together  with 
the  pleasantness  of  thought,  constitutes  his  life.  This  delight 
and  pleasantness  are  felt  by  man  only  obscurely  while  he  lives 
in  the  natural  body,  because  that  body  absorbs  and  blunts  them ; 


688 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IX. 


but  after  death,  when  the  material  body  is  laid  aside,  and  the 
covering  or  clothing  of  the  spirit  thus  removed,  man  has  a  full 
sense  and  perception  of  these  delights  of  love  and  pleasant- 
nesses of  thought,  and,  what  is  wonderful,  sometimes  even  as 
odors.  Because  of  this,  all  in  the  spiritual  world  are  affiliated 
acicording  to  their  loves,  those  in  heaven  according  to  theirs, 
and  those  in  hell  according  to  theirs.  [2]  The  odors  into  which, 
in  heaven,  the  delights  of  loves  are  turned,  are  all  perceived 
like  the  fragrances,  sweet  smells,  pleasant  exhalations,  and  de- 
licious sensations  that  arise  from  gardens,  flower-beds,  fields 
and  forests  in  the  mornings  in  spring.  But  the  odors  into 
which  the  delights  of  the  loves  of  those  in  hell  are  turned,  are 
perceived  like  the  pungent,  fetid  and  putrid  smells  that  arise 
from  cesspools,  dead  bodies,  and  ponds  full  of  rubbish  and  or- 
dure ;  and,  what  is  wonderful,  the  devils  and  satans  there  per- 
ceive these  smells  as  balsams,  aromatics  and  frankincense,  re- 
freshing their  nostrils  rnd  hearts.  In  the  natural  world  it  is 
also  given  to  beasts,  birds  and  worms  to  be  associated  according 
to  odors,  but  not  to  men  until  they  have  laid  aside  their  bodies 
as  exuvice.  [3]  On  this  account  heaven  is  most  distinctly  ar- 
ranged in  accordance  with  all  the  varieties  of  the  love  of  good, 
and  hell,  on  the  contrary,  in  accordance  with  all  the  varieties 
of  the  love  of  evil.  It  is  owing  to  this  opposition  that  there  is 
a  gulf  between  heaven  and  hell  which  cannot  be  passed ;  for 
those  who  are  in  heaven  cannot  endure  any  odor  from  hell,  be- 
cause it  excites  nausea  and  vomiting,  and  threatens  them  with 
swooning  if  they  inhale  it.  The  effect  is  similar  upon  those 
who  are  in  hell,  if  they  pass  the  middle  line  of  that  gulf. 

[4]  I  once  saw  a  certain  devil,  who  at  a  distance  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  leopard  (a  few  days  before  he  had  been  seen 
among  the  angels  of  the  lowest  heaven,  having  the  art  to  make 
himself  an  angel  of  light),  who  had  passed  beyond  the  middle 
line  and  was  standing  between  two  olive  trees,  yet  did  not  per- 
ceive any  odor  offensive  to  his  life,  for  the  reason  that  there 
were  no  angels  present.  But  the  moment  they  approached  he 
was  seized  with  convulsions  and  fell  down  rigid  in  all  his  limbs ; 
and  then  he  appeared  like  a  great  serpent  drawing  himself 
up  in  folds,  and  at  length  gliding  down  through  the  opening, 
from  which  he  was  taken  by  his  companions  and  carried  into 


N.  569] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  TIURD 


689 


a  cavern,  and  there  by  the  rank  odor  of  his  own  delight  he 
was  revived. 

[5]  Again,  I  once  saw  a  satan  punished  by  his  compan- 
ions. I  asked  why,  and  was  told  that  with  his  nostrils  stop- 
ped up  he  had  gone  near  to  those  who  were  in  the  odor  of 
heaven,  and  had  returned  and  brought  that  odor  with  him  on 
his  clothing. 

It  has  often  happened  that  a  putrid  odor,  like  that  of  corpses, 
from  some  open  cavern  in  hell,  has  painfully  touched  my  nos- 
trils and  brought  on  vomiting. 

From  all  this  it  can  be  seen  why  in  the  Word  the  sense  of 
smell  signifies  perception,  for  it  is  often  said  that  Jehovah 
smelled  a  sweet  savor  from  the  burnt-offerings ;  also  that  the 
anointing  oil  and  the  incense  were  made  of  fragrant  substances ; 
and  on  the  other  hand  the  children  of  Israel  were  commanded 
to  carry  out  of  their  camps  what  was  unclean  in  them,  and  to 
dig  down  and  bury  their  excrements  {Dent,  xxiii.  12, 13).  This 
was  because  the  camps  of  Israel  represented  heaven,  and  the 
desert  without  the  camps  represented  hell. 
570.  Fourth  Memorable  Kelation : — 

I  once  talked  with  a  novitiate  spirit  who,  when  in  the  world, 
had  meditated  much  upon  heaven  and  hell.  By  novitiate  spir- 
its are  meant  men  who  have  recently  died,  and  who  are  called 
spirits  because  they  are  then  spiritual  men.  As  soon  as  this 
spirit  entered  the  spiritual  world,  he  began  to  meditate  in  the 
same  manner  on  heaven  and  hell,  and  when  thinking  about  hear 
ven  seemed  to  himself  to  be  glad,  and  when  thinking  about  hell 
to  be  sad.  As  soon  as  he  recognized  that  he  was  in  the  spirit- 
ual world  he  asked  where  heaven  and  hell  were,  what  they  were, 
and  what  was  the  nature  of  each. 

They  answered,  "  Heaven  is  over  your  head,  and  hell  beneath 
your  feet;  for  you  are  now  in  the  world  of  spirits,  which  is  in- 
termediate between  heaven  and  hell ;  but  what  they  are,  and 
what  the  nature  of  each  is,  we  cannot  describe  in  few  words." 
Then,  as  he  ardently  wished  to  know,  he  threw  himself  up- 
on his  knees  and  devoutly  prayed  to  God  that  he  might  be 
instructed. 

And  lo,  an  angel  appeared  at  his  right  hand  and  raised  him 
up,  and  said,  "  You  have  prayed  to  be  instructed  about  heaven 
44 


690 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  IX. 


and  hell;  inquire  and  learn  what  delight  is,  and  you  will  knowP 
As  soon  as  the  angel  had  said  this,  he  was  taken  up. 

[2]  The  novitiate  spirit  then  said  to  himself,  "  What  does 
this  mean  ?  ^Inquire  and  learn  what  delight  is,  and  you  ivill 
know  what  heaven  and  hell  are,  and  their  nature^  "  Leaving 
that  place  immediately,  he  wandered  around,  and  asked  those 
he  met,  ''  Pray,  tell  me,  if  you  please,  what  delight  is.'' 

And  some  said,  "  What  sort  of  a  question  is  that  ?  Who  does 
not  know  what  delight  is  ?  Is  it  not  joy  and  gladness  ?  De- 
light is  delight.  One  is  the  same  as  the  other.  We  know  no 
difference." 

Others  said,  "  Delight  is  the  mind's  laughter ;  for  when  the 
mind  laughs  the  countenance  is  merry,  the  speech  is  jocular, 
the  gestures  are  playfid,  and  the  whole  man  is  in  delight." 

Others  said,  "  Delight  is  nothing  but  feasting  and  eating  rich 
things,  drinking  generous  wine  and  getting  drunk,  and  then 
chatting  about  various  things,  especially  the  sports  of  Venus 
and  Cupid." 

[3]  Hearing  these  remarks,  the  novitiate  spirit  being  indig- 
nant, said  to  himself,  "  These  answers  are  boorish,  not  those  of 
well-bred  persons.  Such  delights  are  neither  heaven  nor  hell. 
Would  that  I  could  find  some  wise  men." 

And  he  went  away  from  these  persons  and  asked,  "Where 
are  the  wise  men  ?" 

He  was  then  seen  by  an  angelic  spirit,  who  said,  "  I  perceive 
that  you  have  an  ardent  desire  to  know  what  the  universal  of 
heaven  is,  and  what  the  universal  of  hell  is ;  and  as  this  is  de- 
light, I  will  conduct  you  to  a  hill  where  there  is  a  daily  meet- 
ing of  those  who  inquire  into  effects,  of  those  who  investigate 
causes,  and  of  those  who  search  out  ends.  Those  who  inquire 
into  effects  are  there  called  spirits  of  knowledge,  abstractly, 
knowledges ;  those  who  investigate  causes,  are  called  spirits  of 
intelligence,  abstractly,  intelligences,  and  those  who  search  out 
ends,  are  called  spirits  of  wisdom,  abstractly,  wisdoms.  Di- 
rectly above  these  in  heaven  are  angels  who  from  ends  see 
causes,  and  from  causes  see  effects ;  from  these  angels  those 
three  companies  have  enlightenment." 

[4]  Then  taking  the  novitiate  spirit  by  the  hand,  he  led  him 
to  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  to  the  assembly  that  was  composed 


N.  670] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


691 


of  those  who  search  out  ends  and  are  called  wisdoms.  The  no- 
vitiate spirit  said  to  them,  ''  Pardon  my  coming  up  to  you ;  I 
did  so,  because  from  my  childhood  I  have  meditated  about  hea- 
ven and  hell.  I  have  lately  come  to  this  world ;  and  some  who 
were  then  associated  with  me  said  that  heaven  is  here  above  my 
head,  and  hell  beneath  my  feet ;  but  they  did  not  say  what  either 
one  or  the  other  is  or  the  nature  of  it;  therefore,  becoming  anx- 
ious from  constantly  thinking  about  them,  I  prayed  to  God; 
and  then  an  angel  came  to  me  and  said,  *  Inquire  and  learn 
what  delight  is,  and  you  will  know.'  I  have  inquired,  but  thus 
far  in  vain.  I  therefore  beg  that  you  will  teach  me,  if  it  please 
you,  what  delight  is." 

[5]  To  this  the  wisdoms  replied,  "Delight  is  the  all  of  life, 
to  all  in  heaven,  and  to  all  in  hell.  To  those  in  heaven,  it  is 
the  delight  of  good  and  truth,  but  to  those  in  hell,  it  is  the  de- 
light of  evil  and  falsity ;  for  all  delight  belongs  to  love,  and 
love  is  the  being  {esse)  of  man's  life.  Therefore,  as  man  is  man 
in  accord  with  what  his  love  is,  so  is  he  man  in  accord  with 
what  his  delight  is.  The  activity  of  love  is  what  gives  the  sense 
delight ;  in  heaven  its  activity  is  with  wisdom,  and  in  hell  with 
insanity,  but  in  both  cases  the  activity  produces  the  delight  in 
its  subjects.  But  the  heavens  and  hells  are  opposite  delights; 
the  heavens  are  in  love  of  good,  and  the  consequent  delight  of 
doing  good;  but  the  hells  are  in  the  love  of  evil,  and  in  the  con- 
sequent delight  of  doing  evil.  If,  therefore,  you  know  what 
delight  is,  you  know  what  heaven  and  hell  are,  and  their  nature. 
[6]  "But  inquire  and  learn  still  further  what  delight  is  from 
those  who  investigate  causes,  and  are  called  intelligences.  They 
are  off  toward  the  right." 

And  he  left  them  and  drew  near  to  that  assembly,  and  told 
them  the  reason  of  his  coming,  and  begged  them  to  teach  him 

what  delight  is. 

And  pleased  with  the  question,  they  said, "  It  is  true  that  he 
who  knows  what  delight  is  knows  what  heaven  and  hell  are  and 
their  nature.  The  will,  from  which  man  is  man,  is  not  moved 
in  the  slightest  degree  except  by  delight ;  for  the  will,  viewed 
in  itself,  is  nothing  but  the  affection  of  some  love,  thus  some  de- 
light; for  it  is  some  pleasure  and  consequent  satisfaction  that 
causes  volition.    And  since  the  will  moves  the  understanding  to 


69L^ 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  IX. 


think,  not  the  least  thought  is  possible  except  from  an  influent 
delight  of  the  will.  This  is  so  for  the  reason  that  the  Lord  by 
influx  from  Himself  actuates  all  things  of  the  soul,  and  all 
things  of  the  mind,  in  angels,  spirits,  and  men,  and  in  these  He 
actuates  by  an  influx  of  love  and  wisdom ;  and  this  influx  is  the 
activity  itself  from  which  comes  all  delight.  In  its  origin  this 
is  called  bliss,  happiness,  and  felicity,  and  in  its  derivation,  de- 
light, pleasantness,  and  pleasure,  and  in  a  universal  sense.  Good. 
But  infernal  spirits  invert  everything  in  themselves,  thus  turn- 
ing good  into  evil,  and  truth  into  falsehood,  the  delight  remain- 
ing without  interruption;  for  without  permanence  of  delight 
they  would  have  no  will,  no  sensation,  and  thus  no  life.  This 
makes  clear  what  the  delight  of  hell  is,  and  its  nature  and  source ; 
also  what  the  delight  of  heaven  is,  and  its  nature  and  source." 

[7]  Having  heard  this,  he  was  conducted  to  the  third  as- 
sembly, where  those  were  who  inquire  into  effects  and  are  called 
knowledges ;  and  they  said,  "  Descend  to  the  lower  earth,  and 
ascend  to  the  higher;  you  will  there  perceive  and  feel  the  de- 
lights of  both  heaven  and  hell.'' 

And  lo,  at  that  moment  the  earth  opened  at  a  distance,  and 
through  the  chasm  three  devils  came  up,  who  seemed  to  be  on 
fire  with  their  love's  delight ;  and  as  the  angels  accompanying 
the  novitiate  spirit  perceived  that  these  three  had  come  up  out 
of  hell  providentially,  they  called  out  to  the  devils,  "Do  not 
come  nearer,  but  from  where  you  are  tell  us  something  about 
your  delights." 

They  replied,  "Know  this,  that  every  one,  whether  he  is 
called  good  or  evil,  is  in  his  own  delight,  the  so-called  good 
man  in  his,  and  the  so-called  evil  man  in  his." 

The  angels  asked,  "  What  is  your  delight  ?" 

They  said  that  it  was  delight  in  whoredom,  revenge,  fraud, 
and  blasphemy. 

Again  the  angels  asked,  "What  is  the  nature  of  those  delights 
with  you?" 

They  said  that  they  were  felt  by  others  like  the  fetid  smells 
from  dung,  the  putrid  smells  from  dead  bodies,  and  the  pungent 
smells  from  stagnant  urine. 

The  angels  then  asked,  "  Are  these  things  delightful  to  you  ?" 

They  answered,  "  Most  delightful." 


• -^    janaaMMiillaiBSflfed 


N.  670] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


r>93 


"Then,"  said  the  angels,  "you  are  like  the  unclean  beasts 
that  live  in  such  things." 

They  replied,  "  If  we  are,  we  are ;  but  such  things  are  grate- 
ful to  our  nostrils." 

The  angels  then  asked,  "  What  more  ?" 

They  answered,  "  Every  one  is  allowed  to  be  in  his  own  de- 
light, even  the  most  unclean,  as  they  call  it,  provided  he  does 
not  infest  good  spirits  and  angels;  but  as  on  account  of  our 
delight,  we  cannot  help  infesting  them,  we  are  cast  into  work- 
houses where  we  suffer  terribly.  The  prohibition  and  with- 
drawal of  our  delights  there  is  what  is  called  the  torment  of 
hell;  it  is  also  interior  pain." 

The  angels  asked,  "Why  did  you  infest  the  good?" 

They  answered,  "We  could  not  help  it;  it  is  as  if  a  fury 
seized  us  whenever  we  see  an  angel,  and  feel  the  Lord's  Divine 
sphere  about  him."  To  this  we  said,  "  Then  you  also  are  like 
wild  beasts." 

Then,  as  soon  as  they  saw  the  novitiate  spirit  with  the  angels, 
fury  came  upon  them,  which  appeared  like  the  fire  of  hatred ; 
so  to  prevent  their  doing  harm  they  were  cast  back  to  hell. 

After  this  the  angels  appeared  who  from  ends  saw  causes, 
and  through  causes  effects,  and  who  were  in  a  heaven  above 
those  three  assemblies;  these  angels  appeared  in  a  shining 
white  light,  which  rolling  down  in  spiral  curves  brought  with 
it  a  circular  wreath  of  flowers,  and  placed  it  upon  the  head  of 
the  novitiate  spirit.  And  then  a  voice  issued  therefrom,  say- 
ing to  him,  "  This  laurel  wreath  is  given  you  because  you  have 
from  childhood  meditated  upon  heaven  and  hell." 


694 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


CHAPTEK   X. 

REFORMATION    AND    REGENERATION. 

571.  After  treating  of  Kepentance,  Keformation  and  Eegen- 
eration  come  next  in  order,  because  they  follow  repentance,  and 
by  means  of  it  advance  step  by  step.    There  are  two  states  that 
man  must  enter  upon  and  pass  through,  when  from  being  nat- 
ural he  is  becoming  spiritual.    The  first  state  is  called  Refor- 
mation, and  the  second  Regeneration.    In  the  first  man  looks 
from  his  natural  to  his  spiritual  state  and  longs  for  that  state ; 
in  the  second  state  he  becomes  spiritual-natural.    The  first  state 
is  formed  by  means  of  truths,  which  must  be  truths  of  faith,  and 
through  these  he  looks  to  charity ;  the  second  state  is  formed  by 
means  of  the  goods  of  charity,  and  by  these  he  enters  into  the 
truths  of  faith.    Or  what  is  the  same,  the  first  is  a  state  of 
thought  from  the  understanding,  and  the  second  a  state  of  love 
from  the  will.    When  this  latter  state  begins  and  is  progress- 
ing, a  change  takes  place  in  the  mind ;  the  mind  undergoes  a 
reversal,  the  love  of  the  will  then  flowing  into  the  understand- 
ing, acting  upon  it  and  leading  it  to  think  in  accord  and  agree- 
ment with  its  love ;  and  in  consequence  so  far  as  the  good  of 
love  comes  to  act  the  first  part  and  the  truths  of  faith  the  sec- 
ond, man  is  spiritual  and  is  a  new  creature  ;  and  he  then  acts 
from  charity  and  speaks  from  faith ;  he  feels  the  good  of  char- 
ity and  perceives  the  truth  of  faith ;  and  he  is  then  in  the  Lord, 
and  in  peace,  and  thus  regenerate.    The  man  who  while  in  the 
world  has  entered  upon  the  first  state,  after  death  can  be  intro- 
duced into  the  second ;  but  he  who  has  not  entered  into  the  first 
state  while  in  the  world,  cannot  after  death  be  introduced  into 
the  second,  thus  cannot  be  regenerated.    These  two  states  may 
be  compared  to  the  progression  of  light  and  heat  during  the  days 
of  spring;  the  first  to  the  dawn  or  cock-crowing,  the  second  to 
the  morning  or  sunrise ;  and  tlie  progress  of  this  second  state 
may  be  compared  to  the  advance  of  the  day  to  noon,  and  thus 
into  light  and  heat.    There  may  also  be  a  comparison  with  a 
field  of  grain,  which  is  at  fii-st  in  the  blade,  then  grows  into  the 
ear  or  head,  in  which  the  grain  is  afterward  formed ;  also  with 


N.  671] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


695 


a  tree,  which  first  grows  out  of  the  ground  from  a  seed,  then 
it  becomes  a  stem  from  which  branches  go  out,  and  these  are 
adorned  with  leaves ;  at  length  it  blossoms,  and  from  the  inmost 
of  the  blossoms  the  fruit  begins  to  form,  and  this,  as  it  matures, 
produces  new  seeds,  like  a  new  generation.  The  first  state, 
which  is  that  of  reformation,  may  also  be  compared  to  the  state 
of  a  silk-worm,  when  it  draws  out  and  evolves  from  itself  fila- 
ments of  silk,  and  after  finishing  its  industrious  labor,  flies 
forth  into  the  air,  nourishing  itself,  not  by  leaves  as  before, 
but  by  the  juices  of  flowers. 


I. 

UNLESS    A   MAN   IS    BORN   AGAIN,    AND,    AS    IT    WERE,    CREATED 

ANEW,   HE    CANNOT    ENTER    INTO    THE 

KINGDOM    OF    GOD. 

572.  That  unless  a  man  is  born  again  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God,  is  the  Lord's  doctrine  in  the  following  pas- 
sages from  John: — 

Jesus  said  to  Nicodemus,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Except  a  man 
be  born  anew,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  and  again.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  thee.  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  spirit,  he 
cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God ;  That  which  is  born  of  flesh  is 
flesh,  and  that  which  is  born  of  spirit  is  spirit  (iii.  3,  5,  6). 

"  The  kingdom  of  God"  means  both  heaven  and  the  church,  for 
the  church  is  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  So  in  other  places, 
where  the  kingdom  of  God  is  mentioned  (as  in  Matt.  xi.  11 ; 
xii.  28;  xxi.  43;  Luke  iv.  43;  vi.  20;  viii.  1,  10;  ix.  11,  60,  62; 
xvii.  21;  and  elsewhere). 

"  To  be  born  of  water  and  the  spirit"  signifies  to  be  born  by 
means  of  truths  of  faith  and  a  life  in  accordance  with  them. 
That  "  water"  signifies  truths,  may  be  seen  in  the  Apocalypse 
Revealed  (n.  50,  614,  615,  685,  632);  that  "spirit"  signifies  a 
life  in  accordance  with  Divine  truths  is  clear  from  the  Lord's 
words  in  John  (vi.  63).  "Verily,  verily"  [or  "Amen,  amen"], 
signifies  that  this  is  the  truth ;  and  the  Lord  used  that  expres- 


t^^^^M 


690 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


sion  so  frequently  because  He  was  the  truth  itself.  He  Him- 
self is  also  called  "the  Amen"  (Apoc.  iii.  14).  In  the  Word  the 
regenerate  are  called  "sons  of  God"  and  "born  of  God/'  ana 
regeneration  is  described  by  "  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit." 

573.  The  expression  "born  again,"  which  means,  as  it  were, 
created  anew,  is  here  used  because  "  to  be  created"  signifies  to 
be  regenerated.  That  this  is  the  signification  of  "  to  be  created" 
in  the  Word  can  be  seen  from  the  following  passages : — 

Create  for  me  a  clean  heart,  0  God ;  and  renew  a  firm  spirit  in  the 
midst  of  me  {Ps.  li.  10). 

Thou  openest  Thy  hand,  they  are  satisfied  with  good ;  Thou  sendest 
forth  Thy  spirit,  they  are  created  {Ps.  civ.  28,  30). 

A  people  that  shall  be  created  shall  praise  Jah  {Ps.  cii.  18). 

Behold  I  will  create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing  (7s.  Ixv.  18). 

Thus  hath  said  Jehovah,  Thy  Creator,  0  Jacob,  and  thy  Former,  O  Is- 
rael, I  have  redeemed  thee.  Every  one  that  is  called  by  My  name,  into 
My  glory  have  I  created  him  {Is.  xliii.  1,  7). 

That  they  may  see,  know,  consider  and  understand,  that  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel  hath  created  it  (Is.  xU.  20).    (And  elsewhere.) 

Also  where  the  Lord  is  called  Creator,  Former  and  Maker. 
This  makes  clear  what  is  meant  by  these  words  of  the  Lord  to 
His  disciples: — 

Going  into  all  the  world,  preach  ye  the  gospel  to  every  creature  {Mark 
xvi.  15); 

"creatures"  meaning  all  who  are  capable  of  regeneration.  (So 
also  in  Apoc.  iii.  14;  2  Cor.  v.  16, 17.) 

574.  All  reason  shows  that  man  must  be  regenerated,  for  he 
is  born  into  evils  of  every  kind  derived  from  his  parents ;  and 
these  evils  have  their  seat  in  his  natural  man,  which  of  itself  is 
diametrically  opposed  to  the  spiritual  man.  Nevertheless  man 
is  born  for  heaven;  although  he  does  not  enter  heaven  unless 
he  becomes  spiritual,  and  he  can  become  spiritual  only  by  means 
of  regeneration.  From  this  it  follows  of  necessity  that  the  nat- 
ural man  with  its  lusts  must  be  subdued,  subjugated,  and  in- 
verted, and  that  otherwise  man  cannot  approach  a  single  step 
toward  heaven,  but  sinks  deeper  and  deeper  into  hell.  Who 
cannot  see  this,  if  he  believes  that  he  has  been  born  into  evils 
of  every  kind  and  acknowledges  the  existence  and  contrariety 
of  good  and  evil,  and  believes  in  a  life  after  death,  a  hell  and  a 


N.  574] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


097 


heaven,  and  that  evil  is  what  constitutes  hell  and  good  is  what 
constitutes  heaven  ?  Viewed  in  himself  the  natural  man  in  no 
way  differs  in  his  nature  from  the  nature  of  beasts.  Like  them 
he  is  wild ;  but  it  is  as  to  his  will  that  he  is  such;  in  understand- 
ing he  dilfers  from  beasts,  in  that  the  understanding  can  be 
elevated  above  the  lusts  of  the  will,  and  not  only  see  but  also 
moderate  them ;  and  for  this  reason  man  is  able  to  think  from 
understanding,  and  speak  from  thought,  which  beasts  cannot 
do.  What  man  is  by  birth,  and  what  he  would  be  if  not  re- 
generated, can  be  seen  from  fierce  animals  of  every  kind;  that 
he  would  be  a  tiger,  a  panther,  a  leopard,  a  wild  hog,  a  scorpion, 
a  tarantula,  a  viper,  a  crocodile,  and  so  on ;  consequently  if  he 
were  not  transformed  by  regeneration  into  a  sheep,  what  would 
he  be  but  a  devil  [imong  devils  in  hell  ?  And  in  that  state,  if 
not  restrained  by  civil  laws,  would  not  men  from  innate  fe- 
rocity, rush  upon  one  another  and  slaughter  each  other,  and 
plunder  each  other  even  of  the  last  scrap  of  clothing?  How 
many  are  there  of  the  human  race  who  are  not  born  satyrs  and 
priapl  or  four-footed  lizards;  and  who  among  these,  if  not  re- 
generated, does  not  become  an  ape  ?  External  morality  is  re- 
quired, for  the  sake  of  covering  up  their  internals ;  and  it  does 

that. 

575.  What  man  is  when  not  regenerated  can  be  still  further 
made  clear  by  the  following  comparisons  and  similitudes  from 
L^aiah  : — 

The  pelican  and  the  porcupine  shall  possess  it,  and  the  owl  and  the 
raven  shall  dwell  in  it ;  and  he  shall  stretch  out  over  it  the  line  of  empti- 
ness, and  the  plummet  of  devastation.  And  thorns  shall  come  up  upon 
her  altars,  the  thistle  and  bramble  in  her  fortresses  ;  and  she  shall  become 
a  habitation  of  dragons,  and  a  court  for  the  daughters  of  the  owl ;  the 
Tziim  shall  meet  with  the  Ijim.  and  the  satyr  shall  meet  his  fellow  ;  the 
night  monster  shall  rest  there.  There  shall  the  merula  make  her  nest,  and 
gather  and  hatch  under  her  shadow  ;  there  shall  the  vultures  also  be  gath- 
ered, every  one  with  her  mate  (xxxiv.  11-15). 


gtjBee^art.'"  '--^'■afa^- "   T —  ■*-  -'■  -^  -^■*^s«'--^'<^--^«'^i'-^^'^ja>aM>iri.f!aifteai 


G98 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X 


11. 


THE    NEW    BIRTH     OR    CREATION    IS    EFFECTED     BY    THE    LORD 

ALONE    THROUGH    CHARITY    AND    FAITH    AS    THE 

TWO    MEANS,  MAN    CO-OPERATING. 

576.  That  regeneration  is  effected  by  the  Lord  through  char- 
ity and  faith,  follows  from  what  was  set  forth  in  the  chapters 
on  Charity  and  Faith,  especially  from  this,  That  the  Lord,  Char- 
ity and  Faith  make  one,  like  Life,  Will  and  Understanding  in 
man,  and  if  they  are  divided  each  of  them  perishes  like  a  pearl 
reduced  to  powder.  These  two,  charity  and  faith,  are  called  the 
means,  because  they  are  what  conjoin  man  with  the  Lord,  caus- 
ing charity  to  be  charity,  and  faith  to  be  faith;  and  this  con- 
junction cannot  be  effected  unless  man  has  part  in  his  regen- 
eration; and  this  is  why  it  is  said,  vian  co-operating.  In  the 
preceding  chapters  man's  co-operation  with  the  Lord  has  been 
several  times  treated  of;  but  as  the  human  mind  is  such  as  to 
be  incapable  of  perceiving  otherwise  than  that  man  effects  this 
by  his  own  power,  the  subject  shall  be  illustrated  again.  In 
all  motion,  and  consequently  in  all  action,  there  is  an  active 
and  a  passive ;  that  is  to  say,  the  active  acts,  and  the  passive 
acts  from  the  active,  so  that  from  both  one  action  arises ;  com- 
paratively as  a  mill  is  moved  by  its  wheel,  a  carriage  by  its 
horse,  as  motion  is  from  effect,  an  effect  from  its  cause,  a  dead 
force  from  a  living  force,  and  in  general,  as  the  instrument  is 
moved  by  the  principal.  Every  one  knows  that  these  two  to- 
gether produce  one  action.  As  to  charity  and  faith,  the  Lord 
acts  and  man  acts  from  the  Lord,  for  the  Lord's  active  is  in 
man's  passive;  therefore  the  power  to  act  aright  is  from  the 
Lord,  and  the  will  to  act  therefrom  is  as  if  it  were  man's,  be- 
cause he  has  the  freedom  of  choice,  whereby  he  is  able  to  act 
as  one  with  the  Lord  and  thus  conjoin  himself  with  Him,  or  to 
act  from  the  power  of  hell  which  is  an  extraneous  power,  and 
thus  to  separate  himself  from  the  Lord.  It  is  man's  action  in 
harmony  with  the  Lord's  action  that  is  here  meant  by  co-oper- 
ation. To  give  a  clearer  perception  of  this,  it  shall  be  still 
further  illustrated  by  comparisons  which  follow. 


N.  677] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


699 


577.  From  the  foregoing  it  also  follows,  that  the  Lord  is  un- 
ceasingly in  the  act  of  regenerating  man,  because  He  is  unceas- 
mgly  in  the  act  of  saving  him,  and  no  one  can  be  saved  unless 
he  is  regenerated,  according  to  the  Lord's  own  words  in  John  :— 

Except  a  man  be  born  anew,  be  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God  (iii.  3, 

Kegenei;ation,  therefore,  is  the  means  of  salvation,  while  char- 
ity  and  faith  are  the  means  of  regeneration.    To  say  that  re- 
generation follows  the  faith  of  the  present  church,  which  leaves 
out  man's  co-operation,  is  vanity  of  vanities.    [2]  The  action 
and  co-operation  here  described  may  be  seen  in  everything  that 
is  in  any  state  of  activity  and  mobility.    Such  is  the  action  and 
co-operation  of  the  heart  and  of  every  artery  thereof;  the  heart 
acts,  and  the  arteries  by  their  sheaths  or  coats  co-operate ;  hence 
circulation.    It  is  the  same  with  the  lungs.    The  air  acts  by  its 
incumbent  weight  according  to  the  heiglit  of  the  atmosphere, 
and  at  first  the  ribs  co-operate  with  the  lungs,  and  immediately 
after  the  lungs  with  the  ribs;  from  which  there  is  respiration 
in  every  membrane  of  the  body.    Thus  the  meninges  of  the 
brain,  the  pleura,  the  peritoneum,  the  diaphragm  and  the  other 
parts  which  cover  the  viscera  and  enter  into  their  composition, 
act  and  are  acted  upon,  and  thus  they  co-operate;  for  they  are 
elastic ;  and  from  this  is  their  existence  and  subsistence     It  is 
the  same  in  every  fiber  and  nerve,  and  in  every  muscle,  and 
even  in  every  cartilage ;  in  every  one  of  these,  as  is  known,  there 
is  action  and  co-operation.    [3]  There  is  such  a  co-operation 
also  in  every  sense;  for  the  sensories  of  the  body, like  the  mo- 
torics, consist  of  fibers,  membranes,  and  muscles;  but  to  de- 
scribe the  co-operative  action  of  each,  is  needless;  for  it  is 
known  that  light  acts  upon  the  eye,  sound  upon  the  ear  odor 
upon  the  nostrils,  and  taste  upon  the  tongue,  and  that  the  or- 
gans adapt  themselves  thereto;  from  which  there  is  sensation. 
Who  cannot  see  from  all  this,  that  unless  there  were  such  ac- 
tion and  co-operation  mth  the  influent  life  in  the  spiritual  or- 
ganism of  the  brain,  will  and  thought  could  not  exist?    Icr 
life  from  the  Lord  flows  into  that  organism,  and  because  of  this 
co-operation,  man  has  a  perception  of  what  he  thinks,  and  in 
like  manner  of  what  is  there  considered,  concluded  upon,  and 
determined  into  act.    If  life  were  to  act  merely,  and  man  were 


700 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


not  to  co-operate  as  if  of  himself,  he  could  no  more  think  than 
a  stock,  or  than  a  temple  while  the  minister  is  preaching  in  it. 
The  temple  may  indeed,  owing  to  the  reverberation  of  the 
sound  from  its  doors,  have  a  sense,  as  it  were,  of  the  echo,  but 
not  of  the  discourse.  So  would  man  be,  did  he  not  co-operate 
with  the  Lord  in  respect  to  charity  and  faith. 

578.  What  man  would  be  if  he  did  not  co-operate  with  the 
Lord,  may  also  be  illustrated  by  comparisons :  When  he  had  a 
perception  and  sense  of  anything  spiritual  pertaining  to  heaven 
and  the  church,  it  would  be  as  if  something  distasteful  or  dis- 
cordant flowed  in,  like  an  offensive  smell  entering  the  nose,  a 
discordant  sound  the  ear,  a  monstrous  sight  the  eye,  or  a  foul 
taste  affecting  the  tongue.  If  a  delight  of  charity  or  a  pleasure 
of  belief  were  to  flow  into  the  spiritual  organism  of  the  mind  of 
those  whose  delight  is  in  evil  and  falsity,  if  such  delight  and 
pleasure  were  thrust  upon  them,  they  would  be  in  anguish  and 
torture,  and  finally  would  fall  into  a  swoon.  Because  that  or- 
ganism consists  of  perpetual  helices,  in  such  a  case  it  would 
coil  itself  up  in  spirals,  and  writhe  like  a  serpent  on  an  ant-hill. 
The  truth  of  this  has  been  proved  to  me  by  much  experience  in 
the  spiritual  world. 


in. 

SIXCE  ALL  HAVE   BEEN  REDEEMED,  ALL  MAY  BE  REGENERATED, 

EACH  ACCORDING  TO  HLS  STATE. 

579.  That  this  may  be  understood,  something  must  be  pre- 
mised respecting  redemption.  The  Lord  came  into  the  world 
chiefly  for  these  two  purposes,  to  remove  hell  from  angel  and 
from  man,  and  to  glorify  His  Human.  For  before  the  Lord's 
coming  hell  had  grown  up  so  far  as  even  to  infest  the  angels  of 
heaven,  and  also,  by  interposing  itself  between  heaven  and  the 
world,  to  intercept  the  Lord's  communication  with  men  on  earth, 
so  that  no  Divine  truth  and  good  could  pass  from  the  Lord  to 
men.  Consequently  a  total  damnation  threatened  the  whole 
human  race,  and  the  angels  of  heaven  could  not  have  long  con- 
tinued to  exist  in  their  integrity.     [2]  And  thus,  in  order  that 


N.  570] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


'01 


hell  might  be  cleared  away,  and  this  impending  damnation  be 
thereby  removed,  the  Lord  came  into  the  world,  and  dislodged 
hell,  subjugated  it,  and  thus  opened  heaven;  so  that  He  could 
henceforth  be  present  with  men  on  earth,  and  save  those  who 
live  accordmg  to  His  commandments,  and  consequently  could 
regenerate  and  save  them,  for  those  who  are  regenerated  are 
saved.  This  is  how  it  is  to  be  understood,  that,  since  all  have 
been  redeemed  they  may  be  regenerated,  and  because  regenera- 
tion and  salvation  make  one,  all  may  be  saved.  So  the  teach- 
ing of  the  church,  that  without  the  Lord's  coming  no  man  could 
have  been  saved,  is  to  be  understood  in  this  w^ay,  that  without 
the  Lord's  coming  no  one  could  have  been  regenerated.  [3]  In 
resi)ect  to  the  other  purpose  for  which  the  Lord  came  into  the 
world,  namely,  to  glorify  His  Human,  this  was  because  He  there- 
by became  the  Eedeemer,  Kegenerator  and  Saviour  for  ever. 
For  it  is  not  to  be  believed  that  by  redemption  once  wrought 
in  the  world,  all  men  had  been  thereby  redeemed,  but  that  the 
Lord  is  perpetually  redeeming  those  who  believe  in  Him  and 
who  obey  His  words.  But  on  these  points  more  may  be  seen 
in  the  chapter  on  Redemption. 

580.  Every  man  may  be  regenerated,  each  according  to  his 
state ;  for  the  simple  and  the  learned  are  regenerated  differently ; 
as  are  those  engaged  in  different  pursuits,  and  those  who  till 
different  offices ;  those  who  search  into  the  external  things  of 
the  Word,  and  those  who  search  into  its  internals ;  those  who 
are  principled  in  natural  good  from  their  parents,  and  those  who 
are  in  evil ;  those  who  from  their  infancy  have  entered  into  the 
vanities  of  the  world,  and  those  who  sooner  or  later  have  with- 
drawn from  them;  in  a  word,  those  who  constitute  the  Lord's 
external  church  are  regenerated  differently  from  those  who  con- 
stitute His  internal  church,  and  this  variety,  like  that  of  men's 
.features  and  dispositions,  is  infinite ;  and  yet  every  one,  accord- 
ing to  his  state,  may  be  regenerated  and  saved.  [-]  The  tiuth 
of  this  can  be  seen  in  the  heavens,  to  which  all  the  regenerate 
go,  in  that  there  are  three  heavens,  a  highest,  a  middle,  and  a 
lowest ;  and  those  who  by  regeneration  acquire  love  to  t-he  Lord 
enter  the  highest  heaven,  those  who  acquire  love  to  the  neigh- 
bor, enter  the  middle  heaven,  and  those  who  merely  practise 
external  charity,  but  at  the  same  time  acknowledge  the  Lord  as 


702 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


God  the  Kedeemer  and  Saviour,  enter  the  lowest  heaven.  All 
these  are  saved  but  in  different  ways.  [3]  All  may  be  regen- 
erated and  thus  saved,  because  the  Lord  with  His  Divine  good 
and  truth  is  present  with  every  man ;  this  is  the  source  of  every 
one's  life  and  his  ability  to  understand  and  will,  together  with 
freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things;  in  no  man  are  these  lack- 
ing. And  the  means  to  these  are  also  given,  for  Christians  in 
the  Word,  and  for  Gentiles  in  their  religions,  which  teach  that 
there  is  a  God,  and  which  furnish  precepts  respecting  good  and 
evil.  From  all  this  it  follows  that  every  one  may  be  saved ;  con- 
sequently that  it  is  not  the  Lord's  fault  if  man  is  not  saved,  but 
man's,  becaiise  he  does  not  co-operate. 

581.  That  redemption  and  the  passion  of  the  cross  are  two 
distinct  things  and  by  no  means  to  be  confounded,  and  that  by 
means  of  both  the  Lord  took  to  Himself  the  power  to  regenerate 
and  save  men,  has  been  shown  in  the  chapter  on  Redemption. 
From  the  accepted  faith  of  the  church  of  to-day  respecting  the 
passion  of  the  cross,  as  being  redemption  itself,  have  sprung 
throngs  of  horrible  falsities  respecting  God,  faith,  charity  and 
other  things  that  in  a  continuous  chain  depends  on  these  three; 
as,  respecting  God,  that  He  had  determined  upon  the  damnation 
of  the  human  race,  and  that  He  was  willing  to  be  brought  back 
to  mercy  by  the  imposition  of  that  damnation  upon  His  Son,  or 
by  the  Son's  taking  it  upon  Himself,  and  that  only  those  are 
saved  who  by  foreknowledge  or  predestination  have  Christ's 
merit  bestowed  upon  them.  From  this  fallacy  another  belong- 
ing to  that  faith  has  been  hatched,  namely,  that  those  upon 
whom  that  faith  has  been  bestowed,  are  at  the  same  time  regen- 
erated without  any  co-operation  on  their  part;  and  even  that 
they  have  thus  been  absolved  from  the  condemnation  of  the  law, 
and  are  no  longer  under  the  law,  but  under  grace,  and  this  al- 
though the  Lord  has  said. 

That  He  did  not  take  away  one  tittle  of  the  law  (^fatt.  v.  18, 19  ;  Luke 
xvi.  17), 

and  also  commanded  His  disciples : — 

To  preach  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins  {Luke  xxiv,  47  ;  Mark 
vi.  12). 

He  also  said: — 


N.  581] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


703 


The  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand  ;  repent  ye,  and  believe  in  the  gospel 
(Mark  i.  15); 

''the  gospel"  meaning  that  they  can  be  regenerated  and  thus 
saved,  which  they  could  not  have  been  unless  the  Lord  had 
wrought  redemption,  that  is,  had  deprived  hell  of  its  power  by 
combats  against  it  and  victories  over  it,  and  unless  He  had  glor- 
ihed  His  Human,  that  is,  had  made  it  Divine. 

582.  Think  rationally  and  say  what  the  entire  human  race 
would  be  if  the  faith  of  the  present  church  were  to  continue ; 
this  faith  being  that  men  are  redeemed  by  the  passion  of  the 
cross  alone,  and  that  those  upon  whom  that  merit  of  the  Lord 
has  been  bestowed  are  not  under  the  condemnation  of  the  law; 
and  again,  that  this  faith  (whether  or  not  it  is  in  him  man  not 
knowing  at  all),  remits  sins  and  regenerates,  and  that  man's 
co-operation  in  the  act  thereof,  that  is,  when  it  is  being  given 
and  entering,  would  defile  it,  and  at  the  same  time  deprive 
him  of  salvation,  since  he  would  thereby  commingle  his  own 
merit  with  that  of  Christ.     Think  rationally,  I  say,  and  tell 
me  whether  the  whole  Word  would  not  be  thus  rejected,  where 
regeneration  by  means  of  the  spiritual  washing  away  of  evils, 
and  by  the  exercise  of  charity  is  especially  taught.    What  would 
the  Decalogue,  the  starting  point  of  reformation,  then  be,  more 
than  the  paper  that  is  sold  in  small  shops  and  used  to  wrap 
up  spices  ?    What  would  religion  then  be,  but  a  kind  of  lamen- 
tation that  one  is  a  sinner,  and  supplication  to  God  the  Father 
to  be  merciful  on  account  of  the  passion  of  His  Son,  thus  a 
matter  of  the  mouth  and  lungs  only,  and  not  of  anything  done 
from  the  heart  ?    What  would  redemption  then  be  but  a  papal 
indulgence;  or  what  more  than  a  monk's  flagellation  of  himself 
for  the  sake  of  the  Avhole  assembly,  as  is  sometimes  done  ?    If 
faith  alone   regenerated   man,  repentance  and  charity  doing 
nothing,  what  would  the  internal  man  (which  is  the  man's 
spirit  that  lives  after  death),  be  like,  but  a  burnt  city,  the 
ruins  of  which  form  the  external  man ;  or  a  field  or  plain  laid 
waste  by  caterpillars  and  locusts  ?    Such  a  man  appears  to  the 
angels  altogether  like  one  who  cherishes  a  serpent  in  his  bos- 
om, and  tries  to  conceal  it  under  his  garments;  or  like  one 
sleeping  like  a  lamb  with  a  wolf;  or  like  one  sleeping  under 
beautiful  bed-clothing  in  a  night-gown  made  of  spiders'  webs. 


iLr.1.  .J.JI.  ■Vi^vfaSrl^.Lu^iaiM.J.^i^aMrijaiSteAi^i^ 


04 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[CUAI-.  X. 


Or  seeing  that  all  are  arranged  in  heaven  according  to  the  dif- 
ferent degrees  of  their  regeneration,  and  all  in  hell  according 
to  the  different  degrees  in  which  they  have  rejected  it,  what 
would  the  life  after  death  be  but  a  life  of  the  flesh,  and  so  like 
that  of  a  flsh  or  a  crab  ? 


IV. 


REGEXERATION"     IS     EFFECTED     IX     A     MANNER    ANALOGOUS     TO 

THAT    IN    WHICH    MAN    IS    CONCEIVED,  CARRIED    IN 

THE    WOMB,  BORN    AND    EDUCATED. 

583.  In  man  there  is  a  perpetual  correspondence  between 
what  takes  place  naturally  and  what  takes  place  spiritually,  or 
between  what  takes  place  in  his  body  and  what  takes  place  in 
his  spirit.  This  is  because  man  as  to  his  soul  is  born  spiritual, 
and  is  clothed  with  what  is  natui-al,  which  forms  his  material 
body.  Therefore  when  this  body  is  laid  aside,  his  soul,  clothed 
with  a  spiritual  body,  enters  a  Avorld  where  all  things  are  spir- 
itual, and  is  there  affiliated  with  its  like.  Since  then,  the  spir- 
itual body  must  be  formed  in  a  material  body,  and  is  formed 
by  means  of  truths  and  goods  which  flow  in  from  the  Lord 
through  the  spiritual  world,  and  are  inwardly  received  by  man 
in  such  things  in  him  as  are  from  the  natural  world,  which  are 
called  civil  and  moral,  the  way  in  which  its  formation  is  effect- 
ed is  evident ;  and  since,  as  before  said,  there  is  in  man  a  con- 
stant correspondence  between  what  takes  place  naturally  and 
what  takes  place  spiritually,  it  follows  that  this  formation  is  like 
conception,  gestation,  birth  and  education.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  natural  births  in  the  Word  mean  spiritual  births,  which 
are  births  of  good  and  truth ;  for  whatever  is  mentioned  in  the 
sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word,  which  is  natural,  involves  and 
signifies  what  is  spiritual.  That  in  each  and  all  things  of  the 
sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  there  is  a  spiritual  sense  is  fully 
shown  in  the  chapter  on  the  Sacred  Scripture.  That  the  nat- 
ural births  mentioned  in  the  W^ord  involve  spiritual  births  is 
very  obvious  from  the  following  passages : — 


N.  583] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


705 


We  have  conceived,  we  have  travailed,  we  have  as  it  were  brought  forth ; 
we  have  not  wrought  salvation  (Isa.  xxvi.  18). 

At  the  presence  of  the  Lord  the  earth  bringeth  forth  {Ps.  cxiv.  7). 

Hath  the  earth  travailed  for  one  day  ?  Shall  I  break  forth  and  not 
bring  forth  ?     Shall  I  cause  to  bring  forth,  and  shut  up  ?  {Isa.  Ixvl.  7-10). 

Sin  shall  travail,  and  No  shall  be  rent  asunder  {Ezek.  xxx.  16). 

The  sorrows  of  a  travailing  woman  shall  come  upon  Ephraim  ;  he  is  a 
son  not  wise,  because  he  doth  not  stay  his  time  in  the  womb  of  sons  {Hos. 
xiii.  12,  13).     (So  also  in  many  other  places.) 

As  natural  generations  in  the  Word  signify  spiritual  genera- 
tions, and  these  are  from  the  Lord,  He  is  called  the  Maker  and 
the  Former  from  the  womb,  as  appears  from  the  following: — 

Jehovah  thy  Maker  and  thy  Former  from  the  womb  {Isa.  xliv.  2). 

Thou  art  He  that  took  me  out  of  the  womb  (Ps.  xxii.  9). 

Upon  Thee  have  I  been  laid  from  the  womb  ;  Thou  art  He  that  took  me 
out  of  my  mother's  bowels  {Ps.  Ixxi.  6). 

Attend  unto  me,  carried  from  the  womb,  borne  from  the  matrix  {Isa. 
xlvi.  3).     (Besides  other  passages.) 

For  this  reason  the  Lord  is  called. 

Father  (as  in  Isa.  ix.  6  ;  Ixiii.  16  ;  John  x.  30  ;  xiv.  8,  9). 

And  those  who  are  in  goods  and  truths  from  Him  are  called, 
Sons,  and  born  of  God,  and  brethren  to  each  other  {Matt,  xxiii.  8,  9). 

And  again  the  church  is  called. 
Mother  {Hos.  ii.  2,  5  ;  Ezek.  xvi.  45). 

584.  From  all  this  it  is  now  clear  that  there  is  a  correspond- 
ence between  natural  generations  and  spiritual  generations ;  and 
because  of  this  correspondence  it  follows  that  conception,  ges- 
tation, birth  and  education  may  not  only  be  predicated  of  the 
new  birth,  but  that  they  actually  exist.  In  this  chapter  on 
Regeneration  the  nature  of  these  are  being  presented  to  view 
in  their  proper  order;  here  let  it  be  said  merely  that  man's  se- 
men is  conceived  interiorly  in  the  understanding,  and  is  given 
form  in  the  will;  is  transferred  therefrom  to  the  testicle  where 
it  clothes  itself  with  a  natural  covering,  and  is  thus  conducted 
into  the  womb  and  enters  the  world.  Moreover,  there  is  a  cor- 
respondence of  man's  regeneration  with  all  things  in  the  vege- 
table kingdom;  therefore  in  the  Word  man  is  also  pictured  by 
a  tree,  his  truth  by  its  seed  and  his  good  by  its  fruit.  That  an 
evil  tree  may  be  born  anew,  as  it  were,  and  afterward  bear  good 

45 


TOG 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


fruit  and  good  seed,  is  evident  from  grafting  and  budding,  for 
although  the  same  sap  ascends  from  the  root  through  the  trunk 
to  the  graft  or  bud,  it  is  then  changed  into  good  sap  and  makes 
the  tree  good.  It  is  the  same  in  the  church  with  those  who  are 
engrafted  into  the  Lord,  as  He  teaches  in  these  words : — 

I  am  the  Vine,  ye  are  the  branches  ;  he  that  abideth  in  Me  and  I  m  him, 
the  same  beareth  much  fruit.  If  a  man  abide  not  in  Me,  he  is  cast  forth 
as  a  branch  and  is  withered  ;  and  is  cast  into  the  fire  (John  xv.  5,  6). 

585.  It  has  been  taught  by  many  of  the  learned  that  the  pro- 
cesses of  plant  growth,  not  only  of  trees  but  also  of  all  shrubs, 
correspond  to  human  prolification.  I  will,  therefore,  add  some- 
thing on  this  subject  by  way  of  appendix.  In  trees  and  in  all 
other  subjects  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  there  are  not  two  sexes, 
a  masculine  and  a  feminine,  but  everything  there  is  masculine ; 
the  earth  alone  or  the  soil  is  the  common  mother,  and  is  thus 
as  it  were  feminine ;  for  it  receives  the  seeds  of  all  fruits,  opens 
them,  carries  them  as  it  were  in  a  womb,  and  then  nourishes 
them  and  brings  them  forth,  tliat  is,  ushers  them  into  the  light 
of  day,  and  afterward  clothes  and  sustains  them.  [^]  When  a 
seed  is  first  opened  by  the  earth  it  begins  with  the  root,  which 
is  a  kind  of  heart;  from  this  it  emits  and  transmits  sap  like 
blood,  and  so  forms  as  it  were  a  body  provided  with  limbs ;  its 
body  is  the  trunlv  itself,  while  the  branches  and  their  branch- 
lets  are  its  limbs.  The  leaves  which  it  puts  forth  immediately 
after  its  birth  serve  as  lungs ;  for  as  the  heart  without  the  lungs 
produces  no  motion  or  sensation,  and  it  is  by  means  of  these 
that  man  is  made  alive,  so  the  root  without  leaves  does  not 
cause  a  tree  or  shrub  to  vegetate.  The  blossoms  which  precede 
the  fruit  are  means  for  purifying  the  sap,  the  tree's  blood,  for 
separating  its  grosser  from  its  purer  elements,  for  forming  a 
new  little  trunk  for  the  influx  of  these  purer  elements  con- 
tained in  the  bosom  of  this  sap,  through  which  trunk  the  puri- 
fied sap  may  flow  in  and  thus  initiate  and  gradually  form  the 
fruit  (which  may  be  compared  to  the  testicles),  in  which  the 
seed  is  perfected.  The  vegetative  soul  which  inmostly  governs 
in  every  particle  of  sap,  or  which  is  its  prolific  essence,  is  from 
no  other  source  than  the  heat  of  the  spiritual  world;  and  as 
this  heat  is  from  the  spiritual  sun  there,  it  aspires  to  nothing 
but  generation,  and  a  continuance  of  creation  thereby ;  and  be- 


N.  585] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


707 


cause  it  essentially  aspires  to  the  generation  of  man,  it  induces 
upon  whatever  it  generates  a  certani  resemblance  to  man.  [3] 
That  no  one  may  be  astonished  at  the  statement,  that  the  sub- 
jects of  the  vegetable  kingdom  are  masculine  only,  and  that  the 
earth  alone  or  the  soil  is  like  a  common  mother,  or  is  like  the 
feminine,  let  it  be  illustrated  by  something  similar  among  bees. 
According  to  the  observation  of  Swammerdam,  reported  in  his 
Books  of  NaUire,  bees  have  only  one  common  mother,  from 
which  the  offspring  of  the  entire  hive  is  produced.  As  there 
is  but  one  common  mother  for  these  little  insects,  why  not  the 
same  for  all  plants  ?  [4]  That  the  earth  is  a  common  mother 
may  also  be  illustrated  spiritually ;  and  is  so  illustrated  by  the 
fact  that  in  the  Word  "  the  earth"  signifies  the  church,  and  the 
church  is  a  common  mother,  and  is  so  called  in  the  Word.  As 
to  the  earth's  signifying  the  church,  consult  the  Ajmcali/pse  Re- 
vealed (n.  285,  902),  where  it  is  shown.  But  the  earth  or  the 
soil  can  enter  into  the  inmost  of  a  seed  even  to  its  prolific  prin- 
ciple, calling  this  forth  and  giving  it  circulation,  because  every 
least  particle  of  dust  or  powder  exhales  from  its  essence  a  kind 
of  subtle  penetrating  eflluvium,  which  is  an  effect  of  the  active 
force  of  the  heat  from  the  spiritual  world. 

586.  That  man  can  only  be  regenerated  gradually,  may  be 
illustrated  by  each  and  all  things  that  come  into  existence  in 
the  natural  world.  A  tree  cannot  reach  its  full  growth  in  a 
day,  but  there  is  first  growth  from  the  seed,  then  from  the  root, 
and  then  from  the  shoot,  which  becomes  the  trunk,  and  from 
this  go  forth  branches  and  leaves,  and  finally  blossoms  and  fruit. 
AVheat  or  barley  does  not  ripen  for  the  harvest  in  a  day ;  a 
house  is  not  built  in  a  day,  nor  does  a  man  acquire  his  full  stat- 
ure in  a  day,  still  less  wisdom ;  a  church  is  not  established  and 
perfected  in  a  day,  nor  is  there  any  progression  to  an  end  ex- 
cept from  a  beginning.  Those  who  have  a  different  conception 
of  regeneration  know  nothing  of  charity  and  faith,  nor  of  the 
growth  of  either  according  to  man's  co-operation  with  the  Lord. 
From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  regeneration  is  effected  in  a  man- 
ner analogous  to  that  in  which  man  is  conceived,  carried  in  the 
womb,  born  and  educated. 


'08 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  X 


V. 

THE   FIRST  ACT   IN*   THE   NEW  BIRTH    IS    CALLED    REFORMATION, 
WHICH    PERTAINS    TO    THE    UNDERSTANDING,    AND    THE 
SECOND    IS    CALLED    REGENERATION,    WHICH 
PERTAINS    TO    THE    WILL    AND    THERE- 
FROM TO  THE  UNDERSTANDING.      ' 

587.  As  reformation  and  regeneration  are  treated  of  here  and 
in  what  follows,  and  reformation  is  ascribed  to  the  understand- 
ing and  regeneration  to  the  will,  it  is  necessary  that  the  dis- 
tinctions between  the  understanding  and  will  should  be  known, 
which  distinctions  are  described  above  (n.  397) ;  therefore  it  is 
advisable  to  read  first  what  is  there  said,  and  afterwards  this 
section.    It  has  also  been  shown  there  that  the  evils  into  which 
man  is  bom  are  generated  in  the  will  of  the  natural  man,  and 
that  the  will  causes  the  understanding  to  favor  it  by  thinking 
in  agreement  with  it.     For  this  reason,  that  man  may  be  regen- 
erated, it  is  necessary  that  his  regeneration  he  effected  by  means 
of  the  understanding  as  the  mediate  cause ;  and  this  is  done  by 
means  of  the  various  kinds  of  instruction  that  the  understand- 
ing receives,  first  from  parents  and  teachers,  afterward  by  read- 
ing the  Word,  by  preaching,  books,  and  conversation.    The 
things  which  the  understanding  receives  from  these  sources  are 
called  truths ;  it  is  the  same,  therefore,  whether  reformation  is 
said  to  be  effected  by  means  of  the  understanding,  or  by  means 
of  the  truths  which  the  understanding  receives ;  for  truths  teach 
man  in  whom  he  ought  to  believe,  and  what  he  ought  to  believe, 
also  what  he  ought  to  do,  thus  how  he  ought  to  will ;  for  what- 
ever one  does  he  does  from  the  will  in  accordance  with  his  un- 
derstanding.   Since  then,  man's  will  itself  is  evil  by  birth  and 
the  understanding  teaches  what  good  and  evil  are,  and  man  can 
will  either  good  or  evil,  it  follows  that  he  must  be  reformed  by 
means  of  the  understanding ;  and  so  long  as  any  one  sees  and 
mentally  acknowledges  that  evil  is  evil,  and  good  is  good,  and 
thinks  that  the  good  ought  to  be  chosen,  he  is  in  what  is  called 
the  state  of  reformation ;  but  when  his  will  leads  him  to  shun 
evil  and  do  good,  the  state  of  regeneration  begins. 


N.  588] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


'09 


588.  For  the  sake  of  this  end  there  has  been  given  to  man 
the  ability  to  elevate  his  understanding  almost  into  the  light 
in  which  the  angels  of  heaven  are,  that  he  may  see  what  he 
must  will  and  must  do  therefrom,  that  he  may  be  prosperous 
ill  the  world  for  a  time  and  blessed  after  death  to  eternity. 
He  becomes  prosperous  and  blessed  if  he  acquires  for  himself 
wisdom,  and  keeps  his  Avill  in  obedience  thereto;  but  he  be- 
comes unprosperous  and  unhappy  if  he  makes  his  understand- 
ing subservient  to  his  will.    This  is  because  the  will  by  birth 
inclines  to  evils,  even  to  enormities;  therefore  unless  it  is  held 
in  check  by  means  of  the  understanding,  man  left  to  the  free- 
dcmi  of  his  will  would  rush  into  great  wickedness,  and  from 
the  ferine  nature  inherent  in  him  would  plunder  and  slaughter 
for  his  own  sake  all  who  did  not  favor  him  and  indulge  his 
cupidities.    Moreover,  if  man  were  not  able  to  perfect  his  un- 
derstanding separately,  and  to  perfect  his  will  by  means  of  it, 
he  would  not  be  a  man,  but  a  beast;  for  without  that  separa- 
tion, and  without  the  ascent  of  the  understanding  above  the 
will,  he  would  not  be  able  to  think,  and  from  thought  to  speak, 
but  would  be  able  to  express  his  affections  by  sounds  only ;  nor 
would  he  be  able  to  act  from  reason,  but  only  from  instinct; 
still  less  could  he  recognize  what  relates  to  God,  and  thereby 
God  Himself,  and  thus  be  conjoined  with  Him  and  live  for  ever. 
For  man  exercises  thought  and  will  as  if  of  himself;  and  this 
as  if  of  himself,  is  the  reciprocal  element  in  conjunction,  for 
conjunction  without  reciprocation  is  impossible,  as  there  can 
be  no  conjunction  of  an  active  with  a  passive  without  adapta- 
tion or  application.    God  alone  acts  ;  man  permits  himself  to  be 
acted  upon,  and  co-operates  to  all  appearance  as  if  of  himself, 
although  interiorly  from  God.    But  from  a  right  perception  of 
these  things,  it  can  be  seen  Avhat  the  love  of  man's  will  is  when 
it  is  elevated  by  means  of  the  understanding;  also  what  it  is 
when  not  elevated ;  thus  what  man  is. 

589.  It  must  be  known  that  the  ability  to  elevate  the  under- 
standing even  to  the  intelligence  in  which  the  angels  of  heaven 
are,  is  by  creation  inherent  in  every  man,  the  wicked  as  well  as 
the  good,  and  even  in  every  devil  in  hell,  for  all  who  are  in  hell 
have  been  men.  This  has  been  frequently  shown  to  me  by  liv- 
ing experience.     But  such  are  not  intelligent  but  insane  in  spir- 


710 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


itual  things,  because  they  do  not  will  good  but  evil,  consequent- 
ly they  are  averse  to  knowing  and  understanding  truths,  for 
truths  favor  good  and  oi)pose  evil.  From  all  this  it  is  clear  that 
the  hrst  step  in  the  new  birth  is  a  reception  of  truths  by  the  un- 
derstanding, and  the  second  is  the  will  to  act  in  accordance  with 
truths,  and  finally  to  practise  them.  No  one,  however,  can  be 
said  to  be  reformed  by  mere  knowledges  of  truth ;  for  man  is 
able  to  acquire  these  and  to  talk  about,  teach,  and  preach  them 
through  his  ability  to  elevate  his  understanding,  above  the  love 
of  his  will.  But  he  is  a  reformed  man  who  has  an  affection  for 
truth  for  the  sake  of  truth ;  for  this  affection  conjoins  itself  with 
the  will,  and  if  it  goes  on  it  conjoins  the  will  to  the  understand- 
ing, and  then  regeneration  begins.  But  how  regeneration  after- 
ward advances  and  is  perfected,  will  be  told  hi  what  follows. 

590.  But  the  nature  of  the  man  whose  understanding  has 
been  elevated,  but  not  the  will's  love  by  means  of  it,  shall  be 
illustrated  by  comparisons.    He  is  like  an  eagle  flying  on  high, 
but  as  soon  as  he  sees  food  below,  as  hens,  young  swans,  or  even 
young  lambs,  he  darts  down  in  a  moment  and  devours  them. 
He  is  also  like  an  adulterer  who  hides  a  harlot  in  a  room  below, 
and  in  turn  ascends  to  the  highest  story  of  his  house,  and  there 
in  the  presence  of  his  wife  talks  wisely  with  visitors  about  chas- 
tity, and  again  steals  away  from  the  company  and  satiates  his 
lust  with  the  harlot  below.    He  is  also  like  marsh  flies  that  fly 
in  a  body  over  the  head  of  a  running  horse,  but  when  the  horse 
stops  settle  down  and  immerse  themselves  in  their  marsh.    Such 
is  the  man  who  is  elevated  as  to  the  understanding,  while  the 
isriirs  love  remains  down  at  the  foot,  immersed  in  the  unclean- 
nesses  of  nature  and  the  libidinous  propensities  of  the  senses. 
Eut  because  such  men  shine  as  if  with  wisdom  in  the  under- 
standing, while  the  will  is  in  opposition  to  wisdom,  they  may 
also  be  likened  to  serpents  with  shining  skins,  and  to  the  Span- 
ish flies  that  glisten  as  if  made  of  gold,  or  to  theif/nis  fafints 
in  marshes,  or  to  shining  rotten  wood  and  phosphorescent  sub- 
stances.   There  are  among  them  some  who  can  counterfeit  an- 
gels of  light,  both  among  men  in  the  world  and  after  death 
among  the  angels  of  heaven;  but  these,  after  a  brief  examina- 
tion, are  deprived  of  their  clothing,  and  cast  down  naked.    This 
cannot  be  done  in  the  world,  because  there  the  spirit  of  such  is 


N.  590] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENT:RATI0N 


11 


not  open,  but  is  covered  over  by  a  mask  like  that  used  by  actors 
in  theaters.  In  countenance  and  with  the  lips  they  are  able  to 
counterfeit  angels  of  light,  which  is  both  an  effect  and  a  proof 
of  their  ability  to  elevate  the  understanding,  as  has  been  said, 
above  the  love  of  the  will  almost  to  angelic  wisdom.  Since  then, 
man's  internal  and  external  can  run  thus  counter  to  each  other, 
and  since  the  body  is  cast  aside  while  the  spirit  remains,  a  dark 
spirit  may  evidently  dwell  behind  a  bright  face,  and  a  flery  one 
behind  a  bland  mouth.  Therefore,  my  friend,  form  your  opinion 
of  a  man  not  from  his  mouth  but  from  his  heart,  that  is,  not 
from  his  words  but  from  his  deeds ;  for  the  Lord  says : — 

Beware  of  false  prophets  who  come  to  you  in  sheep's  clothing,  but  in- 
wardly they  are  ravenhig  wolves.  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them 
{Matt.  vii.  15,  10). 


YI. 

THE  INTERNAL  MAX  MUST  FIRST  BE  REFORMED,  AXD  BY  MEANS 
OF  IT  THE  external;  AND  THUS  IS  MAN  REGENERATED. 

591.  That  the  hiternal  man  must  first  be  regenerated,  and 
by  means  of  it  the  external,  is  generally  conceded  in  the  church 
at  the  present  day;  but  "internal  man''  suggests  nothing  to  the 
thought  but  faith,  which  faith  is  that  God  the  Father  imputes 
to  men  the  merit  and  righteousness  of  His  Son,  and  sends  the 
Holy  Spirit.  It  is  believed  that  this  faith  constitutes  the  in- 
ternal man,  and  that  from  the  internal  the  external  flows  forth, 
which  is  the  moral  natural  man,  this  being  an  appendage  to  the 
former,  comparatively  like  the  tail  of  a  horse  or  cow,  or  like  the 
tail  of  a  peacock  or  bird  of  paradise  which  extends  to  the  feet 
without  being  connected  with  them;  for  it  is  said  that  while 
charity  follows  that  faith,  the  faith  perishes  if  charity  from 
man's  will  comes  in.  But  this  being  the  only  internal  man  rec- 
ognized in  the  church  at  the  present  day,  there  is  no  internal 
man,  for  no  one  knows  whether  such  a  faith  has  been  bestowed 
upon  him  or  not;  moreover,  as  has  been  shown  above,  it  is  an 
impossible  thing  and  therefore  purely  imaginary.  From  this 
it  follows,  that  at  the  present  day,  among  those  who  are  con- 


712 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


firmed  in  that  faith  there  is  no  other  internal  man  than  that 
natural  man  which  from  birth  overflows  in  evils  of  every  kind. 
To  this  it  may  be  added,  that  regeneration  and  sanctification 
are  said  to  foUow  that  faith  of  themselves,  and  that  man's  co- 
operation, which  is  the  only  means  by  which  regeneration  is 
effected,  must  be  excluded.  Therefore  it  is  that  no  knowledge 
of  regeneration  in  the  present  church  is  possible,  when  yet  the 
Lord^'says  that  he  who  is  not  regenerated  cannot  see  the  king- 
dom of  God. 

592.  But  the  internal  and  external  man  of  the  New  Church 
are  wholly  different.     The  internal  man  pertains  to  the  will, 
from  which  man  thinks  when  left  to  himself,  as  when  he  is  at 
home ;  but  the  external  man  is  his  actions  and  words,  such  as 
come  'forth  from  the  internal  when  man  is  with  others,  thus 
when  abroad.    Consequently,  the  internal  man  is  both  charity, 
because  this  pertains  to  the  will,  and  faith,  which  pertains  to 
thought.    Before  regeneration  these  two  constitute  the  natural 
man,  which  is  thus  divided  into  an  internal  and  an  external. 
This  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  it  is  not  permissible  for  man  to 
act  and  speak  in  company  or  abroad  as  when  alone  or  at  home. 
The  cause  of  this  division  is,  that  civil  laws  prescribe  punish- 
ments for  those  who  act  wickedly,  and  rewards  for  those  who 
act  rightly,  consequently  men  compel  themselves  to  separate 
the  external  from  the  internal  man ;  for  no  one  wishes  to  be 
punished,  and  every  one  wishes  to  be  rewarded,  which  is  done 
by  riches  and  honors ;  and  man  attains  to  neither  of  these  un- 
less he  lives  according  to  those  laws.    It  results  from  this  that 
morality  and  benevolence  exist  in  externals  even  with  those 
who  have  none  internally.    And  from  the  same  source  is  all 
hypocrisy,  flattery  and  simulation. 

593.  As  to  the  division  of  the  natural  man  into  two  forms, 
it  is  an  actual  division  both  of  will  and  of  thought  therein ;  for 
every  action  of  man  goes  forth  from  his  will,  and  every  word 
from  his  thought ;  consequently  another  will  is  formed  by  man 
beneath  the  first,  and  likewise  another  thought ;  but  the  two 
still  constitute  the  natural  man.  This  will  which  is  being  formed 
by  the  man,  may  be  called  a  bodily  will,  because  it  impels  the 
body  to  make  a  show  of  moral  activities,  and  that  thought  may 
be  called  pulmonary  thought,  because  it  impels  the  tongue  and 


N.  593] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


t  1»J 


lips  to  utter  such  things  as  belong  to  the  understanding.  This 
outer  thought  and  will  taken  together  may  be  likened  to  the 
inner  bark  that  adheres  to  the  outer  bark  of  a  tree,  or  to  the 
membrane  that  adheres  to  the  shell  of  an  egg. ,  Within  these 
is  the  internal  natural  man,  who,  if  evil,  may  be  likened  to  a 
tree  the  wood  of  which  is  rotten,  but  about  which  the  aforesaid 
outer  and  inner  barks  seem  sound;  as  also  to  a  rotten  egg  in  a 
white  shell.  But  something  shall  also  be  said  about  what  the 
internal  natural  man  is  by  birth.  Its  will  inclines  to  evils  of 
every  kind  and  the  thought  therefrom  is  inclined  to  falsities  of 
every  kind.  This  then  is  the  internal  man  that  is  to  be  regen- 
erated, for  unless  it  is  regenerated  it  is  nothing  but  hatred 
against  everything  tliat  belongs  to  charity,  and  consequent  rage 
against  all  things  belonging  to  faith.  Prom  this  it  follows  that 
this  natural  internal  man  must  first  be  regenerated,  and  by 
means  of  it  the  external;  for  this  is  according  to  order;  while 
to  regenerate  the  internal  by  means  of  the  external  would  be 
contrary  to  order ;  for  the  internal  is  like  a  soul  in  the  external, 
not  only  in  general  but  also  in  every  particular,  consequentl}' 
it  is  m  every  least  word  one  speaks ;  it  is  present  in  these  be- 
yond what  man  knows.  r>ecause  of  this  the  angels,  from  a  sin- 
gle action  of  a  man,  can  perceive  what  his  will  is,  and  from  a 
single  word  what  his  thought  is,  whether  infernal  or  heavenly. 
Thus  they  know  the  entire  man ;  from  the  tone  of  his  voice  they 
have  a  perception  of  his  thought's  affection,  and  from  the  ges- 
ture or  the  form  of  his  action  they  have  a  perception  of  his 
will's  love.  And  this  they  have,  however  he  may  simulate  a 
Christian  or  a  moral  citizen. 

594.  Man's  regeneration  is  described  in  ExeMel  by  the  ^'dry 
bones"  which  were  clothed  with  sinews,  then  with  flesh  and 
skin,  and  at  last  had  spirit  breathed  into  them,  whereby  they 
lived  again  (xxxvii.  1-14).  That  regeneration  was  represented 
by  those  things,  is  evident  from  what  is  there  said: — 

These  bones  are  the  whole  house  of  Israel  (verse  1 1). 
A  comparison  is  also  there  made  with  graves,  for  it  is  written, 

That  Jehovah  would  open  their  graves,  and  caase  the  bones  to  come  up 
out  of  their  graves,  and  put  spirit  in  them,  and  bring  them  together  into 
the  land  of  Israel  (verses  12-14). 


7U  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  X. 

"The  land  of  Israel"  there  and  elsewhere  means  the  church. 
Keeeneration  was  here  represented  by  bones  and  graves,  be- 
SeSf uuregenerate  man  is  called  dead  and  the  regenera  e 
alive;  for  in  the  latter  there  is  spiritual  lite,  but  m  the  lormei 

^' 5thn\t;y  created  thing  in  the  Wd,  whether  living  or 
de^l  there  is  an  internal  and  an  external;  one  never  exists  with- 
out he  other  as  there  is  no  effect  without  a  cause;  and  every 
c^eUed  £g  is  esteemed  according  to  its  internal  goodness,  or 
;  deemed  base  if  internally  malignant,  as  external  goodness  is 
:i  within  it  there  is  internal  malignity     ^veiy  wise  man  - 
the  world  and  every  angel  in  heaven  so  judges.    l>^t  "^^J^^J"; 
of  the  unregenerate  man  and  of  the  regenerate,  may  be  illus- 
JraieS  by  comparisons.    The  unregenerate  n>an  who  simulates  a 
mS  c^i    n  L  a  Christian,  may  be  likened  to  a  -rpse  wnipi'"^ 
hi  aromatics  which  nevertheless  exhales  a  putrid  odor  that  in- 
firthe  aiinatics,  insinuates  itself  into  the  nostrils,  and  in- 
uri  ttie  brahi     He  may  also  be  likened  to  a  mummy,  gilded 
r;  actd  ta  silver  coffin,  upon  looking  ^-ath  the  «overin 
of  which  a  hideously  black  body  comes  to  view.    [-]  Again  ht 
mav  be  likened  to  bones  or  skeletons  in  a  sepulchre  that  is 
Tdorn^d  S  t«  /«.«^^and  other  gems;  also  to  the  "chman 
:tw.clothe/inpurjJa^^^^^^^^ 

n^nt  tiisi;f;oLM^^^^^^^^^  ^-^:Si"an'dX: 

to  fruit  with  a  bright  skin,  but  inwardly  -«™-f  ^^,f  ^^^ 
to  an  ulcer  covered  first  with  a  plaster  and  then  with  a  tl.  i 
Shut  with  nothing  within  but  foul  matte.      ;;*  --hi 
only  those  who  have  no  internal  goodness,  and  ^^   «  «i««*°' 

d^j^:Ersrer;tn:;:i»^^^ 

5  moil  aLout  the  spirit  and  easily  directed  f rom  evi 

';::  Sit  has  she'd  hiL  skin,  or  ^ke  -tten  wood  stnpp^^^^^^^^ 
its  bark  or  covering  in  which  it  looked  so  welh    [3]  But  w^th 
the  regenerate  man  it  is  different     His  int^^^-l  -  g°<^'^-.^ 
his  external  resembles  the  external  of  the  otner.    .vmi  y 
exteinal  differs  from  that  of  the  unregenerate  as  heaven  diffe.s 


N.  r^9rq 


KEFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


In 


horn  liell,  since  the  soul  of  good  is  in  it,  and  it  matters  not  i\) 
him  whether  he  is  a  great  man,  who  dwells  in  a  palace,  and  goes 
surrounded  by  attendants,  or  lives  in  a  cottage  and  is  waited 
upon  by  a  boy;  or  even  whether  he  is  a  primate  clad  in  a  purple 
robe  and  wearing  the  cap  of  his  rank,  or  the  shepherd  of  a  few 
sheep  in  a  wood,  clothed  in  a  loose  rustic  frock  and  wearing  a 
little  cap  on  his  head.  [4]  Gold  is  still  gold,  whether  it  flashes 
before  the  fire  or  has  its  surface  blackened  by  the  smoke; 
wdiether  it  is  melted  into  a  l)eautiful  form  like  that  of  an  infant' 
or  into  an  ugly  one  like  that  of  a  mouse.  Mice  made  of  gold 
and  placed  beside  the  ark,  w^ere  acceptable  and  pleasing  (1  Sam. 
vi.  3-5) ;  for  gold  signifies  internal  good.  Diamonds  and  rubies 
obtained  from  whatever  matrix,  lime  or  clay,  are  in  like  man- 
ner esteemed  according  to  their  internal  goodness,  the  same  as 
those  in  the  necklace  of  a  queen ;  and  so  on.  From  all  this  it  is 
clear  that  the  external  is  estimated  from  the  internal,  and  not 
the  reverse. 


VII. 


WHEX  THIS  TAKES  PLACE  A  CONFLICT  ARISES  BETWEEN  THE 

INTEKNAL  AND  THE  EXTERNAL  MAN,  AND  THEN  THE 

ONE  THAT  ("ONgUEKS  RULES  OVER  THE  OTHER. 


596.  A  conflict  then  arises  because  the  internal  man  is  re- 
formed by  means  of  truths ;  and  from  truths  he  sees  what  is  evil 
and  false,  whi(;h  evil  and  falsity  are  still  in  the  external  or  nat- 
ural man;  consequently  disagreement  first  springs  up  between 
the  new  will,  which  is  above,  and  the  old  will,  whicli  is  below; 
and  as  the  disagreement  is  between  the  two  wills,  it  is  also  be- 
tween their  delights ;  for  the  flesh,  it  is  well  known,  is  opposed 
to  the  spirit  and  the  spirit  to  the  flesh,  and  the  flesh  with  its 
lusts  must  be  subdued  before  the  spirit  can  act  and  man  become 
new.    After  this  disagreement  of  the  two  w^ills  a  conflict  arises ; 
and  this  is  called  spiritual  temptation.    This  temptation  or  con- 
flict does  not  take  place  between  goods  and  evils,  but  between 
the  truths  of  good  and  the  falsities  of  evil.    For  good  cannot 


716 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


N.  507] 


REFORMATION    AND    REGENERATION 


717 


fight  from  itself  but  fights  by  means  of  truths ;  nor  can  evil  fight 
from  itself  but  by  means  of  its  falsities ;  just  as  the  will  cannot 
fight  from  itself  but  by  means  of  the  understanding  where  its 
truths  reside.     [2]  Man  is  not  sensible  of  that  conflict  except 
as  in  himself,  and  as  remorse  of  conscience ;  and  yet  it  is  the 
Lord  and  the  devil  (that  is,  hell)  that  are  fighting  in  man,  and 
they  are  fighting  for  dominion  over  him,  or  to  determine  who 
shall  possess  him.    The  devil  or  hell  attacks  man  and  calls  out 
his  evils,  while  the  Lord  protects  him  and  calls  out  his  goods. 
Although  that  conflict  takes  place  in  the  spiritual  world,  still 
it  takes  place  in  man  between  the  truths  of  good  and  the  fal- 
sities of  evil  that  are  in  him ;  therefore  man  must  fight  wholly 
as  if  of  himself,  for  he  has  the  freedom  of  choice  to  act  for  the 
Lord,  and  also  to  act  for  the  devil;  he  is  for  the  Lord,  if  he 
abides  in  truths  from  good,  and  for  the  devil,  if  he  abides  in 
falsities  from  evil.    From  this  it  follows  that  whichever  con- 
quers, the  internal  man  or  the  external,  that  one  rules  over  the 
other;  precisely  like  two  hostile  powers  contending  as  to  which 
shall  be  master  of  the  other's  kingdom— the  conqueror  takes 
possession  of  the  kingdom,  and  places  all  in  it  under  obedience 
to  himself.    In  this  case,  therefore,  if  the  internal  man  conquers, 
he  obtains  dominion  and  subjugates  all  the  evils  of  the  external 
man,  and  regeneration  then  goes  on ;  but  if  the  external  man  con- 
quei^,  he  obtains  the  dominion,  and  dissipates  all  the  goods  of 
the  internal  man,  and  regeneration  perishes. 

597.  While  it  is  known  at  the  present  day,  that  there  are 
temptations,  hardly  any  one  knows  whence  and  what  they  are 
and  what  good  they  effect.  Whence  and  what  they  are  has  just 
been  explained,  also  the  good  they  effect,  which  is,  that  when 
the  internal  man  conquers,  the  external  is  subjugated,  and  as 
this  is  subjugated  lusts  are  dispersed,  and  affections  for  good 
and  truth  are  implanted  in  their  place,  and  are  so  arranged  that 
the  goods  and  truths  which  a  man  wills  and  thinks  he  may  also 
do,  and  may  speak  them  from  the  heart ;  and  furthermore  that 
by  victory  over  the  external  man  man  becomes  spiritual,  and  is 
then  affiliated  by  the  Lord  with  the  angels  of  heaven,  who  are 
all  spiritual.  Heretofore  temptations  have  not  been  understood, 
and  scarcely  any  one  has  known  whence  and  what  they  are  and 
the  good  they  effect,  because  heretofore  the  church  has  not  been 


in  truths.  No  man  is  in  truths  unless  he  approaches  the  Lord 
directly,  rejects  the  former  faith  and  accepts  the  new.  And  this 
is  why  no  one  has  been  admitted  into  any  spiritual  temptation 
during  the  centuries  that  have  passed  since  the  Nicene  Council 
introduced  a  belief  in  three  Gods ;  for  if  any  one  had  been,  he 
would  have  succumbed  immediately,  and  thus  would  have  pre- 
cipitated himself  more  deeply  into  hell.  The  contrition  which 
is  said  to  precede  tlie  present  faith  is  not  temptation.  I  have 
questioned  very  many  about  it,  and  they  have  declared  that  it 
is  nothing  but  a  word,  except  perhaps  with  the  simple  there 
might  be  some  timorous  thoughts  about  hell-fire. 

598.  When  man  has  passed  through  temptations  he  is  as  to 
his  internal  man  in  heaven,  while  by  means  of  the  external  man 
he  is  in  the  world ;  thus  by  means  of  temptations  there  is  a  con- 
junction of  heaven  and  the  world  effected  in  man ;  and  then  the 
Lord  in  him  rules  his  world  from  heaven  according  to  order. 
The  contrary  takes  place  if  man  remains  natural;  he  is  then 
eager  to  rule  heaven  from  the  world.  Such  does  every  one  be- 
come who  is  in  the  love  of  ruling  from  the  love  of  self.  If  in- 
teriorly examined,  such  a  man  believes  in  himself  only  and  not 
in  God;  and  after  death  he  believes  him  to  be  God  who  can  ex- 
ercise dominion  over  others.  Such  madness  prevails  in  hell, 
and  it  even  proceeds  to  such  a  length  that  some  call  themselves 
God  the  Father,  some  God  the  Son,  some  God  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  among  the  Jews  some  call  themselves  the  Messiah.  This 
shows  clearly  what  man  becomes  after  death  if  the  natural  man 
is  not  regenerated,  and  therefore  to  what  length  his  fantasies 
would  carry  him  if  a  New  Church,  in  which  genuine  truths  are 
taught,  had  not  been  established  by  the  Lord.  This  is  what  is 
meant  by  these  words  of  the  Lord  : — 

In  tlie  consummation  of  the  age  (that  is,  at  the  end  of  the  present 
church),  there  shall  be  such  affliction  as  hath  not  been  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world  until  now,  no,  nor  ever  shall  be  ;  and  except  those  days 
be  shortened,  no  flesh  would  be  saved  {Matt.  xxiv.  21,  22). 

599.  In  the  conflicts  or  temptations  of  men  the  Lord  works 
a  particular  redemption;  as  He  wrought  a  total  redemption 
when  in  the  world.  By  conflicts  and  temptations  in  the  world 
the  Lord  glorified  His  Human,  that  is,  made  it  Divine ;  in  like 
manner  now  with  man  individually,  when  he  is  in  temptations, 


\ 


718 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


the  Lord  fights  for  him,  conquers  the  evil  spirits  who  are  in- 
festing him,  and  after  temptation  glorifies  him,  that  is,  renders 
him  spiritual.  After  His  universal  redemption  the  Lord  re- 
duced to  order  all  things  in  heaven  and  in  hell ;  with  man  af- 
ter temptation  He  does  in  like  manner,  that  is,  He  reduces  to 
order  all  the  things  of  heaven  and  the  world  that  are  in  hnn. 
After  redemption  the  Lord  established  a  new  church;  in  like 
manner  He  also  establishes  what  pertains  to  the  church  in  man, 
and  makes  him  to  be  a  church  in  particular.  After  redemption 
the  Lord  bestowed  peace  upon  those  who  believed  on  Him,  for 
He  said: — 

Peace  I  leave  with  you,  My  peace  I  give  unto  you  ;  not  as  the  world 
giveth,  give  I  unto  you  {John  xiv.  27). 

Likewise  He  gives  to  man  after  temptation  a  sense  of  peace, 
that  is,  gladness  of  mind  and  consolation.  From  all  this  it  is 
clear  that  the  Lord  is  the  Redeemer  for  ever. 

600.  A  regenerated  internal  man  without  a  regenerated  ex- 
ternal also,  may  be  likened  to  a  bird  flying  in  the  air  with  no 
resting  place  on  dry  land  except  in  a  marsh,  where  it  is  at- 
tacked by  serpents  and  frogs,  so  that  it  flies  away  and  dies.  It 
may  be  likened  also  to  a  swan  swimming  in  mid-ocean,  which 
cannot  reach  the  shore  and  make  her  nest,  so  that  the  eggs  she 
lays  sink  in  the  water,  where  they  are  eaten  by  fishes.  It  may 
be  likened  also  to  a  soldier  on  a  wall  which  is  pulled  down  un- 
der him,  so  that  he  falls,  headlong  and  dies  amid  the  ruins. 
Again  it  may  be  likened  to  a  beautiful  tree  transplanted  into 
filthy  soil  where  troops  of  worms  eat  up  its  roots,  so  that  it 
withers  and  dies.  It  may  also  be  likened  to  a  house  without 
a  foundation,  or  to  a  column  without  a  pedestal.  Such  is  the 
internal  man  when  it  alone  is  reformed  and  not  the  external 
also ;  for  it  then  has  no  means  of  determining  itself  to  doing 
good. 


N.  601]  REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION  719 


VIII. 

THE    REGENERATED    MAN    HAS    A    NEW    WILL    AND    A    NEW 

UNDERSTANDING. 

601.  The  church  of  to-day  knows  both  from  the  Word  and 
from  reason  that  a  regenerated  man  is  a  renewed  or  new  man. 
From  the  Wordy  by  the  following  passages : — 

Make  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit ;  for  why  will  ye  die,  0  house 
of  Israel  ?  {Ezek.  xviii.  31). 

I  will  give  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit  in  the  midst  of  you ;  and 
I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and  will  give  you  a 
heart  of  flesh  ;  and  I  will  put  My  spirit  within  you  {Ezek.  xxxvi.  20,  27). 

Henceforth  know  we  no  man  after  the  flesh,  therefore  if  any  man  is  in 
Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature  (2  Cor.  \.  10,  17). 

In  these  passages  <'  a  new  heart"  means  a  new  will,  and  "  a  new 
spirit"  means  a  new  understanding;  for  "heart"  in  the  Word 
signifies  the  will,  and  "  spirit,''  when  connected  with  heart,  sig- 
nifies the  understanding.  The  church  also  knows  from  reason 
that  the  regenerated  man  has  a  new  will  and  a  new  understand- 
ing, since  these  two  faculties  constitute  man,  and  they  are  what 
are  regenerated.  Therefore  every  man  is  such  as  he  is  with  re- 
spect to  these  two  faculties,  that  is,  he  is  evil  whose  will  is  evil, 
and  still  more  so  he  whose  understanding  favors  the  evil ;  while 
the  reverse  is  true  of  the  good.  Religion  alone  renews  and  re- 
generates man.  Religion  occupies  the  highest  seat  in  the  human 
mind,  and  sees  beneath  it  the  civil  matters  pertaining  to  the 
world ;  it  also  ascends  by  means  of  them,  as  the  pure  sap  as- 
cends through  a  tree  to  its  very  top,  and  from  that  height  it 
surveys  what  is  natural,  as  from  a  tower  or  mountain  one  sur- 
veys the  plains  below. 

602.  But  it  must  be  understood  that  while  man  may  rise  as 
to  his  understanding  almost  into  the  light  in  which  the  angels 
of  heaven  are,  unless  he  rises  also  as  to  his  will,  he  is  still  the 
old  and  not  a  new  man.  But  it  has  been  shown  already  how  the 
understanding  elevates  the  will  more  and  more  to  the  same 
height  with  itself.  For  this  reason  regeneration  is  predicated 
primarily  of  the  will,  and  secondarily  of  the  understanding.  For 
the  understanding  in  man  is  like  light  in  the  world,  and  the 
will  is  like  the  heat  there ;  and  it  is  known  that  light  without 


720 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


N.  604]  REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


21 


heat  does  not  vivify  or  cause  vegetation,  but  light  joined  witli 
heat.  Moreover,  as  to  the  lower  region  of  the  mind,  tlie  under- 
standing is  actually  in  the  light  of  the  world,  while  as  to  the 
higher  region  it  is  in  the  light  of  heaven;  consequently  if  the 
will  is  not  raised  from  the  lower  region  into  the  higher,  and 
there  conjoined  with  the  understanding,  it  remains  in  the  world; 
and  then  the  understanding  flies  upward  and  downward,  but 
returns  every  night  to  the  will  below  and  sleeps  there ;  and  they 
unite  like  a  man  and  a  harlot,  and  beget  two-headed  offspring. 
From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  unless  a  man  has  a  new  will  and 
a  new  understanding,  he  is  not  regenerated. 

603.  The  human  mind  is  divided  into  three  regions,  the 
lowest  is  called  the  natural,  the  middle  the  spiritual,  and  the 
highest  the  celestial.    By  regeneration  man  is  raised  from  the 
lowest  region,  which  is  the  natural,  into  the  higher,  which  is  the 
spiritual,  and  through  this  into  the  celestial.    That  there  are 
these  three  regions  belonging  to  the  mind  will  be  shown  in  the 
following  section.    This  is  why  the  unregenerate  man  is  called 
natural,  and  the  regenerate  man  spiritual.    This  makes  clear 
that  the  mind  of  the  regenerate  man  is  raised  into  the  spiritual 
region,  and  there  sees  from  the  higher  what  takes  place  in  the 
lower  or  natural  mind.    That  there  is  a  lower  and  a  higher  re- 
gion in  the  human  mind,  every  one  can  see  and  recognize  by  a 
slight  attention  to  his  own  thoughts ;  for  what  he  thiftks,  he 
sees ;  and  therefore  he  says  that  he  has  thought  or  thinks  this 
and  that,  which  w^ould  be  impossible  unless  there  were  an  in- 
terior thought  that  is  called  perception,  which  looks  down  into 
the  lower  which  is  called  thought.     When  a  judge  has  heard  or 
read  over  a  long  series  of  arguments  presented  by  an  advocate, 
he  collects  them  all  into  one  view  in  the  higher  region  of  his 
mind,  thus  forming  them  into  one  general  idea;  and  from  that 
he  then  looks  down  into  the  lower  region,  which  is  that  of  nat- 
ural thought,  and  there  arranges  the  arguments  in  order,  and 
in  accordance  with  the  higher,  presents  his  opinion  and  pro- 
nounces judgment.    Who  does  not  know  that  a  man  may  form 
more  thoughts  and  conclusions  in  a  moment  or  two,  than  he  can 
express  by  means  of  his  lower  thoughts  in  half  an  hour?    All 
this  has  been  presented  to  make  known  that  the  human  mind 
is  divided  into  lower  and  higher  regions. 


604    As  to  the  new  will :  it  is  above  the  old  one  in  the  spirit- 
ual region,  and  the  new  understanding  likewise,  this  with  that 
and  that  with  this.    In  that  region  they  are  conjoined  and  con- 
iointly  look  down  upon  the  old  or  natural  will  and  understand- 
ing   and  so  arrange  all  things  therein  as  to  moderate  them. 
Who  cannot  see  that  if  there  were  but  one  region  m  the  human 
mind  and  if  both  evils  and  goods  and  truths  and  falsities  were 
there' brought  together  and  mixed  together,  there  would  be  a 
conflict  such  as  would  arise  if  wolves  and  lambs,  tigers  and 
calves,  hawks  and  doves,  were  brought  together  into  one  en- 
closure  ^    What  would  result  but  a  cruel  slaughter,  the  savage 
beasts  tearing  in  pieces  the  tame  ones?    This  is  why  it  has 
been  provided  that  goods  with  their  truths  should  be  collected 
together  in  the  higher  region,  so  that  they  may  subsist  m  safety, 
and  resist  assault,  and  also  by  constraints  and  other  means 
may  subjugate  and  afterward  disperse  evils  with  their  talsities. 
This   then,  is  the  same  as  was  said  in  the  preceding  section 
that  in  the  regenerated  man  the  Lord  through  heaven  rules  what 
pertains  to  the  world.    And  the  higher  or  spiritual  region  of 
the  human  mind  is  a  heaven  in  miniature,  while  the  lower  or 
natural  region  is  a  world  in  miniature,  and  for  this  reason  man 
was  called  by  the  ancients  a  microcosm  [a  little  world],  and  he 
may  also  be  called  a  microuranos  [a  little  heaven]. 

605    That  the  regenerate  man,  that  is,  one  who  is  renewed 
in  will  and  understanding,  is  in  the  heat  of  heaven,  that  is,  m 
its  love,  and  at  the  same  time  in  the  light  of  heaven,  that  is,  m 
its  wisdom ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  unregenerate  man 
is  in  the  heat  of  hell,  that  is,  in  its  love,  and  at  the  same  time 
in  its  darkness,  that  is,  in  its  insanities,  is  at  this  day  known 
and  yet  unknown.    This  is  because  the  church  of  to-day  makes 
regeneration  an  appendage  to  its  faith,  and  into  faith  reason 
must  not  be  admitted,  consequently  it  must  be  admitted  into 
nothing  pertaining  to  its  appendage,  which,  as  before  said  in- 
cludes, renovation  and  regeneration.    These,  together  with  that 
faith  itself,  are  to  those  of  the  present  church  like  a  house,  the 
doors  and  windows  of  which  are  closed,  so  that  it  is  not  known 
what  is  in  it,  whether  it  is  empty  or  is  full  of  genu  ivom  hell, 
or  of  angels  from  heaven.    It  may  be  added  that  this  confu- 
sion has  been  brought  about  by  a  fallacy  which  has  arisen  from 
46 


722 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  X. 


the  fact  that  a  man  may  by  his  understanding  ascend  ahnost 
into  the  light  of  heaven,  and  consequently  can  from  nitelhgence 
think  and  speak  of  spiritual  things,  whatever  his  will's  love 
may  be.  Ignorance  of  this  truth  has  also  caused  ignorance  of 
all  that  concerns  regeneration  and  renovation  of  character. 

606.  From  all  this  it  may  be  concluded  that  an  unregenerate 
man  is* like  one  who  sees  phantoms  at  night,  and  believes  them 
to  be  men ;  and  afterwards,  when  he  is  being  regenerated,  he  is 
like  the  same  man  seeing  in  the  early  dawn  tliat  the  things  he 
saw  at  night  are  delusions,  and  still  later,  when  he  is  regener- 
ated and  is  in  the  light  of  day,  seeing  them  to  be  the  offspring 
of  delirium.    An  unregenerate  man  is  like  one  dreaming,  and 
a  regenerate  man  like  one  awake;  and  in  the  Word  natural  life 
is  likened  to  sleep,  and  spiritual  life  to  a  state  of  wakefulness. 
The  unregenerate  man  is  meant  by  the  foolish  virgins  who  had 
lamps  but  no  oil,  and  the  regenerate  man  by  the  wise  virgins 
who  had  both  lamps  and  oil,  "lamps"  meaning  such  things  as 
pertain  to  the  understanding,  and  "  oil"  such  things  as  pertain 
to  love     The  regenerate  are  like  the  lamps  of  the  lampstaiid 
in  the  tabernacle;  they  are  like  the  bread  of  faces  there  with 
the  frankmcense  upon  it;  and  they  are  those  who  shall  "  shme 
as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  as  the  stars  for  ever 
and  ever"  (as  said  in  Dan.  xii.  3).    The  unregenerate  man  is 
like  one  who  is  in  the  gai-den  of  Eden,  and  who  eats  from  the 
tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  and  is  therefore  baii- 
ished  from  the  garden;  he  is  indeed  that  very  tree.    But  the 
regenerate  man  is  like  one  who  is  in  that  garden  and  eats  of  the 
tree  of  life.    That  it  is  given  to  such  to  eat  of  it,  is  obvious 
from  the  following  in  the  Apocalypse:— 

To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is 
in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God  (ii.  7), 

« the  garden  of  Eden"  meaning  intelligence  in  spiritual  things, 
arising  from  love  of  truth  (see  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  90).  In 
a  word,  the  unregenerated  man  is  a  -  son  of  the  evil  one,"  and 
the  regenerate  a  "son  of  the  kingdom"  {Matt  xiii.  f);  "the 
son  of  the  evil  one"  there  meaning  a  child  of  the  devil,  and 
« the  son  of  the  kmgdom"  a  child  of  the  Lord. 


N.  G07]  REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


723 


IX 

A     REGENERATE     MAN     IS     IN     COMMUNION    WITH    ANGELS     OF 
HEAVEN    AND    AN    UNREGENERATE    ONE    IN    COM- 
MUNION   WITH    SPIRITS    OF    HELL. 

607    Every  man  is  in  communion,  that  is,  in  affiliation,  either 
with  angels  of  heaven  or  with  spirits  of  hell,  because  he  is 
born  to  become  spiritual,  and  this  would  be  impossible  unless 
he  were  born  to  be  in  some  conjunction  with  those  who  are 
spiritual.    It  has  been  shown  in  the  work  on  Heaven  and  Hell 
that  as  to  his  mind  man  is  in  both  worlds,  the  natural  and  the 
spiritual.    But  neither  man  nor  angel  nor  spirit  knows  ot  this 
coniunction,  for  the  reason  that  man  while  he  lives  m  the  world 
is  in  a  natural  state,  while  angels  and  spirits  are  in  a  spiritual 
state;  and  because  of  the  distinction  between  the  natural  and 
the  spiritual,  one  is  not  visible  to  the  other.    The  nature  of  this 
distinction  has  been  described  in  the  work  on  Conjugial  Love 
in  the  Memorable  Kelation  there  recorded  (n.  326-329).    J^  iw 
that  it  is  clear  that  their  conjunction  is  not  one  of  thoughts  but 
of  affections,  and  scarcely  any  one  reflects  upon  his  affections, 
because  they  are  not  in  the  light  in  which  the  understanding  is, 
and  therefore  its  thought  is;  but  only  in  the  heat  m  which  the 
wiU  is  and  therefore  the  affection  of  its  love  is.    The  conjunc- 
tion between  men  and  angels  and  spirits  by  means  of  the  affec- 
tions of  love  is  so  close  that  if  it  were  severed  and  they  were 
thereby  separated,  men  would  instantly  fall  into  a  swoon,  and 
if  the  relation  were  not  restored,  and  their  conjunction  renewed, 
men  would  die.    [2]  It  has  been  said  that  man  becomes  spir- 
itual by  regeneration,  but  this  does  not  mean  that  he  becomes 
spiritual  as  an  angel  is  in  himself,  but  that  he  becomes  spiritual 
natural ;  that  is  to  say,  that  the  spiritual  is  inwardly  m  his  nat- 
ural, iust  as  thought  is  in  speech,  or  as  will  is  in  action,  tor 
when  one  ceases  the  other  ceases.    In  like  manner  man  s  spirit 
is  in  every  least  thing  that  takes  place  in  the  body,  and  it  is 
that  which  impels  the  natural  to  do  whatever  it  does.    The  nat- 
ural viewed  in  itself  is  passive  or  is  a  dead  force,  but  the  spir- 
itual is  active  or  is  a  living  force;  the  passive  or  a  dead  force 
cannot  act  from  itself,  but  must  be  impelled  by  the  active,  or 


724 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


by  a  living  force.  [3]  As  man  lives  continually  in  commimion 
with  the  inhabitants  of  the  spiritual  world,  he  is  also,  when  he 
leaves  the  natural  world,  introduced  immediately  among  such 
as  are  like  those  with  whom  he  had  been  associated  in  the 
world.  Therefore  it  is  that  after  death  every  one  seems  to  hhn- 
self  to  be  still  living  in  the  world,  for  he  then  comes  into  the 
company  of  those  who  are  like  him  as  to  their  will's  affections, 
and  whom  he  then  acknowledges,  as  kinsmen  and  relations 
acknowledge  their  own  in  the  world ;  and  this  is  what  is  meant 
where  it  is  said  in  the  Word  of  those  who  die,  that  they  are 
brought  together  and  gathered  to  their  own.  From  all  this  it 
can  now  be  seen  that  a  regenerate  man  is  in  communion  with 
the  angels  of  heaven,  and  an  unregenerate  man  with  the  spirits 
of  hell. 

608.  It  must  be  known  that  there  are  three  heavens,  and 
these  distinct  from  each  other  according  to  the  three  degrees  of 
love  and  wisdom,  and  that  man  is  in  communion  with  the  an- 
gels of  those  three  heavens  in  the  measure  of  his  regeneration ; 
and  this  being  so,  that  the  human  mind  is  divided  into  three 
degrees  or  regions  in  accord  with  the  heavens.  But  on  these 
three  heavens  and  their  division  in  accordance  with  the  three 
degrees  of  love  and  wisdom,  see  the  work  on  Heaven  and  Hell, 
(n.  29  seq.) ;  and  also  the  pamphlet  on  Intercourse  between  the 
Soul  and  the  Body,  (n.  16, 17).  Here  it  will  be  sufficient  mere- 
ly to  illustrate,  by  a  simile,  the  nature  of  the  three  degrees  in 
accordance  with  which  the  heavens  are  divided.  They  are  like 
the  head,  body,  and  feet  in  man ;  the  highest  heaven  constitut- 
ing the  head,  the  middle  the  body,  and  the  lowest  the  feet ;  for 
the  whole  heaven  is  before  the  Lord  like  one  man.  The  truth 
of  this  has  been  disclosed  to  me  by  actual  observation,  for  it 
has  been  granted  me  to  see  wholly  as  one  man  a  single  society 
of  heaven,  which  consisted  of  thousands.  Why  then  should  not 
the  whole  heaven  so  appear  to  the  Lord  ?  Respecting  this  liv- 
ing experience,  see  the  work  on  Heaven  and  Hell,  (n.  59,  seq.). 
This  makes  clear  what  is  meant  by  this,  which  is  well  known 
in  the  Christian  world,  that  the  church  constitutes  the  body  of 
Christ,  and  that  Christ  is  the  life  of  that  body.  And  this  also 
is  thus  made  clear,  namely,  that  the  Lord  is  the  all  in  all  things 
of  heaven,  since  He  is  the  life  of  that  body.    Likewise,  the  Lord 


N.  608] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


725 


is  the  church  with  those  who  acknowledge  Hun  alone  as  the 
God  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  believe  in  Hun.  That  He  is  the 
God  of  heaven  and  earth,  He  Himself  teaches  in  Matthew 
(xxviii.  18) ;  and  that  men  ought  to  believe  in  Him,  in  John 
(iii.  15,  16,  36;  vi.  40;  xi.  25,  26). 

609.  The  three  degrees  in  which  the  heavens  are,  and  con- 
sequently, in  which  the  human  mind  is,  may  also  be  illustrated 
in  some  measure  by  comparisons  with  material  things  m  the 
world.    In  their  relative  nobility  these  three  degrees  are  like 
gold  silver  and  brass,  to  which  metals  they  are  likened  in  the 
statue  of  Nebuchadnezzar  {Dan.  ii.  31-35).    These  three  de- 
grees are  also  distinct  from  each  other,  like  the  ruby,  sapphire 
and  agate  in  respect  to  purity  and  goodness ;  also  like  the  olive 
tree,  the  vine,  and  the  fig-tree ;  and  so  on.    Moreover,  m  the 
Word,  "gold,"  "ruby,"  and  "oil"  signify  celestial  good,  which 
is  the' good  of  the  highest  heaven ;" silver,"  "sapphire,"  and  "a 
vine"  signify  spiritual  good,  which  is  that  of  the  middle  hea- 
ven ;  while  "  brass,"  "  agate,"  and  "  a  fig-tree"  signify  natural 
good,  which  is  that  of  the  lowest  heaven.    That  there  are  three 
degrees,  a  celestial,  a  spiritual  and  a  natural,  has  been  stated 

above. 

610.  To  the  foregoing  this  shall  be  added,  that  mans  re- 
generation is  not  effected  in  a  moment,  but  gradually,  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  his  life  in  the  world,  and  is  afterward 
continued  and  perfected.  And  because  man  is  reformed  by  con- 
flicts with  the  victories  over  the  evils  of  his  flesh,  the  Son  of 
man  says  to  each  one  of  the  seven  churches,  tlmt  he  will  give 
gifts  to  him  that  overcometh ;  as  to  the  church  of  Ephesus  :— 

To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life  {Apoc.  ii.  7); 

to  the  church  of  Smyrna: — 

He  that  overcometh  shall  not  be  hurt  in  the  second  death  (verse  11); 

to  the  church  in  Pergamos : — 

To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hidden  manna  (verse 
17); 
to  the  church  in  Thyatira : — 

He  that  overcometh,  to  him  will  I  give  power  over  the  nations  (verse 
26); 


726 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  X. 


to  the  church  iii  Sardis : — 

He  that  overcometh  shall  be  clothed  in  white  garments  (iii.  5); 

to  the  church  in  Philadelphia  :— 

He  that  overcometh  I  will  make  liim  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  God 
(verse  12); 
and  to  the  church  of  the  Laodiceans  :— 

He  that  overcometh  I  will  give  to  him  to  sit  with  Me  m  My  throne 
(verse  21). 

FinaUy  it  may  be  added  that  so  far  as  man  is  regenerated,  or 
so  far  as  regeneration  is  perfected  in  liim,  so  far  he  attributes 
nothing  of  good  and  truth,  that  is,  of  charity  and  faith,  to  him- 
self, but  to  the  Lord  only ;  tor  the  truths  which  he  gradually 
acquires  teach  this  clearly. 


X. 

so  FAR  AS  MAN  IS  EEGENERATED  SINS  ARE  REMOVED,  AND  THIS 
REMOVAL  IS  THE  FORGIVENE.SS  OF  SINS. 

611  So  far  as  man  is  regenerated  sms  are  removed,  because 
regeneration  is  the  restraining  of  the  flesh  that  it  may  not  rule, 
and  the  subjugating  of  the  old  man  with  its  lusts,  that  it  may 
not  rise  up  and  destroy  the  intellectual  faculty,  for  that  would 
render  man  incapable  of  reformation,  reformation  being  impos- 
sible unless  man's  spirit,  which  is  above  the  flesh,  is  instructed 
and  perfected.  Who,  if  he  still  retains  a  sound  understanding, 
can  fail  to  see  from  all  this  that  such  a  work  cannot  be  effected 
in  a  moment  but  only  gradually,  just  as  man  is  conceived  car- 
ried in  the  womb,  bom  and  educated,  according  to  what  has 
been  shown  above  ?  For  those  things  which  pertain  to  the  flesh 
or  the  old  man  are  inherent  in  man  from  his  birth,  and  build 
the  first  habitation  of  his  mind,  in  which  lusts  have  their  abode 
like  wild  beasts  in  their  caves,  dwelling  first  in  the  outer  courts, 
then  by  turns  entering  into  the  underground  rooms  as  it  were, 
of  the  house,  and  finaUy  ascending  by  steps  and  forming  for 


N.  611] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


rrtyrf 


themselves  chambers.    This  takes  place  gradually,  as  an  mfant 
grows,  becomes  a  boy,  afterwards  a  youth,  and  then  begins  to 
think  from  his  own  understanding,  and  to  act  from  his  own 
will.   Who  cannot  see  that  this  house  in  the  mind  thus  far  built 
in  which  lusts  dance  with  joined  hands,  like  the  ochun,  tziim 
and  satyrs,  cannot  be  destroyed  in  a  moment  and  a  new  house 
built  in  its  place  ?    Must  not  those  lusts  with  clasped  hands  and 
so  sporting  themselves  be  first  removed,  and  new  desires,  which 
belong  to  good  and  truth,  be  introduced  in  the  place  of  the  cu- 
pidities which  belong  to  evil  and  falsity  ?    That  these  thmgs 
cannot  be  done  in  a  moment  every  wise  man  sees  from  this  alone, 
that  every  evil  is  composed  of  innumerable  lusts,  and  is  like  a 
fruit  which  beneath  the  surface  is  full  of  worms  with  white 
bodies  and  black  heads ;  also,  that  evils  are  nmnerous  and  joined 
together  like  the  progeny  of  a  spider  when  first  hatched ;  where- 
fore unless  one  evil  is  brought  out  after  another,  and  this  unt]l 
their  connection  is  broken  up,  man  cannot  be  made  new.    These 
things  have  been  cited  to  make  clear  that  so  far  as  anyone  is 
regenerated  sins  are  removed. 

612.  Man  inclines  by  birth  to  evils  of  every  kind  and  from 
that  inclination  lusts  after  them,  and  so  far  as  he  is  in  freedom 
he  also  does  them ;  for  by  birth  he  lusts  after  dommion  over 
others,  and  to  possess  the  goods  of  others,  which  two  lusts  cut 
asunder  love  to  the  neighbor,  and  then  man  hates  every  one  who 
opposes  him,  and  from  hatred  breathes  revenge  which  inwardly 
cherishes  murder.    For  the  same  reason  he  thinks  nothmg  of 
adulteries,  nothing  of  such  robbery  as  secret  theft,  nothing  of 
blasphemies,  which  include  false  witness ;  and  he  who  thinks 
nothing  of  these  things,  is  in  heart  an  atheist.     Such  is  man  by 
birth ;  from  which  it  is  clear  that  he  is  from  birth  a  hell  in  min- 
iature.   Inasmuch  then,  as  man,  in  respect  to  the  interiors  of 
his  mind,  is  born  spiritual,  as  beasts  are  not,  and  consequently 
is  born  for  heaven,  and  yet,  as  has  been  said,  his  natural  or  ex- 
ternal man  is  a  minature  hell,  it  follows  that  a  heaven  cannot 
be  unplanted  in  this  hell,  unless  the  hell  is  removed. 

613.  He  who  knows  the  relation  between  heaven  and  hell, 
and  how  the  one  is  removed  from  the  other,  can  know  how  man 
is  regenerated,  and  also  what  the  regenerate  man  is.  That  this 
may  be  understood  it  shall  be  made  known  briefly  that  the  faces 


728 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


N.  614] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


'29 


of  all  who  are  in  heaven  look  toward  the  Lord,  while  all  who 
are  in  hell  turn  their  faces  from  the  Lord ;  therefore  when  hell 
is  looked  at  from  heaven,  only  the  occiput  and  back  appear;  and 
those  there  even  appear  inverted,  like  the  antipodes,  feet  upward 
and  heads  down,  and  this  although  they  walk  upon  their  feet 
and  turn  their  faces  around;  for  it  is  the  contrary  direction  of 
their  minds'  interiors  that  produces  this  appearance.    Tiiese  re- 
markable facts  I  report  from  my  own  observation.    They  made 
clear  to  me  how  regeneration  is  effected,  namely,  just  as  hell  is 
removed  and  thus  separated  from  heaven.    For,  as  stated  above, 
as  to  his  first  nature  which  he  has  by  birth,  man  is  a  hell  in 
miniature,  and  as  to  the  other  nature  which  he  acquires  by  the 
second  birth,  he  is  a  heaven  in  miniature.    And  from  this  it 
follows  that  the  evils  in  man  are  removed  and  separated  in  the 
same  manner  as  heaven  and  hell  in  their  large  form  are  sepa- 
rated, and  that  evils,  as  they  are  removed,  turn  themselves  away 
from  the  Lord,  and  gradually  invert  themselves,  and  that  this 
takes  place  in  the  degree  that  heaven  is  implanted,  that  is,  that 
man  is  made  new.    To  this  may  be  added,  for  the  sake  of  illus- 
tration, that  every  evil  in  man  is  in  conjunction  with  those  in 
hell  who  are  in  like  evil,  and  on  the  other  hand  that  every  good 
in  man  is  in  conjunction  with  those  in  heaven  who  are  in  like 

good. 

614.  From  what  has  been  presented  it  can  be  seen  that  the 
forgiveness  of  sins  is  not  their  being  rooted  out  and  washed 
away,  but  their  removal,  and  thus  their  separation;  also  that 
every  evil  that  a  man  has  actually  appropriated  to  himself  re- 
mains. And  since  the  forgiveness  of  sins  is  their  removal  and 
separation,  it  follows  that  man  is  withheld  from  evil  by  the  Lord 
and  kept  in  good,  and  this  is  what  is  given  to  man  by  regen- 
eration. I  once  heard  a  certain  person  in  the  lowest  heaven  say- 
ing that  he  was  exempt  from  sins,  because  they  had  been  washed 
away,  adding,  "  by  the  blood  of  Christ.''  But  because  he  was 
in  heaven,  and  was  in  that  error  from  ignorance,  he  was  let  in- 
to his  own  peculiar  sins,  and  as  they  returned  he  acknowledged 
them ;  thereby  acquiring  a  new  belief,  namely,  that  every  man, 
as  well  as  every  angel,  is  withheld  from  evil  and  kept  in  good 
by  the  Lord.  [2]  This  shows  plainly  what  the  forgiveness  of 
sins  is,  that  it  is  not  instantaneous,  but  follows  regeneration 


according  to  the  progress  thereof.  The  removal  of  sins  which 
is  called  the  forgiveness  of  them,  may  be  likened  to  the  casting 
forth  of  the  filth  from  the  camps  of  the  children  of  Israel  into 
the  desert  which  was  round  about  them;  for  their  camps  rep- 
resented heaven,  and  the  desert  hell.  It  may  also  be  likened  to 
the  removal  of  the  nations  from  the  children  of  Israel,  in  the 
land  of  Canaan,  and  of  the  Jebusites  from  Jerusalem ;  these  were 
not  cast  out,  but  separated.  It  may  also  be  likened  to  what  oc- 
curred to  Dagon  the  god  of  the  Philistines,  in  that  when  the  ark 
was  brought  in  he  first  lay  upon  his  face  on  the  ground,  and 
afterward,  with  his  head  and  hands  cut  off,  upon  the  threshold; 
thus  he  was  not  cast  out,  but  removed.  [3]  it  may  also  be  lik- 
ened to  the  demons  sent  by  the  Lord  into  the  swine  that  after- 
ward plunged  into  the  sea;  'Hhe  sea"'  there  and  elsewhere  in  the 
Word,  signifying  hell.  It  may  also  be  likened  to  the  throng  that 
followed  the  dragon,  which,  on  being  separated  from  heaven, 
first  invaded  the  earth,  and  was  afterward  cast  down  into  hell. 
It  may  also  be  likened  to  a  forest  where  there  are  wild  beasts 
of  many  kinds  which  when  the  forest  is  cut  down  flee  to  the 
neighboring  thickets,  and  then  the  ground  in  the  midst  being 
leveled  it  becomes  by  cultivation  a  field. 


XL 


WITHOUT    FREEDOM    OF    CHOICE    IN    SPIRITUAL    THINGS    REGEN- 
ERATION   IS    IMPOSSIBLE. 

615.  Who,  except  a  stupid  person,  cannot  see  that  without 
freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things  man  cannot  be  regener- 
ated? Can  he  without  this  approach  the  Lord,  acknowledge 
Him  as  the  Redeemer  and  Saviour  and  the  God  of  heaven  and 
earth,  as  He  himself  teaches  {Matt  xxviii.  18)  ?  Without  that 
freedom  of  choice  who  can  believe  in  the  Lord,  that  is,  from 
faith  look  to  Him  and  worship  Him,  and  adapt  himself  to  receiv- 
ing the  means  and  benefits  of  salvation  from  Him,  and  from 
Him  co-operate  in  the  reception  of  them  ?    A\'ho  without  free- 


-30  THE  THUE  CHRISTIAN  KKLIGION  [Chap.  X. 

dom  of  choice  can  do  aiiy  good  to  the  neighbor  can  practise 
charity  or  take  into  his  thought  and  will  other  things  peitain- 
i  ?fa°th  and  charity,  bring  them  forth,  and  put  them  mto 
acts  ^  Otherwise,  what  is  regeneration  but  a  mere  word  dropped 
Km  the  lips  of  the  Lord  {John  iii.),  which  either  remains  m 
rear,  or  Wng  dropped  upon  the  lips  from  the  thought'iear^ 
est  to  speech,  becomes  merely  an  articulated  souiid  of  twelve 
letters  which  sound  cannot  by  any  meaning  be  raised  mto  any 
higher' region  of  the  mind,  but  falls  upon  the  air  and  is  dissi- 

^^6?6    Tell  me,  if  you  can,  whether  a  blinder  stupidity  respect- 
ing regeneration  is  possible  than  that  which  prevails  with  those 
So  hfve  confirmed'themselves  in  the  faith  of  the  l'-ent^^>^ 
.hich  is,  that  faith  is  infused  into  man  while  he  i   W^«^  J-^ 
or  a  stone,  and  that  when  it  has  been  mfused,  it  is  followed  by 
•:stificati;n,  which  is  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  -gene'^a^^;^  -d 
other  gifts  besides;  and  also  that  man's  effort  must  be  wholl> 
exc  uded,  that  it  may  not  do  violence  to  the  merit  of  Chris  . 
In  order   hat  this  dogma  might  be  stiU  mo^  firmly  established 
Ly  have  deprived  man  of  all  freedom  of  choice  in  sputual 
things  by  asserting  his  complete  impotence  therem.    It  is,  then 
asTf  G'lalone  were  to  operate  on  His  part,  and  no  power  were 
Sven  to  man  to  co-operate  on  his  part,  and  tl-«;-3°- ^^^ 
Llf  with  Cxod.    In  that  case  what  is  man  in  respect  to  regenei- 
al  on  but  S;  one  bound  hand  and  foot,  like  the  prisoners  on 
S  caUed  galley-slaves?    And  like  these,  if  he  were  to  free 
Self  from  those  manacles  and  f ettei.,  he  would  te  punished 
or  condemned  to  death,  that  is,  if,  from  freedom  of  choice  he 
were  to  do  good  to  the  neighbor,  and  of  himself  were  to  believe 
Tn  God  for  the  sake  of  salvation.    If  a  man  wei^  confirmed  m 
such  oinions,  and  yet  had  a  pious  desire  for  heaven,  wliat 
would  he  be  1  ke  but  a  specter  standing  and  speculating  as  to 
whe  her  that  faith  with  its  benefits  has  been  infused  into  him ; 

Irfni  whether  it  will  be  infused,  f-f-.-^,tX^tL: 
T'other  has  taken  pity  on  him,  or  whether  His  Son  has  intei 
leded  f  or  hiCor  Xther  the  Holy  Spirit  is  inoperative  because 
mXd  elsewhere?  And  yet,  because  of  1;^b  compete  ;g^^^ 
ranee  of  the  matter,  he  might  go  away  and  console  \]f^^^J'y 
S^ingT"  Perhaps  that  grace  is  in  the  morality  of  my  life,  which 


N.  616] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


'31 


I  have  and  which  1  retain  as  formerly,  and  in  nie  therefore  it 
may  be  holy,  while  in  those  who  have  not  attained  to  that  faith 
it  is  profane.  Therefore,  in  order  that  this  holiness  may  remain 
in  my  morality,  I  will  be  careful  hereafter  not  to  exercise  either 
charity  or  faith  of  myself ;''  with  much  more.  Such  a  specter, 
or  if  you  prefer,  such  a  statue  of  salt,  does  every  one  become 
who  thinks  of  regeneration  separated  from  freedom  of  choice 
in  spiritual  things. 

617.  The  man  who  believes  that  regeneration  is  possible 
without  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things,  thus  without  co- 
operation, becomes  as  frigid  as  a  stone  in  regard  to  all  the 
truths  of  the  church ;  or  if  he  is  warm,  since  his  warmth  arises 
from  lusts,  he  is  like  a  burning  brand  in  a  lire-place,  that  blazes 
from  the  combustible  elements  in  it.  He  becomes  comparative- 
ly like  a  palace  sinking  into  the  ground  even  to  its  roof,  and 
becoming  flooded  with  muddy  water;  after  which  he  dwells 
upon  the  bare  roof,  making  a  hut  there  for  himself  of  marsh 
rushes,  and  at  length  the  roof  sinks  also,  and  he  is  drowned. 
He  is  also  like  a  ship  laden  with  all  kinds  of  precious  merchan- 
dise taken  from  the  Word  as  a  treasury,  but  gnawed  by  mice 
and  moth-eaten,  or  thrown  by  the  sailors  into  the  sea,  so  that 
the  merchants  are  defrauded  of  their  goods.  Those  who  are 
learned  or  rich  in  the  mysteries  of  that  faith,  are  like  the  ven- 
ders in  little  shops  who  sell  idols,  fruit,  wax-flowers,  shells, 
snakes  in  bottles,  and  such  like  things.  Those  who,  because  of 
the  lack  of  spiritual  power  adapted  and  given  to  man  by  the 
Lord,  have  no  wish  to  look  upward,  are  actually  like  beasts 
whose  heads  look  dovniward,  and  which  care  for  nothing  but 
to  graze  in  the  forests ;  and  if  they  enter  an  orchard,  they  eat 
up  the  foliage  of  the  trees  like  worms,  or  if  they  see  the  fruit 
with  their  eyes,  or  still  more  if  they  feel  it  with  their  hands, 
they  fill  it  with  worms ;  and  finally  they  become  like  scaly  ser- 
pents, their  fallacies  sounding  and  glittering  like  serpents' 
scales ;  and  so  on. 


i4ttai 


732 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


N.  618] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


733 


XII. 

REGENERATION     IS     IMPOSSIBLE     WITHOUT     TRUTHS,  BY    WHICH 
FAITH    IS    FORMED    AND    WITH    WHICH    CHAR- 
ITY   CONJOINS    ITSELF. 

618.  There  are  three  means  whereby  man  is  regenerated. 
the  Loid,  faith,  and  charity.    These  three  would  lie  hidden  like 
the  most  costly  jewels  buried  in  the  earth,  if  Divine  truths 
from  the  Word  did  not  reveal  them.    They  would  indeed  be 
hidden  from  those  who  deny  man's  co-operation  even  if  they 
were  to  read  the  Word  a  hundred  or  a  thousand  times,  although 
they  there  stand  forth  in  clear  light.    As  concerns  the  Lord, 
who  that  is  confirmed  in  the  prevailing  faith  sees  there  with 
open  eyes  the  declarations  that  He  and  the  Father  are  one,  that 
He  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  it  is  the  will  of  the 
Father  that  men  should  l^elieve  in  the  Son,  with  innumerable 
other  statements  of  the  same  kind  respecting  the  Lord  in  both 
Testaments  ?    Tliey  do  not  see  because  they  are  not  in  truths, 
and  consequently  not  in  the  light  in  which  subjects  of  this  knid 
can  be  seen ;  and  if  light  were  given,  falsities  would  extinguish 
it  and  these  truths  would  then  escape  their  attention  like  some- 
thing wholly  erased,  or  like  underground  drains  which  are  trod- 
den upon  and  passed  over.    These  things  are  said  that  it  may 
be  known  that  without  truths  this  first  thing  in  regeneration 
cannot  be  seen.     [2]  As  to  faith,  neither  is  that  possible  with- 
out truths ;  because  faith  and  truth  make  one  thing ;  for  the 
good  of  faith  is  like  a  soul,  truths  constituting  its  body.    To 
say  therefore  that  a  man  believes  or  has  faith,  when  he  is  ig- 
norant of  all  of  its  truths,  is  like  taking  the  soul  out  of  the 
bodv,  and  talking  with  it  when  thus  invisible.    Moreover,  all 
the  truths  that  make  up  the  body  of  faith  emit  light  and  en- 
lighten, and  render  the  features  of  faith  visible.    It  is  the  same 
with  charity;  this  emits  heat  with  which  the  light  of  truth  con- 
joins itself,  as  heat  does  with  light  in  the  world  m  the  time  ot 
spring,  from  the  conjunction  of  which  the  animals  and  vege- 
tables of  the  earth  return  to  their  prolifications.     [3]  It  is  the 
same  with  spiritual  heat  and  light ;  these  in  like  manner  con- 


join themselves  in  man  when  he  is  in  the  truths  of  faith  and 
at  the  same  time  in  the  goods  of  charity.  For  as  said  above  in 
the  chapter  on  Faith,  from  each  particular  truth  of  faith  there 
flows  forth  a  light  that  enlightens,  and  from  each  particular 
good  of  charity  a  heat  that  enkindles.  It  is  also  there  said  that 
spiritual  light  in  its  essence  is  intelligence,  and  spiritual  heat 
in  its  essence  is  love;  and  that  the  Lord  alone  conjoins  these 
two  in  man  when  He  regenerates  him.  For  the  Lord  said  :— 
The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you  are  spirit,  and  are  life  {John  vi  63) 
Beheve  in  tlie  light,  that  ye  may  be  sons  of  liglit.  I  am  come  a  lio-ht 
mto  tlie  world  {John  xii.  36,  46).  ° 

The  Lord  is  the  Sun  in  the  spiritual  world ;  this  is  the  source 
of  all  spiritual  light  and  heat;  that  light  enlightens,  and  that 
heat  enkindles;  and  by  the  conjunction  of  the  two  the  Lord 
vivifies  and  regenerates  man. 

619.  From  all  this  it  can  be  seen,  that  without  truths  there 
is  no  knowledge  of  the  Lord;  also  that  without  truths  there  is 
no  faith,  and  thus  no  charity ;  consequently  that  without  truths 
there  is  no  theology,  and  where  this  is  not,  there  is  no  church. 
Such  is  the  condition  to-day  of  that  body  of  people  who  call 
themselves  Christians,  and  who  say  they  are  in  the  light  of  the 
Gospel,  and  yet  are  in  the  veriest  darkness ;  for  with  them 
truths  lie  hidden  beneath  falsities,  like  gold,  silver,  and  pre- 
cious stones  buried  among  the  bones  in  the  valley  of  Hinnom. 
That  it  is  so,  I  was  enabled  to  see  clearly  from  the  spheres  in 
the  spiritual  world  that  flow  forth  from  the  Christendom  of  to- 
day and  propagate  themselves.     [2]   One  sphere  is  that  respect- 
ing the  Lord;  this  breathes  and  pours  itself  forth  from  the 
southern  quarter,  where  the  learned  clergy  and  erudite  laity  re- 
side.   Wherever  this  si)here  goes  it  insinuates  itself  into  the 
ideas,  and  with  many  takes  away  faith  in  the  Divinity  of  the 
Lord's  Human,  with  many  weakens   it,  with  many  makes   it 
seem  foolish ;  and  this  because  it  brings  in  with  it  the  faith  in 
three  Gods,  and  thus  produces  confusion.     [3]  Another  sphere 
that  takes  away  faith  is  like  a  black  cloud  in  Avinter,  which 
brings  on  darkness,  turns  rain  into  snow,  strips  bare  the  trees, 
freezes  the  waters,  and  takes  away  all  pasture  from  the  sheep! 
This  sphere  in  conjunction  with  the  former  insinuates  a  kind 
of  lethargy  respecting  one  God,  regeneration,  and  the  means  of 


-34  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  KKIJOION  [Chap.  X. 

salvation.    [4]  A  third  spliere  relates  to  the  <^oninu^i^oi 
faith  and  charity;  this  is  so  strong  as  to  be  irresistible  but  at 
he  present  day  it  is  abominable ;  it  is  like  a  pestilence  that  in- 
fects every  one  on  whom  it  breathes,  and  tears  asnnder  every 
tie  betwee"^  those  two  means  of  salvation,  established  a.  such 
from  the  creation  of  the  world,  and  restored  anew  by  the  Lord 
This  sphere  invades  even  the  men  m  the  natural  world,  and 
extinguishes  the  marriage  torches  between  truths  and  goocl^ 
1  have  felt  this  sphere,  and  at  such  times,  when  I  thought  of 
the  conjunction  of  faith  and  charity,  it  interposed  itself  be- 
tween them  and  violently  endeavored  to  separate  them     [o 
The  angels  complain  of  these  spheres,  and  pray  to  the  Lord 
for  their  dissipation,  but  they  received  the  answer  tha    they 
cannot  be  dissipated  so  long  a.  the  dragon  is  on    h«  «arth'^,. 
cause  it  is  from  the  draconic  spirits;  for  it  is  said  of  the  drag- 
on that  he  was  cast  down  unto  the  earth,  and  then  follows  :- 
Therefore  rejoice,  ye  heavens,  and  woe  to  those  that  inhabit  the  earth  ! 
{Apoc.  xii.  12). 

[6]  These  three  spheres  are  like  tempest-driven  atmospheres 
oming  forth  from  the  breathing-holes  of  the  <!-«--;  ^^^^^^^ 
being  spiritual,  invade  the  mind  and  control  it.  The  spheies  ot 
Sual  truth  there  are  as  yet  few,_only  m  the  -w  heaven 
and  also  with  those  beneath  heaven,  who  are  separated  from  the 
iconic  spirits.  This  is  why  those  truths  are  -  li^^^le  recog 
nized  by  men  in  the  world  to-day,  just  as  ships  in  the  Eastern 
oce^  are  invisible  to  captains  and  shipmasters  who  are  sailing 

^''fz^Ttr^e^eration  is  impossible  without  the  truths  by 

.hich  faith  is  foLed,  may  be  ^^'^^''y  ^  ^^^^IX- 
narisons.    It  is  as  impossible  as  a  human  niind  without  undei 
l^nZ^ ;  for  the  understanding  is  formed  by  means  of  truths 
S Sre'f  ore  teaches  what  ought  to  be  beU-ed  and  wh,,  c^^^^ 
to  be  done,  what  regeneration  is,  and  how  it  is  eifected     liegen 
eration  Shout  truths  is  as  impossible  as  the  vivification  o   ani- 
ml  or  the  growth  of  trees  without  light  from  the  svm ;  ^  ^f 
the  sun  did  not  give  light  at  the  same  time  that  it  gives  l>eat, 
ifwould  become  "like  sackcloth  of  hair"  (as  described  m  the 
:5;S-  vi.  12),  and  "black"  (Joel  ii.  10,  31),  and  thus  mere 


N.  620] 


REFORMATION  AND  REGENERATION 


735 


darkness  would  be  upon  the  eartli  (Joel  iii.  15).  It  would  be 
the  same  with  man  without  truths,  which  send  out  light  from 
themselves ;  for  the  sun  from  which  the  light  of  truths  flows 
forth  is  the  Lord  in  the  spiritual  world.  If  spiritual  light  did 
not  flow  therefrom  into  human  minds,  the  church  would  be  in 
mere  darkness,  or  in  shadow  from  a  perpetual  eclipse.  Regen- 
eration, which  is  effected  by  means  of  faith  and  charity,  with- 
out truths  that  teach  and  lead,  would  be  like  navigation  on  the 
great  ocean  without  a  rudder,  or  without  a  mariner's  compass  and 
charts.  It  would  also  be  like  riding  in  a  dark  forest  at  night. 
The  mind's  internal  sight  with  those  who  are  not  in  truths  but 
in  falsities,  which  they  believe  to  be  truths,  may  be  likened  to 
the  sight  of  those  whose  optic  nerves  are  obstructed,  the  eye 
still  appearing  sound  and  capable  of  sight,  although  it  sees 
nothing;  which  kind  of  blindness  is  called  by  physicians  am- 
aurosis and  gutta  serena;  for  in  such  the  rational  or  intellect- 
ual faculty  is  obstructed  above  and  open  below  only,  owing  to 
which  rational  light  becomes  like  the  light  of  the  eye,  and  con- 
sequently all  their  opinions  are  imagination  only  and  are  fash- 
ioned from  mere  fallacies.  And  in  such  case  men  would  stand 
like  astrologers  in  the  market-places  with  long  telescopes,  ut- 
tering unmeaning  prophecies.  Such  would  all  students  of  the- 
ology become,  unless  genuine  truths  were  disclosed  by  the  Lord 
from  the  Word. 

621.  To  this  the  following  Memorable  Relations  shall  be 
added.    First : — 

I  saw  an  assembly  of  spirits,  all  on  their  knees  praying  to 
God  to  send  angels  to  them,  with  whom  they  might  speak  face 
to  face,  and  to  whom  they  might  open  the  thoughts  of  their 
hearts.  And  when  they  rose  up,  there  appeared  three  angels 
in  white  standing  in  their  presence.  And  the  angels  said  "  The 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  heard  your  prayers,  and  has  therefore 
sent  us  to  you ;  open  to  us  the  thoughts  of  your  hearts." 

[2]  And  the  spirits  replied,  "  Our  priests  have  told  us  that  in 
theological  matters  it  is  not  the  understanding  but  faith  that 
avails,  and  that  an  intellectual  faith  does  not  profit  in  sucli 
matters,  because  it  springs  from  and  savors  of  man,  and  is  not 
from  God.  We  are  Englishmen,  and  we  have  heard  many 
things  from  our  sacred  ministry  which  we  believed ;  but  when 


fcitnaif^'^Hfflfitftrf'rt 


736  THE  TRUE  CHBlSTbVN  RELIGION  [Chap.  X. 

we  have  spoken  with  others  who  also  called  themselves  Re- 
7ormed  a^fl  with  some  who  called  themselves  Roman  Cathohcs, 
and  aglin  with  those  of  various  sects,  they  all  seemed  learned, 
^nd  yet  in  many  things  they  did  not  agree  wxth  one  another ; 
althou-h  they  all  said,  '  Believe  us,'  and  some  said,  'We  are 
™Srs  of  God,.and  we  know.'  But  as  we  ^now  that  Dmne 
truths,  which  are  called  truths  of  faith  and  are  the  truths  of  the 
church,  are  no  one's  by  birthright  alone  or  by  ml^ntan^e  but 
are  from  God  out  of  heaven;  and  as  they  point  the  waj  to 
ravJn  and  enter  the  life  together  with  the  goods  of  chanty 
and  thus  lead  to  eternal  life;  we  have  become  anxious,  and  on 

""larThenX^St  1  tted,  «  Read  the  Word  and  believe 

in  the  Lord  and  you  will  see  the  truths  which  must  he  the 

"ufhs  of  your  faith  and  of  your  life.   All  in  the  Christian  world 

liaw  theii-  doctrinals  from  the  Word  as  the  one  only  fountain 

But  two  of  the  assembly  said,  "  We  have  read,  but  have  not 

"Slngi  replied,  "  You  have  not  approached  the  Lord,  who 
is  Uie  Worf,  and  als^  have  first  confirmed  yourseh-.s  in  falsi- 
es''    The  kngels  said  further,  "What  is  fa.th  withou   light; 
Tnd  what  is  thhiking  without  understanding  ?   It  is  not  human. 
S^lett:^  inagpie?  can  also  learn  to  Ulk  -i^hout  -de^^^^^^^ 
ing.    We  can  assure  you  that  every  man  whose  ^o^l  <!««"«  ;*' 
is  able  to  see  the  truths  of  the  Word  m  clear  light     There 
is  no  animal  that  does  not  know  its  life's  food  when  it  sees  it ; 
and  man  is  a  rational  and  spiritual  animal ;  he  sees  the  food  of 
htwe  not  his  body's  but  his  soul's  food,  which  is  the  truth 
ofih,  provided  he  hungers  for  it  and  seeks  it  from  the  Loid^ 
[1]  Mo  cover,  the  substance  of  anything  that  is  not  received 
n  the  unders  anding,  does  not  remain  in  the  memory  but  only 
he  verbal  statement  of  it.    8o  when  we  looked  down  from  he.v- 
P„  into  the  world,  we  have  not  seen  anything,  but  have  onlj 
hard  sounds  and'for  the  most  part  discordant  one.    But  we 
S  enumeraU  some  things  which  the  learned  of  the  cWgy 
have  separated  from  the  understanding,  not  knowing  that  theie 
are  twoCays  to  the  understanding,  one  from  the  wor  d  and  he 
o  tefrom'ieaven,  and  that  when  the  W  is  enbghtening   h 
understanding  He  withdraws  it  from  the  world.    But  if  the 


N.  621] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


73- 


understanding  is  closed  in  regard  to  religion,  the  way  to  it  from 
heaven  is  closed ;  and  then  man  sees  no  more  in  the  Word  than 
a  blind  man.  We  have  seen  many  such  fall  into  pits  out  of 
which  they  did  not  rise.  [5]  Let  this  be  made  clear  by  exam- 
ples. Can  you  not  understand  what  charity  is  and  what  faith 
is,  that  charity  is  doing  rightly  with  the  neighbor,  and  faith 
is  thinking  rightly  respecting  God  and  the  essentials  of  the 
church ;  and  consequently  that  he  who  does  rightly  and  thinks 
aright,  that  is,  lives  well  and  believes  aright,  is  saved  ?" 

To  this  the  spirits  answered  that  they  understood. 

[C]  The  angels  said  further,  "  Man  must  repent  of  his  sins 
in  order  to  be  saved,  and  unless  he  repents  he  remains  in  the 
sins  into  which  he  was  born ;  and  repentance  consists  in  man's 
ceasing  to  will  evils  because  they  are  contrary  to  God,  search- 
ing himself  once  or  twice  a  year,  seeing  his  evils,  confessing 
them  before  the  Lord,  praying  for  help,  refraining  from  evils, 
and  beginning  a  new  life ;  and  so  far  as  he  does  this,  and  believes 
in  the  Lord,  his  sins  are  forgiven.'' 

Then  some  of  those  from  the  assembly  said,  "  That  we  under- 
stand, and  consequently  what  the  forgiveness  of  sins  is."  [7] 
Then  they  asked  the  angels  to  give  them  still  further  informa- 
tion, and  first  of  all  about  God,  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  re- 
generation, and  baptism. 

To  this  the  angels  replied :  "  AVe  shall  not  say  anything  but 
what  you  will  understand ;  otherwise  our  words  would  fall  like 
rain  upon  the  sand,  and  upon  the  seeds  therein  which  wither 
and  die,  however  they  may  be  watered  from  heaven." 

And  about  God  they  said,  "  All  who  enter  heaven  are  allotted 
a  place  there,  and  thus  eternal  joy  according  to  their  idea  of 
God,  because  this  idea  universally  reigns  in  everything  pertain- 
ing to  worship.  The  idea  of  God  as  a  Spirit,  when  spirit  is  sup- 
posed to  be  something  like  ether  or  wind,  is  an  idea  without 
meaning ;  but  the  idea  of  God  as  a  Man  is  the  right  idea ;  for  God 
is  Divine  love  and  Divine  wisdom,  together  with  every  quality 
thereof,  and  the  subject  of  these  is  not  ether  or  wind,  but  Man. 
In  heaven  the  idea  of  God  is  that  He  is  the  Lord  the  Saviour ; 
He  is  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  as  He  Himself  has  taught. 
Let  your  idea  of  God  be  like  ours,  and  we  shall  be  associated 
together."  When  this  had  been  said,  their  faces  beamed. 
47 


?5"S}ilf?  W'S»S'>f|B!af''J^  ■ 


738 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X 


[8]  Of  the  immortality  of  the  soul  they  said,  "Man  lives  for 
ever,  because  he  is  capable  of  conjunction  with  God  through 
love  and  faith;  every  man  is  capable  of  this.  That  this  ca- 
pability is  what  constitutes  the  immortality  of  the  soul  you 
can  understand  if  you  think  a  little  more  deeply  about  the 

matter 

[9]  Of  regeneration  they  said,  "  Who  does  not  see  that  every 
man  has  the  freedom  to  think  about  God,  or  not  to  think  about 
Him,  provided  he  has  been  taught  that  there  is  a  God  ?   Thus 
every  man  has  freedom  in  spiritual  things  as  well  as  in  civil 
and  natural  thmgs.    The  Lord  gives  this  to  all  unceasingly ; 
therefore  it  is  man's  fault  if  he  does  not  think.    It  is  because 
of  this  ability  that  man  is  man ;  while  it  is  because  of  the  ab- 
sence of  it  that  a  bea^t  is  a  beast.    Man  consequently  has  the 
ability  to  reform  and  regenerate  himself  as  if  from  himself,  pro- 
vided he  acknowledges  in  his  heart  that  it  is  from  the  Lord. 
Every  one  who  repents  and  believes  in  the  Lord  is  being  re- 
formed and  regenerated.    Man  does  both  as  if  from  himself ;  but 
the  as  if  from  himself  is  from  the  Lord.    It  is  true  that  man 
cannot  contribute  anything  to  this  work  from  himself,  not  an 
iota;  nevertheless,  you  were  not  created  statues  but  men,  m 
order  that  you  may  do  this  from  the  Lord  as  if  from  yourselves. 
This  one  and  only  reciproca,tion  of  love  and  faith,  is  what  the 
Lord  above  all  things  wishes  man  to  make  to  Him.    In  a  word, 
act  from  yourselves,  and  believe  that  it  is  from  the  Lord;  this 
is  acting  as  if  from  yourselves." 

[10]  Then  they  a^ked  whether  this  acting  as  if  from  himseit 
was  implanted  in  man  from  creation. 

An  angel  replied,  "  It  was  not,  because  to  act  from  himselt 
belongs  to  God  alone,  but  He  gives  it  unceasingly,  that  is,  joins 
it  rto  man]  unceasingly ;  and  then  so  far  as  man  does  good  and 
believes  truth  as  if  from  himself,  he  is  an  angel  of  heaven ;  while 
so  far  as  he  does  evil  and  therefrom  believes  falsity,  which  he 
also  does  as  if  from  himself,  he  is  a  spirit  of  hell.  You  may 
wonder  that  he  does  this  also  as  if  from  himself,  nevertheless 
you  can  see  that  it  is  so,  when  you  pray  to  be  guarded  from  the 
devil  lest  he  seduce  you,  and  enter  into  you  as  he  did  into  J  udas, 
and  fill  you  with  all  iniquity,  and  destroy  you  soul  and  lK)dy. 
But  a  man  becomes  guilty  when  he  believes  that  he  acts  from 


N.  621] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


739 


himself,  whether  in  doing  good  or  evil,  and  not  when  he  believes 
that  he  acts  as  if  from  himself ;  for  when  he  believes  that  the 
good  is  from  himself,  he  claims  as  his  own  what  belongs  to  God, 
and  when  he  believes  the  evil  to  be  from  himself  he  attributes 
to  himself  what  belongs  to  the  devil." 

[11]  Respecting  baptism  they  said,  that  baptism  is  spiritual 
washing,  which  is  reforniatioii  and  regeneration ;  that  a  child 
is  reformed  and  regenerated  when,  having  become  an  adult,  he 
does  the  things  that  his  sponsors  promised  for  him,  namely, 
these  two,  repents,  and  believes  in  God.  For  they  promise  first 
that  he  will  renounce  the  devil  and  all  his  works,  and  secondly, 
that  he  will  believe  in  God.  All  infants  in  heaven  are  initiated 
into  these  two  duties ;  but  to  them  the  devil  is  hell  and  God  is 
the  Lord.  Moreover,  baptism  is  a  sign  to  the  angels  that  a  man 
belongs  to  the  church." 

Hearing  this,  those  of  the  assembly  said,  "We  understand 
that." 

[12]  Then  a  voice  was  heard  from  the  side,  crying  out,  "We 
do  not  understand,"  and  another,  "  We  do  not  wish  to  under- 
stand." Inquiry  was  made  from  whom  those  voices  came,  and 
it  was  found  that  they  came  from  those  who  had  confirmed 
themselves  in  falsities  of  faith,  and  who  wished  to  be  believed 
as  oracles,  and  so  to  be  worshiped. 

The  angels  said,  "  Do  not  be  surprised ;  there  are  many  such 
at  this  day ;  to  us  from  heaven  they  appear  like  sculptured  im- 
ages made  with  such  skill  that  they  can  move  the  lips  and  make 
sounds  like  those  of  the  vocal  organs,  but  do  not  know  whether 
the  breath  which  the  sound  comes  from  is  from  hell  or  from 
heaven,  l^ecause  they  do  not  know  whether  it  is  false  or  true. 
They  reason  and  reason,  and  they  confirm  and  confirm,  and  yet 
do  not  see  whether  anything  is  so  or  not.  But  know  this,  that 
human  ingenuity  can  confirm  whatever  it  will,  even  until  it 
seems  to  be  actually  true ;  therefore  heretics  can  do  so,  and  im- 
pious persons ;  and  atheists  are  more  able  to  prove  that  there  is 
no  God,  but  nature  onlv." 

[13]  After  this  the  assembly  of  the  English,  inflamed  with 
a  desire  to  be  wise,  said  to  the  angels,  "  They  say  so  many  dif- 
ferent things  about  the  holy  supper,  tell  us  what  the  truth  is 
about  it." 


740 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


The  angels  replied,  "The  truth  is,  that  the  man  who  looks 
to  the  Lord  and  repents,  is  by  that  most  holy  ordinance  con- 
joined with  the  Lord  and  introduced  into  heaven." 
Those  of  the  assembly  said,  "  That  is  a  mystery." 
The  angels  replied,  "  It  is  a  mystery,  and  yet  such  as  may  be 
understood.    The  bread  and  wine  do  not  effect  this ;  from  these 
there  is  nothing  holy ;  but  material  bread  and  spiritual  bread, 
as  also  material  wine  and  spiritual  wine  correspond  to  each 
other  mutually,  spiritual  bread  being  the  holy  principle  of  love, 
and  spiritual  wine  the  holy  principle  of  faith,  both  from  the 
Lord,  and  both  being  the  Lord.    From  this  comes  the  conjunc- 
tion of  the  Lord  with  man  and  of  man  with  the  Lord,  not  with 
the  bread  and  wine,  but  with  the  love  and  faith  of  the  man  who 
has  repented;  and  conjunction  with  the  Lord  is  also  introduc- 
tion into  heaven." 

And  after  the  angels  had  taught  them  something  about  cor- 
respondence, those  of  the  assembly  said,  "  Now  for  the  first  time 
we  can  understand  this  also."  And  when  they  had  said  this,  be- 
hold, a  flame  with  light  descended  from  heaven  and  affiliated 
them  with  the  angels,  and  they  loved  each  other  mutually. 
622.  Second  Memorable  Relation : — 

All  who  have  been  prepared  for  heaven  (which  is  done  in 
the  world  of  spirits,  which  is  intermediate  between  heaven  and 
hell),  when  the  time  is  completed  wish  for  heaven  with  great 
longing;  and  soon  their  eyes  are  opened  and  they  see  a  path 
leading  to  some  society  in  heaven;  they  take  this  path  and 
ascend,  and  in  the  ascent  there  is  a  gate  and  a  keeper  there. 
He  opens  the  gate,  and  they  enter  in  through  it. 

Then  an  examiner  meets  them,  who  tells  them  from  the  presi- 
dent to  enter  still  further  and  to  look  about  and  see  whether 
there  are  houses  anywhere  which  they  recognize  as  their  own, 
for  there  is  a  new  house  for  every  novitiate  angel.  If  they  find 
one  they  so  report  and  remain  there. 

But  if  they  do  not  find  one  they  return  and  say  that  they 
have  not  seen  any.  And  then  an  examination  is  made  by  a 
certain  wise  one  there  whether  the  light  that  is  in  them  harmo- 
nizes with  that  in  the  society,  and  especially  whether  the  heat 
does;  for  the  light  of  heaven  in  its  essence  is  Divine  truth,  and 
the  heat  of  heaven  in  its  essence  is  Divine  good,  both  going  forth 


N.  622] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


741 


from  the  Lord  there  as  a  sun.  If  there  is  in  them  a  light  and 
a  heat  different  from  the  light  and  heat  of  that  society,  that  is, 
a  different  kind  of  good  and  truth,  they  are  not  received.  There- 
fore they  leave  that  place,  and  through  ways  opened  between 
the  societies  in  heaven  they  pass  on ;  and  this  they  do  until  they 
find  a  society  perfectly  harmonious  with  their  affections,  and 
this  becomes  their  abode  for  ever.  For  they  are  then  among 
their  own,  just  as  if  among  relatives  and  friends  whom  they 
love  from  the  heart,  because  they  are  in  like  affections ;  and 
there  they  are  in  their  life's  happiness,  and  in  the  joy  of  their 
whole  bosom  from  peace  of  mind,  for  in  the  light  and  heat  of 
heaven  there  is  ineffable  delight,  which  is  shared.  Thus  it 
happens  with  those  who  are  becoming  angels. 

[2]  And  yet  those  who  are  in  evils  and  falsities  may  ascend 
to  heaven  by  permission;  but  when  they  enter  they  begin  to 
catch  their  breath  and  to  breathe  with  difficulty ;  and  presently 
their  sight  grows  dim,  their  understanding  is  darkened,  they 
cease  to  think,  a  kind  of  oblivion  hovers  before  their  eyes,  and 
so  they  stand  like  stocks.  Then  the  heart  begins  to  throb,  the 
chest  to  be  oppressed,  the  mind  is  seized  with  anguish,  and  their 
distress  increases  more  and  more ;  and  in  this  state  they  writhe 
like  serpents  brought  near  a  fire,  so  that  they  roll  themselves 
away,  and  by  a  steep  descent  which  then  appears,  they  cast 
themselves  down,  and  do  not  rest  until  they  are  in  hell  among 
their  like,  where  they  can  draw  breath  and  where  their  hearts 
beat  freely.  After  this  they  hate  heaven,  reject  truth,  and  in 
heart  blaspheme  the  Lord,  believing  that  their  pains  and  tor- 
ments in  heaven  were  from  Him. 

[3]  From  these  few  things  it  can  be  seen  what  the  lot  is  of 
those  who  have  no  regard  for  the  truths  of  faith,  which  never- 
theless constitute  the  light  in  which  the  angels  of  heaven  are, 
and  who  have  no  regard  for  the  goods  of  love  and  charity,  which 
nevertheless  constitute  the  heat  of  life  in  which  the  angels  of 
heaven  are;  and  it  will  also  be  seen  therefrom,  how  greatly 
those  err  who  believe  that  any  one  may  enjoy  heavenly  happi- 
ness if  only  he  is  admitted  into  heaven.  For  it  is  the  belief  of  the 
present  day,  that  to  be  received  into  heaven  is  a  matter  of  mercy 
only  and  that  a  man's  reception  into  heaven  is  like  entering  a 
house  in  the  world  where  there  is  a  wedding,  and  being  admitted 


742 


THE  TRUE  CHTUSTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  X. 


at  once  into  its  joys  and  festivities.  But  let  it  be  understood  that 
in  the  spiritual  world  there  is  a  sharing  of  tlie  love's  affections 
and  the  thoughts  arising  from  them,  since  man  is  then  a  spirit, 
and  the  life  of  the  spirit  is  the  love's  affection  and  its  thought; 
also  that  homogeneous  affection  conjoins  while  heterogeneous 
affection  separates,  and  both  to  a  devil  in  heaven  and  to  an  an- 
gel in  hell  heterogeneity  is  torture ;  and  for  this  reason  they 
are  separated  in  strict  accordance  with  the  diversities,  vane- 
ties,  and  differences  of  the  affections  pertaining  to  the  love. 
623    Third  Memorable  Relation : — 

I  was  once  permitted  to  see  three  hundred  of  the  clergy  and 
laity  together,  all  learned  and  erudite  in  that  they  knew  how  to 
coniirm  faith  alone  even  to  justification  thereby,  and  some  still 
further.    And  because  they  were  in  the  belief  that  heaven  is  a 
mere  matter  of  admission  from  grace,  they  were  given  leave  to 
ascend  into  a  heavenly  society,  which  however  was  not  among 
the  higher  ones.    And  when  they  ascended  they  appeared  at  a 
distance  like  calves.    When  they  entered  heaven  they  were  re- 
ceived by  the  angels  civilly,  but  while  they  were  talking  a 
trembling  seized  them,  afterward  a  horror,  and  finally  torture 
like  that  of  death ;  then  they  cast  themselves  down  headlong, 
and  in  their  fall  they  appeared  like  dead  horses.    In  their  as- 
cent they  had  appeared  like  calves,  because  a  vigorous  natural 
affection  for  seeing  and  knowing  appears,  on  account  of  its  cor- 
respondence, like  a  calf;  but  in  their  fall  they  appeared  like 
dead  horses  because  the  understanding  of  truth  appears,  on  ac- 
count of  its  correspondence,  like  a  horse,  and  a  lack  of  under- 
standing of  truth  pertaining  to  the  church  appears  bke  a  dead 

horse. 

[2]  There  were  boys  below  who  saw  them  descending,  and  in 
their  descent  looking  like  dead  horses;  and  they  then  turned 
their  faces  away  and  asked  their  teacher  who  was  with  theni, 
"AYhat  monstrosity  is  this?  We  saw  men,  and  now,  instead 
of  them  we  see  dead  horses;  and  not  being  able  to  look  at  them 
we  turned  away  our  faces.  0  Teacher,  let  us  not  stay  m  this 
place,  let  us  go  away."    And  they  went  away. 

Then  the  teacher  taught  them  on  the  way  the  meaning  ot  a 
dead  horse,  saying,  «A  horse  signifies  the  understanding  of 
truth  from  the  Word.    This  is  the  signification  of  all  the  horses 


N.  623] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


743 


you  have  seen ;  for  when  a  man  goes  along  meditating  upon  the 
Word,  his  meditation  appears  at  a  distance  like  a  horse,  noble 
and  lively  in  proportion  as  he  meditates  spiritually,  but  on  the 
other  hand  poor  and  lifeless  as  he  meditates  materially." 

[3]  Then  the  boys  asked,  "  What  is  meditating  spiritually 
and  materially  upon  the  Word  ?" 

The  teacher  answered,  "I  will  illustrate  it  by  examples. 
When  reading  the  Word  in  a  reverent  way,  who  does  not  think 
within  himself  about  God,  the  neighbor  and  heaven  ?  He  who 
thinks  of  God  from  person  only  and  not  from  essence  thinks 
materially;  and  he  who  thinks  of  the  neighbor  from  his  out- 
ward form  only,  and  not  from  quality,  thinks  materially;  and 
he  who  thinks  of  heaven  from  place  merely,  and  not  from  love 
and  wisdom,  from  which  heaven  is  heaven,  also  thinks  mate- 
rially." 

[4]  But  the  boys  said, "  We  have  thought  of  God  from  person, 
of  the  neighbor  from  form,  that  he  is  a  man,  and  of  heaven  from 
place,  that  it  is  above  us.  Have  we  then  when  reading  the 
Word  appeared  to  any  one  like  dead  horses  ?'^ 

The  teacher  said,  "No;  you  are  still  boys,  and  cannot  think 
otherwise ;  but  I  have  perceived  in  you  an  affection  for  knowing 
and  understanding,  and  this  being  spiritual  you  have  thought 
spiritually;  for  there  is  some  spiritual  thought  latent  within 
your  material  thought,  although  you  are  not  aware  of  it.  But 
I  will  return  to  what  I  said  before,  that  he  who  thinks  materi- 
ally while  reading  the  W^ord  or  meditating  upon  it,  appears  at 
a  distance  like  a  dead  horse,  while  he  who  thinks  spiritually 
appears  like  a  living  horse,  and  that  he  thinks  materially  of 
God  who  thinks  of  Him  from  person  only  and  not  from  essence. 
For  there  are  many  attributes  of  the  Divine  Essence,  as  omnip- 
otence, omniscience,  omnipresence,  eternity,  love,  wisdom,  mer- 
cy, grace,  and  others ;  and  there  are  attributes  that  go  forth 
from  the  Divine  Essence,  namely,  creation,  preservation,  re- 
demption and  salvation,  enlightenment  and  instruction.  Every 
one  who  thinks  of  God  from  person  makes  three  Gods,  saying 
that  the  Creator  and  Preserver  is  one  God,  the  Redeemer  and 
Saviour  another,  and  the  Enlightener  and  Instructor  a  third; 
while  every  one  who  thinks  of  God  from  essence  makes  one 
God,  saying,  *  God  created  us,  the  same  God  redeemed  and  saves 


mm 


744 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  X 


US,  and  He  also  enlightens  and  instructs;  This  is  why  those  who 
think  of  the  trinity  of  God  from  person,  thus  materially,  must 
needs  out  of  the  ideas  of  their  thought  which  is  material,  make 
three  'Cxods  out  of  one.  Nevertheless,  in  opposition  to  then- 
thought,  they  are  compelled  to  say  that  there  is  a  union  of  these 
three  by  means  of  the  essence,  because  they  have  also  thought 
of  God  from  essence,  although,  as  it  were,  through  a  lattice. 

[5]  ^'  Therefore,  my  scholars,  think  of  God  from  essence,  and 
from  essence  of  person.    Tor  to  think  of  essence  from  person 
is  to  think  of  essence  also  materially;  while  to  think  from  es- 
sence of  person  is  to  think  of  person  also  spiritually.    Because 
the  ancient  heathen  thought  materially  of  God  and  therefore 
of  the  attributes  of  God,  they  not  only  made  three  gods  but 
more,  even  as  many  as  a  hundred;  for  out  of  every  attribute 
they  made  a  god.    You  must  understand  that  the  material  does 
not  enter  into  the  spiritual,  but  the  spiritual  enters  into  the 
material.    It  is  the  same  with  thought  respecting  the  neighbor 
from  the  outward  form  and  not  from  his  quality;  as  also  with 
thought  about  heaven  from  place,  and  not  from  love  and  wis- 
dom, from  which  heaven  exists.    It  is  the  same  with  each  and 
all  things  in  the  Word;  therefore  he  who  cherishes  a  materia 
idea  of  God,  as  also  of  the  neighbor  and  heaven,  can  understand 
nothing  in  the  Woi:d ;  it  is  to  him  a  dead  letter,  and  when  read- 
ing  it  or  meditating  upon  it  he  appears  at  a  distance  like  a  dead 
horse     [6]  Those  whom  you  saw  descending  from  heaven,  hav- 
ing  become  before  your  eyes  like  dead  horses,  were  such  as  have 
closed  up  the  rational  sight  in  respect  to  the  f^^^^^^^]^ 
itual  matters  of  the  church  both  in  themselves  and  m  otlieis 
by  their  peculiar  dogma  that  the  understanding  must  be  kept 
in  obedience  to  their  faith;  not  reflecting  that  an  understand- 
ing closed  up  by  religion  is  as  blind  as  a  mole,  with  nothing  m 
it  but  thick  darkness.    And  such  darkness,  m  rejecting  from 
self  all  spiritual  light,  shuts  out  the  influx  of  that  light,  from 
the  Lord  and  heaven,  and  places  before  it  a  bar  in  t  le  corpor- 
eal-sensual far  beneath  the  rational  in  matters  of  faith,  that  i. 
it  places  it  near  the  nose,  and  fixes  it  in  its  -rtdage,  so^t^^^ 
afterward  what  is  spiritual  cannot  even  be  smelled^^    Bec^^^^^^^ 
of  this  some  have  become  of  such  a  nature  that  when  they  pei- 
ceive  the  odor  from  spiritual  things  they  fall  mto  a  swoon.    By 


N.  623] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


745 


odor  I  mean  perception.  These  are  they  who  make  God  three. 
They  say,  indeed,  that  from  essence  God  is  one ;  and  yet,  when 
they  pray  according  to  their  belief,  which  is,  that  God  the 
Father  will  have  mercy  for  the  Son's  sake  and  that  He  will 
send  the  Holy  Spirit,  they  clearly  make  three  Gods ;  and  they 
cannot  do  otherwise ;  for  they  pray  to  one  to  be  merciful  for 
the  sake  of  a  second  and  to  send  a  third.'' 

Then  their  teacher  taught  them  concerning  the  Lord  that  He 
is  the  one  God,  in  whom  is  the  Divine  Trinity. 

624.  Fourth  Memorable  Itelation: — 

Awaking  from  sleep  at  midnight,  I  saw  at  some  height  to- 
ward the  east  an  angel  holding  in  liis  right  hand  a  paper  which 
appeared  of  lustrous  brightness  in  the  sun's  light,  and  in  the 
center  of  it  there  was  a  writing  in  golden  letters ;  and  I  saw 
written:  The  Marriage  of  Good  and  Truth.  From  the  writing 
flashed  a  splendor  which  spread  into  a  wide  circle  round  about 
the  paper ;  so  that  the  circle  or  border  appeared  like  the  dawn 
of  day  in  spring. 

After  this  I  saw  the  angel  with  the  paper  in  his  hand  de- 
scending, and  as  lie  descended  the  paper  appeared  less  and  less 
bright,  and  the  inscription,  which  was  The  Marriage  of  Good  ami 
Tnith,  was  changed  from  a  golden  to  a  silver  color,  then  to  a 
copper  color,  then  to  an  iron  color,  and  finally  to  the  color  of 
copper  and  iron  rust.  At  last  the  angel  seemed  to  enter  a  dark 
mist  and  to  pass  through  it  to  the  earth;  and  there  the  paper, 
although  still  retained  in  his  hand,  was  not  visible.  This  was  in 
the  world  of  spirits  where  all  men  first  assemble  after  death. 

[2]  The  angel  then  spoke  to  me,  saying:  "Ask  those  who  are 
coming  here  whether  they  see  me  or  see  anything  in  my  hand." 

A  multitude  came,  one  body  from  the  east,  one  from  the 
south,  one  from  the  west,  and  one  from  the  north;  and  I  asked 
those  coming  from  the  east  and  south,  who  were  such  as,  while 
in  the  world,  had  been  devoted  to  learning,  whether  they  saw 
any  one  there  with  me,  or  anything  in  his  hand.  They  all  said 
that  they  saw  nothing  whatever. 

Then  I  asked  those  who  came  from  the  west  and  north,  who 
were  such  as  in  the  world  had  believed  in  the  sayings  of  the 
learned ;  these  said  that  they  too  did  not  see  anything;  although 
the  last  of  them,  who  in  the  world  had  been  in  simple  faith 


'46 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X 


from  charity  or  in  some  truth  from  good,  said,  after  the  former 
had  gone  away,  that  they  saw  a  man  with  a  paper,  a  man  in 
graceful  clothing,  and  a  paper  upon  which  letters  were  written ; 
and  when  they  brought  their  eyes  close  to  it,  they  said  that  the 
inscription  was,  The  Marriage  of  Good  and  Truth.     [3]  These 
also  spoke  to  the  angel,  and  asked  him  to  tell  them  what  it  was. 
And  the  angel  said,  "  All  things  in  the  whole  heaven,  and  all 
things  in  the  whole  world,  are  by  creation  nothing  but  a  mar- 
riage of  good  and  truth,  since  each  and  all  things,  both  the 
living  and  animate,  and  the  lifeless  and  inanunate,  are  created 
f  rom'a  marriage  of  good  and  truth  and  into  that  marriage.  Noth- 
ing created  into  truth  alone  or  into  good  alone  is  possible ;  either 
of  these  alone  is  nothing;  but  by  means  of  that  marriage  the 
two  exist  and  become  a  something,  in  quality  in  accord  with  the 
marriage.    In  the  Lord  God  the  Creator  there  is  Divine  good 
and  Divine  truth  in  their  very  substance.    Divine  good  is  the 
being  (esse)  of  His  substance,  and  Divine  truth  is  the  outgo  {ex- 
istere)  of  His  substance,  and  they  are  also  in  their  very  one- 
ness, for  in  Him  they  make  one  infinitely.    As  these  two  are 
one  in  God  the  Creator  Himself,  they  are  also  one  in  each  and 
all  things  created  by  Him ;  and  by  means  of  this  the  Creator  is 
conjoined  in  an  eternal  covenant  like  that  of  marriage  with  all 
things  created  from  Himself."    [4]  The  angel  said  further,  that 
the  Sacred  Scripture,  which  was  dictated  by  the  Lord,  is  m  the 
whole  and  in  every  part  a  man-iage  of  good  and  truth  (see 
above,  n.  248-253) ;  and  because  the  church,  which  is  formed  by 
truths  of  doctrine,  and  religion,  which  is  formed  by  goods  of 
life  according  to  truths  of  doctrine,  are,  with  Christians,  solely 
from  the  Sacred  Scri])ture,  it  is  evident  that  the  church  also,  m 
general  and  in  particular,  is  a  marriage  of  good  and  truth.    And 
what  has  been  said  of  the  marriage  of  good  and  truth  can  be 
said  also  of  The  Marriage  of  Charity  and  Faith,  since  good  be- 
longs to  charity,  and  truth  to  faith. 

When  this  had  been  said  the  angel  raised  himself  up  from 
the  earth,  and  passing  through  the  mist,  he  ascended  into  heav- 
en; and  then  the  paper,  according  as  he  ascended,  shone  as 
before;  and  lo,  that  circle  which  before  appeared  like  the  day- 
dawn,  settled  down  and  dispelled  the  mist  which  had  brought 
darkness  upon  the  earth,  and  it  became  sunny. 


N.  626] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIFTH 


747 


625.  Fifth  Memorable  Relation : — 

Once  when  I  was  meditating  about  the  Lord's  second  coming, 
there  suddenly  appeared  a  flash  of  light  which  forcibly  struck 
my  eyes;  and  I  therefore  looked  up,  and  lo,  the  whole  heaven 
above  me  appeared  luminous,  and  there  from  the  east  to  the 
west  in  a  continuous  strain  a  Glorification  was  heard;  and  an 
angel  stood  near  who  said,  "  That  is  a  glorification  of  the  Lord 
on  account  of  His  coming.  It  comes  from  the  angels  of  the 
eastern  and  western  heavens." 

From  the  southern  and  northern  heavens  only  a  gentle  mur- 
mur was  heard. 

And  because  all  this  was  heard  by  the  angel,  he  first  said  to 
me  that  these  glorifications  and  celebrations  of  the  Lord  are 
made  from  the  Word.  Presently  he  said,  "Now  they  are  glori- 
fying and  celebrating  the  Lord  especially  by  these  words,  which 
are  spoken  in  the  j)rophecy  of  Daniel: — 

Thou  sawest  iron  mixed  with  miiy  clay,  but  they  shall  not  cohere.  But 
in  those  days  the  God  of  the  heavens  shall  make  a  kingdom  to  arise  which 
shall  not  perish  for  ages  ;  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these 
kingdoms,  but  itself  shall  stand  for  ages  (ii.  43,  44). 

[2]  After  this  I  heard  the  sound  of  singing,  and  more  deeply 
in  the  east  I  saw  a  flashing  of  light  more  brilliant  than  the  for- 
mer; and  I  asked  the  angel  what  the  glorification  there  was. 
He  said  it  was  in  these  words  in  Daniel: — 

I  saw  in  the  night  vLsions,  and  behold,  one  like  the  Son  of  man  came 
with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  there  was  given  Him  dominion,  and  a  king- 
dom ;  and  all  people  and  nations  shall  worship  Him  ;  His  dominion  is  the 
dominion  of  an  age,  which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  His  kingdom  that 
which  shall  not  be  destroyed  (vii.  13,  14). 

Beside  this  they  were  celebrating  the  Lord  from  these  words  in 
the  Apocalypse: — 

To  Jesus  Christ  be  the  glory  and  the  might ;  behold.  He  cometh  with 
clouds.  He  is  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  Beginning  and  the  End,  the 
First  and  the  Last,  Who  is.  Who  was,  and  Who  is  to  come,  the  Almighty; 
I  John  heard  this  from  the  Son  of  man  out  of  the  midst  of  the  seven 
candlesticks  {Apoc.  i.  5-13  ;  xxii.  8,  13  ;  also  Matt.  xxiv.  30,  32). 

[3]  I  looked  again  into  the  eastern  heaven,  and  it  lighted  up 
from  the  right  side,  the  illumination  extended  to  the  south- 
ern expanse,  and  I  heard  a  sweet  sound,  and  asked  the  angel 
what  it  was  pertaining  to  the  Lord  that  they  were  glorifying 


748 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  X. 


there ;  and  he  said  that  it  was  in  these  words  in  the  Apoca- 

lypse : — 

I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  and  I  saw  the  holy  city,  New 
Jerusalem,  coming  down  out  of  heaven  from  God,  made  ready  as  a  bride 
for  her  husband.  An'd  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  the  heaven  saying,  Be- 
hold  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  He  will  dwell  with  them. 
And  an  angel  spake  with  me,  saying,  Come,  and  I  will  show  thee  the  bride, 
the  wife  of  the  Lamb.  And  he  carried  me  away  in  the  spirit  to  a  great 
and  high  mountain,  and  showed  me  the  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem  (xxi.  1, 
2,  3,  9,  10). 
Also  in  these  words : — 

I  Jesus  am  the  bright  and  morning  star  ;  and  the  Spirit  and  the  bride 
say.  Come,  and  He  said  I  come  quickly.  Amen.  Even  so,  come  Lord  Jesus 
{Apoc.  xxii.  16,  17,  20). 

[4]  After  this  and  more,  a  general  glorification  from  the  east 
to  the  west  of  heaven,  and  also  from  south  to  north  was  heard ; 
and  I  asked  the  angel,  "What  now ?"  He  said,  "The  follow- 
ing from  the  prophets" : — 

All  flesh  shall  know  that  I  Jehovah  am  thy  Saviour  and  thy  Redeemer 

{Isa.  xlix.  26).  ,  x  i,       t,    * 

Thus  said  Jehovah  the  King  of  Israel,  and  his  Redeemer,  Jehovah  of 

Hosts,  I  am  the  First  and  the  Last,  and  beside  Me  there  is  no  God  {Ua. 

^  'it  shall  be  said  in  that  day,  Lo,  this  is  our  God  ;  we  have  waited  for 
Him  that  He  may  deliver  us ;  this  is  Jehovah  ;  we  have  waited  for  Him, 

(Isa.  XXV.  9).  1  f  T  1  ^,.«i. 

The  voice  of  one  cr>ing  in  the  desert.  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  Jeho\ah. 

Behold,  the  Lord  Jehovih  cometh  in  strength  ;  He  shall  feed  His  flock  like 
a  shepherd  {Isa.  xl.  3,  5,  10,  11). 

Unto  us  a  Child  is  bom,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given  ;  and  His  name  shall  be 
Wonderful,  Counselor,  God,  Mighty,  Father  of  eternity,  Prince  of  peace 

(Isa.  ix.  6).  -r^     .  1        .  w 

Behold  the  days  will  come  when  I  will  raise  unto  David  a  righteous 
Branch,  and  He  shall  reign  King  and  this  is  His  name,  Jehovah  our  right- 
eousness {Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6  ;  xxxiii.  15,  16).  ^^  i     ^^        *  t 

Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  His  name,  and  thy  Redeemer  the  Holy  One  of  Is- 
rael the  God  of  the  whole  earth  shall  He  be  called  {Isa.  liv.  5). 

In  that  day  Jehovah  shall  be  king  over  all  the  earth  ;  in  that  day  Je- 
hovah shall  be  one  and  His  name  one  {Zech.  xiv.  9). 
Hearing  and  understanding  these  things  my  heart  greatly  re- 
joiced, and  I  went  home  joyfully,  and  here  I  returned  from  the 
spiritual  to  the  bodily  state,  in  which  I  wrote  out  aU  this  that 
I  had  seen  and  heard. 


N.  626] 


IMPUTATION 


'40 


CHAPTER    XI. 


IMPUTATION. 


IMPUTATION  AXD  THE  FAITH  OF  THE  PRESENT  CHURCH  (WHICH 
IS    HELD    TO    BE    THE    SOLE    GROUND    OF    JUS- 
TIFICATION),   MAKE    ONE. 

626.  The  faith  of  the  present  church,  which  is  held  to  be 
the  sole  ground  of  justification,  is  imputation;  that  is,  in  the 
present  church,  faith  and  imputation  make  one,  because  each 
belongs  to  the  other,  or  each  mutually  and  interchangeably 
enters  into  the  other  and  causes  it  to  be.  For  if  faith  is  men- 
tioned and  imputation  is  not  added  faith  is  mere  sound;  and  if 
imputation  is  mentioned  and  faith  is  not  added  imputation  is 
mere  sound;  but  when  the  two  are  mentioned  together,  the  re- 
sult is  something  articulate,  and  yet  without  meaning ;  and  in 
order  that  the  understanding  may  have  a  perception  of  some- 
thing, a  third  must  necessarily  be  added,  namely,  Christ's  merit. 
These  form  a  statement  that  a  man  can  utter  with  some  reason. 
For  it  is  the  faith  of  the  present  church  that  God  the  Father 
imputes  His  Son's  righteousness,  and  sends  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
work  out  its  effects. 

627.  In  the  present  church,  then,  these  three,  faith,  imputa- 
tion, and  Christ's  merit,  are  one,  and  they  may  be  called  a  tri- 
une; for  if  one  of  these  three  were  taken  away,  the  present  the- 
ology would  be  reduced  to  nothing,  since  it  depends  on  these 
three  perceived  as  one,  as  a  long  chain  on  a  fixed  hook.    So  if 
either  faith,  or  imputation,  or  Christ's  merit  were  taken  away, 
all  the  things  said  about  justification,  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
vivification,  renewal,  regeneration,  sanctification,  and  about  the 
gospel,  freedom  of  choice,  charity,  and  good  works,  and  even 
life  eternal,  would  become  like  desolate  towns  or  like  a  temple 
in  ruins,  and  faith  itself,  which  stands  at  the  head  of  all,  would 
come  to  nothing,  and  thus  the  entire  church  would  be  a  desert 
and  a  desolation.    All  this  makes  clear  upon  what  a  pillar  the 
house  of  God  at  this  day  is  made  to  rest  j  and  if  that  pillar  were 


750 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XI. 


N.  628] 


IMPUTATION 


751 


torn  down  the  house  would  be  overthrown,  like  that  in  which 
the  lords  of  the  Philistines  and  people  to  the  number  of  three 
thousand  were  amusing  themselves,  when  Samson  pulled  down 
both  of  its  pillars  at  once,  and  all  within  it  were  slain  or  died 
(Judges  xvi.  29).  This  is  said  tecause  it  has  been  shown  in 
what  precedes,  and  will  be  shown  still  further  in  an  appendix^ 
that  this  faith  is  not  Christian,  because  it  is  at  variance  with 
the  Word,  and  that  the  imputation  which  it  teaches  is  absurd, 
since  Christ's  merit  cannot  be  imputed. 


II. 

THE   IMPUTATION   THAT   BELONGS   TO   THE  FAITH    OF  THE    PKE8- 
ENT    DAY    IS    A    DOUBLE    IMPUTATION.      AN    IMPUTA- 
TION   OF    CHRIST'S    MERIT    AND    AN   IMPUTA- 
TION   OF    SALVATION    THEREBY. 

628    Throughout  the  whole  Christian  church  it  is  taught 
that  iu'stitication  and  salvation  thereby  are  effected  by  God  the 
Father  through  the  imputation  of  the  merit  of  Christ  His  Son; 
that  imputation  takes  place  by  grace  when  and  where  GodwiUs, 
thus  arbitrarily;  and  that  those  to  whom  Christ's  merit  is  un- 
puted  are  adopted  into  the  number  of  children  of  God     And 
because  the  leaders  of  the  church  have  not  advanced  a  foot  be- 
yond that  imputation  or  raised  their  minds  above  it,  because  of 
the  established  dogmas  of  God's  arbitrary  election  they  have 
fallen  into  enormous  and  fanatical  errors,  and  at  length  mto 
that  detestable  error  respecting  predestination,  and  still  further 
into  the  abominable  error,  that  God  pays  no  attention  to  the 
deeds  of  a  man's  life  but  only  to  the  faith  inscribed  upon  the 
interiors  of  his  mind.    Unless,  therefore,  the  error  respecting 
imputation  is  abolished,  atheism  will  invade  all  Christendom; 
and  then  will  reign  over  them. 

The  king  of  the  abyss,  whose  name  in  Hebrew  is  Abaddon  and  in  Greek 
ApoUyon  {Apoc.  ix.  11), 

"Abaddon-  and  "Apollyon"   signifying  the  destroyer  of  the 
church  by  falsities,  and  "the  abyss"  the  abode  of  those  falsities 


(see  the  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  421,  440,  442).  From  this  it 
is  clear  that  that  falsity  and  the  resultant  falsities  exist  in  an 
extended  series,  over  which  that  destroyer  reigns ;  for,  as  said 
above,  the  entire  system  of  the  present  theology  is  dependent 
on  this  imputation,  as  a  long  (^hain  on  a  fixed  hook,  and  as  man 
with  all  his  members  is  dependent  on  the  head.  And  because 
this  imputation  reigns  everywhere,  it  is  like  what  ImAali  says  :— 

The  Lord  will  cut  off  from  Israel  head  and  tail ;  the  honorable,  he  is 
the  head  ;  and  the  teacher  of  lies,  he  is  the  tail  (ix.  14,  15). 

629.  As  just  said,  the  imputation  of  the  prevailing  faith  is 
a  double  imputation ;  but  it  is  double  in  the  sense  that  God  ex- 
ercises His  mercy  toward  some,  and  not  toward  all,  or  that  a 
parent  exercises  his  love  toward  one  or  two  of  his  children  and 
not  toward  all,  or  that  the  Divine  law  and  its  command  apply 
to  a  few  and  not  to  all.  One  kind  of  doubleness,  therefore  is 
far-reaching  and  undivided,  the  other  is  restricted  and  divided  • 
this  latter  is  doubleness,  but  the  former  is  unity.  For  it  is 
taught  that  the  imputation  of  Christ's  merit  is  from  an  arbi- 
trary election,  and  that  to  those  so  elected  there  is  an  impu- 
tation  of  salvation,  thus  that  some  are  adopted  and  the  rest 
rejected;  which  would  be  as  if  God  lifted  some  up  into  Abra- 
ham's bosom,  and  gave  some  over  as  morsels  to  the  devil ;  and 
yet  the  truth  is  that  the  Lord  rejects  no  man,  and  gives  no  man 
over  to  the  devil,  but  this  is  done  by  the  man  himself. 

630.  It  may  be  added  that  the  present-day  doctrine  of  im- 
putation deprives  man  of  all  power  arising  from  any  freedom  of 
choice  in  spiritual  things,  and  does  not  even  leave  him  enou-h 
to  enable  him  to  brush  fire  from  his  clothing  and  keep  his  body 
from  harm,  or  to  extinguish  his  blazing  home  with  water  and 
rescue  his  family;  and  yet  the  Word  from  beginning  to  end 
teaches  that  every  one  must  shun  evils,  because  they  are  of  the 
devil  and  from  the  devil,  and  must  do  good  because  it  is  of 
God  and  from  God,  and  that  he  must  do  this  of  himself  the 
Lord  working  in  him.    But  the  present  doctrine  of  imputation 
condemns  the  power  to  do  this  as  deadly  to  faith  and  conse- 
quently to  salvation,  lest  something  belonging  to  man  might 
enter  into  the  imputation,  and  thus  into  the  merit  of  (Christ- 
from  the  establishment  of  which  doctrine  has  issued  this  satanic 


;^«5^*y35ji^p!rap|is-5;,»pf«ji^^  *; 


■i^^iA 


752 


THK  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


N.  631] 


IMPUTATION 


iOO 


principle  that  man  is  absolutely  impotent  in  spiritual  matters ; 
which  is  like  saying,  Walk,  although  you  have  no  feet,  not  even 
one;  Wash,  though  both  your  hands  are  cut  off;  or,  Do  good, 
but  keep  asleep ;  or.  Feed  yourself,  even  without  a  tongue.  It 
is  also  like  giving  man  a  will  that  is  not  a  will;  ui  which  case 
can  he  not  say,  ''  I  have  no  more  power  than  the  pillar  of  salt 
into  which  Lot's  wife  was  turned,  or  than  Dagon  the  god  of  the 
Philistines  had  when  the  ark  of  God  was  taken  into  his  house ; 
I  am  afraid  that  my  head  like  his  might  be  torn  off,  and  the 
palms  of  my  hands  thrown  upon  the  threshold  (1  Sam.  v.  4) ; 
nor  have  I  any  more  power  than  Beelzebub  tlie  god  of  Ekron, 
who,  as  his  name  signifies,  can  only  drive  away  flies  ?"  That 
such  impotence  in  spiritual  things  is  believed  in  at  the  present 
day  may  be  seen  above  (n.  404)  from  the  extracts  respecting 

freedom  of  choice. 

631.  As  to  the  first  part  of  the  doubleness  of  that  imputation 
respecting  man's  salvation,  namely,  the  arbitrary  imputation  of 
Christ's  merit,  and  the  imputation  of  salvation  thereby,  the  dog- 
matists differ;  some  teaching  that  this  imputation  is  absolute, 
from  free  power,  and  takes  place  with  those  whose  external  or 
internal  form  is  well  pleasing  to  God ;  others,  that  imputation 
takes  place  from  foreknowledge,  Avith  those  into  whom  grace  is 
infused,  and  to  whom  this  faith  can  be  applied.    Nevertheless, 
these  two  opinions  aim  at  one  mark,  or  are  like  two  eyes  that 
have  one  stone  for  their  object,  or  two  ears  that  have  as  their 
object  one  song.    At  first  glance  they  seem  to  depart  from  each 
other,  but  in  the  end  they  unite  and  agree.     For  since  man's 
complete  impotence  in  things  spiritual  is  taught  by  both,  and 
everything  belonging  to  man  is  excluded  from  faith,  it  follows 
that  this  grace  which  is  receptive  of  faith,  whether  infused  ar- 
bitrarily or  from  foreknowledge  is  the  same  as  election ;  for  if 
that  which  is  called  prevenient  grace  were  universal,  man's  ap- 
plication of  it  from  some  power  of  his  own  would  come  in,  and 
this  is  of  course  rejected  as  leprous.    Consequently  a  man  no 
more  knows  whether  from  grace  that  faith  has  been  given  him 
or  not,  than  a  stock  or  a  stone,  which  is  what  he  was  when  it 
was  infused;  for  there  is  no  possible  sign  to  attest  it  when  char- 
ity, piety,  the  pursuit  of  a  new  life,  and  the  free  ability  to  do 
either  good  or  evil,  are  denied  to  man.    The  signs  attesting  that 


faith  which  are  put  forth  are  all  ludicrous,  closely  resembling 
the  auguries  of  the  ancients  from  the  flights  of  birds,  the  prog- 
nostications of  astrologers  by  the  stars,  or  of  players  by  dice. 
Such  things,  and  others  still  more  ludicrous,  are  consequences 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  Lord's  imputed  righteousness,  which  to- 
gether with  faith  (which  is  called  that  righteousness),  is  com- 
municated to  the  elect. 


IIL 

THE  FAITH  IMPUTATIVE  OF  THE  MERIT  AND  RIGHTEOUSNESS  OF 

CHRIST    THE   REDEEMER,  FIRST   AROSE   FROM    THE   DECREES 

OF   THE   COUNCIL    OF   NICE  RESPECTING  THREE   DIVINE 

PERSONS.  FROM  ETERNITY,  WHICH  FAITH  HAS  BEEN 

ACCEPTED  BY  THE  WHOLE  CHRISTIAN  WORLD 

FROM  THAT  TIME  TO  THE  PRESENT. 

632.  As  to  the  Nicene  Council  itself,  it  was  convoked  by  the 
emperor  Constantine  the  Great  by  the  advice  of  Alexander,  bis- 
hop of  Alexandria,  and  was  composed  of  all  the  bishops  in  Asia, 
Africa  and  Europe,  and  was  held  in  his  palace  at  Nice,  a  city 
of  Bithynia.  Its  object  was  to  refute  and  condemn,  from  the 
sacred  writings,  the  heresy  of  Arius,  a  presbyter  of  Alexandria, 
who  denied  the  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  took  place  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  325.  The  members  of  that  council  decided 
that  there  were  from  eternity  three  Divine  persons — Father, 
Son  and  Holy  Spirit — as  appears  especially  from  the  two 
creeds  called  the  iS'icene  and  Athanasian.  In  the  Nicene  creed 
we  read: — 

I  believe  in  one  God  the  Father,  Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth, 
and  in  one  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  the  only  begotten  of  the 
Father,  bom  before  all  ages,  God  from  God,  consubstantial  with  the  Fa- 
ther, who  descended  from  the  heavens  and  was  incarnate  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  from  the  virgin  Mary  ;  and  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  Lord  and  Vivifier, 
who  proceeds  from  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  who  together  with  the 
Father  and  the  Son  is  adored  and  glorified. 

In  the  Athanasian  creed  is  the  following: — 

The  Catholic  faith  is  this,  that  we  worship  one  God  in  a  Trinity,  and 
the  Trinity  hi  unity,  neither  confounding  the  Persons  nor  separating  the 
48 


?£^5fejsa^£j^ffle-^«^.«.:^j-iin-|tfffiia^  It  in-i 


754 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  XL 


substance.  But  as  we  are  compelled  by  the  Christian  verity  to  confess 
each  Person  singly  to  be  God  and  Lord,  so  are  we  forbidden  by  the  Cath- 
olic religion  to  say  three  Gods  or  three  Lords. 

That  is,  it  is  permitted  men  to  confess,  but  not  to  say,  three 
Gods  and  Lords.  They  may  not  say  so  because  religion  forbids 
it,  but  may  confess  it  because  the  truth  so  dictates.  This  Ath- 
anasian  creed  was  written  out  by  one  or  more  of  those  who  were 
present,  immediately  after  the  holding  of  the  Nicene  Council, 
and  was  accepted  as  oecumenical  or  Catholic.  This  shows  clearly 
that  it  was  then  decided  that  three  Divine  persons  from  eter- 
nity ought  to  be  acknowledged,  and  that  although  each  Person 
singly  was  by  Himself  God,  still  they  ought  not  to  be  called 
three  Gods  and  Lords,  but  one. 

633.  That  a  belief  in  three  Divine  persons  has  been  accepted 
since  that  time,  and  has  also  been  confirmed  and  preached  by 
all  bishops,  hierarchs,  church  rulers  and  presbyters  up  to  the 
present  time,  is  known  in  the  Christian  world ;  and  because  a 
mental  persuasion  of  the  existence  of  three  Gods  has  emanated 
therefrom,  men  have  been  unable  to  devise  any  other  faith  than 
one  that  could  be  applied  to  these  three  in  their  order ;  namely, 
this,  that  God  the  Father  must  be  approached  and  be  implored 
to  impute  His  Son's  righteousness,  or  to  be  merciful  on  account 
of  His  Son's  passion  on  the  cross,  and  to  send  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  work  out  the  mediate  and  final  effects  of  salvation.  [2]  This 
faith  is  the  offspring  born  from  those  two  creeds ;  but  when  its 
swaddling  clothes  are  stripped  off,  there  comes  to  view  not  one 
but  three,  at  first  joined  together,  as  it  were,  in  an  embrace,  but 
afterward  separated,  for  it  is  declared  that  their  essence  unites 
them,  but  their  properties — which  are  creation,  redemption,  and 
operation  (that  is,  imputation,  imputed  righteousness  and  the 
making  it  effectual) — separate  them.  And  for  this  reason,  al- 
though out  of  three  Gods  they  have  made  one,  yet  they  have 
not  made  one  Person  out  of  three,  from  a  fear  that  the  idea  of 
three  Gods  might  be  obliterated ;  for  then,  as  stated  in  the  creed, 
each  Person  singly  can  still  be  believed  to  be  God ;  while  if  the 
three  Persons  were  in  consequence  to  become  one,  the  whole 
house,  built  upon  these  three  as  its  columns,  would  tumble  into 
a  heap.  [3]  That  council  introduced  the  doctrine  of  three  Di- 
vine persons  from  eternity  because  they  had  not  properly 


N.  633] 


IMPUTATION 


55 


searched  the  Word,  and  could  therefore  find  no  other  defence 
againso  the  Arians.  Afterwards  they  combined  those  three  Per- 
sons, each  one  of  whom  is  God  by  Himself,  into  one  God,  from 
a  fear  of  being  accused  of  a  belief  in  three  Gods  and  reproached 
for  it  by  every  reasonable  religious  person  on  the  three  conti- 
nents. They  taught  a  belief  that  applied  to  the  three  Gods  in 
their  order,  because  no  other  faith  could  issue  from  that  prin- 
ciple ;  to  which  is  to  be  added,  that  if  one  of  the  three  were 
passed  by,  the  third  woidd  not  be  sent,  and  thus  every  opera- 
tion of  Divine  grace  would  be  fruitless. 

634.  r>ut  the  truth  must  be  told.    When  a  belief  in  three  Gods 
was  introduced  into  Christian  churches,  which  was  done  at  the 
time  of  the  Nicene  Council,  they  banished  every  good  of  charity 
and  every  truth  of  faith,  because  these  two  are  wholly  incon- 
sistent with  a  mental  worship  of  three  Gods  and  a  simultaneous 
oral  worship  of  one  God;  for  the  mind  then  denies  what  the 
mouth  utters,  and  the  mouth  denies  what  the  mind  thinks;  and 
the  result  is  that  there  is  neither  a  belief  in  three  Gods  nor  a  be- 
lief in  one  God.    From  this  it  is  clear  that  since  that  time  the 
Cliristian  temple  has  not  only  cracked  open  but  has  fallen  to 
ruins;  and  since  that  time  the  mouth  of  the  abyss,  from  which 
ascends  a  smoke  like  that  of  a  great  furnace,  has  been  opened, 
the  sun  and  air  have  been  darkened,  and  locusts  have  gone  out 
therefrom  upon  the  earth  (Ajwe.  ix.  2,  3).     (See  the  explanation 
of  these  things  in  the  Apoealf/pse  llevealed.)    And  from  that 
time  also  has  the  desolation  foretold  by  Daniel  commenced  and 
increased  {Matt.  xxiv.  15),  and  to  that  faith  and  the  imputation 
thereof  the  eagles  have  gathered  together  (verse  28),  ''  eagles" 
there  meaning  the  lynx-eyed  leaders  of  the  church.    It  may  be 
said  that  a  council  in  which  so  many  bishops  and  learned  men 
sat  together,  established  this  faith  by  a  unanimous  vote;  but 
what  confidence  can  be  placed  in  councils,  when  Roman  Cath- 
olic councils  have  also  by  a  unanimous  vote  established  the  vicar- 
ship  of  the  pope,  the  invocation  of  saints,  the  worship  of  images 
and  bones,  the  division  of  the  holy  eucharist,  purgatory,  indul- 
gences and  the  like  ?    And  what  confidence  can  be  placed  in 
councils  when  the  council  of  Dort  has  also  by  a  unanimous  vote 
established  a  detestable  predestination,  and  set  it  forth  as  the 
l)alladium  of  religion  ?    But,  my  reader,  believe  not  in  councils, 


V'fr^SWS^^fWWf^g^t^^fVKT'- 


75(\ 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


but  in  the  Holy  Word ;  and  go  to  the  Lord,  and  you  will  be  en- 
lightened; for  He  is  the  Word,  that  is,  the  Divine  Truth  in  the 

Word.  ^.    ^       ,     ^ 

635.  Finally,  this  following  arcanum  shall  be  disclosed,  in 
seven  chapters  of  the  Apocahjpse  the  consummation  of  the  pres- 
ent church  is  described  in  much  the  same  way  as  the  devastation 
of  Egypt  is  described ;  for  the  two  are  pictured  by  like  plagues, 
each  one  of  which  spiritually  signifies  some  falsity,  which  ex- 
tends the  devastation  of  it  even  to  destruction ;  and  for  this 
reason  the  present  church,  which  is  at  this  day  destroyed,  is 
called  *' Egypt,''  spiritually  understood,  {Ajmc.  xi.  8).  The 
plagues  of  Egypt  were  as  follows  :— 

The  waters  were  turned  into  blood,  so  that  every  fish  died,  and  the 
river  stank  {^Ex.  vii). 

A  like  statement  is  made  in  the  Apocalypse  (viii.  8;  xvi.  3); 
"blood''  signifying  Divine  truth  falsified,  (see  Apocalypse  Re- 
vealed, n.  379, 404,  681,  687,  688) ;  and  the  "  fishes"  which  then 
died  signifying  the  truths  in  the  natural  man,  in  like  manner 
dead  (n.  290,  405). 

Frogs  were  brought  upon  the  land  of  Egypt  {Ex.  viii). 
Something  is  also  said  of  frogs  in  the  Ajjocalypse  xvi.  13); 
"frogs"  signifying  reasonings  from  a  lust  for  falsifying  truths 
(see  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  702). 

In  Egypt  noisome  sores  were  brought  upon  both  man  and  beast  (Ex.  ix). 
(The  same  in  the  Apocalypse  xvi.  2) ;  "  sores"  signifying  interior 
evils  and  falsities  destructive  of  good  and  truth  m  the  church 
(see  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  678). 

In  Egypt  there  was  hail  mhigled  with  tire  [Ex.  ix). 
(The  sime  in  the  Apocalypse,  viii.  7 ;  xvi.  21)  ;  "  hail"  signifying 
infernal  falsity  (see  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  399,  714). 

Locusts  were  sent  upon  Egypt  [Ex.  x). 
(The  same  in  the  Aporx^lypse,  ix.  1-11);  "locusts"  signifying 
falsities  in  outermosts,  (see  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  4^4,  4dU). 

Great  darkness  was  brought  upon  Egypt  {Ex.  x). 
(The  same  in  the  Apocalypse,  viii.  12);  "darkness"  signifying 
falsities  arising  either  from  ignorance,  or  from  falsities  ot  i^e- 


N.  636] 


IMPUTATION 


757 


ligion,  or  from  evils  of  life;  (see  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  110, 
413,  695). 

Finally,  the  Egyptians  perished  in  the  Red  Sea  (Ex.  xiv.) 

(But  in  the  Apocalypse  the  dragon  and  the  false  prophet  were 
cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone,  xix.  20 ;  xx.  10) ;  both 
"the  Red  Sea"  and  that  "lake"  signifying  hell.  Respecting 
Egypt  and  respecting  the  church,  whose  consummation  and  end 
are  described  in  the  Apocalypse,  like  statements  are  made,  be- 
cause "Egypt"  means  a  church  that  was  in  its  beginning  pre- 
eminent; and  for  this  reason,  before  this  church  had  been  dev- 
astated, Egypt  is  compared  to  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  the 
garden  of  Jehovah,  {Gen.  xiii.  10;  Ezek.  xxxi.  8);  and  is  also 
called  "the  corner-stone  of  the  tribes,"  "the  son  of  the  wise, 
and  of  the  kings  of  old,"  {Isa,  xix.  11,  13).  More  respecting 
Egypt  in  its  primeval  state  and  in  its  devastated  state  may  be 
seen  in  the  Apocalypse  Revealed  (n.  503), 


IV. 

THE    FAITH    IMPUTATIVE    OF    CHRIST's    MERIT    WAS    UNKNOWN 

IN    THE    PRECEDING    APOSTOLIC    CHURCH,    AND    IS 

NOWHERE    TAUGHT    IN    THE    WORD. 

636.  The  church  that  preceded  the  jSTicene  Council  is  called 
the  Apostolic  church.  It  was  evidently  a  wide-spread  church, 
extending  over  the  three  parts  of  the  globe,  Asia,  Africa  and 
Europe,  for  the  Emperor  Constantine  the  Great  was  a  Christian, 
and  also  a  zealot  in  religion,  and  his  dominion  extended  not 
only  over  many  kingdoms  of  >]urope  that  were  afterward  sepa- 
rated, but  also  over  the  neighboring  countries  outside  of  Europe. 
So  as  just  said,  he  assembled  the  bishops  from  Asia,  Africa  and 
Europe,  in  his  palace  at  Nice,  a  city  of  Bithynia,  in  order  that 
he  might  banish  from  his  empire  the  scandalous  dogmas  of 
Arius.  This  was  done  by  the  Lord's  Divine  Providence,  be- 
cause when  the  Divinity  of  the  Lord  is  denied  the  Christian 
church  dies,  and  becomes  like  a  sepulchre  adorned  with  the 
epitaph.  Hie  jacet    The  church  that  existed  before  this  time 


758 


THE  TRUE  CKKISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XI. 


was  called  Apostolic ;  its  distinguished  writers  were  called  the 
Fathers,  and  all  true  Christians  held  the  relation  of  brethren. 
This  church  did  not  acknowledge  three  Divine  persons,  nor 
therefore  a  Son  of  God  born  from  eternity,  but  only  a  Son  of 
God  born  in  time,  as  is  evident  from  the  creed,  which  by  their 
church  was  called  the  Apostles'  Creed,  where  the  following 

words  occur: — 

"  1  believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven  and 
earth;  and  in  Jesus  Christ  His  only  Son  our  Lord,  who  was 
conceived  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  born  of  the  virgin  Mary;  I  believe 
in  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  holy  Catholic  church,  the  communion  of 

the  saints 

From  this  it  is  clear  that  they  acknowledged  no  other  Son  of 
God  than  the  one  conceived  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  born  of  the 
virgin  Mary,  and  by  no  means  a  Son  of  God  burn  from  eternity. 
This  creed,  like  the  two  others,  has  been  acknowledged  as  truly 
Catholic  by  the  entire  Christian  church  up  to  the  present  day. 

637.  That  in  that  primitive  time  all  in  the  then  Christian 
world  acknowledged  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  God,  to  whom 
was  given  "all  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth,"  and  "power 
over  all  flesh,''  according  to  His  own  express  words  {Matt,  xxviii. 
18;  John  xvii.  2),  and  that  they  believed  in  Him,  according  to 
His  command  given  from  God  the  Father  (John  iii.  15, 16,  36; 
vi.  40;  xi.  25,  26),  is  also  clearly  evident  from  the  convoking 
of  all  the  bishops  by  the  Emperor  Constantine  the  Great,  in 
order  that  they  might  from  the  sacred  writings  refute  and  con- 
demn Arius  and  his  followers,  who  denied  the  Divinity  of  the 
Lord  the  Saviour  born  of  the  virgin  Mary.    This  indeed  they 
did,  but  in  trying  to  escape  the  wolf  they  came  upon  the  lion, 
or,  according  to  the  proverb,  wishing  to  avoid  Charybdis  they 
ran  upon  Scylla;  which  they  did  by  inventing  a  Son  of  God 
from  eternity,  who  descended  and  assumed  a  Human,  believing 
that  they  had  thus  vmdicated  and  re-established  the  Lord's  Di- 
vinity, not  knowing  that  God  Himself  the  Creator  of  the  uni- 
verse descended  in  order  to  become  a  Redeemer,  and  thus  a 
Creator  anew,  according  to  the  following  plain  declarations  m 
the  Old  Testament:  Isa.  xxy.  9;  xl.  3,  5,  10, 11;  xliii.  14;  xliv.. 
6,  24;  xlvii.  4;  xlviii.  17;  xlix.  7,  26;  Ix.  16;  Ixiii.  16;  Jer.  1.  34; 
Has.  xiii.  4;  Ps.  xix.  14;  to  which  add  John  i.  14;  xix.  15. 


N.  638] 


IMPUTATION 


759 


638.  That  Apostolic  church,  since  it  worshiped  the  Lord  God 
Jesus  Christ,  and  at  the  same  time  God  the  Father  in  Him,  may 
be  likened  to  the  garden  of  God,  and  Arius  who  then  arose,  to 
the  serpent  sent  from  hell,  and  the  Nicene  Council  to  Adam's 
wife,  who  offered  the  fruit  to  her  husband  and  persuaded  him 
to  eat  of  it,  after  doing  which  they  appeared  to  themselves  to 
be  naked,  and  covered  their  nakedness  with  fig-leaves.  Their 
"nakedness"  means  their  former  innocence,  and  "fig-leaves"  the 
truths  of  the  natural  man  which  were  gradually  falsified.  That 
primitive  church  may  also  be  likened  to  the  dawn  and  morning 
and  from  that  the  day  advanced  to  the  tenth  hour,  and  then  a 
dense  cloud  intervened,  under  which  the  day  advanced  to  even- 
ing, and  afterward  to  night,  in  which  the  moon  arose  for  some, 
by  the  dim  light  of  which  they  saw  something  from  the  Word, 
while  others  went  on  so  far  into  the  nocturnal  darkness  that 
they  saw  no  Divinity  in  the  Lord's  Humanity,  although  Paul 
says  that. 

In  Jesus  Christ  dwells  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily  {Col  ii.  9); 

and  John,  that, 

Tlie  Son  of  God  sent  into  the  world  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  (1. 
John  V.  20,  21). 

The  primitive  or  Apostolic  church  never  could  have  divined 
that  a  church  was  to  follow  which  would  worship  several  Gods 
in  heart,  and  one  with  the  lips ;  which  would  separate  charity 
from  faith,  and  the  forgiveness  of  sins  from  repentance  and  the 
pursuit  of  a  new  life ;  which  would  introduce  the  doctrine  of 
man's  utter  impotence  in  spiritual  things ;  and  least  of  all,  that 
an  Arius  would  lift  up  his  head,  and  when  he  was  dead  would 
rise  again,  and  secretly  rule  even  to  the  end. 

639.  That  no  faith  imputative  of  Christ's  merit  is  taught  in 
the  Word,  is  very  clear  from  the  fact  that  this  faith  was  un- 
known in  the  church  until  after  the  Kicene  Council  had  in- 
troduced the  doctrine  of  three  Divine  persons  from  eternity. 
And  when  this  faith  had  been  introduced  and  had  pervaded 
the  whole  Christian  world,  every  other  faith  was  cast  into  the 
dark,  so  that  whoever  since  that  time  reads  the  Word,  and 
there  sees  anything  about  faith  and  imputation  and  the  merit 
of  Christ,  naturally  falls  into  that  which  he  has  believed  to  be 


760 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XI. 


the  one  only  thing ;  like  one  who  sees  what  is  written  on  one 
page  and  there  stops,  not  turning  the  leaf  and  seeing  what  is 
on  the  other  page;  or  Uke  one  who  persuades  himself  that  a 
certain  thing  is  true  (although  it  is  false),  and  confirms  that 
only,  and  thereafter  sees  falsity  as  truth  and  truth  as  falsity, 
and  sets  his  teeth  and  hisses  at  every  one  opposing  it,  saying, 
"  You  have  no  intelligence."    Thus  the  man's  whole  mmd  is  in 
it  covered  over  with  a  callousness  which  rejects  as  heterodox 
everything  that  does  not  agree  with  his  so-called  orthodoxy; 
for  his  memory  is  like  a  tablet  upon  which  is  written  this 
single  ruling  tenet  in  theology;  and  when  anything  else  enters 
there  is  no  place  where  it  may  be  inserted,  and  he  therefore 
casts  it  out  as  the  mouth  casts  out  froth.    For  example,  if  you 
say  to  a  confirmed  naturalist  who  believes  that  nature  created 
herself,  or  that  God  came  forth  after  nature,  or  that  nature 
and  God  are  one,  that  the  very  reverse  is  the  truth,  would  he 
not  look  upon  you  as  one  deluded  by  the  fables  of  the  priest 
or  as  a  simpleton,  or  a  dullard,  or  as  demented  ?    So  it  is  with 
all  things  that  are  fixed  in  the  mind  by  persuasion  and  conhr- 
mation;  which  finally  appear  like  pictured  tapestry  fastened 
with  many  nails  to  a  wall  built  of  old  stones. 


V. 

IMPUTATION    OF    CHRlST^S    MERIT    AND    RIGHTEOUSNESS    IS    IM- 

POSSIBLE. 

640  In  order  to  know  that  an  imputation  of  the  merit  and 
righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  is  impossible,  what  His  merit  and 
righteousness  are  must  be  known.  The  merit  of  the  Lord  our 
Saviour  is  redemption,  the  nature  of  which  may  be  seen  above 
in  its  proper  chapter  (n.  114-133),  where  it  is  described  a^  the 
subiugation  of  the  hells,  the  orderly  arrangement  of  the  liea^" 
ens,  and  the  subsequent  establishment  of  a  church,  and  thus 
as  being  a  work  purely  Divine.  It  is  also  there  shown  that  the 
Lord  by  means  of  redemption  took  to  Himself  the  power  to 
regenerate  and  save  those  who  believe  on  Him  and  do  His  com- 
mandments; also  that  without  this  redemption  no  flesh  could 


N.  040] 


IMPUTATION 


7(;i 


have  been  saved.  As  redemption  therefore  was  a  work  pure- 
ly Divine,  and  a  work  of  the  Lord  alone,  and  constitutes  His 
merit,  it  follows  that  His  merit  can  no  more  be  applied,  ascrib- 
ed, or  imputed  to  any  man  than  the  creation  and  preservation 
of  the  universe.  Moreover,  redemption  was,  as  it  were,  a  new 
creation  of  the  angelic  heaven,  and  likewise  of  the  church. 
V^]  That  the  present  church  attributes  that  merit  of  the  Lord 
the  Redeemer  to  those  who  by  grace  attain  to  that  faith,  is  evi- 
dent from  their  dogmas,  among  which  this  is  the  chief.  For  it 
is  affirmed  by  the  hierarchs  of  that  church  and  by  their  sub- 
ordinates, both  in  the  Roman  Catholic  and  in  the  Reformed 
churches,  that  by  the  imputation  of  Christ's  merit  those  who 
have  attained  to  faith  are  not  only  reputed  righteous  and  holy, 
but  also  are  so;  and  that  their  sins  are  not  sins  in  God's  sight 
because  they  are  forgiven,  and  they  themselves  are  justified, 
that  is,  reconciled,  renewed,  regenerated,  sanctified,  and  enroll- 
ed in  heaven.  That  the  entire  Christian  church  to-day  teaches 
these  same  dogmas  is  very  evident  from  the  Council  of  Trent, 
from  the  Augustan  or  Augsburg  Confessions,  and  from  the  ap- 
pended and  accepted  commentaries.  [3]  From  the  things  said 
above  when  applied  to  that  faith,  what  follows  but  that  the  pos- 
session of  that  faith  is  that  merit  and  that  righteousness  of  the 
Lord,  consequently  that  its  possessor  is  Christ  in  another  per- 
son ?  For  it  is  affirmed  that  Christ  Himself  is  righteousness, 
and  that  that  faith  is  righteousness,  and  that  imputation  (mean- 
ing thereby  ascription  and  application),  causes  men  not  only  to 
be  reputed  righteous  and  holy,  but  to  be  so  in  reality.  To  im- 
putation, application,  and  ascription,  add  ty^anscription  only,  and 
you  will  be  a  vicarious  pope. 

641.  Because,  then,  the  Lord's  merit  and  righteousness  are 
purely  Divine,  and  things  purely  Divine  are  such  that  if  they 
were  to  be  apj)lied  and  ascribed  to  man  he  would  instantly  die, 
and  like  a  stick  of  wood  thrown  into  the  naked  sun,  would  be 
so  completely  consumed  that  scarcely  a  particle  of  his  ashes 
would  be  left;  the  Lord  approaches  angels  and  men  with  His 
Divine  by  means  of  light  tempered  and  accommodated  to  the 
capacity  and  quality  of  each  one,  thus  by  means  of  what  is 
brought  down  to  man's  level  and  adapted;  and  in  the  same 
way  by  ineans  of  heat.    [2]  In  the  spiritual  world  there  is  a 


762 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XI. 


sun,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  the  Lord ;  from  that  sun  the  Lord 
flows  in  by  means  of  light  and  heat  into  the  whole  spiritual 
world,  and  into  all  who  are  there.    All  the  light  and  all  the 
heat  of  that  world  are  from  this  source.    From  that  sun  the 
Lord  also  flows  with  the  same  light  and  the  same  heat  into  the 
souls  and  minds  of  men.    That  heat  in  its  essence  is  the  Lord's 
Divine  love,  and  that  light  in  its  essence  is  His  Divine  wisdom. 
The  Lord  adapts  that  light  and  that  heat  to  the  capacity  and 
quality  of  the  recipient  angel  and  man,  doing  this  by  means  of 
the  spiritual  auras  or  atmospheres  that  convey  and  transfer 
them.    The  Divine  Itself  which  immediately  encompasses  the 
Lord,  constitutes  that  sun.    That  sun  is  far  off  from  the  angels, 
as  the  sun  of  the  natural  world  is  from  men,  in  order  that  it 
may  not  come  into  naked  and  thus  untempered  contact  with 
them;  since  otherwise  they  would  be  consumed  like  a  stick  of 
wood  thrown  into  the  naked  sun,  as  said  above.     [3]  All  this 
makes  clear  that  the   Lord's  merit  and  righteousness,  being 
purely  Divine,  can  in  no  possible  way  be  transferred  by  impu- 
tation into  any  angel  or  man ;  and  if  even  the  least  drop  there- 
of, not  so  tempered  as  above  stated,  were  to  touch  them,  they 
would  instantly  writhe  as  if  struggling  with  death,  with  feet 
contorted  and  eyes  staring,  and  would  become  lifeless.    In  the 
Israelitish  church  this  was  known  by  their  being  taught  that 
no  man  could  see  God  and  live.    [4]  The  sun  of  the  spiritual 
world,  such  as  it  was  after  Jehovah  God  had  assumed  the  Hu- 
man, and  had  added  thereto  redemption  and  a  new  righteous- 
ness, is  described  in  these  words  in  Isaiah : — 

The  li^ht  of  the  sun  shall  be  sevenfold,  as  the  light  of  seven  days,  in 
the  day  when  Jehovah  shall  bind  up  the  breach  of  His  people  (xxx.  26). 

This  chapter  from  beginning  to  end  treats  of  the  Lord's  coming. 
What  would  take  place  if  the  Lord  were  to  come  down  and 
draw  near  to  any  wicked  person,  is  also  described  in  the  fol- 
lowing words  in  the  Apocalypse : — 

They  hid  themselves  in  the  caves  and  in  the  rocks  of  the  mountains, 
and  said  to  the  mountains  and  rocks,  Hide  us  from  the  face  of  Him  that 
sittfith  on  the  throne,  and  from  the  anger  of  the  Lamb  (vi.  15,  16). 

It  is  said,  "  the  anger  of  the  LamV  because  their  terror  and 
torment  when  the  Lord  draws  near  appear  to  them  like  wrath. 


N.  641] 


IMPUTATION 


763 


[5]  This  may  be  stiH  more  evidently  inferred  from  the  fact, 
that  if  any  impious  person  is  admitted  into  heaven,  where  char' 
ity  and  faith  in  the  Lord  reign,  darkness  invades  his  eyes,  gid- 
diness and  madness  invade  his  mind,  pain  and  torment  his  body, 
and  he  becomes  like  one  dead.  What  then,  if  the  Lord  Himself' 
with  His  Divine  merit,  which  is  redemption,  and  His  Divine 
righteousness,  were  to  enter  into  man  ?  The  apostle  John  him- 
self could  not  endure  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  for  we  read  :— 

That  when  he  saw  the  Son  of  man  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  lampstands 
he  fell  at  His  feet  as  one  dead  {Apoc.  i.  17).  ' 

642.  In  the  decrees  of  the  Councils  and  in  the  articles  of 
the  Confessions  to  which  the  Keformed  make  oath,  it  is  declared 
that  God  justifies  the  wicked  man  by  means  of  the  merit  of 
Christ  infused  into  him,  when,  in  fact,  not  even  the  good  of 
any  angel  can  be  communicated  to  a  wicked  person,  still  less 
conjoined  to  him,  without  being  thrown  back  and  rebounding 
like  an  elastic  ball  thrown  against  a  wall,  or  swallowed  up  like 
a  diamond  sunk  in  a  marsh;  and  indeed,  if  anythhig  truly  good 
was  thrust  upon  him,  it  would  be  like  a  pearl  fastened  to  a 
swine's  snout.    For  who  does  not  know  that  clemency  cannot 
be  introduced  into  unmercifulness,  innocence  into  vindictive- 
ness,  love  into  hatred,  or  concord  into  discord,  which  would  be 
like  mixing  together  heaven  and  hell  ?    The  man  who  has  not 
been  born  again,  is  in  tlie  spirit  like  a  panther  or  an  owl,  and 
may  be  likened  to  a  thorn  or  a  nettle ;  while  the  man  who  has 
been  born  again  is  like  a  sheep  or  a  dove,  and  may  be  likened 
to  an  olive  tree  or  a  vine.    Eeflect,  I  pray  you,  if  you  will,  how 
a  human  panther  can  be  converted  into  a  human  sheep,  or  an 
owl  into  a  dove,  or  a  thorn-tree  into  an  olive-tree,  or  a  nettle 
into  a  vine,  by  any  imputation,  ascription,  or  application  of  the 
Divine  righteousness,  which  would  rather  damn  than  justify 
him.    Before  such  a  conversion  could  take  place,  must  not  the 
ferine  nature  of  the  panther  and  owl,  or  the  noxious  qualities 
of  the  thorn  and  nettle  first  be  taken  away,  and  what  is  truly 
human  and  harmless  be  implanted  in  their  place  ?    How  this 
is  efected  the  Lord  also  teaches  in  John  (xv.  1-7). 


■  MUt^AMMh 


764 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


N.  au] 


IMPUTATION 


^  /-•  1^ 


VI. 

THERE    IS     AN    IMPUTATION,    BUT     IT     IS     AN     IMPUTATION     OF 
GOOD    AND    EVIL,    AND    AT    THE    SAME    TIME    OF    FAITH. 

643.  From  numerous  passages  in  the  Word,  which  in  part 
have  been  already  quoted,  it  is  evident  that  there  is  an  im- 
putation of  good  and  evil,  which  is  the  imputation  meant  m  the 
Word  where  it  is  mentioned.  But  that  every  one  may  feel  cer- 
tain that  there  is  no  other  imputation,  some  passages  from  the 
Word  shall  be  offered  also,  as  follows  :— 

The  Son  of  man  shall  come,  and  then  He  shall  render  unto  every  one 
according  to  his  deeds  {MaU.  xvi.  27). 

They  shall  come  forth,  they  that  have  done  goods  unto  the  resurrec- 
tion of  life,  and  they  that  have  done  evils  unto  the  resurrection  of  judg- 
ment (John  V.  29).  ,    „  .  J     J 

The  book  was  opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life,  and  all  were  judged  ac- 
cording to  their  works  {Apoc.  xx.  12,  13). 

Behold,  I  come  quickly,  and  My  reward  is  with  Me,  to  give  to  eveiy 
man  according  to  his  work  {Apoc.  xxii.  12). 

I  will  punLsh  him  according  to  his  ways,  and  will  recompense  him  for 
his  works  {Hos.  iv.  9 ;  Zech.  i.  6  ;  Jer.  xxv.  14  ;  xxxu.  19) 

In-the  day  of  His  wrath  and  righteous  judgment,  God  will  render  to 

every  man  according  to  his  works  {Rom.  ii.  5,  6).  .  ^u  •  *  ^u  ♦ 

We  must  all  be  made  manifest  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  that 

each  one  may  receive  the  things  done  through  the  body,  according  to 

what  he  hath  done,  whether  good  or  evil  (2  Cor.  v.  10). 

[2]  In  the  beginning  of  the  church  there  was  no  other  law  of 
imputation,  nor  will  there  be  any  other  at  its  end.  That  there 
was  no  other  at  the  beginning  of  the  church,  is  evident  from 
Adam  and  his  wife,  in  that  they  were  condemned  because  they 
did  evil  in  eating  from  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil  {Gen.  ii.  iii.);  and  that  there  will  be  no  other  at  the  end  of 
the  church,  is  evident  from  these  words  of  the  Lord  :— 

When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  His  glory,  then  shall  He  sit  on  the 
throne  of  His  glory  ;  and  He  shall  say  to  the  sheep  on  His  right  hand. 
Come  ye  blessed,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  toun- 
dation  of  the  world  ;  for  I  was  a  hungered  and  ye  gave  Me  to  eat ;  I  was 
thirsty  and  ye  gave  Me  to  drink  ;  I  was  a  sojourner  and  ye  took  Me  in  ;  1 
was  naked  and  ye  clothed  Me  ;  I  was  sick  and  ye  visited  Me  ;  I  was  m 
prison  and  ye  came  unto  Me.    But  to  the  goats  on  His  left,  because  they 


had  not  done  good,  He  said,  Depart  from  Me,  ye  cursed,  into  eternal  fire 
prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels  {Matt.  xxv.  31-41).  ' 

From  these  passages  any  one  with  his  eyes  open  can  see  that 
there  is  an  imputation  of  good  and  evil.  [3]  There  is  also  an 
imputation  of  faith,  because  charity  which  pertains  to  good,  and 
faith  which  pertains  to  truth,  reside  together  in  good  works  •  and 
that  otherwise  works  are  not  good,  may  be  seen  above  (n.  373- 
377).    Therefore  James  says: — 

Was  not  Abraham  our  father  justified  by  works,  when  he  offered  up 
his  son  upon  the  altar  ?  Seest  thou  not  how  faith  co-operated  with  his 
works,  and  by  works  faith  was  recognized  as  perfect  ?  And  the  Scrip- 
ture was  fulfilled  which  saith,  Abraham  believed  God,  and  it  was  imputed 
unto  him  for  righteousness  (ii.  21-23). 

644.  The  rulers  of  the  Christian  churches  and  m  consequence 
their  subordinates,  have  understood  by  imputation  in  the  Word 
the  imputation  of  faith  upon  which  were  inscribed  the  right- 
eousness and  merit  of  Christ,  which  were  thus  ascribed  to  man, 
for  the  reason  that  for  fourteen  centuries,  that  is,  since  the  time 
of  the  Xicene  Council,  they  have  not  wished  to  know  about  any 
other  faith.    Therefore  such  faith  alone  is  fixed  in  their  mem- 
ories and  consequently  in  their  minds,  like  a  thing  organized, 
which  from  that  time  has  furnished  a  light  like  that  which  comes 
from  a  lire  at  night-time,  from  which  light  that  faith  has  ap- 
peared like  true  theology  itself,  on  which  all  other  things  hang 
in  a  linked  series,  and  these  would  fall  asunder  if  that  head  or 
])illar  were  removed.    If  therefore  they  were  to  think  when  they 
read  the  W^ord,  of  any  other  than  this  imputative  faith,  that 
light,  together  with  their  entire  theology,  would  be  extinguished, 
and  a  darkness  would  arise  which  would  cause  the  whole  Chris- 
tian church  to  vanish.    Therefore  it  is  left  to  them, 

Like  a  stump  of  roots  in  the  earth,  the  tree  being  cut  down  and  de- 
stroyed, until  the  seven  times  shall  be  accomplished  {Dan.  iv.  23). 

Who  among  the  confirmed  leaders  of  the  present  church  does 
not,  when  that  faith  is  attacked,  close  his  ears  as  if  with  cotton 
against  hearing  anything  opposed  to  it  ?  But,  my  reader,  open 
your  ears,  and  read  the  Word,  and  you  will  have  a  clear  percep- 
tion of  a  faith  and  an  imputation  other  than  those  which  you 
have  heretofore  believed  in. 


aUfi&a:^'ag)airtkj-.»fi^ 


'66 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


N.  646] 


IMPUTATION 


767 


645.  It  is  wonderful,  that  although  the  Word  from  begin- 
ning to  end  is  full  of  testimonies  and  proofs  that  every  one's 
own  good  and  evil  is  imputed  to  him,  the  dogmatists  of  the 
Christian  religion  have,  nevertheless,  so  closed  their  ears  as  if 
with  wax,  and  besmeared  their  eyes  as  if  with  salve,  that  they 
have  neither  heard  nor  seen,  nor  do  they  hear  or  see  any  other 
imputation  than  that  of  their  own  faith  mentioned  above.    And 
yet  that  faith  may  be  justly  compared  to  the  disease  of  the  eye 
called  gufta  serena,  (and  in  fact  deserves  to  be  so  named),  which 
disease  is  an  absolute  blindness  of  the  eye,  arising  from  an  ob- 
struction of  the  optic  nerve,  although  the  eye  appears  to  retain 
its  sight  perfectly.    In  like  manner  those  who  adhere  to  that 
faith  walk  as  if  with  open  eyes,  and  seem  to  others  to  see  all 
things,  when  yet  they  see  nothing;  for  when  that  faith  enters 
man  since  he  is  then  like  a  stock,  he  knows  nothing  about  it, 
not  even  knowing  whether  that  faith  is  in  him,  or  whether  there 
is  anything  in  it.    Afterwards  with  eyes  apparently  clear  they 
behold  that  faith  in  the  pains  of  travail  and  giving  birth  to  those 
noble  offsprings  of  justification,  namely,  forgiveness  of  sms, 
vivification,  renewal,  regeneration,  and  sanctification,  and  yet 
they  have  not  seen  and  cannot  see  any  sign  of  any  one  of  them. 
646.  That  good,  which  is  charity,  and  evil,  which  is  iniquity, 
are  imputed  after  death,  has  been  proven  to  me  by  all  my  ex- 
perience relating  to  the  lot  of  those  who  pass  from  this  to  the 
other  world.     Every  one,  after  he  has  waited  there  for  some 
days  is  examined  to  ascertain  his  character,  that  is,  what  he 
was  in  respect  to  religion  in  the  former  world.    When  this  has 
been  done,  the  examiners  report  the  result  to  heaven,  and  the 
man  is  then  transferred  to  his  like,  that  is,  to  his  own.    Thus 
is  imputation  effected.    That  to  all  in  heaven  there  is  an  impu- 
tation of  good,  and  to  all  in  hell  an  imputation  of  evil,  was  made 
clear  to  me  from  the  arrangement  of  both  by  the  Lord.    The 
entire  heaven  is  arranged  in  Pocieties  according  to  all  the  va- 
rieties of  the  love  of  good,  and  the  entire  hell  according  to  all 
the  varieties  of  the  love  of  evil.    The  church  on  earth  is  ar- 
ranged by  the  Lord  in  like  manner,  for  it  corresponds  to  heav- 
en    Its  religion  is  its  good.    Moreover,  ask  any  one  you  please, 
who  is  endowed  with  religion  and  also  with  reason,  belonging 
nther  to  this  quarter  of  the  globe  or  one  of  the  others,  who  he 


believes  will  go  to  heaven,  and  who  to  hell;  and  they  will  an- 
swer  unanimously  that  those  who  do  good  will  go  to  heaven 
and  those  who  do  evil  to  hell.    Again,  does  not  every  one  know 
that  every  true  man  loves  a  man,  an  assembly  of  many  men  a 
state,  or  a  kingdom,  because  of  their  goodness;  and  not  only 
men,  but  even  beasts  and  inanimate  things,  such  as  houses 
possessions,  fields,  gardens,  trees,  forests,\;nds,  and  raTlv 
metals  and  stones,  because  of  their  goodness  and  use  ?    Goocl- 
ness  and  use  are  one.    Why  then  should  not  the  Lord  love  man 
and  the  church  because  of  their  goodness  ? 


31 


VII. 

THE    FAITH    AND     IMPUTATION    OF    THE    NEW    CHirRrH    CAN    BY 
NO    MEANS    EXIST    TOGETHER  WITH    THE    FAITH    AVD    IM- 
PUTATION   OF    THE    FORMER    CHURCH;    AND    IF    THFY 
ARE  TOGETHER,  SUCH  A  COLLISION  AND  CONFLICT 
RESULT     THAT     EVERYTHING     PERTAINING 
TO    THE    CHURCH    IN    MAN    PERISHES. 

647.  The  faith  and  imputation  of  the  New  Church  cannot 
exist  together  with  the  faith  and  imputation  of  the  former  or 
sti  1-existnig  church  because  they  do  not  agree  in  one-third  ],art 
not  ^^^^n^n  one-tenth  part;  for  the  faith  of  tlie  former  church 
teaches  that  three  Divine  persons  have  existed  from  eternity 
each  one  of  whom  is  singly  or  by  Himself  God,  also  three  Cie- 
a  ors.    But  the    aith  of  the  Kew  Church  is  that  there  has  been 
but  one  Divme  Person,  tlius  one  God,  from  eternity,  and  that 
beside  Him  there  is  no  God.    TJms  the  faith  of  the  former 
chui^h  has  taught  a  Divine  Trinity  divided  into  three  Persons, 
while  the  faith  of  the  Kew  C^hurch  teaches  a  Divine  Trinity 
united  in  one  Person.     [2]  The  faith  of  the  former  church  has 
been  a  faith  m  a  God  invisible,  inaccessil3le,  and  incapable  of 
conjunction  with  man ;  and  its  idea  of  God  has  been  like  its  idea 
of  spirit,  which  is  like  that  of  ether  or  air.    But  the  faith  of  the 
New  Church  is  a  faith  in  a  God  who  is  visible,  accessible,  and 
capable  of  conjunction  with  man,  in  whom,  like  the  soul  in  the 
body,  is  God  invisible,  inaccessible,  and  incapable  of  conjunc- 


'()8 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


N.  648] 


IMPUTATION 


'69 


tion ;  and  its  idea  of  this  God  is  that  He  is  a  Man,  because  the 
one  God  who  was  from  eternity  became  Man  in  time.     [3]   The 
faith  of  the  former  church  attributes  all  power  to  the  invisible 
God,  and  takes  it  from  the  visible ;  for  it  teaches  that  God  the 
Father  imputes  faith,  and  through  it  bestows  eternal  life,  and 
that  the  visible  God  merely  intercedes ;  while  they  both  give 
(or  according  to  the  Greek  church,  God  the  Father  gives)  to 
the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  by  Himself  the  third  God  in  order,  all 
power  to  work  out  the  effects  of  that  faith.    But  the  faith  of  the 
Kew  Church  attributes  to  the  visible  God,  in  whom  is  the  invis- 
ible  the  omnipotence  to  impute  and  also  to  work  out  the  effects 
of  solvation.     W  The  faith  of  the  former  church  is  primarily 
a  faith  in  God  the  Creator,  and  not  at  the  same  time  a  faith 
in  Him  as  Redeemer  and  Saviour;  while  the  faith  of  the  New 
Church  is  a  faith  in  one  God,  who  is  at  once  Creator,  Redeemer 
and  Saviour.     [5]  The  faith  of  the  former  church  is  that  re- 
pentance, forgiveness  of  sins,  renewal,  regeneration,  sanctifica. 
tion  and  salvation  follow  of  themselves  faith  given  and  imputed, 
with  nothing  pertaining  to  man  mingled  or  joined  with  these. 
But  the  faith  of  the  :^^ew  Church  teaches  that  man  co-operates 
in  repentance,  reformation  and  regeneration,  and  thus  in  the 
forgiveness  of  sins.     [6]  The  faith  of  the  former  church  teaches 
the  imputation  of  Christ's  merit,  which  imputation  is  embraced 
in  the  faith  bestowed;  while  the  faith  of  the  New  Church 
teaches  the  imputation  of  good  and  evil,  and  also  of  faith,  and 
that  this  imputation  is  in  accordance  wdth  Sacred  Scripture, 
while  the  other  is  contrary  to  it.     [T]  The  former  church  teaches 
that  faith,  which  includes  the  merit  of  Christ,  is  given  when 
man  is  like  a  stock  or  a  stone ;  and  it  also  teaches  man's  utter 
impotence  in  spiritual  things;  but  the  New  Church  teaches  a 
wholly  different  faith,  which  is  not  a  faith  in  the  merit  of  Christ, 
but  in  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  God,  Redeemer  and  Saviour,  and 
m  a  freedom  of  choice  that  both  lits  man  to  receive  and  also  to 
co-operate.     [8]  The  former  church  adds  charity  to  its  faith  as 
an  appendage,  but  not  as  anything  saving,  and  thus  it  consti- 
tutes its  religion ;  but  the  New  Church  conjoins  faith  m  the  Lord 
and  charity  toward  the  neighbor  as  two  inseparable  things, 
and  thus  constitutes  its  religion.    There  are  also  many  other 
differences. 


648.  Ironi  this  brief  review  of  the  points  of  discordance  or 
disagreement  between  them,  it  is  clear  that  the  faith  and  hn- 
putation  of  the  New  Church  can  by  no  means  exist  together 
with  the  faith  and  imputation  of  the  former  or  still  existing 
church;  and  with  such  a  discord  and  disagreement  between  the 
faith  and  imputation  of  the  two  churches,  they  are  totally  het- 
erogeneous;  and  consequently  if  they  were  to  exist  together  in 
man  s  mrnd,  such  a  collision  and  conflict  would  result  that 
everything  pertaining  to  the  church  would  perish,  and  in  spir- 
itual things  man  would  fall  into  a  delirium  or  into  a  swoon  so 
that  he  would  not  know  what  the  church  is,  or  whether  there  is 
a  church;  neither  would  he  know  anything  about  God,  faith,  or 
charity     [2]  Because  the  faith  of  the  former  church  excludes 
all  light  derived  from  reason,  it  may  be  likened  to  an  owl,  while 
the  faith  of  the  New  Church  may  be  likened  to  a  dove,  which 
flies  by  day  and  sees  by  the  light  of  heaven;  and  their  coinin- 
together  in  one  mind  would  be  like  the  meeting  of  an  owl  and 
dove  in  one  nest,  where  the  owl  would  lay  her  eggs  and  the  dove 
hers   and  after  incubation  the  young  birds  would  be  hatched 
and  the  owl  would  then  tear  the  young  of  the  dove  to  pieces 
and  give  them  for  food  to  her  own  young,  being  a  voracious  bird. 
W  As  the  faith  of  the  former  church  is  described  in  the  Apoc- 
alypse (chap,  xii.)  by  a  dragon,  and  that  of  the  New  Churoh  by  a 
woman  encompassed  by  the  sun,  upon  whose  head  was  a  crown 
of  twelve  stars,  it  may  be  inferred  from  the  comparison  what 
the  state  of  a  man's  mind  would  be  if  the  two  were  to  be  to- 
gether in  the  same  abode;  namely,  the  dragon  would  stand  near 
to  the  woman  when  she  was  about  to  bring  forth,  with  the  in- 
tention of  devouring  her  oifspring,  and  when  she  had  fled  in- 
to the^desert  would  follow  her,  and  cast  out  water  like  a  flood 
alter  her,  that  she  might  be  swallowed  up. 

.1  ^f-\^^t  'f  "1*  '""""^'^  ^  "'"  ''^'"'^  ^^"""^'^  "^"y  °ne  embrace 
the  faith  of  the  New  Church  while  retaining  tlie  faith  of  the 

former  church  respecting  the  imputation  of  the  Lord's  merit 

and  righteousness ;  since  from  this  doctrine  as  a  root  all  the 

dogmas  of  the  former  church  have  sprung  up  as  offshoots ;  and 

in  that  case  it  would  be  like  man's  extricating  himself  from  five 

of  the  dragon's  horns  and  becoming  entangled  in  the  other  five  • 

or  like  one's  escaping  from  a  wolf  and  falling  upon  a  tiger;  or 

49 


i  ^ 


0 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


N.  6oOJ 


IMPUTATION 


like  one's  getting  out  of  a  dry  ditch  and  falling  into  one  with 
water  in  it,  where  he  would  be  drowned.    For  in  that  case  the 
man  would  easily  return  to  all  thmgs  of  his  former  faith,  and 
what  these  are  has  been  shown  above ;  and  he  would  then  ac- 
quire the  damnable  idea  that  he  might  impute  and  attach  to 
himself  the  essentially  Divine  things  that  belong  to  the  Lord, 
which  are  redemption  and  righteousness,  and  which  may  be 
adored  but  not  so  appropriated;  for  if  a  man  were  to  impute 
and  attach  these  to  himself  he  would  be  consumed  like  one 
thrown  into  the  naked  sun,  from  the  light  and  heat  of  which, 
nevertheless,  he  has  bodily  vision  and  life.    That  the  Lord^s 
merit  is  redemption,  and  that  His  redemption  and  His  right- 
eousness are  the  two  Divine  things  that  cannot  be  conjoined  to 
man  has  been  shown  above.    Let  every  one  take  heed,  therefore, 
not  to  transcribe  the  imputation  of  the  former  church  upon  that 
of  the  new,  from  which  would  spring  baneful  results,  which 
would  be  obstacles  to  his  salvation. 


771 


VIII. 

THE  LORD  IMPUTES  GOOD  TO  EVERY  MAN,  BUT  HELL  IMPUTES 

EVIL  TO  EVERY  MAN. 

650.  That  the  Lord  imputes  to  man  good  and  not  evil,  while 
the  devil  (meaning  hell),  imputes  evil  and  not  good  to  him,  is 
a  new  thing  in  the  church;  and  it  is  new  for  the  reason  that  m 
the  Word  it  is  frequently. said  that  God  is  angry,  takes  ven- 
geance, hates,  damns,  punishes,  casts  into  heU,  and  tempts,  all 
of  which  pertain  to  evil,  and  therefore  are  evils.    But  it  has 
been  shown  in  the  chapter  on  the  Sacred  Scriptures  that  the 
sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  is  composed  of  such  things  as 
are  called  appearances  and  correspondences,  in  order  that  there 
may  be  a  conjunction  of  the  external  church  with  its  internals, 
thus  of  the  world  with  heaven.    It  is  also  there  shown  that 
when  such  things  in  the  Word  are  read  these  very  appearances 
of  truth,  while  they  are  passing  from  man  to  heaven,  are  changed 
into  genuine  truths,  which  are,  that  the  Lord  is  never  angry. 


to  hpll  n    .'  ^'T^^^^'  ^^^^^  ^^^^«^  damns,  punishes,  casts  in- 
to  he  1,  or  tempts,  consequently  does  evil  to  man     This  trans- 

oTserved.  '"'  "  '''  '^''''''''  ^'^'^  ^  ^^^  '^^^^^^Y 

651.  All  reason  agrees  that  the  Lord  cannot  do  evil  to  any 

man,  consequently  that  He  cannot  impute  evil  to  man;  for  He 

ong  to  His  Divme  Essence;  therefore  to  attribute  evil  or  any, 
thing  belonging  to  evil  to  the  Lord,  would  be  inconsistent  with 
abom^Z  ^^^^.^^^!-^^^-^' contradiction;  and  would  be  as 
abominable  as  joining  together  the  Lord  and  the  devil,  or 
heaven  and  hell,  when  nevertheless, 

Between  them  there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed  so  that  tha^  ^i.^        ^^ 

irs.t  iir'  "^^ '"'  "'"^  --rors=>^-s 

Even  an  angel  of  heaven  can  do  no  evH  to  any  one  because 

liand,  an  infernal  spirit  can  do  nothing  but  evil  to  another  be- 
cause the  nature  of  evil  from  the  devil  is  in  him.  The  essence 
or  nature  which  any  one  makes  his  own  in  the  world  cannot  S 
d.anged  after  deatL  Considei,  I  pray  you,  what  sort  of "  iS 
ing  the  Lord  would  be,  if  He  were  to  look  upon  the  wicked  from 
anger,  and  upon  the  good  from  mercy  (the  evil  numbering  myr- 
iads of  myriads  and  the  good  likewise),  and  were  to  save  the 
good  from  grace,  and  damn  the  evU  from  a  feeling  of  revenue 
and  were  to  ook  upon  the  two  with  so  diiferent  an  eye-gentie 

Cxod  be  ?    A\  ho  that  has  been  taught  by  preaching  in  churches 
does  not  know  that  all  good  that  is  in  itself  good  is  from  God 

tt  dTvn :  15"  '"^''  '""V'  ^^'^ '''''  ^  "^  it-if  -ii  S  S 

he  dev  1?  If  any  man,  therefore,  were  to  receive  both  good 
and  evil,_good  from  the  Lord  and  evU  from  the  devil-E 
of  them  in  the  will,  would  he  not  become  neither  cold  nor  hot 

Lord  s  words  m  the  Apocahjpse  (iii.  15, 16)  ?  «  « 

652.  That  the  Lord  imputes  good  to  every  man  and  evU  to 
none,  consequently  that  He  does  not  condemn  any  one  to  hell 

uL  word's  H""""  ^"^'^"  "'''"''  '"  *"  ^^^"^"'  '^  ^^^''''  f'^""' 


772 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  XI. 


N.  653] 


IMPUTATION 


773 


Jesus  said,  When  I  am  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  I  will  draw  all  men 
unto  Myself  {John  xii.  32). 

God  sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to  judge  the  world,  but  that  the 
world  through  Him  might  be  saved.  He  that  believeth  on  Him  is  not 
judged  ;  but  he  that  believeth  not  hath  been  judged  already  {John  iii.  17, 

18).°      '  ,      ^. 

If  any  man  hear  My  words  and  yet  hath  not  believed,  I  judge  him  not ; 

for  I  came  not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  world.    He  that  reject- 

eth  Me  and  receiveth  not  My  words,  hath  one  that  judgeth  him  ;  the  Word 

that  I  have  spoken  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day  {John  xii.  47,  48). 

Jesus  said,  I  judge  no  man  {John  viii.  15). 

<^  Judgment''  here  and  elsewhere  in  the  Word  means  judgment 
to  hell,  which  is  condemnation;  but  of  salvation  judgment  is 
not  predicated,  but  resurrection  to  life  (John  v.  24,  29;  iii.  18). 
[2]  "The  Word"  which  is  to  judge  means  the  truth;  and  the 
truth  is  that  all  evil  is  from  hell,  and  thus  that  they  are  one. 
So  when  a  wicked  man  is  raised  up  by  the  Lord  toward  heaven, 
his  evil  draws  him  down ;  and  because  he  loves  evil,  he  himself 
freely  follows  it.  It  is  also  a  truth  in  the  Word  that  good  is 
heaven;  so  when  a  good  man  is  raised  by  the  Lord  tow^ard  hea- 
ven, he' ascends  as  it  w^ere  freely,  and  is  introduced.  Such  are 
said, 

To  be  written  in  the  book  of  life  {Dan.  xii.  1 ;  Apoc.  xiii.  8  ;  xx.  12,  15  ; 
xvii.  8  ;  xxi.  26). 

[3]  There  is  actually  a  sphere  proceeding  continually  from  the 
Lord  and  fiUing  the  entire  spiritual  and  natural  worlds  which 
raises  all  towards  heaven.  It  is  like  a  strong  current  in  the 
ocean  which  unobservedly  draws  a  vessel.  All  who  believe  in 
the  Lord  and  live  according  to  His  precepts  enter  that  sphere 
or  current  and  are  elevated;  while  those  who  do  not  believe, 
are  unwilling  to  enter,  but  withdraw  themselves  to  the  sides, 
and  are  there  carried  away  by  a  current  that  sets  toward  hell. 
653.  Every  one  knows  that  a  lamb  can  only  act  like  a  lamb, 
and  a  sheep  only  like  a  sheep;  while  on  the  other  hand  a  wolf 
can  act  only  like  a  wolf,  and  a  tiger  like  a  tiger.  If  these  beasts 
were  put  together,  would  not  the  wolf  devour  the  lamb,  and  the 
tiger  the  sheep  ?  Consequently  there  are  shepherds  to  guard 
them.  Every  one  knows  that  a  spring  of  sweet  water  cannot 
from  its  vein  bring  forth  bitter  waters,  and  that  a  good  tree 
cannot  bring  forth  evil  fruit,  that  a  vine  cannot  prick  like  a 


thorn,  a  hly  sting  like  a  nettle,  or  a  hyacinth  wound  like  a  this- 
tle; or  the  reverse.  These  evil  plants,  therefore,  are  rooted  out 
of  fields,  vineyards,  and  gardens,  gathered  into  bundles,  and 
thrown  into  the  fire.  So  it  is  with  the  wicked  pouring  into  the 
spiritual  world,  according  to  the  Lord's  words  (Matt  xiii  30- 
John  XV.  6).    The  Lord  also  said  to  the  Jews,  *       ' 

Ye  offspring  of  vipers,  how  can  ye  being  evil  speak  good  things  ^    A 
good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  the  heart  bringeth  forth  good  things 
and  an  evil  man  out  of  the  evil  treasure  bringeth  forth  evil  things  {Matt 


IX. 

FAITH,   WITH    THAT   TO   WHirH   IT    IS    CONJOINED,  IS    WHAT    DF- 
TEKMINKH    THE   VERDICT;    IF  A  TRUE    FAITH   IS  CONJOINED 
TO   GOOD,  THE  VERDICT    IS    FOR  ETERNAL   LIFE;    BUT 
IF    FAITH   IS   CONJOINED   TO   EVIL,  THE  VER- 
DICT   IS    FOR    ETERNAL    DEATH. 

654.  The  works  of  charity  done  by  a  Christian  and  those 
clone  by  a  heathen  appear  in  outward  form  to  be  alike,  for  one 
like  the  other  practises  the  good  deeds  of  civilty  and  morality 
toward  Ins  fellow,  which  in  part  resemble  the  deeds  of  love  to 
the  neighbor.    Both,  even,  may  give  to  the  poor,  aid  the  needy 
and  attend  preaching  in  churches,  and  yet  who  can  thereby  de- 
termine whether  or  not  these  external  good  deeds  are  alike  in 
their  internal  form,  that  is,  whether  these  natural  good  deeds 
are  also  spiritual  ?    This  can  be  concluded  only  from  the  faith  • 
tor  the  faith  is  what  determines  their  quality,  since  faith  causes 
Uod  to  be  m  them  and  conjoins  them  with  itself  in  the  internal 
man ;  and  thus  natural  good  works  become  interiorly  spiritual 
That  this  IS  so  may  be  seen  more  fully  from  the  subjects  treated 
ot  in  the  chapter  on  Faith,  where  the  following  points  are  made 
clear : — 

Faith  is  not  living  faith  until  it  is  conjoined  with  charity.    Charitv  be- 
comes spiritual  from  faith,  and  faith  from  charity.   Faith  apart  from  char- 
ity, since  It  IS  not  spiritual,  is  not  faith  ;  and  charity,  apart  from  faith 
since  It  IS  not  living,  is  not  charity.    Faith  and  charity  apply  and  conjoin 
themselves  to  each  other  mutually  and  interchangeably.    The  Lord  char- 


774 


THE  TRIE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chaf.  XL 


N.  657] 


IJIPUTATION 


775 


ity  and  faith  make  one,  like  life,  will  and  understanding,  but  when  sep- 
arated they  all  perish  like  a  pearl  reduced  to  powder. 

655.  From  what  has  been  presented  it  can  be  seen  that  faith 
in  the  one  and  true  God  causes  good  to  be  good  in  internal  form 
also;  and  on  the  other  hand,  that  faith  in  a  false  God  causes 
good  to  be  good  in  outward  form  only,  which  is  not  good  in  it- 
self.   Such  was  formerly  the  faith  of  the  heathen  in  Jove,  Juno 
and  Apollo;  of  the  Philistines  in  Dagon,  of  others  in  Baal  and 
Baalpeor,  of  Balaam  the  Magician  in  his  god,  and  of  the  Egjp- 
tians  in  several  gods.    It  is  wholly  different  with  faith  in  the 
Lord,  who  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  (according  to  1.  John 
V  20    and  in  whom  dwelleth  aU  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily 
(according  to  Paul  in  Col.  ii.  9).    What  is  faith  in  God  but  a 
looking  to  Him,  and  His  consequent  presence,  and  at  the  same 
time  confidence  that  He  gives  aid  ?    And  what  is  true  faith  but 
this  and  also  a  confidence  that  all  good  is  from  Hira,  and  that 
He  causes  His  good  to  become  saving  ?    So  when  this  faith  con- 
joins itself  with  good  the  verdict  is  for  eternal  life;  but  when 
it  does  not  conjoin  itself  with  good  it  is  wholly  different;  and 
still  more  so  when  it  conjoins  itself  with  evil. 

656  What  the  conjunction  of  charity  and  faith  is  in  those 
who  be'lieve  in  three  Gods,  and  yet  say  that  they  believe  in  one, 
has  been  shown  above;  namely,  that  charity  is  conjoined  with 
faith  in  the  external  natural  man  only.  This  is  because  the 
mind  is  then  in  the  idea  of  three  Gods,  while  the  lips  confess 
one  •  so  that  if  the  mind  at  that  moment  were  to  pour  itself  forth 
into  oral  confession,  it  would  prevent  the  utterance  of  one  God, 
and  would  open  the  lips  and  proclaim  its  three  Gods. 

657  That  evil  and  a  faith  in  the  one  and  true  God  cannot 
exist  together,  any  one  can  see  from  reason ;  for  evil  is  opposed 
to  God  and  faith  is  for  Him ;  and  evil  pertains  to  the  will,  and 
faith  to  the  thought,  and  the  will  flows  into  the  understanding 
and  causes  it  to  think,  and  not  the  reverse,  the  understanding 
merely  teaching  what  is  to  be  willed  and  done.  Consequently 
the  good  that  an  evil  man  does  is  in  itself  evil;  it  is  like  a  pol- 
ished bone  with  a  rotten  marrow;  it  is  like  a  player  on  the  stage 
personating  a  great  man ;  it  is  like  the  painted  face  of  a  worn- 
out  harlot;  it  is  like  a  butterfly  with  silver  wings,  flymg  about 
aiid  depositing  its  eggs  on  the  leaves  of  a  good  tree,  whereby 


stolVherb'itf  °^'' V?  "  '"^^  '  '''«^^'  «-°l^«  f--  a  poi- 
sonous herb;  it  is  even  like  a  moral  robber  or  a  pious  cheat- 

and  in  consequence  his  good,  which  in  itself  is  evT  is  in  the 
ZllT'  "'"''  't'^"''  --'^-g-bout  and  reasonin;  n  tt 

^tsS^raShiT"'^^^^^^^  rrom'llthi 

it      Clear  that  faith  determines  the  verdict  in  accordance  with 
the  good  or  the  evil  that  is  conjoined  with  it. 


X. 

THOUGHT  IS  XOT  IMPUTED  TO  ANT  ONE,  BUT  WILL  ONLT. 

658.  Every  educated  man  knows  that  tlie  mind  has  two  fac 
ulties  or  i^rts,  the  will  and  the  understanding;  In.t  fe  v  know 
how  o  distinguish  them  aright,  to  examine  thefr  proper^s  seT 
arately,  and  again  unite  them.    Those  who  are  unable  to  do  thfs" 

the  mmd;  therefore  unless  the  properties  of  each  are  first  sen 

to  any  one,  but  will  only,  cannot  be  understood.    In  brief  the 

properties  of  the  two  are  as  follows:    1.  Love  itself  and  1 1 

hmgs  pertaining  to  it  reside  in  the  will,  and  knowlelet  td 

Ss  wfthTs  r  "  *  1*^  -'l-«*-^^"g5  -d  these  tewm 
inspiies  ^ith  Its  love,  and  secures  their  favor  and  agreement- 

and   he  result  is,  that  such  as  the  love  is,  and  the  co~e^^^^ 

intelligence  such  is  the  man.    [2]  2.  Froi  this  it  aLo  fXw 

that  all  good  as  weU  as  all  evil  belongs  to  the  will-  for  whl 

ever  proceeds  from  the  love  is  called  good,  ever  f  it  1""^ 

this  being  the  result  of  delight,  which  constitutes  the  life  of 

the  love,  the  will,  through  its  delight  entering  the  understand 

ing  and  producing  consent.    [3]  3.  Consequently  the  wlu  is  the 

being  or  essence  of  man's  life,  while  the  understand^g  is    he 

except  t  is  in  some  form,  so  the  will  is  nothing  unless  it  is  in 
the  understanding;  wherefore  the  will  takes  form  in  the  un" 
derstanding,  and  thus  comes  to  light.  [4]  4.  Love  in  the  wm 
IS  the  end,  and  m  the  understanding  seeks  and  finds  the  causes 


i'.;iSi^LiitJi^\si«^!il»^,^,,^-.j;&.i^su^,jt^-      ^ '^-^>^| 


76 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


N.  6691 


IMPUTATION 


i  r  i 


whereby  it  advances  into  effect.    And  because  the  end  is  the 
purpose,  and  this  is  what  the  man  intends,  purpose  also  belongs 
to  the  will  and  through  the  intention  enters  the  understandmg 
and  impels  it  to  consider  and  evolve  the  means,  and  to  con- 
clude upon  such  things  as  tend  to  effects.    [5]  5.  Everything 
that  is  man's  very  own  is  in  the  will,  and  is  evil  from  the  tot 
birth,  but  it  becomes  good  by  means  of  the  second  birth.    Xhe 
first  birth  is  from  parents,  but  the  second  from  the  Lord.    [OJ 
6    From  these  few  statements  it  can  be  seen  that  the  property 
of  the  will  and  the  property  of  the  understanding  are  differ- 
ent; and  that  from  creation  these  are  conjomed  like  being  and 
existence;  consequently  that  man  is  man  primarily  from  the 
will   and  secondarily  from  the  understanding.    This  is  why 
thought  is  not  imputed  to  man,  but  will,  and  consequently  good 
and  evil,  because  these,  as  before  said,  reside  in  the  wiU  and 
from  that  in  the  thought  of  the  understanding. 

659    No  evil  that  a  man  thinks  is  imputed  to  him,  because 
he  was  so  created  as  to  be  able  to  understand  and  thus  think 
either  good  or  evil— good  from  the  Lord  and  evil  from  hell— 
for  he  is  between  these  two,  and  from  his  freedom  of  choice  in 
spiritual  things  has  the  ability  to  choose  either  one  or  the  other. 
This  freedom  of  choice  has  been  treated  of  in  its  own  chapter. 
And  because  man  has  the  ability  to  choose  from  freedom  he 
can  will  or  not  will,  and  what  he  wills  is  received  by  the  will 
and  appropriated,  while  what  he  does  not  will  is  not  received 
and  thus  is  not  appropriated.    All  the  evils  to  which  man  in- 
clines by  birth  are  inscribed  upon  the  will  of  his  natural  man ; 
and  so  far  as  the  man  draws  upon  these  evils  they  flow  mto 
his  thoughts ;  in  like  manner  goods  with  truths  flow  from  above 
the  Lord  into  the  thoughts  and  there  they  are  balanced  like 
weights  in  the  scales  of  a  balance.    If  the  man  then  adopts  the 
evils  they  are  received  by  the  old  will  and  added  to  those  in 
if  but  if  he  adopts  goods  with  truths,  the  Lord  forms  a  new 
will  and  a  new  understanding   above  the  old,  and  there  by 
means  of  truths  He  gradually  implants  new  goods,  and  by 
means  of  these  subjugates  the  evils  that  are  below  and  removes 
them,  and  arranges  all  things  in  order.    From  this  also  it  is 
clear  that  thought  is  the  seat  of  purification  and  excretion  of 
the  evUs  resident  in  man  from  his  parents ;  consequently  it 


the  evils  that  a  man  thinks  were  to  be  imputed  to  him,  refor- 
mation  and  regeneration  would  be  impossible. 

660.  As  good  belongs  to  the  will  and  truth  to  the  under- 
standing, and  many  thmgs  in  the  world  correspond  to  good 
such  as  fruit  and  use,  while  imputation  itself  corresponds  to 
the  estimate  and  price  it  follows  that  what  has  here  been  said 
ot  imputation  may  find  its  counterpart  in  all  created  tilings- 
tor  as  before  shown  in  various  places,  all  things  in  the  universe 
have  relation  to  good  and  truth,  and  on  the  contrary  to  evil 
and  falsity.    A  comparison  may  therefore  be  made  with  the 
church,  in  that  its  value  is  estimated  by  its  charity  and  faith 
and  not  by  its  rituals,  which  are  adjoined  to  it.    A  comparison 
may  a  so  be  made  with  the  ministry  of  the  church,  in  that  thev 
are  valued  according  to  their  will  and  love,  together  witli  their 
understanding  in  spiritual  things,  and  not  according  to  their 
affability  and  mode  of  dress,    [a]  A  comparison  may  also  be 
made  with  worship  and  the  temple  in  which  it  is  performed- 
worship  Itself  takes  place  in  the  will,  and  in  the  understand- 
ing as  m  Its  temple;  and  the  temple  is  called  holy  not  from  it- 
self, but  from  the  Divine  that  is  there  taught.    Again  a  com- 
parison may  be  made  with  a  government  where  good  reigns  and 
truth  along  with  it.    Such  a  government  is  beloved,  but  not 
one  where  truth  reigns  without  good.    Who  judges  of  a  king 
by  his  attendants,  horses,  and  carriages,  and  not  by  the  royalty 
which  IS  recognized  in  him?    Eoyalty  is  a  matter  of  love  and 
prudence  m  governing.    In  a  triumph  who  does  not  consider 
the  victor   and  because  of  him  the  pomp,  not  the  pomp  and 
because  of  that  the  victor,  thus  the  formal  because  of  the  es- 
sential, and  not  the  reverse?    The  will  is  the  essential  and 
thought  IS  the  formal;  and  no  one  can  impute  to  the  formal 
anythmg  but  what  it  derives  from  the  essential;  thus  the  im- 
putation IS  to  the  essential,  not  to  the  formal. 

661.  To  this  I  will  add  two  Memorable  Relations.  First  -— 
In  the  higher  northern  quarter  near  to  the  east  in  the  spirit- 
ual world,  there  are  places  of  instruction  for  boys,  and  for 
youths,  and  for  men,  and  also  for  old  men.  All  who  die  in- 
fants are  sent  to  these  places  and  educated  in  heaven ;  likewise 
all  who  are  new-comers  from  the  world  and  who  wish  to  know 
about  heaven  and  hell.    This  place  is  near  the  east,  in  order 


778 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


that  all  may  be  instructed  by  influx  from  the  Lord ;  for  the 
Lord  is  the  east,  because  He  is  in  the  sun  there,  and  the  sun  is 
pure  love  from  Him;  consequently  the  heat  from  that  sun  in 
its  essence  is  love,  and  the  light  from  it  in  its  essence  is  wis- 
dom ;  and  these  are  inspired  by  the  Lord  from  that  sun  into 
those  who  are  instructed  according  to  their  ability  to  receive, 
and  their  ability  to  receive  is  according  to  their  love  of  being 
wise.  When  their  times  of  instruction  are  over,  those  who  have 
become  intelligent  are  sent  away,  and  these  are  called  disciples 
of  the  Lord.  First,  they  are  sent  away  to  the  west,  and  those 
who  do  not  stay  there  go  to  the  south,  and  some  through  the 
south  to  the  east,  and  thus  they  are  introduced  into  the  socie- 
ties where  their  abodes  are  to  be. 

[2]  Once,  when  meditating  upon  heaven  and  hell,  I  began  to 
wish  for  a  universal  knowledge  of  the  state  of  each,  knowing 
that  one  who  knows  universals  is  afterwards  able  to  compre- 
hend the  particulars,  because  the  latter  are  included  in  the  for- 
mer as  parts  in  the  whole.  With  this  desire  I  looked  toward 
that  tract  in  the  northern  quarter  near  the  east  where  the  places 
of  instruction  were,  and  by  a  way  then  opened  to  me  I  went 
there,  and  entered  into  a  college  where  there  were  young  men. 
I  went  to  the  head  teachers  who  were  instructing  them,  and 
asked  them  whether  they  knew  the  universals  relating  to  heav- 
en and  hell. 

They  said,  "We  have  some  little  knowledge  of  them;  but  if 
we  look  toward  the  east  to  the  Lord,  we  shall  be  enlightened 
and  shall  know.''     [3]  This  they  did,  and  then  said,  "The  uni- 
versals respecting  hell  are  three,  but  they  are  diametrically  op- 
posite to  the  universals  relating  to  heaven.    The  universals  re- 
lating to  hell  are  these  three  loves,  the  love  of  ruling  from  love 
of  self;  the  love  of  possessing  the  goods  of  others  from  love  of 
the  world ;  and  scortatory  love.    The  universals  relating  to  heav- 
en opposed  to  these  are  the  three  loves,  love  of  ruling  from 
love  of  use ;  love  of  possessing  the  goods  of  the  world  from  the 
love  of  being  useful  by  means  of  them ;  and  true  marriage  love." 
When  this  had  been  said,  after  wishing  them  peace,  I  went 
away  and  returned  home.    And  when  I  reached  home,  it  was 
said  to  me  out  of  heaven,  "  Examine  those  three  universals  that 
prevail  above  and  below,  and  afterward  we  shall  see  them  on 


N.  661] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


779 


your  hand.''  They  said  "  on  your  hand"  because  anything  that 
a  man  examines  with  his  understanding  appears  to  the  anlels 
as  If  written  on  the  hands;  and  this  is  why  it  is  said  in 'the 

tlf  St  -^1.'^'^  "T'^'^  ^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^'^  ^^'^^^^^  and  on 
tne  Iiand  (xiii.  16;  xiv.  9;  xx.  4). 

wV^^i  ^^^^l^^^}'  ^  examined  the  first  universal  love  of  hell 

vers'al  In"  A  "  "'  '"'"^  '^""  '''^'  '''  ^^^^'  ^^^  ^^-  the  uni-^ 
versal  love  of  heaven  corresponding  thereto,  which  was  the  love 

of  ruling  from  the  love  of  uses;  for  I  was  not  permitted  to  ex- 

amine  one  love  apart  from  the  otlier  because  the  undei^tandinc. 

has  no  perception  of  one  apart  from  the  other,  for  they  are  oZ 

obSSd    r'"  .''r'"''  '"^^  '  ^^^'^^P^^-  ^'  ^^th'ma;i 
t?fS  and  i7^  T       \T''^''''^  «--  ^-th  the  other;  as  a  Ln- 
tif ul  and  well-formed  face  is  brought  out  more  clearly  by  plac- 
ing an  ugly  and  deformed  face  beside  it.    While  I  was  study- 
mg  the  love  of  ruling  from  love  of  self  a  perception  was  given 
me  that  this  love  is  in  the  highest  degree  infernal,  and  there 
fore  prevails  with  those  who  are  in  the  deepest  hell;  and  that 
the  love  of  ruling  from  the  love  of  uses  is  in  the  high;st  degree 
heavenly,  and  therefore  prevails  with  those  who  are  in  the  hth- 
est  heaven     [5]  The  love  of  ruling  from  the  love  of  self  ist 
the  highest  degree  infernal,  because  ruling  from  love  of  self  is 
ruling  from  what  is  one's  own  (propriuml  and  what  is  one's 
own  IS  by  birth  evil  itself,  and  evil  itself  is  diametrically  oppo- 
site  to  the  Lord;  consequently  the  more  men  enter  into  that 

ri  w  '  7""  '  r  ^r ^  ^'^  ^^^  '^'  ^""^y  '^^^^S'  ^f  the  church, 
and  worship  self  and  nature.    Let  those,  I  pray,  who  are  in  that 

evil,  examine  themselves,  and  they  will  see.    Moreover,  this 
love  IS  such  that  so  far  as  loose  rein  is  given  it,  which  is  done 
when  no  impossibility  is  in  the  way,  it  rushes  on  from  step  to 
s  ep  and  even  to  the  most  extreme ;  neither  does  it  stop  there, 
wil!    ^,^.,^^^^^^,,«tep  is  possible  it  grieves  and  groans.    [6 
With  politicians  this  love  so  exalts  itself  that  they  wish  to  be 
kings  and  emperors,  and  if  possible  to  rule  over  all  things  in 
the  world  and  to  be  called  kings  of  kings  and  emperors  of  em- 
perors;  while  among  ecclesiastics  the  same  love  so  exalts  itself 
that  they  even  wish  to  be  gods,  and  so  far  as  possible  to  rule 
over  all  the  things  of  heaven  and  to  be  called  gods.    That  nei- 
ther  of  these  m  heart  acknowledge  any  God,  will  be  seen  in  what 


'"-''  "^ "  -^-^■^"-Q 


780 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XI. 


follows.  But  on  the  other  hand  those  who  wish  to  rule  from 
the  love  of  uses,  have  no  wish  to  rule  from  themselves  but  only 
from  the  Lord,  since  the  love  of  uses  is  from  the  Lord  and  is 
the  Lord  Himself.  Such  regard  dignities  only  as  means  of  per- 
forming uses ;  which  they  place  far  above  dignities,  while  the 
others  place  dignities  far  above  uses. 

[7]  While  I  was  meditating  upon  these  things  it  was  said  to 
me  through  an  angel  from  the  Lord,  "  Now  you  shall  see,  and 
it  shall  be  proved  to  you  by  sight  what  that  infernal  love  is.'' 
Then  the  earth  suddenly  opened  on  the  left,  and  I  saw  a  devil 
coming  up  out  of  hell  having  on  his  head  a  square  cap  pressed 
down  over  his  forehead  even  to  the  eyes,  a  face  covered  with 
pustules  like  those  of  a  burning  fever,  his  eyes  fierce,  and  his 
breast  swollen  out  into  great  prominence ;  from  his  mouth  he 
belched  smoke  as  from  a  furnace ;  his  loins  were  actually  on  fire ; 
instead  of  feet  he  had  ankles-bones  without  flesh ;  and  from  his 
body  there  exhaled  a  foul-smelling  and  unclean  heat. 

At  the  sight  of  him  I  was  terrified,  and  cried  out,  "  Do  not 
come  here;  tell  me  where  you  are  from." 

He  answered  hoarsely :  "  I  am  from  the  lower  regions,  where 
I  live  in  a  society  of  two  hundred,  which  is  pre-eminent  over 
all  other  societies.  All  of  us  there  are  emperors  of  emperors, 
kmgs  of  kings,  dukes  of  dukes,  and  princes  of  princes ;  there 
is  no  one  there  who  is  merely  an  emperor,  or  merely  a  king, 
duke,  or  prince ;  we  there  sit  on  thrones  of  thrones,  and  send 
forth  mandates  therefrom  to  all  the  world  and  beyond.-' 

I  then  said  to  him,  "  Do  you  not  see  that  from  your  halluci- 
nation about  pre-eminence  you  have  become  insane  ?'' 

He  answered,  ''  How  can  you  talk  so,  since  we  both  actually 
appear  to  ourselves  to  be  such,  and  also  are  acknowledged  to 
be  such  by  our  companions  ?" 

[8]  On  hearing  this,  I  did  not  care  to  say  again,  "  You  are 
insane,"  because  he  was  so  from  hallucination.  It  was  given  me 
to  know  that  this  devil  when  he  lived  in  the  world,  was  merely 
the  steward  of  a  certain  house;  and  that  then  he  was  so  elated 
in  spirit,  that  in  comparison  with  himself  he  despised  the  whole 
human  race,  and  cherished  the  hallucination  that  he  was  nobler 
than  a  king  or  even  an  emperor.  Owing  to  this  pride  he  had 
denied  God,  and  regarded  aU  the  sacred  things  of  the  church 


N.  661] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


781 


as^of  no  moment  to  him,  but  as  something  for  stupid  common 

At  length  I  asked  him,  -How  long  will  you  two  himdred 
thus  glory  among  yourselves  T' 

He  said,  "For  ever;  but  those  among  us  who  torture  others 
tor  denying  our  pre-eminence,  sink  down;  for  we  are  allowed 
to  glory,  but  not  to  inflict  evil  upon  any  one '' 

He  said  that  they  sink  down  into  a  certain  prison,  where 
they  are  called  viler  than  the  vile  or  the  vilest,  and  are  com- 
pelled to  labor. 

I  then  said  to  him,  "Take  care  then,  lest  you  sink  down  al- 
so. 

[9]  After  this  the  earth  again  opened,  but  at  the  right  and 
I  saw  another  devil  rising  out,  upon  whose  head  was  a  kind  of 
imter  tound  around  as  it  were  with  the  coils  of  a  snake,  with 
Its  head  standing  out  from  the  top.  His  face  was  leprous  from 
the  forehead  to  the  chin,  as  were  both  of  his  hands  also-  his 
loins  were  bare  and  as  black  as  soot,  while  through  the  black- 
ness  a  fire  like  that  of  a  hearth  gleamed  duskily;  his  ankles 
were  like  two  vipers. 

When  the  former  devil  saw  this  one  he  threw  himself  upon 
his  knees  and  worshiped  him.    I  asked  him  why  he  did  so 

otent  "'''''^'  ""*'  ''  '^^  ^'^  "^  ^'''^'"  ^""^  ^'''*^'  ^^  ^'  °''^'"P- 
I  then  asked  the  other,  «  What  do  you  say  to  that  ^" 
He  replied,  "What  shall  I  say  ?    I  have  all  power  over  hea- 
ven and  hell;  the  fate  of  all  souls  is  in  my  hand  " 

I  asked  further,  "How  can  this  one  who  is  an  emr^ror  of 
emperors  so  humble  himself,  and  how  can  you  receive  his  wor- 

He  answered  "He  is  still  my  servant;  what  is  an  emperor 
in  the  sight  of  God?  The  thunderbolt  of  excommunication  is 
in  my  right  hand." 

[lO]  I  then  said  to  him,  "How  can  you  rave  so?  In  the 
world  you  were  merely  an  ecclesiastic ;  and  because  you  labor- 
ed under  the  hallucination  that  you  had  the  keys,  and  there- 
fore the  power  to  bind  and  to  loose,  you  have  worked  up  your 


7g2  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 

spirit  to  such  a  height  of  madness  that  you  now  believe  that 
you  are  God  Himself."  j  i,    * 

Being  angiy  at  this,  he  swore  that  he  was  God,  and  that 
the  Lord  had  no  power  in  heaven  «  because,"  he  said,  "  He  has 
transferred  it  all  to  us.  We  need  but  to  command,  and  heav- 
en and  heU  reverently  obey;  if  we  send  any  one  to  heU  the 
devils  at  once  receive  him,  as  the  angels  do  any  one  we  send 

to  heaven." 

I  asked  him  fui-ther,  "How  many  are  there  m  your  so- 

ciety  '" 

He  said,  "Three  hundred;  and  all  of  us  there  are  gods,  but 

I  am  the  God  of  gods."  ^    ^    r  ^u 

[11]  After  this  the  earth  opened  beneath  the  feet  ot  them 
both  and  they  sank  down  deep  into  their  hells;  and  I  was  per- 
mitted to  see  that  beneath  their  hells  were  workhouses,  into 
which  those  fell  who  did  violence  to  others.  For  his  own  hal- 
lucination remains  with  every  one  in  hell,  and  also  his  glory- 
ing therein,  but  he  is  not  permitted  to  do  evil  to  another  Such 
are  those  in  hell,  because  man  is  then  in  his  spirit,  and  when 
the  spirit  has  been  separated  from  the  body  it  enters  into  a 
state  of  full  liberty  to  act  according  to  its  affections  and  the 

thoughts  therefrom.  ,     ,    .  ,    ^,      in      * 

[12]  After  this  I  was  permitted  to  look  into  the  hells  ot 
those  spirits;  and  the  hell  where  the  emperors  of  emperoi-s  and 
kings  of  kings  were,  was  full  of  all  uncleanness,  and  they  ap- 
peared like  wild  beasts  of  various  kinds  with  fierce  eyes  I 
looked  also  into  the  other  heU,  where  the  gods  and  the  God  ot 
gods  were;  and  in  this  the  terrible  birds  of  night  called  the 
ochim  and  ijim  appeared,  flying  around  them.  Thus  did  the 
images  of  their  haUucination  appear  to  me.  ^      ,„  . 

From  all  this  it  was  clear  what  the  political  love  of  self  is 
and  what  the  ecclesiastical  love  of  self  is,  that  the  latter  makes 
men  wish  to  be  gods  and  the  former  to  be  emperors ;  and  this 
they  wish  for  and  strive  after,  so  far  as  loose  rein  is  given  to 

those  loves.  ,        ,  ,    ,    ■,  j 

[13]  After  these  sad  and  horrible  sights,  1  looked  around 
and  saw  two  angels  not  far  from  me,  conversing.  One  was 
clad  in  a  woolen  robe  gleaming  with  a  purple  glow,  with  a  tunic 
under  it  of  shinmg  linen;  the  other  in  like  garments  of  a  scar- 


N.  661]  MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST  no.. 

too 

let  color,  with  a  miter,  on  the  rie-hf-  <?irlp  nf  ,,  t  i 

And  the  prince  said  that  he  was  the  servanf  nf  i,' 
because  he  servprl  if  h.r  r.    ^  servant  of  his  society, 

that  he  ^^:::^:^  ^^i-::^^^:^::::  tz  -^ 

them  by  ministering  sacred  things  for  the'use  of  thJf,        \ 
and  that  they  were  both  in  unceafing  joy  L^rthe  etel  T    ' 
piness  that  was  in  them  fron,  the  Lord   also  that  .^Thf      •'" 

with  gold  and  precious  stones,  and  ma^iificent  withZT 
and  gardens.    "This  "  he  sairl   "i=  ,    '"^^"""^^t  *ith  palaces 
;„  „  r  i>        ,  '         ®*'"'     *s  because  our  love  of  nii;n<T 

s  not  from  love  of  self,  but  from  the  love  of  uses   and  ^  h^ 

flame  corresponds  to  that  love  "  '       "'^ 

ing'them  Vn^d  nT''^'  ^  ^'^'  'P^^'"  "PP^^'^d  to  me  surround- 
i  fli^^'i^f  T.°!  something  aromatic  came  from  it  as 

wh  tVv,      .  r"'?l'  ^^^'^  *^^'"  *°  «dd  something  more  to 

"SeSS^tt^re^:,;^^^^^^^^^ 
ttnmte^S^r"-^^  ^^^^^^^ 

weacce;rirnt;^onrrr;=t,rri^^^^^^ 

society.    For  our  brethren  and  companions  the  e   who  are  5 
the  common  people,  hardly  know  otherwise  than  tJt  the  hon 

are  from  us.  But  we  feel  otherwise ;  we  feel  that  the  honors  of 
our  rank  are  outside  of  ourselves,  and  that  they  are  l°ke  the 
garments  with  which  we  are  clothed;  while  the  uses  wt  perfonn 
are  from  a  love  of  uses  that  is  within  us  from  the  LorT  and  this 
love  acquires  its  blessedness  from  a  sharing  with  Ss  b^ 


784 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XI. 


N.  602] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


785 


means  of  uses.  And  we  know  by  experience  that  so  far  as  we 
perform  uses  from  a  love  of  uses,  that  love  increases,  and  with 
it  the  wisdom  by  which  the  sharing  is  effected;  but  so  far  as 
we  retain  the  uses  in  ourselves,  and  do  not  share  them,  the  bless- 
edness perishes ;  and  then  use  becomes  like  food  retained  in  the 
stomach  and  not  diffused  throughout  the  body  to  nourish  it  and 
its  various  parts,  but  remains  undigested  and  causes  nausea. 
In  a  word  all  heaven  is  nothing  but  a  containant  of  uses  from 
things  first  to  things  last.  What  is  use  but  the  actual  love  of 
the  neighbor?    And  what  keeps  the  heavens  together  but  this 

love  "^^ 

Having  heard  this,  I  asked,  "  How  can  any  one  know  whether 
he  performs  uses  from  love  of  self  or  from  a  love  of  uses  ? 
Every  man,  both  good  and  bad,  performs  uses  and  performs 
them  from  some  love.    Suppose  a  society  in  the  world  consist- 
inc-  of  devils  only,  and  another  consisting  of  angels  only;  and 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  devils  in  their  society,  moved  by 
the  fire  of  love  of  self  and  the  splendor  of  their  own  glory, 
would  perform  as  many  uses  as  the  angels  in  theirs.    Who  then 
can  know  from  what  love  or  from  what  origin  uses  proceed  ?  ' 
To  this  the  two  angels  replied,  "Devils  perform  uses  for  the 
sake  of  themselves  and  their  reputation,  in  order  that  they 
may  be  exalted  to  honors,  or  acquire  wealth;  but  angels  per- 
form uses  not  for  such  reasons,  but  for  the  sake  of  the  uses 
from  love  of  uses.    IMan  is  unable  to  distinguish  these  two 
kinds  of  uses,  but  the  Lord  does.    All  who  believe  in  the  Lord 
and  shun  evils  as  sins,  perform  uses  from  the  Lord;  but  all 
who  do  not  believe  in  the  Lord  and  do  not  shun  evils  as  sms, 
perform  uses  from  themselves  and  for  their  own  sake.    This 
is  the  distinction  between  the  uses  performed  by  devils  and 
those  performed  by  angels." 

When  this  had  been  said  the  two  angels  wont  away;  and 
at  a  distance  they  appeared  to  be  carried  in  a  chariot  of  fire 
like  Elijah  and  taken  up  to  their  heaven. 

662.  Second  Memorable  Kelation:— 

After  some  length  of  time  I  entered  a  certain  grove,  and  there 
walked  about,  meditating  upon  those  who  are  in  the  lust  and 
the  consequent  hallucination  of  possessing  the  things  of  the 
world;  and  then  I  saw  at  some  distance  from  me  two  angels 


conversing  together,  and  by  turns  looking  at  me.    I  therefore 

drew  nearer;  and  they  spoke  to  me  as  I  approached,  and  said, 

We  have  an  inner  perception  that  you  are  meditating  upon 

what  we  are  talking  about;  or  that  we  are  talking  about  wha^ 

crj^ss?  "'"•  "'•-  ™- '"» » -'p—  =»- 

So  when  I  asked  what  they  were  talking  about,  they  said 
"About  hallucination,  lust,  and  intelligence ;  and  jus  nowYw 
those  who  take  delight  in  seeing  and  imaghiing  themselveVL 
possession  of  all  things  of  the  world."  emseives  m 

J^L  V^'Y'?"*^  *^*:"^  *"  ^""^'^'^  their  mind  on  these  three 
things,  lust,  hallucination,  and  intelligence 

And  beginning  their  discourse,  they  said,  "By  birth  every 

one  IS  interiorly  in  lust,  and  by  education  exteriorly  in  intd  f 

geii^e;  but  intenorly  or  as  to  his  spirit  no  one  is  in  intelligen  e 

stil  less  in  wisdom,  except  from  the  Lord.    For  every  one  is 

withheld  from  the  lust  of  evil,  and  kept  in  intelligence  in  pr^ 

portion  as  he  looks  to  the  Lord  and  at  the  same  time  is  con^ 

joined  with  H,m.    Without  this,  man  is  nothing  but  lust;  and 

yet  in  externals,  or  as  to  the  body,  he  is  in  inteUigence  frTm 

education.     For  man  lusts  for  honors  and  wealth,  or  eininenc^ 

and  opulence,  and  these  two  he  does  not  obtain  unless  he  ar! 

so  from  his  infancy  he  learns  to  assume  such  an  appearance 
Ihis  IS  why  he  inverts  his  spirit  as  soon  as  he  goes  amonc: 

and  acting  according  to  what  is  becoming  and  honest,  which 
e  has  been  learning  from  infancy  and  has  laid  up  in  hiXd 
y  memory;  and  he  is  especially  on  his  guard  that  nothing  of 

rsT uT^'       ^"i.'*  ^°  ""^''^  ^''  ^I'^"*  '«  ^'^"'^Id  show  itself 
L^J     This  is  why  every  man  who  is  not  interiorly  led  by  the 
Lord  IS  a  pretender,  a  sycophant,  a  hypocrite,  and^thus  a  man 

Lt^rr,?'  "f7''  "°'  "  "^"'  «f  -horn  it  may  be  said 
hat  hi    she  1  or  body  is  sane,  but  his  kernel  or  the  spirit  is  in- 
ane; also  that  his  external  is  human  but  his  internal  tea"- 
like     The  sight  of  such  is  with  the  occiput  up  and  the  fore 
head  down;  that  is,  they  walk  with  their  heads'hanging  down 
and  with  their  faces  turned  toward  the  earth  as  if  overcome 
with  heaviness.    When  they  put  off  the  body  and  becomlspS 
60 


786 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


and  thus  are  set  free,  they  become  the  very  madnesses  of  their 
lust-  for  those  who  are  in  the  love  of  self  lust  to  rule  over  the 
universe,  and  even  to  extend  its  limits  in  order  to  enlarge  their 
dominion;  they  nowhere  recognize  an  end.    Those  who  are  m 
love  of  the  world  lust  to  possess  everything  pertaining  to  it, 
and  are  grieved  and  envious  over  any  treasures  that  are  kept 
from  them  in  the  possession  of  others.    That  such  therefore 
may  not  become  mere  lusts,  and  thus  not  men,  they  are  per- 
mitted in  the  spiritual  world  to  think  from  a  fear  of  the  loss 
of  reputation,  and  thus  of  honor  and  wealth,  as  also  from  a  fear 
of  the  law  and  its  penalties  ;  and  they  are  also  permitted  to  em- 
ploy their  minds  in  some  pursuit  or  work,  whereby  they  are 
kept  in  externals,  and  thus  in  a  state  of  intelligence,  however 
delirious  and  irrational  they  may  be  interiorly." 

[4]  I  then  asked  whether  all  who  are  in  lust  are  also  m  its 
hallucination.    They  answered  that  those  who  think  interiorly 
in  themselves,  and  indulge  their  imaginations  excessively  by 
talking  to  themselves  are  in  the  hallucination  of  their  lust. 
"For  such,"  they  said,  "almost  separate  the  spirit  from  its 
connection  with  the  body,  and  flood  their  understandmgs  with 
visions,  and   foolishly  delight   themselves  with  the   seeming 
possession  of  all  things.    Into  such  a  delirium  is  the  man  let 
after  death  who  has  abstracted  his  spirit  from  his  body,  and 
has  not  been  willing  to  withdraw  from  the  delight  of  his  de- 
lirium by  giving  some  thought  from  religion  to  evils  and  fal- 
sities, or  at  least  giving  some  thought  to  the  unbridled  love 
of  self  as  being  destructive  of  love  to  the  Lord,  and  to  the  un- 
bridled love  of  the  world  as  being  destructive  of  love  to  the 

neighbor."  .     , 

[5]  After  this  the  two  angels  and  myself  also  were  seized 
with  a  desire  to  see  those  who  from  love  of  the  world  are  m 
this  visionary  or  fantastic  lust  of  possessing  the  wealth  ot  all, 
and  we  perceived  that  we  were  inspired  with  this  desire  in  or- 
der that  we  might  come  to  know  about  it.  The  places  of  abode 
of  such  were  under  the  ground  on  which  we  stood,  but  above 
hell  •  we  therefore  looked  at  one  another  and  said,  "  Let  us  go. 
And  an  opening  appeared  with  a  ladder  in  it,  by  which  we 
descended.  We  were  told  that  they  must  be  approached  f mm 
the  east  that  we  might  not  enter  into  the  mist  of  their  hallu- 


N.  602] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


787 


cinations,  and  our  understandings,  together  with  our  sight,  be 
bedimmed. 

And  lo,  there  appeared  a  house  built  of  reeds,  and  therefore 
full  of  crevices,  standing  in  a  mist,  which  like  smoke  con- 
stantly poured  out  through  the  chinks  in  three  of  the  walls. 
We  entered,  and  there  appeared  fifty  here  and  fifty  there  sit- 
ting on  benches,  who  were  turned  away  from  the  east  and 
south,  and  were  looking  toward  the  west  and  north.  Before 
each  one  was  a  table,  and  on  the  tables  were  full  purses,  and 
around  the  purses  an  abundance  of  gold  coin. 

[6]  We  asked,  "  Is  that  the  wealth  of  all  in  the  world  ?" 

They  said,  "Not  of  all  in  the  world,  but  of  all  in  a  king- 
dom." Their  speech  had  a  hissing  sound,  and  they  themselves 
seemed  to  have  full  round  faces,  with  a  ruddy  glow  like  a 
cockle-shell;  the  j^upil  of  the  eye  flashed,  as  if  in  a  field  of 
green,  which,  arose  from  the  light  of  hallucination. 

We  stood  in  their  midst  and  said,  "You  believe  that  you 
possess  all  the  wealth  of  a  kingdom  ?" 

They  replied,  "  We  do  possess  it." 

"  Which  of  you  ?"  we  then  asked. 

They  replied,  "  Every  one  of  us." 

We  asked,  "  How  every  one  ?    There  are  many  of  you." 

They  answered,  "  We  each  of  us  know  that  ^  all  his  is  mine ;' 
yet  no  one  is  allowed  to  think,  still  less  to  say,  *  My  things  are 
not  yours,'  but  we  are  permitted  both  to  think  and  say,  *  Your 
things  are  mine.'" 

The  coin  on  the  tables  appeared  even  to  us  as  if  made  of  i)ure 
gold;  but  when  we  let  in  light  from  the  east,  they  were  little 
granules  of  gold,  which  by  their  general  and  united  hallucina- 
tion they  had  so  magnified.  They  said  that  every  one  who  came 
in  was  obliged  to  bring  with  him  a  little  gold,  which  they  cut 
in  pieces,  and  these  again  into  granules,  and  by  the  force  of 
unanimous  hallucination  they  enlarged  these  into  coin  of 
greater  dimensions. 

[7]  We  then  said,  "  Were  you  not  born  rational  men  ?  How 
has  this  visionary  infatuation  come  upon  you  ?" 

They  said,  "We  know  that  it  is  an  imaginary  vanity,  but 
because  it  delights  the  interiors  of  our  minds,  we  enter  this 
place,  and  enjoy  ourselves  with  the  seeming  possession  of  all 


788 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XI. 


things.  But  we  stay  here  only  a  few  hours,  after  which  we  go 
out,  and  whenever  we  do  so  a  sound  state  of  mind  returns ;  and 
yet  our  visionary  enjoyment  comes  upon  us  again  at  times  and 
causes  us  to  re-enter  and  go  out  again  by  turns ;  and  thus  we  are 
alternately  sane  and  insane.  Moreover,  we  know  that  a  hard 
lot  awaits  those  who  craftily  deprive  others  of  their  goods.'' 

We  asked,  "  What  lot  ?" 

They  replied,  "  They  are  swallowed  up,  and  are  thrust  naked 
into  some  infernal  prison,  where  they  are  kept  at  work  for 
clothing  and  food  and  afterward  for  a  few  bits  of  money  which 
they  collect,  and  in  which  they  place  the  joy  of  their  hearts; 
but  if  they  do  evil  to  their  companions,  they  must  pay  over  a 
part  of  their  little  coins  as  a  fine." 

663.  Third  Memorable  Relation: — 

I  was  once  in  the  midst  of  angels  and  heard  their  conversa- 
tion. It  was  about  intelligence  and  wisdom,  to  the  effect  that 
man  has  no  other  feeling  or  perception  than  that  these  are  in 
himself,  and  therefore  that  whatever  he  wills  and  thinks  is 
from  himself,  and  yet  no  least  part  of  these  is  from  man,  ex- 
cept the  ability  to  receive  them.  Among  other  things  that  they 
said  was  this,  that  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil 
in  the  garden  of  Eden,  signified  the  belief  that  intelligence  and 
wisdom  are  from  man ;  and  that  the  tree  of  life  signified  that 
intelligence  and  wisdom  are  from  God;  and  because  Adam  by 
the  persuasion  of  the  serpent  ate  of  the  former  tree,  believing 
that  thus  he  had  become  or  would  become  as  God,  he  was  driven 
out  of  the  garden  and  condemned. 

[2]  While  the  angels  were  engaged  in  this  conversation, 
there  came  two  priests  and  also  a  man  who  in  the  world  had 
been  a  royal  ambassador,  and  I  told  them  what  I  had  heard 
about  intelligence  and  wisdom  from  the  angels ;  hearing  whicli 
the  three  began  to  dispute  about  these,  and  also  about  prudence, 
whether  they  were  from  God  or  from  man.  The  dispute  was 
warm.  The  three  believed  alike  that  they  were  from  man,  be- 
cause this  is  the  testimony  of  sensation  itself  and  of  perception 
therefrom ;  but  the  priests,  who  at  the  time  were  influenced  by 
theological  zeal,  insisted  that  nothing  of  intelligence  or  wisdom, 
and  therefore  nothing  of  prudence,  is  from  man,  and  this  they 
confirmed  by  the  following  passages  from  the  Word : — 


N.  603] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


789 


A  man  can  take  nothing,  except  it  be  given  him  from  Heaven  {John 
iii.  27) 

Also  by  this  : — . 

Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  Without  Me  ye  are  unable  to  do  anything 
{John  XV.  6). 

[3]  Then,  because  the  angels  perceived  that  although  the 
priests  talked  so,  they  still  in  heart  believed  the  same  as  the 
royal  ambassador,  they  said  to  them,  "Lay  aside  your  gar- 
ments, and  put  on  the  garments  of  ministers  of  state,  and  be- 
lieve that  you  are  such."  They  did  so;  and  then  they  thought 
from  their  interior  selves,  and  spoke  according  to  the  opinions 
which  they  inwardly  cherished,  which  were,  that  all  intelli- 
gence and  wisdom  dwell  in  man  and  are  his ;  and  they  said, 
"Who  has  ever  felt  the  influx  of  these  from  God?''  And  they 
looked  at  one  another,  and  were  convinced. 

It  is  peculiar  to  the  spiritual  world  that  a  spirit  thinks  him- 
self to  be  such  as  his  dress  is.  This  is  because  in  that  world 
the  understanding  clothes  every  one. 

[4]  At  that  moment  a  tree  appeared  near  them,  and  it  was 
said  to  them,  "  That  is  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil ;  be  careful  not  to  eat  of  it."  Nevertheless,  infatuated  by 
their  own  intelligence,  they  burned  with  the  lust  to  eat  of  it, 
and  said  to  one  another,  "  Why  not  ?  Is  it  not  good  fruit  ?" 
And  they  drew  near  and  ate  of  it. 

When  the  royal  ambassador  observed  this  he  joined  them, 
and  they  became  hearty  friends;  and  holding  each  other  by 
the  hand  they  together  went  the  way  of  their  own  intelligence 
which  tended  towards  hell.  But  I  saw  them  brought  back 
therefrom,  because  they  were  not  yet  prepared. 

664.  Fourth  Memorable  Relation : — 

Once  I  looked  toward  the  right  in  the  spiritual  world,  and 
observed  some  of  the  elect  conversing  together.  I  approached 
them  and  said,  "  I  saw  you  at  a  distance,  and  there  was  round 
about  you  a  sphere  of  heavenly  light,  whereby  I  knew  that 
you  belonged  to  those  who  in  the  Word  are  called  ^  the  elect ;' 
therefore  I  drew  near  that  I  might  hear  what  heavenly  sub- 
ject you  were  talking  about." 

They  replied,  "  Why  do  you  call  us  the  elect  V'^ 


■ -'"^  -■^if^f^"^-       ^  - 


t.^^— --JJg'e-  !.-•% 


1  «^^^  *?■■-*—-'*—**'*!*■  ^*    AJiSJtUr'"-'-'^^ 


790 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


I  answered,  "  Because  in  the  world,  where  I  am  in  the  body, 
they  have  no  other  idea  than  that '  the  elect'  in  the  Word  mean 
those  who  are  elected  and  predestined  to  heaven  by  God  either 
before  or  after  they  are  born,  and  that  to  such  alone  faith  is 
given  as  a  token  of  their  election,  and  that  the  rest  are  held  as 
reprobates,  and  are  left  to  themselves,  to  go  to  hell  whichever 
way  they  please.  And  yet  I  know  that  no  election  takes  place 
before  birth,  nor  after  birth,  but  that  all  are  elected  and  pre- 
destined to  heaven,  because  all  are  called ;  also  that  after  their 
death  the  Lord  elects  those  who  have  lived  well  and  believed 
aright;  and  this  takes  place  after  they  have  been  examined. 
That  this  is  so  it  has  been  granted  me  to  learn  by  much  obser- 
vation. And  because  I  saw  that  your  heads  were  encircled  by 
a  sphere  of  heavenly  light,  I  had  a  perception  that  you  be- 
longed to  the  elect  who  are  preparing  for  heaven.'' 

To  this  they  replied,  "  You  are  telling  things  never  before 
heard.  Who  does  not  know  that  there  is  no  man  born  who  is 
not  called  to  heaven,  and  that  from  them  after  death  those  are 
elected  who  have  believed  in  the  Lord  and  have  lived  according 
to  His  commandments ;  and  that  to  acknowledge  any  other  elec- 
tion is  to  accuse  the  Lord  Himself  not  only  of  being  impotent 
to  save,  but  also  of  injustice  ?" 

665.  After  this  there  was  heard  a  voice  out  of  heaven  from 
the  angels  who  were  immediately  above  us,  saying,  ^'  Come  up 
hither,  and  we  will  question  one  of  you  (who  is  yet  in  the  body 
in  the  natural  world)  what  is  there  known  about  Conscience.-' 

And  we  went  up ;  and  when  we  had  entered,  some  wise  men 
came  to  meet  us,  and  asked  me,  "  What  is  known  in  your  world 
about  conscience  ?" 

I  replied, "  If  you  please,  let  us  descend  and  call  together 
both  from  the  laity  and  clergy,  a  number  of  those  who  are  es- 
teemed wise ;  and  we  will  stand  directly  beneath  you  and  will 
question  them ;  and  thus  with  your  own  ears  you  will  hear  what 
they  will  answer." 

This  was  done;  and  one  of  the  elect  took  a  trumpet  and 
sounded  it  toward  the  south,  north,  east,  and  west;  and  then 
after  a  brief  hour  so  many  were  present  as  almost  to  fill  the 
space  of  a  square  furlong.  But  the  angels  above  arranged 
them  all  in  four  assemblies,  one  consisting  of  statesmen,  an- 


1.  ..fr  ,.:.a.j.-''"-S8Ht  i 


N.  666] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


791 


other  of  scholars,  a  third  of  physicians,  and  a  foui-th  of  clergy- 
men. 

When  thus  arranged,  we  said  to  them,  "  Pardon  us  for  call- 
ing you  together ;  we  have  done  so  because  the  angels  who  are 
directly  above  us  are  eager  to  know  what  you  thought,  while 
in  the  world  in  which  you  formerly  were,  about  conscience, 
and  thus  what  you  still  think  about  it,  since  you  still  retain 
your  former  ideas  on  such  subjects;  for  it  has  been  reported  to 
the  angels  that  in  your  world  a  knowledge  of  conscience  is 
among  the  lost  knowledges." 

[2]  After  this  we  began,  and  turning  first  to  the  assembly 
composed  of  statesmen,  we  asked  them  to  tell  us  from  their 
hearts,  if  they  were  willing,  what  they  had  thought,  and  there- 
fore what  they  still  thought,  about  conscience. 

To  this  they  replied  one  after  another;  and  the  sum  of  their 
replies  was  that  they  knew  only  that  conscience  is  secum  scire 
(a  knowing  within  one's  self),  thus  conscire  (a  being  conscious) 
of  what  one  has  intended,  thought,  done  and  said. 

But  we  said,  « We  do  not  ask  about  the  etymology  of  the 
word  conscience,  but  about  conscience." 

And  they  answered,  "What  is  conscience  but  pain  arismg 
from  anxiety  about  the  loss  of  honor  or  wealth,  and  the  loss  of 
reputation  on  this  account?  But  this  pain  is  dispelled  by 
feasts  and  cups  of  generous  wine,  as  also  by  conversation  about 
the  sports  of  Venus  and  her  boy." 

[3]  To  this  we  replied,  "  You  are  jesting ;  tell  us,  if  you 
please,  whether  any  of  you  have  felt  any  anxiety  arising  from 
any  other  source." 

They  answered,  "What  other  source?  Is  not  the  whole 
world  like  a  stage  on  which  every  man  acts  his  part,  as  the 
player  does  on  his  stage?  We  cajole  and  circumvent  people, 
each  by  his  own  lust,  some  by  jests,  some  by  flattery,  some  by 
cunning,  some  by  pretended  friendship,  some  by  feigned  sin- 
cerity, and  some  by  various  political  arts  and  allurements. 
From  this  we  feel  no  mental  pain,  but  on  the  contrary,  cheer- 
fulness and  gladness,  which  we  quietly  but  fully  exhale  from 
an  expanded  breast.  We  have  heard  indeed  from  some  of  our 
class,  that  an  anxiety  and  a  sense  of  constriction,  as  it  were, 
of  the  heart  and  breast  has  sometimes  come  over  them,  cans- 


vj<b«v.»eL  j.iir-X,»;j.j<*t^iJ?*r.^i.  iSf»':-n4i^*-w8..i  j-a.aiia&'aiiateitfrgaagiwt.:^ 


MijfT^:JtJvi£s:y^4 


792 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


ing  a  sort  of  contraction  of  the  mind ;  but  when  they  asked  the 
apothecaries  about  it,  they  were  informed  that  their  trouble 
came  from  a  hypochondriacal  humor  arising  from  indigested 
substances  in  the  stomach,  or  from  a  disordered  state  of  the 
spleen ;  and  we  have  heard  that  some  of  these  were  restored  to 
their  former  cheerfulness  by  medicines.^' 

[4]  After  hearing  this,  we  turned  to  the  assembly  composed 
of  scholars,  among  whom  there  were  also  some  skilful  natural- 
ists, and  addressing  them,  we  said,  "  You  who  have  studied  the 
sciences,  and  therefore  are  supposed  to  be  oracles  of  wisdom, 
tell  us,  if  you  please  what  conscience  is." 

They  answered,  "  What  kind  of  a  question  for  consideration 
is  that  ?  We  have  heard,  indeed,  that  with  some  there  is  a  sad- 
ness, gloom,  and  anxiety,  which  infest  not  only  the  gastric  re- 
gions of  the  body,  but  also  the  abodes  of  the  mind ;  for  we  be- 
lieve that  the  two  brains  are  those  abodes,  and  because  they 
consist  of  containing  fibers,  that  there  is  some  acrid  humor, 
which  irritates,  gnaws  and  corrodes  the  fibers,  and  thus  com- 
presses the  sphere  of  the  mind's  thoughts,  so  that  it  cannot 
flow  forth  into  any  of  the  enjoyments  arising  from  variety. 
This  causes  a  man  to  fix  his  attention  upon  one  thing  only, 
and  this  destroys  the  tension  and  elasticity  of  these  fibers,  so 
that  they  become  numb  and  rigid.  All  this  gives  rise  to  an 
irregular  motion  of  the  animal  spirits,  which  by  physicians  is 
called  ataxy,  and  also  a  defective  performance  of  their  func- 
tions, which  is  called  lipothymia.  In  a  word,  the  mind  is  then 
situated  as  if  it  were  beset  by  hostile  forces,  nor  can  it  turn  it- 
self in  any  direction  any  more  tlian  a  wheel  fastened  with  nails, 
or  a  ship  stuck  fast  in  quicksands.  Such  oppression  of  mind 
and  consequently  of  the  chest,  afflicts  those  whose  ruling  love 
suffers  loss ;  for  if  this  love  is  assaulted,  the  fibers  of  the  brain 
contract,  and  this  contraction  prevents  the  mind  from  going 
out  freely  and  partaking  of  the  various  forms  of  enjoyment. 
Hallucinations  of  various  kinds,  madness,  and  delirium,  attack 
such  persons  during  these  crises,  each  according  to  his  temper- 
ament, and  some  are  affected  with  a  brain  sickness  in  religious 
matters,  which  they  call  remorse  of  conscience." 

[5]  After  this  we  turned  to  the  third  assembly,  which  was 
composed  of  physicians,  among  whom  were  also  some  surgeons 


N.  665] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


'93 


and  apothecaries.  And  we  said  to  them,  "  Perhaps  you  know 
what  conscience  is.  Is  it  a  grievous  pain  that  seizes  both  the 
head  and  the  parenchyma  of  the  heart,  and  from  these  the  sub- 
jacent regions,  the  epigastric  and  hypogastric  ?  Or  is  it  some- 
thing else  ?" 

They  replied,  "  Conscience  is  nothing  but  such  a  pain ;  we 
understand  its  origin  better  than  others ;  for  there  are  related 
diseases  that  affect  the  organic  parts  of  the  body  and  of  the 
head,  and  consequently  the  mind,  since  this  has  its  seat  in  the 
organs  of  the  brain  like  a  spider  in  the  midst  of  the  threads  of 
its  web,  by  means  of  which  it  runs  out  and  about  in  a  like  man- 
ner.   These  diseases  we  call  organic,  and  such  of  them  as  return 
at  intervals  we  call  chronic.    But  the  pain  which  has  been  de- 
scribed to  us  by  the  sick  as  a  pain  of  conscience,  is  nothing  but 
hypochondria,  which  primarily  affects  the  spleen,  and  second- 
arily the  pancreas  and  mesentery,  depriving  them  of  their  nor- 
mal functions;  hence  arise   stomachic  diseases,  from  which 
comes  deterioration  of  juices ;  for  there  takes  place  a  compres- 
sion about  the  orifice  of  the  stomach,  which  is  called  cardialgia ; 
from  these  diseases  arise  hvmiors  impregnated  with  black,  yel- 
low, or  green  bile,  by  which  the  smallest  blood-vessels,  which 
are  called  the  capillaries,  are  obstructed ;  and  this  is  the  cause 
of  cachexy,  atrophy,  and  symphysia,  also  bastard  pneumonia 
arising  from  sluggish  pituitous  matter,  and  ichorous  and  cor- 
roding lymph  throughout  the  entire  mass  of  the  blood.    Like 
consequences  arise  when  pus  makes  its  way  into  the  blood  and 
its  serum  from  the  breaking  of  pustules,  boils,  and  swellings 
in  the  body.    This  blood,  as  it  ascends  through  the  carotids  to 
the  head,  frets,  corrodes  and  eats  into  the  medullary  and  corti- 
cal substances,  and  the  meninges  of  the  brain,  and  thus  excites 
the  pains  that  are  called  pains  of  conscience." 

[6]  Hearing  this  we  said  to  them,  "  You  talk  the  language 
of  Hippocrates  and  Galen ;  these  things  are  Greek  to  us ;  we  do 
not  understand  them.  We  did  not  ask  you  about  these  dis- 
eases, but  about  conscience,  which  pertains  only  to  the  mind." 

They  said,  "  The  diseases  of  the  mind  and  those  of  the  head 
are  the  same,  and  the  latter  ascend  from  the  body ;  for  there  is 
a  connection  like  the  two  stories  of  one  house,  between  which 
is  a  stairway  by  which  one  can  ascend  or  descend.    We  know 


794 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION 


[Chap.  XI. 


therefore  that  the  state  of  the  mind  depends  inseparably  on 
the  state  of  the  body ;  but  we  have  cured  these  heavinesses  of 
the  head  or  headaches  (which  we  take  it  are  what  you  mean  by 
troubles  of  conscience),  some  by  plasters  and  blisters,  some  by 
infusions  and  emulsions,  and  some  by  stimulants  and  ano- 
dynes." 

[7]  When  therefore  we  had  heard  more  of  this  kind,  we 
turned  away  from  them  and  toward  the  clergy,  saying,  "  You 
know  what  conscience  is ;  tell  us  therefore  and  instruct  those 
present." 

They  replied,  ^'  What  conscience  is  we  know  and  we  do  not 
know.  We  have  believed  it  to  be  the  contrition  that  precedes 
election,  that  is,  the  moment  when  man  is  gifted  with  faith, 
through  which  he  obtains  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit,  and  is 
regenerated.  But  we  have  perceived  that  this  contrition  hap- 
pens to  but  few;  only  with  some  is  there  a  fear  and  consequent 
anxiety  about  hell-fire,  while  scarcely  any  one  is  troubled  about 
his  sins  and  the  consequent  just  anger  of  God.  But  we  con- 
fessors have  cured  such  by  the  gospel  that  Christ  took  away 
damnation  by  the  passion  of  the  cross  and  thus  extinguished 
hell-fire  and  opened  heaven  to  those  who  are  blessed  with  the 
faith  on  which  is  inscribed  the  imputation  of  the  merit  of  the 
Bon  of  God.  Moreover,  there  ai-e  conscientious  persons  of  dif- 
ferent religions,  botli  true  and  fanatical,  who  make  to  them- 
selves scruples  about  matters  of  salvation,  both  in  things  es- 
sential and  in  things  formal,  and  even  in  what  is  indifferent. 
Therefore,  as  we  have  said  before,  we  know  that  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  conscience,  but  what  and  of  what  nature  true  con- 
science is,  which  must  by  all  means  be  spiritual,  we  know 
not.'' 

666.  All  these  declarations  made  by  the  four  assemblies 
were  heard  by  the  angels  who  were  above  us,  and  they  said  to 
each  other,  "  We  see  that  there  is  no  one  in  Christendom  who 
knows  what  conscience  is ;  we  will  therefore  send  down  from 
us  one  who  will  instruct  them.'' 

And  immediately  there  stood  in  their  midst  an  angel  in  white 
clothing,  around  whose  head  appeared  a  bright  band  in  which 
there  were  little  stars.  This  angel  addressing  the  four  assem- 
blies said,  "We  have  heard  in  heaven  that  you  have  presented 


N.  me] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


795 


in  succession  your  opinions  about  conscience,  and  that  you  have 
all  regarded  it  as  some  mental  pain  which  infests  the  head  with 
heaviness,  and  from  that  the  body,  or  infests  the  body  and  from 
that  the  head.  But  conscience  viewed  in  itself  is  not  a  pain, 
but  a  spiritual  desire  to  act  in  accordance  with  whatever  per- 
tains to  religion  and  faith.  Hence  it  is  that  those  who  feel  de- 
light in  conscience  are  in  the  tranquillity  of  peace  and  interior 
blessedness  when  they  are  acting  in  accordance  with  their  con- 
science, and  in  a  kind  of  perturbation  when  they  are  acting 
contrary  to  it.  But  the  mental  pain  which  you  have  believed 
to  be  conscience,  is  not  conscie^ce  but  temptation,  which  is  a 
conflict  of  the  spirit  with  the  flesh;  and  this  conflict,  when  it 
is  spiritual,  has  its  origin  in  conscience ;  but  if  it  is  natural 
merely,  it  has  its  origin  in  those  diseases  which  the  physicians 
have  just  recounted." 

[2]  «  But  what  conscience  is  may  be  illustrated  by  examples ; 
A  priest  who  has  a  spiritual  desire  to  teach  truths  in  order 
that  his  flock  may  be  saved,  has  conscience ;  but  he  who  has 
any  other  end  in  view,  does  not  have  conscience.    A  judge  who 
regards  justice  exclusively,  and  executes  it  with  judgment,  has 
conscience;  but  a  judge  who  looks  primarily  to  reward,  friend- 
ship, or  favor,  has  not  conscience.    Again,  a  man  who  has  in 
his  possession  the  property  of  another,  the  other  not  knowing 
it,  and  who  is  thus  able  without  fear  of  the  law  or  loss  of 
honor  and  reputation,  to  keep  it  as  his  own,  and  yet,  because  it 
is  not  his,  restores  it  to  the  other,  has  conscience,  since  he  does 
what  is  just  for  the  sake  of  what  is  just.    So  again,  one  who 
can  obtain  an  oflice  but  who  knows  that  another  who  is  also 
seeking  it  would  be  more  useful  to  society,  and  yields  the  place 
to  him  for  the  sake  of  the  good  of  society,  has  a  good  con- 
science.   So  in  other  things.     [3]  All  who  have  conscience  say 
whatever  they  say  from  the  heart,  and  do  whatever  they  do 
from  the  heart ;  for  not  havmg  a  divided  mind  they  speak  and 
act  according  to  what  they  understand  and  believe  to  be  true 
and  good.    From  all  this  it  follows  that  a  more  perfect  con- 
science may  exist  with  those  who  have  more  of  the  truths  of 
faith  than  others,  and  who  have  a  clearer  perception  than 
others,  than  is  possible  with  those  who  are  less  enlightened  and 
whose  perception  is  obscure.    A  true  conscience  is  the  seat  of 


adg»^^.a.-lh  ■■,  .,v.=J«w---/ii^.AjaAiiaifctSi.«if 


796 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XL 


man's  spiritual  life  itself,  for  there  his  faith  in  conjoined  with 
charity ;  therefore  when  such  act  from  conscience  they  act  from 
their  spiritual  life,  but  when  they  act  contrary  to  conscience 
they  act  contrary  to  that  life.  Moreover,  does  not  every  one 
know  from  common  speech  what  conscience  is?  When  it  is 
said  of  any  one,  *  He  has  conscience,'  does  not  that  also  mean 
that  he  is  a  just  man  ?  But  on  the  other  hand,  when  it  is  said 
of  any  one,  '  He  has  no  conscience,'  does  it  not  mean  that  he  is 
also  unjust  ?" 

[4]  AVhen  the  angel  had  said  this  he  was  immediately  taken 
up  into  heaven ;  and  the  four  assemblies  came  together  as  one ; 
but  when  they  had  conversed  together  some  time  about  the  re- 
marks of  the  angel,  behold,  they  were  again  divided  into  four 
assemblies,  but  different  from  the  former.  One  contained  those 
who  comprehended  the  words  of  the  angels  and  assented  to 
them ;  a  second  those  who  did  not  comprehend  but  still  favored 
them  ;  a  third  those  who  did  not  wish  to  comprehend  them,  say- 
ing, "What  have  we  to  do  with  conscience?"  and  a  fourth 
those  who  laughed  at  what  was  said,  saying,  "What  is  con- 
science but  a  breath  of  wind?"  And  I  saw  the  four  bodies 
separating  from  one  another,  the  two  former  passing  to  the 
right  and  the  two  latter  to  the  left,  these  going  downward,  but 
the  others  upward. 


N.  667] 


BAPTISM 


9' 


4  \Ji 


CHAPTER   XII 


BAPTISM. 


WITHOUT     A    KNOWLEDGE    OF     THE     SPIRITUAL    SENSE    OF     THE 
WORD,    NO    ONE    CAN    KNOW    WHAT     THE    TWO    SAC- 
RAMENTS, BAPTISM    AND    THE    HOLY    SUP- 
PER,   INVOLVE    AND    EFFECT. 

667.  That  there  is  a  spiritual  sense  in  each  thing  and  every- 
thing of  the  Word,  and  that  this  sense  hitherto  has  been  un- 
known, but  has  now  been  disclosed  for  the  sake  of  the  New 
Church  which  is  to  be  established  by  the  Lord,  has  been  shown 
in  the  chapter  on  the  Sacred  Scripture.    The  nature  of  that 
sense  can  be  seen  both  in  that  chapter  and  in  the  chapter  on 
the  Decalogue,  which  is  explained  according  to  that  sense.    If 
that  sense  were  not  disclosed  who  could  think  of  the  two  sac- 
raments, baptism  and  the  holy  supper,  except  in  accordance 
with  the  natural  sense,  that  is,  the  sense  of  the  letter?    And 
in  that  case  he  would  say  or  murmur  to  himself,  "  Is  baptism 
anything  but  pouring  water  upon  a  child's  head,  and  what  has 
that  to  do  with  salvation  ?    And  is  the  holy  supper  anything 
but  a  partaking  of  bread  and  Avine,  and  does  it  contribute  any- 
thing to  salvation  ?    Moreover,  where  is  the  holiness  in  them, 
except  from  their  having  been  commanded  by  the  ecclesiastical 
order  and  accepted  as  holy  and  Divine  ?"    And  yet  in  them- 
selves they  are  mere  ceremonies,  which,  the  churches  assert, 
become  sacraments  when  to  these  elements  the  Word  of  God  is 
added.    I  appeal  to  the  laity,  and  also  to  the  clergy,  whether 
in  spirit  and  heart  they  have  had  any  other  conception  of  these 
two  sacraments,  and  whether  they  have  not  cherished  them  as 
Divine  from  a  variety  of  causes  and  reasons,  and  yet  these  two 
sacraments,  viewed  in  the  spiritual  sense,  are  the  holiest  things 
of  worship,  as  will  appear  hereafter  when  their  uses  come  to 
be  treated  of.    But  it  is  impossible  for  the  uses  of  these  two 
sacraments  to  enter  the  mind  of  any  one,  unless  those  uses  are 
disclosed  and  set  forth  by  the  spiritual  sense ;  therefore  it  fol- 


j^->«^v.;,^*.--.j^:  .,.^^^*..^..rs^.^  ..Afefaj.^L'K  ■^■'"-i'^iMijiraiiiffiri^iiiiiifi'iir'ii 


■.-^■?Yj<a-iW»»aEfia 


'98 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XU 


N.  669] 


BAPTISM 


'99 


lows  that  without  that  sense  no  one  can  know  that  the  sacra- 
ments are  anything  more  than  ceremonies,  which  are  holy  be- 
cause instituted  by  commandment. 

668.  That  baptism  was  commanded  is  made  clearly  evident 
by  John's  baptizing  in  Jordan,  to  which  Jerusalem  and  all 
Judea  went  out  (^Matt.  iii.  5,  6 ;  Mark  i.  4,  5) ;  also  by  this,  that 
the  Lord  our  Saviour  Himself  was  baptized  by  John  (Matt.  iii. 
13-17) ;  and  finally  that  He  commanded  His  disciples  to  baptize 
all  nations  (Matt  xxviii.  19).  Who  that  wishes  to  see  it,  does 
not  see  that  there  is  something  Divine  in  that  institution,  which 
has  hitherto  been  concealed,  because  the  spiritual  sense  of  the 
Word  has  not  before  been  revealed  ?  And  this  sense  is  now 
revealed,  because  the  Christian  church,  such  as  it  is  in  itself, 
is  just  now  in  its  very  beginning.  The  former  church  was 
Christian  in  name  only,  not  in  fact  and  essence. 

669.  The  two  sacraments,  baptism  and  the  holy  supper,  are 
in  the  Christian  church  like  two  gems  in  the  scepter  of  a  king ; 
but  if  their  uses  are  unknown  are  merely  like  two  figures  of 
ebony  on  a  staff.  These  two  sacraments  in  the  Christian  church 
may  also  be  likened  to  two  rubies  or  carbuncles  on  the  robe  of 
an  emperor,  but  if  their  uses  are  unknown  they  are  like  two 
carnelians  or  crystals  on  a  cloak.  Without  a  revelation  by 
means  of  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  uses  of  these  two  sacra- 
ments, there  would  be  nothing  but  scattered  conjectures  about 
them,  like  the  conjectures  of  those  who  practise  divination  by 
the  stars,  or  even  of  those  who  in  old  times  drew  auguries  from 
entrails  or  the  flight  of  birds.  The  uses  of  these  two  sacra- 
ments may  be  likened  to  a  temple,  which  by  reason  of  its  an- 
tiquity has  sunk  into  the  ground,  and  lies  buried  in  the  sur- 
rounding rubbish  even  to  the  roof,  over  which  old  and  young 
walk  and  ride  in  carriages  or  on  horses,  not  knoAv  ing  that  such  a 
temple  is  hidden  beneath  their  feet,  in  which  are  altars  of  gold, 
walls  inlaid  with  silver,  and  decorations  of  precious  stones. 
And  these  treasures  can  be  dug  up  and  brought  to  light  only 
by  means  of  the  spiritual  sense,  which  is  now  disclosed  for  the 
New  Church,  for  its  use  in  the  worship  of  the  Lord.  Again, 
these  sacraments  may  be  likened  to  a  double  temple,  one  be- 
low, the  other  above.  In  the  lower  one  the  gospel  of  the  Lord's 
new  coming  and  of  regeneration  and  consequent  salvation  by 


Him  is  preached ;  and  from  this  temple,  near  the  altar,  there 
is  a  way  of  ascent  to  the  higher  temple,  where  the  holy  supper 
is  celebrated;  and  from  it  is  the  passage  into  heaven,  where 
those  ascending  are  received  by  the  Lord.  Again,  they  may  be 
likened  to  a  tabernacle,  in  which  after  entering  there  are  seen 
the  table  on  which  the  bread  of  faces  is  arranged  in  its  order, 
also  the  golden  altar  for  incense,  and  between  these  the  candle- 
stick with  its  lighted  lamps,  by  which  all  these  things  are  made 
visible ;  and  at  length,  for  those  who  suffer  themselves  to  be 
illuminated,  the  veil  is  opened  to  the  holy  of  holies,  where,  in- 
stead of  the  ark,  which  formerly  contained  the  Decalogue,  the 
Word  is  placed,  over  which  is  the  mercy-seat  with  the  golden 
cherubs.  These  things  are  representations  of  the  two  sacra- 
ments and  their  uses. 


IL 

THE    WASHING    THAT     IS     CALLED     BAPTISM     MEANS     SPIRITUAL 

WASHING,    WHICH  IS   PURIFICATION   FROM   EVILS   AND 

FALSITIES,    AND    THUS    REGENERATION. 

670.  That  washings  wxre  commanded  the  children  of  Israel 
is  known  from  the  statutes  enacted  by  Moses, 

That  Aaron  should  wash  himself  before  putting  on  the  robes  of  his 
ministry  (Lev.  xvi.  4,  24)  ; 

And  before  coming  near  to  the  altar  to  minister  (Ex.  xxx.  18-21  ;  xl. 

30-32) ; 

Also  the  Levitts  (Num.  viii.  6,  7)  ; 

And  likewise  others  who  had  become  unclean  through  sins  ;  and  are 
said  to  be  sanctified  by  washings  (Ex.  xxix.  1,  4  ;  xl.  12  ;  Lev.  viii.  0). 

Therefore  in  order  that  they  might  wash  themselves,  the  molten  sea, 
and  many  baths  were  placed  near  the  temple  (1  Kings  vii.  23-39)  ; 

They  even  washed  vessels  and  utensils,  such  as  tables,  seats,  beds, 
plates  and  cups  {Lev.  xi.  32  ;  xiv.  8,  9  ;  xv.  5-12  ;  xvii.  15, 16  ;  Matt,  xxiii. 
25,  26). 

But  washings  and  many  like  things  were  enjoined  upon  and 
commanded  the  children  of  Israel,  because  the  church  insti- 
tuted among  them  was  a  representative  church,  and  this  was 
such  as  to  prefigure  the  Christian  church  that  was  to  come. 
Therefore  when  the  Lord  came  into  the  world,  He  annuled  rep- 


I^^Hg^CgUj^ 


itfi-iiffflfilJIiarWit-"-  -■«<-a=atii3iiBaL«jaai«i.M.«iM 


I 


800 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


resentatives,  which  were  all  external,  and  instituted  a  church 
all  things  of  which  were  to  be  internal ;  thus  the  Lord  banished 
figures,  and  revealed  the  veritable  forms,  as  one  withdraws  a 
veil  or  opens  a  door,  and  causes  interiors  not  only  to  be  seen, 
but  also  to  be  approached.  Of  all  these  representatives  the 
Lord  retained  but  two,  which  should  include  in  one  complex 
all  things  pertaining  to  the  internal  church.  These  two  are 
baptism  in  the  place  of  washings,  and  the  holy  supper  m  the 
place  of  the  lamb  which  was  sacrificed  each  day,  and  in  greater 
fulness  at  the  feast  of  the  passover. 

671.  That  the  above  mentioned  washings  figured  and  shad- 
owed forth,  that  is,  represented  spiritual  washings,  which  are 
purifications  from  evils  and  falsities,  is  clearly  evident  from 
the  following  passages : — 

\VTien  the  Lord  shall  have  washed  away  the  filth  of  the  daughters  of 
Zion,  and  shall  have  washed  away  its  blood  ;  in  the  spirit  of  judgment  and 
in  the  spirit  of  cleansing  {Isa.  iv.  4). 

Though  thou  shalt  wash  thee  with  lye,  and  take  thee  much  soap,  thine 
iniquity  shall  still  retain  its  spots  {Jer.  ii.  22  ;  Job.  ix.  30,  31). 

Wash  me  from  mine  iniquity,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow  {Ps.  li. 
2,7). 

Wash  thine  heart  from  wickedness,  O  Jerusalem,  that  thou  may  est  be 
saved  {Jer.  iv.  14). 

Wash  you,  make  you  clean  ;  put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings  from  be- 
fore Mine  eyes  ;  cease  to  do  evil  [Isg..  i.  1(3). 

That  the  washing  of  man's  spirit  was  meant  by  the  washing  of 
his  body,  and  that  the  internals  of  the  church  were  represented 
by  externals,  such  as  were  in  the  Israelitish  church,  is  very 
plain  from  these  words  of  the  Lord : — 

The  Pharisees  and  Scribes  seeing  that  some  of  His  disciples  ate  bread 
with  unwashen  hands,  found  fault ;  for  the  Pharisees,  and  all  the  Jews, 
except  they  wash  their  hands  to  the  fist,  eat  not ;  and  many  other  things 
there  be,  which  they  have  received  to  hold,  as  the  washing  of  cups  and 
pots,  brazen  vessels,  and  couches.  To  them  and  to  the  multitude  the 
Lord  said :  Hear  Me  all  of  you,  and  understand  ;  there  is  nothing  from 
without  a  man  that  entering  into  him  can  make  him  unclean  ;  but  the 
things  that  come  out  of  him,  make  him  unclean  (Mark  vii.  1-4,  14,  15 ; 
Matt.  XV.  2,  11,  17-20). 

And  elsewhere : — 

Woe  unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees  !  for  ye  cleanse  the  outside  of  the 
cup  and  the  platter,  but  within  they  are  full  from  extortion  and  excess. 


N.  C71] 


BAPTISM 


801 


Thou  blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  the  inside  of  the  cup  and  platter,  that 
the  outside  of  them  may  be  clean  also  {Matt,  xxiii.  25,  26). 

From  this  it  is  evident  that  the  washing  called  baptism  means 
spiritual  washing,  which  is  purification  from  evils  and  falsi- 
ties. 

672.  What  man  of  sound  reason  cannot  see  that  the  wash- 
ing of  the  face,  hands  and  feet,  or  of  all  the  limbs,  and  even 
the  whole  body  in  a  bath,  does  nothing  more  than  wash  away 
the  dirt,  that  men  may  appear  clean  in  the  human  form  before 
men  ?  And  who  cannot  understand  that  no  washing  enters  in- 
to man's  spirit  and  renders  that  equally  clean  ?  For  any  thief, 
plunderer  or  robber  may  wash  himself  until  he  shines ;  but  is 
the  disposition  to  steal,  plunder  and  rob  thereby  washed  away  ? 
Does  not  the  internal  flow  into  the  external  and  work  out  the 
effects  of  its  will  and  understanding,  but  not  the  external  into 
the  internal  ?  For  this  latter  is  contrary  to  nature,  because  it 
is  contrary  to  order;  but  the  former  is  according  to  nature,  be- 
cause it  is  according  to  order. 

673.  From  all  this  it  follows  that  neither  washings  nor  bap- 
tisms, unless  man's  internal  is  purified  from  evils  and  falsities, 
has  any  more  efiicacy  than  the  washing  of  cups  and  platters  by 
the  Jews,  or  (as  follows  in  that  same  passage)  than  the  white- 
ning of  sepulchres,  which  appear  beautiful  without,  but  within 
are  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  all  uncleanness  (3Iatt.  xxiii. 
25-28) ;  and  this  is  further  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  hells 
are  full  of  satans  who  were  once  men,  baptized  as  well  as  un- 
baptized.  But  what  baptism  does  accomplish  will  appear  in 
what  follows.  So  without  its  uses  and  fruits,  baptism  contrib- 
utes no  more  to  salvation  than  the  triple  miter  on  the  pope's 
head  or  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  his  shoes  contributes  to  his 
pontifical  supereminence ;  no  more  than  the  purple  robe  on  a 
cardinal  contributes  to  his  dignity,  or  the  pallium  of  a  bishop 
to  the  proper  discharge  of  his  ministerial  duties ;  no  more  than 
the  throne,  crown,  scepter  and  royal  robe  of  a  king  to  his  regal 
power,  or  the  silken  cap  on  the  head  of  a  laureled  doctor  to  his 
intelligence;  or  than  the  standards  carried  before  troops  of  cav- 
alry to  their  bravery  in  war;  and  it  may  even  be  said,  that  a 
man  is  no  more  purified  by  baptism  than  a  sheep  or  a  lamb  is 
by  being  washed  before  shearing,  for  the  natural  man  separate 

51 


802 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XU. 


from  the  spiritual  is  a  mere  animal,  and  indeed,  as  before 
shown,  is  more  of  a  wild  beast  than  a  wild  beast  of  the  forest; 
so  that  were  you  to  be  washed  with  the  water  of  rain  or  dew, 
or  of  most  excellent  fountains,  or,  as  the  prophets  say,  if  you 
were  to  be  cleansed  daily  with  niter,  hyssop  or  soap,  you  can 
be  purified  from  your  iniquities  only  by  means  of  regeneration. 
These  means  have  been  treated  of  in  the  chapters  on  Repent- 
ance, and  on  Reformation  and  Regeneration. 


III. 


BECAUSE    CIRCUMCISION"    OF    THE    FORESKIN    REPRESENTED    CIR- 
CUMCISION   OF    THE    HEART,    IN    THE    PLACE    OF    CIRCUMCI- 
SION   BAPTISM    WAS    INSTITUTED,    IN    ORDER   THAT    AN 
INTERNAL    CHURCH    MIGHT    SUCCEED  THE  EXTER- 
NAL, WHICH   IN  EACH  AND  ALL  THINGS  PRE- 
FIGURED   THE    INTERNAL    CHURCH. 

674.  It  is  well  known  in  the  Christian  world  that  there  is 
an  internal  and  an  external  man,  and  that  the  external  is  the 
same  as  the  natural  man,  and  the  internal  the  same  as  the 
spiritual  man,  because  man's  spirit  is  in  it;  also,  since  the 
church  consists  of  men  that  there  is  an  internal  church  and 
an  external  church.  And  when  churches  are  viewed  in  the 
order  of  their  succession  from  ancient  times  to  the  present,  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  former  churches  were  external,  that  is, 
that  their  worship  consisted  of  externals  which  represented 
the  internals  of  the  Christian  church  which  was  founded  by 
the  Lord  when  He  was  in  the  world,  and  which  is  now  for  the 
first  time  being  built  up  by  Him.  That  which  primarily  dis- 
tinguished the  Israelitish  church  from  the  other  churches  in 
Asia,  and  afterward  from  the  Christian  church,  was  circumci- 
sion. And  because,  as  before  said,  all  things  of  the  Israelitish 
church,  being  external,  prefigured  all  things  in  the  Christian 
church,  which  are  internal,  so  the  especial  sign  of  that  church 
was  interiorly  like  the  sign  of  the  Christian  church ;  circum- 


N.  674] 


BAPTISM 


803 


cision  signifying  the  rejection  of  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  and 
thus  purification  from  evils,  and  baptism  having  the  same 
signification;  from  which  it  is  clear  that  baptism  was  com- 
manded in  the  x)lace  of  circumcision,  in  order  that  the  Chris- 
tian church  miglit  not  only  be  distinguished  from  the  Jewish, 
but  also  might  thus  be  more  clearly  recognized  as  an  internal 
church;  which  is  clearly  seen  from  the  uses  of  baptism,  of 

which  presently. 

675.  That  circumcision  was  instituted  as  a  sign  that  the 
men  of  the  Israelitish  church  were  of  the  posterity  of  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  appears  from  the  following  :— 

God  said  unto  Abraham,  This  is  the  covenant  with  Me,  which  ye 
shall  keep  between  Me  and  you  and  thy  seed  after  thee.  Every  child 
male  among  you  shall  be  circumcised.  And  ye  shall  circumcise  the  flesh 
of  your  foreskin  that  it  may  be  a  token  of  the  covenant  betwixt  Me  and 
you  {Gen.  xvii.  0-11). 

This  covenant,  or  its  token,  was  afterward  confirmed  by  Moses 
(Lev.  xii.  1-3).  And  as  that  church  was  distinguished  from 
others  by  this  sign,  so  before  the  sons  of  Israel  had  passed 
over  Jordan  they  were  commanded  to  be  circumcised  again 
(Josh.  V.) ;  and  for  the  reason  that  the  land  of  Canaan  repre- 
sented the  church,  and  the  river  Jordan  introduction  into  it. 
And  furthermore,  in  order  that  they  might  remember  that  to- 
ken even  in  the  land  of  Canaan  itself,  it  was  commanded 
them : — 

When  ye  shall  come  into  the  land,  and  shall  have  planted  all  manner 
of  trees  for  food,  then  ye  shall  count  the  fruits  thereof  as  their  uncir- 
cumcision  ;  three  years  shall  they  be  as  uncircumcised  unto  you,  and  not 
be  eaten  {Lev.  xix.  23). 

[2]  That  circumcision  represented  and  therefore  signified  the 
rejection  of  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  and  thus  purification  from 
evils,  the  same  as  baptism,  is  evident  from  the  passages  in  the 
Word  where  they  are  told  to  circumcise  their  hearts,  as  in  the 
following : — 

Moses  said.  Circumcise  therefore  the  foreskin  of  your  heart,  and 
harden  not  your  neck  (Deut.  x.  16). 

And  Jehovah  thy  God  will  circumcise  thine  heart,  and  the  heart  of  thy 
seed,  that  thou  mayest  love  Jehovah  thy  God  with  all  thine  heart,  and 
with  all  thy  soul,  that  thou  mayest  live  (Deut.  xxx.  6). 


804 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


And  m.  Jeremiah: — 

Circumcise  yourselves  to  Jehovah,  to  take  away  the  foreskins  of  your 
heart,  ye  men  of  Judah  and  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  lest  my  anger  go 
forth  like  fire,  because  of  the  evil  of  your  doings  (iv.  4). 

And  in  Paul : — 

For  in  Jesus  Christ  neither  circumcision  availeth  anything,  nor  uncir- 
cumcision,  but  faith  working  through  love  and  a  new  creature  {Gal  \ 
6 ;  vi.  15). 

[3]  From  all  this  it  is  now  clear  that  baptism  was  instituted 
in  place  of  circumcision,  because  the  circumcision  of  the  flesh 
represented  circumcision  of  the  heart,  which  also  signifies 
purification  from  evils,  for  all  kinds  of  evil  arise  from  the 
heart,  and  "the  foreskin''  signifies  its  filthy  loves.  Because 
circumcision  and  baptism  have  a  like  signification,  it  is  said 
in  Jeremiah : — 

Circumcise  yourselves  to  Jehovah,  to  take  away  the  foreskins  of  your 
heart  (iv.  4)  ; 

and  a  little  after : — 

Wash  thine  heart  from  wickedness,  O  Jerusalem,  that  thou  mayest 
be  saved  (verse  14). 

What  circumcision  is,  and  the  washing  of  the  heart,  the  Lord 
teaches  in  Matthew  (xv.  18,  19). 

676.  There  were  many  among  the  sons  of  Israel  who  be- 
lieved that  they  were  elected  in  preference  to  all  others,  be- 
cause of  their  having  been  circumcised,  and  many  among  the 
Jews  at  this  day  who  so  believe,  and  many  among  Christians 
have  the  same  belief  because  of  their  having  been  baptized; 
and  yet  both  circumcision  and  baptism  were  given  solely  as  a 
sign  and  memorial  that  the  recipients  thereof  were  to  be  puri- 
fied from  evils,  and  thus  become  elect.  What  is  an  external 
in  man  without  an  internal  but  like  a  temple  without  worship, 
which  is  of  no  use  except  perhaps  as  a  stable  ?  And,  further, 
what  is  an  external  without  an  internal  but  like  a  field  full  of 
reeds  and  rushes  without  grain,  or  like  a  vineyard  consisting 
merely  of  vines  and  leaves  without  grapes,  or  like  the  fig-tree 
without  fruit,  which  the  Lord  cursed  {Matt.  xxi.  19),  or  like 
the  lamps  without  oil  in  the  hands  of  the  foolish  virgins 
{Matt.  XXV.  3)  ?     Or  even  what  is  it  but  like  a  dwelling-place 


N.  676] 


BAPTISM 


805 


in  a  tomb,  where  there  are  dead  bodies  under  foot,  bones 
around  the  walls,  and  specters  of  the  night  flitting  beneath  the 
roof,  or  like  a  carriage  drawn  by  leopards,  with  a  wolf  for  a 
driver  and  a  fool  for  its  occupant  ?  For  the  external  man  is 
not  a  man,  but  only  the  figure  of  a  man ;  the  internal,  which 
is  to  be  wise  from  God,  is  what  constitutes  man.  So  is  it  with 
one  circumcised  and  baptized,  unless  he  circumcises  or  washes 
his  heart. 


► 


IV. 

THE  FIRST  USE  OF  BAPTISM    IS  IXTRODUCTIOX  IXTO   THE  CHRIS- 
TIAN CHURCH,  AND  AT  THE   SAME  TIME   INSERTION  AMONG 
CHRISTIANS    IN   THE   SPIRITUAL    WORLD. 

677.  That  baptism  is  introduction  into  the  Christian  church 
is  evident  from  many  considerations,  such  as  the  following : 
(i.)  Baptism  was  instituted  in  the  j^lace  of  circumcision ;  and 
as  circumcision  was  a  sign  that  those  circumcised  were  of  the 
Israelitish  church,  so  is  baptism  a  sign  that  those  baptized  are 
of  the  C'hristian  church,  as  shown  in  the  preceding  section ; 
and  a  sign  is  nothing  more  than  a  means  of  recognition,  just  as 
swaddling  clothes  of  different  colors  are  put  on  the  children 
of  two  mothers,  to  distinguish  them  and  prevent  their  being 
changed,  (ii.)  [2]  That  it  is  merely  a  sign  of  introduction 
into  the  church,  is  made  clear  by  the  baptizing  of  infants,  who 
are  wholly  destitute  of  reason  and  are  no  more  able  to  receive 
anything  pertaining  to  faith  than  the  young  branches  of  a 
tree,  (iii.)  [3]  jSTot  only  are  infants  baptized  but  all  foreign 
proselytes  who  are  converted  to  the  Christian  religion,  both 
the  young  and  the  old,  and  this  before  they  have  been  instruct- 
ed, solely  because  they  confess  a  wish  to  embrace  Christianity, 
into  which  they  are  introduced  by  baptism,  this  same  having 
been  dcfne  by  the  apostles,  according  to  the  Lord's  command. 

That  the  disciples  should  make  disciples  of  all  nations,  and  baptize 
them  {Matt,  xxviii.  19). 

(iv.)  [4]  Again  : — 

John  baptized  in  Jordan  all  who  came  to  him  from  Judea  and  Jerusa- 
lem {Matt.  iii.  5,  6  ;  Mark  i.  6). 


jttita^iiMiAriii 


806 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XU. 


He  baptized  in  Jordan  for  the  reason  that  entrance  into  the 
land  of  Canaan  was  through  that  river,  and  "the  land  of 
Canaan"  signified  the  church,  because  the  church  was  there ; 
and  so  "the  Jordan"  signified  introduction  into  the  church. 
That  "the  land  of  Canaan"  signified  the  church,  and  "the 
Jordan"  introduction  into  it,  may  be  seen  in  the  Apocalypse 
Revealed  (n.  285).  [5]  All  this,  however,  is  what  takes  place 
on  earth.  But  in  the  heavens  infants  are  introduced  by  baj)- 
tisni  into  the  Christian  heaven,  and  angels  are  there  assigned 
them  by  the  Lord,  to  take  care  of  them.  Therefore  as  soon 
as  infants  are  baptized,  angels  are  appointed  over  them,  by 
whom  they  are  kept  in  a  state  to  receive  faith  in  the  Lord ; 
but  as  they  grow  up,  and  begin  to  exercise  self-control  and 
be  governed  by  their  own  reason,  these  guardian  angels  leave 
them,  and  they  draw  into  association  with  themselves  such 
spirits  as  make  one  with  their  life  and  faith.  From  all  this  it 
is  clear  that  baptism  is  insertion  among  Christians  in  the  spir- 
itual world  also. 

678.  The  reason  why  not  only  infants  but  all  others,  are  by 
baptism  inserted  among  Christians  in  the  spiritual  world,  is, 
that  it  is  by  their  religions  that  peoples  and  nations  in  that 
world  are  distinguished  from  each  other.  The  Christians  are 
in  the  middle,  the  Mohammedans  are  round  about  them,  after 
them  come  idolaters  of  various  kinds,  and  the  Jews  are  at  the 
sides.  Moreover,  all  who  are  of  the  same  religion  are  arranged 
in  societies  in  heaven  in  accordance  with  their  affections  of  love 
to  God  and  love  toward  the  neighbor,  and  in  hell  in  assemblies 
in  accordance  with  affections  that  are  the  opposites  of  those 
two  loves,  that  is,  in  accordance  with  the  lusts  of  evil.  In  the 
spiritual  world,  by  which  both  heaven  and  hell  are  meant,  all 
things  both  as  a  whole  and  in  every  part,  or  in  general  and  in 
every  particular,  are  most  distinctly  arranged ;  upon  this  dis- 
tinct arrangement  there  the  preservation  of  the  whole  universe 
depends;  and  such  distinguishing  is  impossible,  unless  every 
one  after  he  is  born  can  be  recognized  by  some  sign  showing  to 
what  religious  body  he  belongs.  For  without  the  Christian 
sign,  which  is  baptism,  some  Mohammedan  or  some  idolatrous 
spirit  might  attach  himself  to  newly-born  Christian  children, 
or  even  to  youths,  and  breathe  into  them  an  inclination  towards 


N.  678] 


BAPTISM 


807 


his  religion,  and  thus  distract  their  minds  and  alienate  them 
from  Christianity,  which  would  be  a  distortion  and  destruction 
of  spiritual  order. 

679.  Every  one  who  traces  effects  back  to  their  causes  may 
know  that  the  consistence  of  all  things  depends  on  order ;  and 
that  there  are  many  kinds  of  order,  general  and  particular ;  and 
that  there  is  one  order  which  is  the  most  universal  of  all,  and 
on  which  depends  the  general  and  particular  kinds  in  con- 
nected series;  also  that  this  most  universal  order  enters  into 
all  the  others  as  the  essence  itself  into  its  forms,  and  that  thus 
and  not  otherwise  do  they  make  one.    It  is  this  unity  that  ef- 
fects the  preservation  of  the  whole,  which  would  otherwise  fall 
asunder,  and  relapse  not  only  into  primal  chaos,  but  into  noth- 
ing.   How  would  it  be  with  man  if  each  thing  and  all  things 
in  his  body  were  not  most  distinctly  arranged  and  this  commu- 
nity of  parts  made  dependent  on  one  heart  and  one  pair  of 
lungs  ?    Otherwise,  what  would  follow  but  confusion?    Could 
the  stomach  then  perform  its  functions,  the  liver  and  pancreas 
theirs,  the  mesentery  and  mesocolon  theirs,  the  kidneys  and  in- 
testines theirs  ?    It  is  because  of  the  order  in  them  and  among 
them,  that  they  each  and  all  appear  to  man  as  one.    And  in  the 
mind  or  spirit  of  man  if  there  were  no  distinct  order,  and  if  this 
community  of  parts  did  not  depend  on  the  will  and  understand- 
ing, what  would  there  be  but  a  confused  and  indigested  some- 
thing?   Without  such  an  order  could  a  man  exercise  thought 
and  will  any  more  than  his  picture  on  a  tablet,  or  his  statue  in 
his  house  ?   What  would  man  be  without  a  most  perfectly  ar- 
ranged influx  from  heaven  and  the  reception  of  it?    And  what 
would  this  influx  be  without  a  most  universal  one  on  which  the 
government  of  the  whole  and  of  all  its  parts  depends,  that  is  to 
say,  unless  it  depended  on  God,  and  unless  all  things  had  their 
being,  and  lived  and  moved  in  Him  and  from  Him  ?    For  the 
natural  man  this  may  be  illustrated  by  innumerable  things, 
such  as  the  following :    Without  order  what  would  an  empire 
or  kingdom  be  but  a  gang  of  robbers,  a  large  body  of  whom 
would  slay  thousands,  a  few  at  least  slaying  these  many  ? 
What  is  a  city  without  order,  or  even  a  household  without 
order?    And  what  is  a  kingdom,  a  city,  or  a  household  with- 
some  one  in  each  acting  the  part  of  head  ? 


"'■•'■^■•i,ia.i«eJiaia*j*«.\aft-  ■ 


lHa-- 


808 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


680.  Furthermore,  what  is  order  without  distinction,  and 
what  is  distinction  without  its  evidences,  and  what  are  evi- 
dences without  signs  by  which  qualities  are  recognized  ?  For 
without  an  acquaintance  with  the  qualities  order  is  not  recog- 
nized as  order.  In  empires  and  kingdoms  the  signs  or  marks  of 
distinction  are  titles  of  rank,  and  the  administrative  rights  at- 
tached to  them;  and  from  this  comes  subordination,  by  means 
of  which  all  are  co-ordinated  as  it  were  into  a  one.  In  this 
way  the  king  exercises  his  royal  power,  which  is  distributed 
among  many  according  to  order,  and  it  is  from  this  that  the 
kingdom  becomes  a  kingdom.  It  is  the  same  in  many  other 
matters,  as  for  example  in  armies.  What  power  would  they 
have  if  they  were  not  distinctly  organized  into  regiments,  these 
into  battalions,  and  these  again  into  companies,  with  subordi- 
nate officers  each,  and  over  all  one  commander-in-chief?  And 
what  would  those  arrangements  amount  to  without  the  signs 
called  standards,  which  indicate  the  proper  station  for  each? 
By  such  means  in  battle  all  act  as  a  one,  while  without  them 
they  would  rush  upon  the  enemy  merely  like  a  pack  of  hounds 
with  open  mouths,  yells,  and  empty  fury ;  and  then,  with  their 
courage  gone,  they  would  be  in  gloriously  cut  in  pieces  by  the 
enemy  formed  in  well-ordered  ranks;  for  what  can  those  who 
are  divided  do  against  those  who  are  united  ?  Hereby  is  illus- 
trated this  first  use  of  baptism,  which  is,  to  serve  as  a  sign  in 
the  spiritual  world  that  the  one  baptized  belongs  to  Christians, 
for  in  that  world  every  one  is  inserted  into  societies  and.  con- 
gregations according  to  the  quality  of  the  Christianity  in  him  or 
outside  of  him. 


V. 

THE    SECOND    USE    OF    BAPTISM    IS,    THAT    THE    CHRISTIAN    MAY 

KNOW    AND     ACKNOWLEDGE     THE    LORD    JESUS    CHRIST, 

THE  REDEEMER  AND  SAVIOUR,  AND  FOLLOW  HIM. 

681.  This  second  use  of  baptism,  which  is  to  know  and 
acknowledge  the  Lord,  the  Redeemer  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,  inseparably  follows  the  first,  which  is  introduction  in- 
to the  Christian  church  and  insertion  among  Christians  in  the 
spiritual  world.     And  what  is  this  first  use  but  a  mere  name 


N.  681] 


BAPTISM 


800 


unless  the  second  follows?  Is  it  not  really  like  a  subject  who 
attaches  himself  to  a  king,  and  yet  repudiates  the  king's  laws 
or  those  of  the  country,  and  yields  allegiance  to  a  foreign 
king  and  serves  him ;  or  like  a  servant  who  binds  himself  to 
some  master,  accepting  his  livery  as  a  token  thereof,  and  then 
runs  away  and  serves  another  master  in  the  livery  of  the  first ; 
or  like  a  standard-bearer  who  runs  away  with  the  standard  and 
cuts  it  in  pieces,  throwing  the  pieces  in  the  air  or  under  the 
feet  of  the  soldiers  to  be  trodden  upon  ?  In  a  word,  to  have 
the  name  of  being  a  Christian,  that  is,  of  belonging  to  Christ, 
and  yet  not  acknowledging  and  following  Him,  that  is,  livnig 
according  to  His  commandments,  is  a  thing  as  empty  as  a 
shadow,  as  smoke,  or  as  a  blackened  picture ;  for  the  Lord 
says : — 

Why  call  ye  Me,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things  that  I  say  ?  {Luke  vi.  4(>, 

*^^Many  will  say  to  Me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord  ;  and  then  will  I  profess 
unto  them,  I  know  you  not  {Matt.  vii.  22,  23). 

682.  "The  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  means  in  the 
Word  nothing  else  than  acknowledgment  of  Him,  and  a  life 
according  to  His.  commandments.  The  reason  why  His  name 
has  that  signification  may  be  seen  in  the  explanation  of  the 
second  commandment  of  the  Decalogue : — 

Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  God  in  vain  {Exod.  xx.  7). 
Nothing  else  is  meant  by  the  name  of  the  Lord  in  the  follow- 
ing passages : — 

Jesus  said,  Ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  nations  for  My  name's  sake  {Matt 

X.  22 ;  xxiv.  9,  10).  ^  t  - 

Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  My  name,  there  am  1  ni 

the  midst  of  them  {Matt,  xviii.  20). 

As  many  as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become  sons  ot 
God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  His  name  {John  i.  12). 

Many  believed  in  His  name  {John  ii.  23). 

He  that  believeth  not  hath  been  judged  already,  because  he  hath  not 
believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God  {John  ui.  17,  18). 

Those  who  believe  shall  have  life  in  His  name  {John  xx.  31). 

For  My  name's  sake  thou  hast  labored,  and  hast  not  famted  {Apoc. 
ii.  3).     (And  elsewhere.) 

[2]  Who  does  not  see  that  "the  name  of  the  Lord"  in  these 
passages  does  not  mean  merely  His  name,  but  the  acknowl- 


810 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [CaAP.  XII. 


N.  683] 


BAPTISM 


811 


edgraent  of  Him  as  being  the  Redeemer  and  Saviour,  together 
with  obedience,  and  finally  faith  in  Him  ?  For  in  baptism  the 
child  receives  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  the  forehead  and  breast, 
which  is  a  sign  of  initiation  into  the  acknowledgment  arid 
worship  of  the  Lord.  "  Name ''  also  means  the  quality  of  any 
one  ;  because  in  the  spiritual  world  every  one  is  named  accord- 
ing to  his  quality ;  therefore  a  man's  taking  the  name  Chris- 
tian means  his  quality, — that  he  has  from  Christ  faith  in 
Christ  and  charity  toward  the  neighbor.  Such  is  the  meaning 
of  "  name''  in  the  Apocalypse  : — 

The  Son  of  man  said,  Thou  hast  a  few  names  even  in  Sardis  who  have 
not  defiled  their  garments  and  they  shall  walk  with  Me  in  white,  for 
they  are  worthy  (iii.  4). 

**  Walking  witli  the  Son  of  man  in  white  "  signifies  following 
the  Lord  and  living  according  to  the  truths  of  His  Word. 
"  Name  "  has  the  same  meaning  in  John : — 

Jesus"  said,  The  sheep  hear  His  voice,  and  He  calleth  His  own  sheep 
by  name,  and  leadeth  them  out ;  He  goeth  before  them  and  the  sheep 
follow  Him,  for  they  know  His  voice  ;  and  a  stranger  they  do  not  follow, 
they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers  (x.  3-5). 

"  By  naiffie  "  means  by  their  quality,  that  they  are  Christians  ; 
and  "to  follow  Him"  is  to  hear  His  voice,  that  is,  to  obey 
His  commandments.  All  receive  this  name  in  baptism,  for  it 
is  involved  in  that  sign. 

683.  What  is  a  name  without  the  reality  but  an  empty 
thing,  or  a  sound  like  the  echo  given  back  by  the  trees  of  a 
forest  or  by  vaulted  buildings,  or  like  the  almost  lifeless  voice 
of  dreamers,  the  noise  of  the  wind,  of  the  sea,  or  of  some  use- 
less machinery  ?  What  but  emptiness  is  the  name  even  of  a 
king,  a  duke,  a  consul,  a  bishop,  an  abbot,  or  a  monk,  without 
the  office  attached  to  the  name  ?  So  what  is  the  name  Chris- 
tian so  long  as  the  man  lives  like  a  barbarian,  and  contrary  to 
the  precepts  of  Christ,  but  like  looking  to  the  sign  of  Satan 
instead  of  the  sign  of  Christ,  although  in  baptism  Christ's 
name  is  interwoven  in  golden  threads  ?  What  but  rebels  and 
regicides  are  those  who  having  received  the  sign  of  Christ,  de- 
ride His  worship,  mock  at  His  name,  and  acknowledge  Him 
not  as  the  Son  of  God  but  of  Joseph  ?  And  what  are  their 
words  but  blasphemies  against  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  cannot 


be  forgiven  either  in  this  world  or  in  the  next?  These  like 
dogs  with  open  jaws  bite  at  the  Word,  and  tear  it  to  pieces 
with  their  teeth.  With  such,  as  against  Christ  and  the  wor- 
ship of  Christ :— • 

All  tables  are  full  of  the  vomit  of  filthiness  {Ua.  xxviii.  8  ;  Jer,  xlviii. 
26). 
And  yet  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is. 

The  Son  of  the  Most  High  {Lukey  32,  35); 
The  only  begotten  {John  i.  18  ;  iii.  10) ; 

The  true  God  and  eternal  life  (1  Jolin  v.  20);  ,^  ,  ..   q, 

In  whom  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily  (Co/,  u  9); 
And  is  not  the  son  of  Joseph  {}latL  i.  25).    (And  thousands  of  other 
passages.) 


\ 


VI. 

THE   THIRD    USE   OF   BAPTISM,    WHICH    IS    THTl    FINAL   USE,    IS 

THAT    MAN    MAY    BE    REGENEKATED. 

684  This  is  the  essential  use  for  the  sake  of  which  bap- 
tism exists,  and-  thus  the  final  one.  This  is  because  the  true 
Christian  knows  and  acknowledges  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  the 
Redeemer,  who,  as  being  the  Redeemer  is  also  the  Regenera- 
tor (that  redemption  and  regeneration  make  one  may  be  seen 
in  section  third  of  the  chapter  on  Reformation  and  Regenera- 
tion); also  because  a  Christian  possesses  the  W  ord,  m  which 
the  means  of  regeneration  are  plainly  described,  those  means 
being  faith  in  the  Lord  and  charity  toward  the  neighbor,  ihis 
is  identical  with  what  is  said  of  the  Lord,  that, 

He  baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  fire  (iAatt.  iii.  11  ;  ilo.rk  i. 
8-11  ;  Luke  iii.  16  ;  John  i.  3.3). 

"The  Holy  Spirit"  means  the  Divine  truth  of  faith,  and  "fire" 
the  Divine  good  of  love  or  charity,  both  proceeding  from  the 
Lord  (That  "the  Holy  Spirit"  means  the  Divme  truth  ot 
faith  may  be  seen  in  the  chapter  on  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  that 
"  fire"  means  the  Divine  good  of  love  may  be  seen  m  the  Apoc- 
alypse Revealed,  n.  396,  468.)  By  means  of  these  two,  all  re- 
generation is  effected  by  the  Lord. 


812 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


N.  085] 


BAPTISM 


813 


The  Lord  Himself  was  baptized  by  John  (Matt.  iii.  13-17  :  Mark  i  9  • 
Luke  iii.  21,  22). 

This  He  did  not  only  that  He  might  institute  baptism  for  the 
future,  Himself  setting  the  example,  but  also  l)ecause  He  glori- 
fied His  Human  and  made  it  Divine,  as  He  regenerates  man 
and  renders  him  spiritual. 

685.  Frcftn  what  has  been  said  now  and  heretofore  it  can  be 
seen  that  the  three  uses  of  baptism  cohere  as  a  unit,  like  first 
cause,  mediate  cause,  which  is  the  efficient  cause,  and  last 
cause,  which  is  the  effect  and  the  end  itself,  for  the  sake  of 
which  the  former  exist;  for  the  first  use  is  that  the  man  may 
be  called  a  Christian;  the  second,  following  from  this,  is  that 
he  may  know  and  acknowledge  the  Lord  the  Redeemer,  Re- 
generator and  Saviour ;  and  the  third  that  he  may  be  regener- 
ated by  Him;  and  when  this  is  done  man  is  redeemed  and 
saved.  As  these  three  uses  follow  in  order,  and  are  conjoined 
in  the  last,  and  consequently  in  the  conception  of  the  angels 
cohere  as  a  unit,  so  when  baptism  is  i)erfornied,  read  of  in  the 
Word,  or  mentioned,  the  angels  who  are  present  do  not  under- 
stand baptism,  but  regeneration.  Therefore,  by  these  words 
of  the  Lord : — 

He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  condemned  {Mark  xvi.  10), 

the  angels  in  heaven  understand  that  he  who  acknowledges 
the  Lord  and  is  regenerated  will  be  saved.  And  for  this  reason 
baptism  is  called  by  the  Christian  churches  on  earth  the  laver 
of  regeneration.  Let  every  Christian  know,  then,  that  he  who 
does  not  believe  in  the  Lord  even  though  he  has  been  baptized, 
cannot  be  regenerated.  Also  that  baptism  without  faith  in  the 
Lord  has  no  effect  whatever,  may  be  seen  above,  in  the  second 
section  of  this  chapter  (n.  673).  Every  Christian  is  well 
aware  that  baptism  involves  purification  from  evils,  and  thus 
regeneration,  for  when  he  is  baptized  in  infancy,  the  priest 
with  his  finger  makes  the  sign  of  the  cross,  as  a  memorial  of 
the  Lord,  on  his  forehead  and  breast,  and  afterwards  turns  to 
his  sponsors  and  asks  whether  he  renounces  the  devil  and  all 
his  works,  and  accepts  the  faith ;  to  which  the  sponsors,  in  the 
place  of  the  infant,  answer,  "Yes."    The  renunciation  of  the 


devil,  that  is,  of  the  evils  that  are  from  hell,  and  faith  m  the 
Lord,  are  what  effect  regeneration. 

686    It  is  said  in  the  Word  that  the  Lord  God  our  Redeem- 
er baptizes  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  fire,  which  means 
that  the  Lord  regenerates  man  by  the  Divine  truth  of  faith 
and  the  Divine  good  of  love  or  charity  (as  may  be  seen  above 
in  the  first  number  of  this  section).    Those  who  have  been  re- 
generated by  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  is,  by  the  Divine  truth  of 
faith  are  distinct  in  the  heavens  from  those  who  are  regener- 
ated by  fire,  that  is,  by  the  Divine  good  of  love.    Those  who 
have  been  regenerated  by  the  Divine  truth  of  faith  walk  in 
heaven  in  raiment  of  white  linen,  and  are  called  spiritual 
angels ;  but  those  who  have  been  regenerated  by  the  Divine 
good  of  love  walk  in  purple  raiment,  and  are  called  celestial 
angels.    Those  who  go  clothed  in  white  raiment  are  meant  by 
the  following : — 

They  follow  the  Lamb  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean  {Apoc. 

xix  14). 

Thev  shall  walk  with  Me  in  white  {Apoc.  iii.  4  ;  also  vii.  14). 

The  angels  seen  at  the  Lord's  sepulchre  clothed  in  white  and  shniing 
garments  {Matt  xxviii.  3  ;  Luke  xxiv.  4). 

They  were  of  this  class,  because  ^^fine  linen"  signifies  the 
righteousness  of  the  saints  (Apoc  xix.  8,  where  this  is  direct- 
ly stated)  That  "garments"  in  the  Word  signify  truths,  and 
^^garments  of  white"  and  "fine  linen"  signify  Divine  truths, 
may  be  seen  in  the  Apocalypse  Revealed,  where  this  is  shown 
(n  379).  Those  who  have  been  regenerated  by  the  Divine 
good  of  love  are  clothed  in  purple  garments,  because  purple  is 
the  color  of  love,  which  color  it  derives  from  the  fire  of  the 
sun  and  its  redness.  (That  this  signifies  love  may  be  seen  in 
the  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  468,  725.)  It  was  because  "gar- 
ments" signify  truths,  that  he  who  was  found  among  those 
called  to  the  wedding  not  clothed  with  a  wedding  garment, 
was  turned   out  and   cast  into  outer   darkness   {Matt.  xxii. 

687  Furthermore,  baptism  as  regeneration  is  represented 
by  many  things  both  in  heaven  and  in  the  world;  in  heaven, 
as  lust  said,  by  white  and  purple  garments,  also  by  the  mar- 
riage of  the  church  with  the  Lord,  also  by  the  new  heaven  and 


% 


ii..i 


814 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


the  new  earth,  and  the  New  Jerusalem  descending  therefrom, 
of  which  He  who  sat  upon  the  throne,  said : — 

Behold,  I  make  all  things  new  {Apoc.  xxi.  1-5); 

And  by  the  river  of  living  water  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God 
and  the  Lamb  {Apoc.  xxii.  1,  2); 

Also  by  the  five  prudent  virgins  who  had  lamps  and  oil,  and  went  in 
with  the  bridegroom  to  the  marriage  feast  {Matt.  xxv.  1,  2,  10). 

One  who  is  baptized,  that  is  regenerated,  is  meant  by, 

Creature  {Mark  xvi.  15 ;  Rom.  viii.  19-21); 
and  by, 

A  new  creature  (2  Cor.  v.  17  ;  Gal.  vi.  15); 

for  he  is  called  ^^a  creature''  from  his  being  created;  and  this 
also  signifies  to  be  regenerated  (as  may  be  seen  in  the  Jjjoca- 
hjpse  ReveaUil,  n.  254).     [2]  In  the  world  regeneration  is  re- 
presented by  various  things,  as  by  the  blossoming  of  all  things 
on  earth  in  spring,  and  by  the  gradual  development  of  the 
blossoms  even  to  the  fruit;  also  by  the  growth  of  every  tree, 
shrub  and  flower,  from  the  first  warm  month  to  the  last.     It 
is  also  represented  by  the  progressive  ripening  of  all  kinds  of 
fruit  from  the  earliest  germ  to  the  end  of  the  process;  then 
again  by  morning  and  evening  showers,  and  by  dews,  at  the 
coming  of  which  the  flowers  open,  while  they  close  at  the  ap- 
proach of  the  darkness  of  night ;  also  by  the  fragrance  from 
gardens  and  fields;  by  the  rainbow  in  the  cloud  {Gen.  ix.  14- 
17) ;  by  the  resplendent  colors  of  the  dawn ;  and  in  general  by 
the  continual  renovation  of  everything  in  the  body  by  means 
of  the  chyle  and  the  animal  spirit,  and  consequently  by  the 
blood.     The  purification  of  this  from  exhausted  material,  and 
its  renovation,  and  seeming  regeneration,  are  perpetual.     [3] 
If  we  turn  our  thoughts  to  the  more  insignificant  things  on 
earth,  an  image  of  regeneration  is  presented  in  the  wonderful 
transformation  of  the  silk-worm  and  other  worms  into  nymphs 
and  butterflies,  and  of  still  other  kinds  which  after  a  time  are 
provided  with  wings ;  to  which  may  be  added  still  more  tri- 
fling matters,  as  the  desire  of  certain  birds  to  plunge  them- 
selves into  water  for  the  sake  of  washing  and  cleansing  them- 
selves, after  which  they  return  as  warblers  to  their  songs.     In 
a  word,  the  whole  world  from  what  is  first  to  what  is  last  in 
it  is  full  of  representations  and  types  of  regeneration. 


N.  688] 


BAPTISM 


VII. 


815 


BY  THE  BAPTISM  OF  JOHN  A  WAY  WAS   PREPARED,  THAT   JEHO- 
VAH THE  LORD   MIGHT   DESCEND   INTO   THE  WORLD 
AND    ACCOMPLISH    REDEMPTION. 

688.  It  is  written  in  Malachi: — 

Behold,  I  send  My  messenger,  and  he  shall  prepare  the  way  before 
Me  ;  and  the  Lord  whom  ye  seek  shall  suddenly  come  to  His  temple,  even 
the  messenger  of  the  covenant,  whom  ye  long  for.  Who  will  abide  the 
day  of  His  coming,  and  who  will  stand  when  He  shall  appear  ?  (iii.  1,  2). 

And  again : — 

Behold,  I  will  send  you  Elijah  the  prophet,  before  the  great  and  ter- 
rible day  of  Jehovah  comes ;  lest  I  come  and  smite  the  earth  with  a 
curse  (iv.  5,  6). 
And  Zacharias  the  father,  prophesying  of  his  son  John,  says  :— 

Thou,  child,  shalt  be  called  the  prophet  of  the  Most  High ;  for  thou 
Shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord  to  make  ready  His  ways  {Luke  i.  76). 

And  the  Lord  Himself  says  of  this  same  John : — 

This  is  he  of  whom  it  is  written.  Behold,  I  send  My  angel  before  Thy 
face,  who  shall  prepare  Thy  way  before  Thee  {Luke  vii.  27). 

From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  this  John  was  the  prophet  sent 
to  make  ready  the  way  of  Jehovah  God,  who  should  descend 
into  the  world  and  accomplish  redemption ;  and  that  he  made 
ready  that  way  by  baptism,  and  by  announcing  the  coming  of 
the  Lord ;  and  that  without  such  preparation  all  on  earth  would 
have  been  smitten  with  a  curse  and  would  have  perished. 

689.  The  way  was  prepared  by  the  baptism  of  John,  be- 
cause by  means  of  that  baptism,  as  shown  above,  men  were  in- 
troduced into  the  future  church  of  the  Lord,  and  in  heaven 
were  inserted  among  those  who  were  there  looking  for  and 
longing  for  the  Messiah ;  and  they  were  thus  guarded  by  angels, 
that  devils  from  hell  might  not  break  forth  and  destroy  them. 
Wherefore  it  is  written  in  Malachi: — 

Who  shall  abide  the  day  of  His  coming  ?  and  lest  Jehovah  come  and 
smite  the  earth  with  a  curse  (iii.  2  ;  iv.  6). 

So  also  in  Isaiah : — 

Behold,  the  day  of  Jehovah  cometh,  cruel  and  of  indignation,  and  of 
wrath  of  anger ;  I  will  move  heaven  and  the  land  shall  be  shaken  out  of 


I 


816 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


its  place,  in  the  day  of  the  wrath  of  His  anger  (xiii.  6,  9,  13,  22  ;  xxii.  5, 
12). 

A  gain,  in  Jeremiali : — 

That  day  is  called  a  day  of  wasting,  of  vengeance,  and  of  destruction 
(iv.  9 ;  vii.  32 ;  xlvi.  10,  21  ;  xlvii.  4 ;  xlix.  8,  26). 

In  Ezekiel : — 

A  day  of  wrath,  of  cloud  and  of  thick  darkness  (xiii.  5 ;  xxx.  2,  3,  9  ; 
xxxiv.  11,  12  ;  xxxviii.  14,  16,  18,  19). 

Also  in  Amos: — 

(V.  13,  18,  20 ;  viii.  3,  9,  13). 

And  in  Joel: — 

The  day  of  Jehovah  is  great  and  very  terrible,  and  who  can  abide  it  ? 
(ii.  1,  2,  11;  iii.  2,  4). 

And  in  Zephaniah  : — 

In  that  day  there  shall  be  the  noise  of  a  cry,  that  the  great  day  of  Je- 
hovah is  near,  that  that  is  a  day  of  wrath,  a  day  of  trouble  and  distress, 
a  day  of  wasteness  and  desolation,  that  in  the  day  of  Jehovah's  wrath  the 
whole  land  shall  be  devoured,  and  that  He  will  make  a  consummation 
with  all  them  that  dwell  in  the  land  (i.  7-18).    (Besides  other  passages.) 

From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  unless  a  way  had  been  made  ready 
for  Jehovah  when  He  was  descending  into  the  world,  by  means 
of  baptism,  the  effect  of  which  in  heaven  was  to  close  up  the 
hells  and  guard  the  Jews  against  total  destruction  [they  would 
all  have  perished].    Jehovah  also  says  to  Moses : — 

In  one  moment  if  I  come  up  into  the  midst  of  thee  I  will  consume  the 
people  {Ex.  xxxiii.  5). 

That  it  is  so  is  very  clear  from  the  words  of  John  to  the  mul- 
titudes going  out  to  him  to  be  baptized  : — 

Ye  offspring  of  vipers,  who  hath  warned  you  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to 
come  ?  {Matt.  iii.  7  ;  Luke  iii.  7). 

That  John  when  he  was  baptizing  taught  Christ  and  His  com- 
ing is  evident  from  {Luke  iii.  16;  John  i.  26,  26,  31-33 ;  iii.  26). 
All  this  makes  clear  how  John  prepared  the  way. 

690.  As  to  the  baptism  of  John;  it  represented  this  cleans- 
ing of  the  external  man ;  while  the  baptism  of  Christians  at  the 


N.  690] 


BAPTISM 


817 


present  day  represents  the  cleansing  of  the  internal  man,  which 
is  regeneration.  It  is  therefore  written  that  John  baptized 
with  water,  but  that  the  Lord  baptized  with  the  Holy  Spirit 
and  with  lire,  and  therefore  John's  baptism  is  called  the  bap- 
tism of  repentance  {Matt.  iii.  11 ;  Mark  i.  4,  5 ;  Luke  iii.  3, 
16 ;  John  i.  25,  26,  33 ;  Acts  i.  22 ;  x.  37 ;  xviii.  25).  The 
Jews  who  were  baptized  were  merely  external  men,  and  with- 
out faith  in  Christ  the  external  man  cannot  become  internal 
That  those  who  were  baptized  with  the  baptism  of  John,  be- 
came internal  men  when  they  received  the  faith  in  Christ, 
and  were  then  baptized  in  tlie  name  of  Jesus,  may  be  seen  in 
Acts  (xix.  3-6). 

691.  Moses  said  to  Jehovah: — 

Show  me  Thy  glory.  Jehovah  said  to  him.  Thou  canst  not  see  My  faces, 
for  man  shall  not  see  Me  and  live.  And  Jehovah  said,  Behold,  there  is 
a  place  where  thou  shalt  stand  upon  a  rock,  and  I  will  put  thee  in  a  hole 
of  the  rock,  and  will  cover  thee  with  My  hand  until  I  shall  have  passed 
by  ;  and  when  I  shall  take  away  My  hand  thou  shalt  see  My  hinder  parts  ; 
but  My  faces  shall  not  be  seen  {Ex.  xxxiii.  18-23). 

Man  cannot  see  God  and  live  for  the  reason  that  God  is  love 
itself,  and  love  itself  or  Divine  love  in  the  spiritual  world 
appears  before  the  angels  as  a  sun,  distant  from  them  as  the 
sun  of  our  world  is  from  men.  Therefore,  if  God,  who  is  in 
the  midst  of  that  sun,  were  to  draw  near  to  the  angels,  they 
would  perish,  as  men  would  if  the  sun  of  the  world  were 
to  draw  near  to  them ;  for  the  spiritual  sun  is  equally  hot. 
[2]  For  this  reason  there  are  perpetual  temperings,  which 
modify  and  moderate  the  heat  of  this  love,  so  that  it  may 
not  inflow  into  heaven  as  it  is  in  itself;  for  the  angels  would 
be  thereby  consumed.  Therefore  when  the  Lord  renders  Him- 
self more  immediately  present  in  heaven,  the  wicked  who  are 
beneath  heaven  begin  to  lament,  to  be  tortured,  and  to  lose 
life,  so  that  they  flee  into  caves  and  clefts  of  mountains,  crymg 
out: — 

Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne 
{Apoc.  vi.  16 ;  Isa.  ii.  19,  21). 

It  is  not  the  Lord  Himself  who  descends,  but  an  angel  with  a 
sphere  of  love  from  the  Lord  encompassing  him.    I  have  sev- 

62 


818 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


eral  times  seen  the  wicked  terrified  by  that  descent,  as  if  they 
saw  death  itself  before  their  eyes,  some  casting  themselves 
deeper  and  deeper  into  hell,  and  some  driven  to  fury.     [3]  This 
explains  why  the  children  of  Israel  prepared  themselves  for 
three  days  before  the  descent  of  Jehovah  the  Lord  upon  Mount 
Sinai,  and  the  INIount  was  fenced  about,  lest  any  one  should 
come  near  it  and  die  {Ex.  xix.).    The  same  is  true  of  the  holi- 
ness of  Jehovah  the  Lord  in  the  Decalogue  then  promulgated, 
and  written  by  the  finger  of  God  on  two  tables,  and  afterward 
deposited  in  the  ark,  over  which  in  the  tabernacle  the  mercy- 
seat  was  placed,  and  over  this  again  the  cherubs,  lest  any  one 
should  touch  that  holiness  immediately  with  hand  or  eye.   Not 
even  Aaron  could  go  near  to  it,  except  once  a  year,  and  after 
he  had  made  expiation  for  himself  by  sacrifices  and  incense- 
offermgs.    W  For  the  same  reason  the  people  of  Ekron  and 
Bethshemesh  died  to  the  number  of  several  thousands  merely 
because  they  looked  into  the  ark  (1  Sam.  v.  11, 12;  vi.  19),  as 
did  Uzzah  also,  because  he  touched  it  (2  Sam.  vi.  6,  7).    These 
few  instances  illustrate  with  what  a  curse  and  destruction  the 
Jews  would  have  been  smitten  if  they  had  not  been  prepared 
by  the  baptism  of  John  for  receiving  the  Messiah,  who  was 
Jehovah  God  in  the  human  form,  and  if  He  had  not  assumed 
the  Human  and  thus  revealed  Himself;  also  that  there  was 
this  further  preparation  that  in  heaven  they  were  enrolled  and 
numbered  with  those  who  in  heart  were  waiting  for  and  long- 
ing for  the  Messiah,  for  which  reason  angels  were  then  sent 
and  made  guardians  over  them. 

692.  To  this  I  will  add  the  following  Memorable  Relations. 

First: — 

When  returning  home  from  a  school  of  wisdom  (see  n.  48), 
I  saw  on  the  way  an  angel  in  violet-colored  clothing.  He  came 
up  beside  me  and  said,  « I  see  that  you  have  come  from  a 
school  of  wisdom  and  are  delighted  with  what  you  have  there 
heard.  And  as  I  perceive  that  you  are  not  fully  in  this  world, 
being  at  the  same  time  in  the  natural  world,  and  therefore 
know  nothing  about  our  Olympic  gymnasia  where  the  old  So- 
phi  meet,  and  where  they  learn  from  the  new-comers  from 
your  world  what  changes  and  successions  of  state  wisdom  has 
undergone  and  is  still  undergoing,  if  you  wish,  I  will  conduct 


N.  692] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


819 


you  to  a  place  where  many  of  the  ancient  Sophi  and  their 
sons,  that  is,  their  disciples,  dwell." 

And  he  conducted  me  to  the  border  between  the  north  and 
east-  and  when  1  looked  forward  into  it  from  an  eminence, 
behold,  a  city  appeared,  and  at  one  side  of  it  two  hills,  the  one 
nearer  to  the  city  being  the  lower.  And  the  angel  said  to  me, 
"  That  city  is  called  Athen^um,  the  lower  hill  Parnassium, 
and  the  higher  Heliconeum.  They  are  so  named  because  m 
and  about  the  city  the  old  Grecian  sages  dwell,  such  as  Py- 
thagoras, Socrates,  Aristippus,  and  Xenophon,  with  their  dis- 
ciples and  scholars."  .  -,  .,    ^  ..i, 

I  asked  about  Plato  and  Aristotle,  and  he  said  that  they 
with  their  followers  inhabit  another  region,  because  they 
taught  rational  things,  which  pertain  to  the  understanding, 
while  the  others  taught  morals,  which  pertain  to  life. 

[2]  He  said  that  studious  persons  were  frequently  sent 
from  the  city  Athenseum  to  the  Christian  literati,  to  learn 
from  them  what  they  think  at  this  day  about  God,  the  crea- 
tion of  the  universe,  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  the  state  of 
man  relative  to  that  of  beasts,  and  other  subjects  of  interior 
wisdom.  He  said  also,  that  a  herald  had  this  day  proclaimed 
a  meeting,  an  indication  that  their  messengers  had  met  with 
new-comers  from  the  earth,  from  whom  they  had  heard  some 

curious  things.  ^^        -.  a 

And  we  saw  a  number  of  persons  going  from  the  city  and 
suburbs,  some  having  laurels  on  their  heads,  some  holding 
palms  m  their  hands,  some  with  books  under  their  arms,  and 
some  with  quills  under  the  hair  of  the  left  temple.  [3]  We 
mino-led  with  them  and  ascended  the  hill  in  their  company; 
and  "behold,  on  the  hill  was  an  octagonal  palace,  which  they 
called  the  Palladium ;  and  we  entered.  And  behold,  there 
were  eight  sexagonal  recesses  there,  in  each  one  of  which  was 
a  library,  and  also  a  table  at  which  those  crowned  with  laurel 
sat;  and  in  the  Palladium  itself  seats  cut  in  stone  were  seen, 
upon  which  the  others  seated  themselves. 

A  door  was  then  opened  at  the  left,  through  which  were 
ushered  two  new-comers  from  the  earth ;  and  after  salutations, 
one  of  those  crowned  with  laurel  asked  them,  "What  news 
from  earth?" 


820 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


They  said,  "  The  news  is  that  men  like  beasts,  or  beasts  like 
men,  have  been  found  in  a  forest,  whose  faces  and  bodies 
showed  that  they  had  been  born  men,  and  had  been  left  or 
lost  in  the  forest  when  two  or  three  years  old ;  and  it  was 
claimed  that  they  were  unable  to  give  expression  by  sound  to 
anything  of  thought,  or  to  learn  to  articulate  any  word ;  nor 
did  they,  like  beasts,  know  the  food  that  was  suitable  for 
them,  but  put  into  their  mouths  the  productions  of  the  forest, 
whether  clean  or  unclean ;  and  many  such  things  were  said  of 
them.  From  all  this  some  learned  men  among  us  have  formed 
suppositions  and  others  conclusions  in  regard  to  the  state  of 
men  as  related  to  that  of  beasts.'' 

[4]  Hearing  this,  some  of  the  ancient  Sophi  asked,  "  What 
suppositions  and  conclusions  do  they  draw  from  these  facts  ?  " 

The  two  new-comers  answered,  "Many;  but  they  may  be 
referred  to  the  following:  1.  That  man  by  his  nature,  and 
also  by  birth,  is  more  stupid  and  therefore  lower  than  any 
beast;  and  that  he  becomes  such  if  not  instructed.  2.  That 
he  could  be  instructed,  because  he  had  learned  to  make 
articulate  sounds,  and  consequently  to  speak;  and  that  he 
thereby  began  to  express  thoughts,  and  this  gradually  more 
and  more  fully,  so  that  he  is  now  able  to  frame  laws  of  so- 
ciety, some  of  which  however,  are  impressed  upon  beasts  from 
birth.  3.  That  rationality  belongs  as  much  to  beasts  as  to 
men.  4.  Therefore,  if  beasts  were  able  to  speak,  they  would 
reason  as  skilfully  as  men  on  any  subject,  a  proof  of  which 
is,  that  they  think  from  reason  and  prudence  equally  with 
men.  5.  That  the  understanding  is  a  mere  modification  of 
light  from  the  sun,  heat  co-operating  and  the  ether  being  the 
medium;  thus  it  is  a  mere  activity  of  interior  nature;  and 
this  can  be  exalted  to  such  a  degree  as  to  appear  like  wis- 
dom. 6.  That  it  is  therefore  vain  to  believe  that  man  lives 
after  death  any  more  than  a  beast,  excei)t,  perhaps,  that  for 
some  days  after  death,  owing  to  the  exhalation  of  life  from 
the  body,  he  may  appear  like  mist  in  the  form  of  a  ghost,  be^ 
fore  he  is  dissipated  into  nature;  almost  as  a  shrub  raised 
from  its  ashes  appears  in  a  resemblance  of  its  own  form.  7. 
Consequently  religion,  which  teaches  that  there  is  a  life  af- 
ter death,  is  an  invention  to  hold  simple  people  in  bondage 


N.  692] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


821 


by  its  laws  internally,  as  they  are  held  externally  by  civil 

laws." 

To  this  they  added  that  those  who  are  merely  ingenious  so 
reasoned,  but  not  the  intelligent.  The  Sophi  asked,  "  What 
do  the  intelligent  think  ?  " 

They  said,  "We  have  not  heard;  but  that  is  our  opinion." 
[5]  Hearing  this,  all  those  who  were  seated  at  the  tables 
exclaimed,  "Oh  what  times  they  have  now  on  earth!    Alas! 
what  changes  wisdom  has  undergone!    It  is  turned  into  an 
infatuated  ingenuity.    The  sun  has  gone  down,  and  is  beneath 
the  earth  directly  opposite  to  its  noonday  height.    Who  might 
not  know  from  the  evidence  furnished  by  those  persons  lost  in 
the  forest  and  found  again,  that  such  is  man  when  not  in- 
structed ?  Is  he  not  what  instruction  makes  him  ?  Is  he  not 
born  more  ignorant  than  the  beasts  ?    Must  he  not  learn  to 
walk  and  talk  ?    If  he  were  not  taught  to  walk,  would  he  raise 
himself  erect  upon  his  feet  ?    And  without  learning  to  talk 
could  he  even  murmur  anything  of  thought?    Is   not  every 
man  Avhat  instruction  makes  him,  unwise  from  falsities  or  wise 
from  truths ;  and  is  not  the  one  who  is  unwise  from  falsities 
under  a  complete  hallucination  that  he  is  wiser  than  the  one 
who  is  wise  ?    Are  there  not  infatuated  and  senseless  men, 
who  are  no  more  men  than  those  found  in  the  w^oods  ?    Are 
not  those  who  are  devoid  of  memory  like  them?     [6]  From 
all  these  instances  we  conclude  that  a  man  without  instruc- 
tion is  not  a  man,  neither  is  he  a  beast,  but  a  form  capable  of 
receiving  into  itself  that  which  makes  it  a  man ;  thus  man  is 
not  born  a  man,  but  is  made  a  man,  furthermore,  that  man  is 
born  such  a  form  as  to  be  an  organ  receptive  of  life  from  God, 
to  the  end  th[it  he  may  be  a  subject  into  whom  God  may  bring 
every  good,  and  make  him  blessed  for  ever  by  union  with  Him- 
self.   AYe  perceive  from  your  remarks  that  wisdom  is  at  this 
day  so  far  extinguished  or  infatuated,  that  men  know  nothing 
whatever  of  the  state  of  their  own  life  relative  to  that  of  beasts ; 
and  for  that  reason  they  are  ignorant  of  the  state  of  man's  life 
after  death ;  and  those  who  are  able  to  know  about  this,  W  do 
not  wish  to,  and  consequently  deny  it,  as  many  of  your  Chris- 
tians do,  we  may  liken  to  those  found  in  the  forest ;  not  that 
they  have  become  thus  stupid  from  lack  of  instruction,  but 


:,..i;j&iB^ife  flgiBBiiaafcrffl&iAa'^--'--^-^'^  ^i^^u.-^^.  ■■*^MilViMiKiiftWJBg-kaw<S''^"°^"-'''-''SiB!^^ 


82! 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


they  have  made  themselves  thus  stupid  by  the  fallacies  of  the 
senses,  which  are  the  obscuration  of  truths." 

[7]  But  just  then  some  one  standing  in  the  center  of  the 
Palladium  holding  a  pahn  in  his  hand,  said,  ''Explain,  I  pray 
you,  this  mystery ;  how  man,  having  been  created  a  form  of 
God,  could  be  changed  into  the  form  of  the  devil.  I  know  that 
the  angels  of  heaven  are  forms  of  God,  and  the  spirits  of  hell 
forms  of  the  devil ;  and  the  two  forms  are  opposites,  the  latter 
being  forms  of  insanity,  the  former  of  wisdom.  Tell  me,  there- 
fore, how  a  man  created  a  form  of  God,  could  pass  from  day 
into  such  a  night  as  to  be  able  to  deny  God  and  eternal  life." 

To  this  the  teachers  answered  in  order :  First  the  Pytha- 
goreans, then  the  disciples  of  Socrates,  and  then  the  others. 

But  there  was  among  them  a  Platonist,  who  spoke  last,  and 
his   opinion  i)revailed.    It  was  as  follows :  "  The  men  of  the 
Saturnian  or  golden  age  knew  and  acknowledged  that  they 
were  forms  receptive  of  life  from  God,  and  consequently  wis- 
dom was  inscribed  on  their  souls  and  hearts,  and  thus  they 
saw  truth  from  the  light  of  truth,  and  through  truths  had  a 
perception  of  good  from  the  delight  pertaining  to  the  love  of 
good.    But  as  the  human  race  departed  in  succeeding  ages  from 
the  acknowledgment  that  all  truth  of  wisdom,  and  consequent- 
ly all  good  of  love  in  them,  flows  in  continually  from  God, 
they  ceased  to  be  dwelling-places  of  God ;  and  converse  with 
God  and  affiliation  with  angels  also  ceased.    For  the  interiors 
of  their  minds,  which  had  been  raised  upward  by  God  to  God, 
were  then  turned  from  their  proper  direction  to  one  more  and 
more  oblique,  outwardly  into  the  world,  and  thus  through  the 
world  to  God  from  God ;  and  finally  they  were  turned  in  the 
opposite  direction,  which  is  downward  to  self.    And  as  a  man 
who  is  thus  interiorly  inverted  and  turned  away  cannot  look 
to  God,  men  have  separated  themselves  from  God,  and  have 
become  forms  of  hell,  and  thus  of  the  devil.    From  this  it  fol- 
lows, that  in  the  first  ages  men  acknowledged  in  heart  and 
soul  that  all  good  of  love,  and  all  truth  of  wisdom  therefrom 
came  to  them  from  God,  and  also  were  God's  in  them ;  thus 
that  they  were  mere  receptacles  of  life  from  God,  and  were 
therefore  called  images  of  God,  sons  of  God,  and  born  of  God ; 
but  in  succeeding  ages  they  acknowledged  this  not  with  the 


N.  692] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIRST 


823 


heart  and  soul,  but  with  a  kind  of  persuasive  faith,  then  with 
a  historic  faith,  and  finally  with  the  lips  only ;  and  acknowl- 
edo-ing  such  a  truth  with  the  lips  only  is  not  acknowledging  it, 
but  in  heart  is  denying  it.  [8]  All  this  shows  the  kind  of 
wisdom  that  now  prevails  on  earth  among  Christians  (although 
they  might  be  inspired  by  a  written  revelation  from  God)  for 
they  do  not  even  know  the  distinction  between  men  and  beasts, 
and  in  consequence  many  believe  that  if  man  lives  after  death, 
beasts  must  live  after  death  also ;  or  that  as  beasts  do  not  live 
after  death,  therefore  man  does  not.  Has  not  our  spiritual 
light,  which  illuminates  the  mental  vision,  become  thick  dark- 
ness among  them,  and  their  natural  light,  which  illuminates 
the  bodily  vision  only,  become  splendor  ?" 

[9]  After  this  the  assembly  all  turned  toward  the  two  visit- 
ors and  thanked  them  for  their  visit  and  the  account  they  had 
given ;  they  also  begged  of  them  to  report  what  they  had  heard 

to  their  brethren.  ,    •    -u    i.i 

The  visitors  answered  that  they  would  confirm  their  breth- 
ren in  this  truth,  that  so  far  as  they  attribute  all  the  good  of 
charity  and  truth  of  faith  to  the  Lord,  and  not  to  themselves, 
so  far  they  are  men,  and  become  angels  of  heaven. 
693.  Second  Memorable  Relation: — 

Some  weeks  after  this  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying, 
*'  There  is  again  a  meeting  on  Parnassium ;  come,  we  will  show 

you  the  way."  , 

I  went ;  and  when  I  came  near,  I  saw  one  standing  on  Heli- 
coneum  with  a  trumpet,  with  which  he  proclaimed  and  ap- 
pointed the  meeting.  And  I  saw  persons  going  up  as  before 
from  the  city  Athenaeum  and  its  borders,  and  in  their  midst 
three  new-comers  from  the  world.  These  were  from  among 
Christians ;  one  a  priest,  the  second  a  politician,  and  the  third 
a  philosopher.  The  others  entertained  them  on  the  way  with 
varied  conversation,  especially  about  some  ancient  wise  men 
whom  they  named.  The  new-comers  asked  if  they  should  see 
these,  and  were  told  that  they  would,  and  might  be  introduced 
to  them  if  they  wished,  as  they  were  affable. 

They  asked  about  Demosthenes,  Diogenes,  and  Epicurus,  and 
were  told,  "  Demosthenes  is  not  here,  but  is  with  Plato ;  Dio- 
genes with  his  scholars  dwells  at  the  foot  of  Heliconeum  j  be- 


isa^i^SU&.if^^'-'f^'--'^-^'-^':*^''' —  -  - j^--hv -^d^<t£&j;ah^jMfiafaife-Sii8ritf,a<jtf4'ag'rasS;: 


824 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Cuap.  XH. 


N.  61>3] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


825 


cause  he  regards  worldly  things  as  of  no  account,  and  studies 
heavenly  things  only;  Epicurus  dwells  on  the  border  toward 
the  west,  and  does  not  come  among  us,  because  we  distinguish 
between  good  affections  and  evil  affections,  and  insist  that  good 
affections  are  one  with  wisdom,  and  that  evil  affections  are 
contrary  to  wisdom." 

[2]  When  they  had  ascended  the  hill  Parnassium,  some 
guards  there  were  bringing  water  from  a  fountain  at  the  place 
in  crystal  cups,  and  saying,  "This  is  water  from  the  fountain 
which  the  ancients  in  their  fables  say  was  broken  through  by 
the  hoof  of  the  horse  Pegasus,  and  afterward  consecrated  to 
the  nine  Muses.''  By  the  winged  horse  Pegasus  they  meant 
the  understanding  of  truth,  through  which  comes  wisdom;  by 
his  hoofs  they  meant  the  experiences  through  which  comes 
natural  intelligence ;  and  by  the  nine  Muses  all  kinds  of  knowl- 
edges and  facts.  These  things  are  now  called  fables,  but  they 
were  correspondences,  from  which  the  earliest  peoples  spoke. 

To  the  three  new-comers  their  companions  said,  "  Do  not  be 
surprised ;  the  guards  have  been  taught  to  speak  in  this  manner ; 
and  drinking  water  from  this  fountain  means  to  us  being  taught 
about  truths,  and  by  means  of  truths  about  goods,  and  thus  be- 
coming wise.'' 

[3]  They  then  entered  the  Palladium,  and  with  them  the 
three  new-comers  from  the  world— the  priest,  the  politician,  and 
the  philosopher.  Then  those  crowned  with  laurel  who  were 
seated  at  the  tables  asked,  '^What  news  from  earth?" 

And  they  answered, "  This  is  news,  that  a  certain  man  claims 
to  talk  with  angels,  and  to  have  his  sight  opened  into  the  spirit- 
ual world  as  fully  as  into  the  natural  world ;  and  from  the  spir- 
itual world  he  reports  many  new  things,  among  which  are  the 
following:  That  man  lives  a  man  after  death,  as  he  before 
lived  in  the  world ;  that  he  sees,  hears,  and  talks  as  he  did  be- 
fore in  the  world ;  that  he  is  clothed  and  decorated  as  formerly 
in  the  world ;  that  he  hungers  and  thirsts,  eats  and  drinks,  en- 
joys the  delights  of  marriage,  and  sleeps  and  wakes,  all  as  he 
did  before  in  the  world ;  that  there  are  lands  and  lakes,  moun- 
tains and  hills,  plains  and  valleys,  springs  and  rivers,  gardens 
and  groves  there ;  also  palaces  and  houses,  cities  and  villages, 
as  in  the  naturaV  world ;  and  again  that  there  are  writings  and 


I 


books,  different  kinds  of  occupation  and  business,  also  precious 
stones,  gold  and  silver,  in  a  word,  that  each  and  every  thing 
that  exists  on  the  earth  is  there,  although  those  in  the  heavens 
are  infinitely  more  perfect,  with  this  difference  only,  that  all 
things  in  the  spiritual  world  have  a  spiritual  origin,  and  are 
therefore  spiritual;  since  they  are  from  the  sun  there  which  is 
pure  love;  while  all  things  in  the  natural  world  have  a  natural 
origin,  and  are  therefore  natural  and  material,  since  they  are 
from  the  sun  there  which  is  pure  tire ;  in  other  words,  man  after 
death  is  perfectly  a  man,  even  more  perfectly  a  man  than  be- 
fore in  the  world;  for  he  was  then  in  a  material  body,  while 
in  this  world  he  is  in  a  spiritual  body." 

[4]  When  this  had  been  said,  the  ancient  wise  men  asked 
what  men  on  earth  thought  of  these  things. 

The  three  replied;  "We  ourselves  know  that  they  are  true, 
because  we  are  here,  and  have  investigated  and  examined  every- 
thing ;  but  how  men  talk  and  reason  about  them  on  earth  we 

will  now  tell." 

Then  the  priest  said,  "  Those  of  our  order,  when  they  first 
heard  these  things,  called  them  visions,  and  then  fictions;  after- 
wards they  said  that  the  man  saw  specters,  and  finally  they 
hesitated  and  said,  '  P>elieve  him  if  ye  will ;  we  have  always 
taught  that  man  will  not  exist  after  death  in  a  body,  until  the 
day  of  the  last  judgment." 

It  was  then  asked,  "Are  there  not  some  intelligent  persons 
among  them,  who  are  able  to  declare  to  them  and  convince 
them  of  the  truth  that  man  lives  a  man  after  death  ?" 

[5]  The  priest  answered,  "There  are  some  who  declare  it, 
but  they  fail  to  convince.  Those  who  declare  it  say  that  it  is 
contrary  to  sound  reason  to  believe  that  a  man  does  not  live  a 
man  until  the  day  of  the  last  judgment,  and  that  meanwhile  he 
is  a  soul  without  a  body.  What  is  the  soul,  and  where,  is  it 
meanwhile  ?  Is  it  a  breath,  or  something  like  wind,  floating  in 
the  air,  or  an  entity  hidden  in  the  center  of  the  earth  ?  Where 
is  its  abode  ?  Are  the  souls  of  Adam  and  Eve  and  all  who  have 
lived  since  during  six  thousand  years  or  sixty  centuries,  still 
flying  about  the  universe,  or  are  they  kept  shut  up  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  earth  awaiting  the  last  judgment  ?  What  could  be 
more  painful  and  wretched  than  such  a  waiting?    Might  not 


■  ■-..  ,,.»  !-i^„.   -  ,.^.-.    ' 


iti^«i5iMh>i!a.tafiitaii-'*-— ^■*^"  - 


826 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XH. 


N.  693] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SECOND 


827 


their  lot  be  compared  to  that  of  men  bound  in  chains  and  fet- 
ters in  prisons  ?  If  such  were  the  lot  of  man  after  death,  would 
it  not  be  better  to  be  born  an  ass  than  a  man  ?  Moreover,  is  it 
not  contrary  to  reason  to  believe  that  the  soul  can  be  reclothed 
with  its  body  ?  Is  not  the  body  eaten  up  by  worms,  mice,  and 
lishes  ?  Can  such  a  new  body  be  put  on  a  skeleton  that  has 
been  burnt  up  by  the  sun,  or  reduced  to  dust  ?  How  can  those 
cadaverous  and  putrid  things  be  collected  and  united  again  to 
their  souls  ?  But  when  they  listen  to  such  arguments  they 
make  no  rational  reply,  but  adhere  to  their  faith,  saying,  *  We 
make  reason  obedient  to  faith/  As  to  the  gathering  of  all  from 
the  graves  at  the  day  of  the  last  judgment,  they  say,  ^That  is 
the  word  of  omnipotence.'  And  when  they  mention  omnipo- 
tence and  faith,  reason  is  exiled,  and  I  may  say  that  sound 
reason  is  annihilated,  as  it  were,  or  with  some  is  like  a  specter; 
and  they  can  even  say  to  sound  reason,  '  Thou  art  mad.' " 

[6]  Having  heard  this,  the  wise  men  of  Greece  said,  "  Are 
not  such  paradoxes  dissapated  of  themselves  as  contradictions  ? 
And  yet  to-day  in  the  world  not  even  sound  reason  can  dissa- 
pate  them.  Can  anything  more  paradoxical  be  believed  than 
what  is  asserted  of  the  last  judgment,  that  the  universe  will  then 
perish,  and  the  stars  of  heaven  fall  to  the  earth,  which  is  small- 
er than  the  stars;  and  that  the  bodies  of  men,  either  corpses 
or  mummies,  eaten  by  others  or  become  dust,  will  be  re-united 
with  their  souls  ?  When  we  were  in  the  world  we  believed 
in  the  immortality  of  the  souls  of  men  from  the  inductions  fur- 
nished us  by  reason ;  we  also  designated  places  for  the  blessed, 
which  we  called  the  Elysian  Fields ;  and  we*  believed  them  to 
be  hmnan  in  form  or  kind,  but  subtle,  because  spiritual." 

[7]  When  all  this  had  been  said,  they  turned  to  the  second 
new-comer,  who  in  the  world  had  been  a  politician.  He  con- 
fessed that  he  had  not  believed  in  a  life  after  death,  and  that 
he  had  regarded  the  new  reports  he  had  heard  about  it  as  fic- 
tions and  inventions.  "Meditating  uj^on  that  life"  he  said, 
"  I  asked  how  souls  could  be  bodies.  Does  not  the  whole  of  a 
man  lie  dead  in  the  grave  ?  Is  not  the  eye  there  ?  How  then 
can  he  see  ?  Is  the  ear  not  there  ?  How  can  he  hear  ?  Where 
is  the  mouth  for  him  to  talk  with  ?  If  any  sort  of  man  were 
to  live  after  death  must  it  not  be  something  like  a  specter? 


And  how  can  a  specter  eat  and  drink  and  enjoy  the  delights 
of  marriage  ?  Where  do  its  clothing,  house,  food,  and  other 
things  come  from  ?  Moreover,  specters,  which  are  airy  images, 
seem  to  be,  and  yet  are  not.  These  and  like  thoughts  I  had  in 
the  world  about  the  life  of  men  after  death.  But  now,  when 
I  have  seen  everything  and  touched  everything  with  my  hands, 
I  am  convinced  by  the  very  senses  that  I  am  a  man  as  m  the 
world,  even  so  that  I  am  not  aware  that  I  live  otherwise  than 
as  I  formerly  lived,  with  the  difference  that  my  reason  is 
now  more  sound.    I  have  often  been  ashamed  of  my  former 

[8]  The  philosopher  spoke  in  a  like  manner  of  himself,  with 
this  diiference,  however,  that  the  new  tilings  he  had  heard  re- 
specting a  life  after  death,  he  classed  among  the  opinions  and 
hypotheses  which  lie  had  collected  from  both  ancients  and 

moderns.  ,        ^    .         , ,  . 

The  Sophi  were  astounded  when  they  heard  these  things ; 
and  those  belonging  to  the  Socratic  school  said  that  they  per- 
ceived by  this  news  from  earth  that  the  interiors  of  men  s 
minds  were  gradually  closing  up,  and  that  belief  in  falsity  is 
now  shining  in  the  world  like  truth,  and  infatuated  ingenuity 
like  wisdom,  and  that  the  light  of  wisdom  had  lowered  itself 
since  their  times  from  the  interiors  of  the  brain  to  the  mouth 
beneath  the  nose,  where  it  appeared  to  the  eye  like  a  briglit- 
ness  of  the  lips,  and  consequently  the  mouth's  utterances  ai>- 

pear  like  wisdom. 

One  of  the  tyros  after  hearing  this  said,  «  How  stupid  are 
the  minds  of  those  who  now  dwell  on  earth!  Would  that  the 
disciples  of  Hera«litus  who  laugh  at  all  things,  and  of  Demo- 
critus  who  weep  at  all  things,  were  here,  and  we  should  hear 
both  great  laughter  and  great  weeping." 

After  the  business  of  the  meeting  was  finished,  they  gave  to 
the  three  new-comers  from  the  earth  badges  of  their  authority, 
which  were  plates  of  copper  on  which  some  hieroglyphics  were 
written.     With  these  they  departed. 

694    Third  Memorable  Relation : — 

Some  time  afterward  I  looked  toward  the  city  Athenaeum, 
spoken  of  in  the  foregoing  Memorable  Relation,  and  I  heard  a 
strange  noise  coming  from  it.    There  was  in  it  somethmg  of 


>JihMfcJi»femiiMgjj«>h)<«UBr«iiafei»dBia»*i. 


I 


828 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  Xll 


laughter,  in  this  something  of  indignation,  and  in  this  still 
something  of  sadness;  and  yet  the  noise  was  not  discordant 
but  harmonious,  because  the  sounds  were  not  simultaneous, 
but  were  one  within  the  other.  In  the  spiritual  world  the 
variety  and  commingling  of  affections  is  distinctly  perceived 
in  the  tone  of  the  voice. 

At  a  distance  I  asked,  *'  What  is  the  matter  V  ^  They  an- 
swered, "  A  messenger  has  arrived  from  the  place  where  new- 
comers from  the  Christian  world  first  appear,  saying  that  he 
has  heard  from  three  persons  there  that  in  the  world  from 
which  they  had  come,  they  in  common  with  others  there  had 
believed  that  after  death  the  blessed  and  happy  would  have 
rest  from  all  kinds  of  labor;  and  because  administrations,  and 
official  and  manual  employments  are  labors,  there  would  be 
rest  from  these.  And  as  these  three  have  now  been  brought 
here  by  our  messenger,  and  stand  waiting  at  the  door,  a  clamor 


has  arisen 


and  after  consultation  it  has  been  decided  that 
they  should  not  be  introduced  into  the  Palladium  on  Parnas- 
sium  as  the  former  new-comers  had  been,  but  into  the  great 
auditorium  there,  that  they  may  teU  their  news  from  the 
Christian  world;  and  some  have  been  sent  to  introduce  them 

formally." 

As  I  was  in  the  spirit,  and  as  with  spirits  distances  are  ac- 
cording to  the  state  of  their  affections,  and  as  I  then  had  an 
affection  for  seeing  and  hearing  the  new-comers,  I  seemed  to 
myself  to  be  there  present,  and  I  saw  them  introduced  and 
heard  them  speak.  [2]  In  the  auditorium  the  older  or  wiser 
sat  at  the  sides,  and  the  others  in  the  center,  and  in  front  of 
these  was  a  raised  floor.  The  three  new-comers  with  the 
messenger  were  conducted  hither,  through  the  middle  of  the 
auditorium,  by  the  younger  ones  informal  attendance;  and 
when  silence  had  been  obtained  they  were  mtroduced  by  one 
of  the  elders,  and  asked,  "  What  news  from  earth  ?  " 

They  replied,  *^ There  is  much  news;  but  pray  tell  us  to 
what  subject  your  inquiry  refers." 

The  elder  replied,  "  What  news  from  earth  respecting  our 

world  and  heaven  ?  " 

They  answered,  "When  we  first  arrived  in  this  world,  we 
heard  that  both  here  and  in  heaven  there  are  governments, 


N,  604] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


829 


ministerial  offices,  occupations,  business,  all  kinds  of  studies, 
and  wonderful  works ;  although  our  belief  had  been  that  after 
our  removal  or  transfer  from  the  natural  world  into  this  spir- 
itual world,  we  should  enter  into  eternal  rest  from  labors. 
But  what  are  occupations  but  labors  ?  " 

[3]  To  this  the  elder  replied,  "  By  eternal  rest  from  labor 
did  you  understand  eternal  idleness,  wherein  you  would  con- 
stantly sit  and  lie,  inhaling  delights  with  the  breast,  and 
drinking  in  joys  with  the  mouth?" 

The  three  new-comers  smiled  pleasantly  at  this  and  said, 
'^  We  did  entertain  some  such  opinion." 

They  were  then  asked,  "What  has  joy,  delight,  and  conse- 
quent happiness  in  common  with  idleness  ?  By  idleness  the 
mind  is  not  expanded  but  dissipated;  that  is,  man  is  deadened 
by  it,  not  vivified.  Picture  to  yourselves  a  man  sitting  in 
utter  idleness,  his  hands  hanging  down,  his  eyes  cast  down  or 
withdrawn,  and  at  the  same  time  surrounded  by  an  aura  of 
delight;  would  not  a  lethargy  seize  upon  both  his  head  and 
body,  the  vital  expansion  of  his  face  give  way,  and  with  re- 
laxed fibers  would  he  not  nod  and  nod,  until  he  fell  to  the 
gromid  ?  What  keeps  the  whole  bodily  system  expanded  and 
tense,  but  the  tension  of  the  mind  ?  And  whence  comes  the 
mind's  tension  but  from  administrative  duties  and  works,  when 
they  are  performed  from  delight?  I  will  therefore  tell  you 
this  news  from  heaven,  that  there  are  governments  here,  min- 
isterial duties,  judicial  tribunals,  greater  and  less,  as  also  me- 
chanical and  other  employments." 

[4]  When  the  three  new-comers  heard  that  there  were  great- 
er and  lesser  judicial  tribunals  hi  heaven  they  said,  "  Why  so  ? 
Are  not  all  who  are  in  heaven  inspired  and  led  by  God,  and 
do  they  not  therefore  know  what  is  just  and  right?  What 
need  then  of  judges  ?" 

The  elder  replied,  "  In  this  world  we  are  taught  and  learn 
what  is  good  and  true,  also  what  is  just  and  equitable,  the 
same  as  in  the  natural  world ,  and  these  things  we  learn  not 
immediately  from  God,  but  mediately  through  others;  and 
every  angel,  like  every  man,  thinks  what  is  true  and  does  what 
is  good  as  if  of  himself,  this  l)eing  not  pure  but  mixed,  accord- 
ing to  the  state  of  the  angel.    Moreover,  among  angels  some 


tjalMtdtiihlMAlai— M 


■•-'.<-^^-j.  ■■  .^-^  -~.  --■-^■--•-■:*.^r^-:i-'a".^-ja;,jaK.-^*^<^-^'-^n-'iM  r  'iniiiiiii'il'rii&rtihTi 


830 


THE  TKVK  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XII. 


N.  694] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  THIRD 


831 


are  simple  and  some  wise,  and  the  wise  must  judge  of  what  is 
just,  while  the  simple  from  their  simplicity  and  ignorance  are 
in  doubt  about  it  or  depart  from  it.  [5]  But  as  you  are  yet 
new  in  this  world,  follow  me,  if  you  would  like  to  do  so,  into 
our  city,  and  we  will  show  you  everything." 

And  they  left  the  auditorium,  others  of  the  elders  also  ac- 
companying them ;  and  first  entered  a  large  library,  which  was 
divided  into  smaller  libraries,  each  devoted  to  a  different 
branch  of  knowledge.  The  three  new-comers,  seeing  so  many 
books,  were  amazed,  and  said,  ''  Are  there  books  in  this  world 
also?''    Where  do  the  parchment,  paper,  pens  and  ink  come 

from?" 

The  elders  replied,  "  We  perceive  that  in  the  former  world 
you  believed  this  world  to  be  empty  because  it  is  spiritual; 
and  this  you  believed  because  you  cherished  an  idea  of  the 
spiritual  as  something  abstract  from  the  material ;  and  what  is 
abstract  from  the  material  seemed  to  you  like  nothing,  thus 
like  a  vacuum;  and  yet  here  is  an  abundance  of  all  things. 
All  things  here  are  substantial,  not  material,  and  material 
things  have  their  origin  in  the  substantial.  We  who  are  here 
are  spiritual  men,  because  we  are  substantial  and  not  material. 
For  this  reason  all  things  that  exist  in  the  natural  world  exist 
here  in  their  perfection,  even  books  and  writings  and  many 

other  things." 

When  the  three  new-comers  heard  the  word  substantial,  they 
recognized  the  truth  of  the  matter,  both  from  seeing  the  writ- 
ten books  and  from  hearing  that  matter  originates  in  substance. 
To  convince  them  still  further,  they  were  taken  to  the  abodes 
of  the  writers  who  transcribed  the  writings  of  the  wise  men 
of  the  city;  and  they  examined  the  writings  and  wondered  at 
their  neatness  and  elegance.  [«]  After  this  they  were  con- 
ducted to  the  museums,  gymnasia,  colleges,  and  places  where 
they  held  their  literary  games,  some  called  the  games  of  the 
Heliconides,  some  of  the  Parnassides,  some  of  the  Athenreides, 
and  some  of  the  Virgins  of  the  fountain.  They  said  that  the 
latter  were  so  named  because  virgins  signify  affections  for 
knowledges,  according  to  which  affections  every  one  has  intel- 
ligence. The  so-called  games  were  spiritual  exercises  and  trials 
of  skill.    After  this  they  were  conducted  about  the  city  to  the 


rulers,  administrators,  and  their  officers,  and  by  these  latter  to 
the  wonderful  works  which  their  workmen  execute  in  a  spirit- 
ual manner.     [7]  When  these  things  had  been  seen,  the  elder 
again  spoke  to  them  about  the  eternal  rest  from  labor,  into 
which  the  blessed  and  happy  enter  after  death.    He  said, 
"Eternal  rest  is  not  idleness,  for  idleness  produces  a  languid, 
torpid,  stupid,  and  sleepy  state  of  the  mind,  and  therefrom  of 
the  whole  body ;  and  this  is  not  life  but  death,  still  less  is  it 
the  eternal  life  which  the  angels  of  heaven  live.    Eternal  rest 
is  therefore  a  rest  that  dispels  that  state  and  causes  man  to 
live ;  thus  it  is  nothing  else  than  what  elevates  the  mind ;  and 
is  some  pursuit  or  work  by  which  the  mind  is  aroused,  en- 
livened, and  delighted ;  and  this  is  accomplished  in  the  meas- 
ure of  the  use  from  which,  and  for  which  the  mind  labors. 
Because  of  this  the  whole  heaven  is  regarded  by  the  Lord  as 
a  containant  of  uses,  and  every  angel  is  an  angel  in  the  meas- 
ure of  his  use.    Delight  in  use  bears  him  on  as  a  favoring  cur- 
rent does  a  ship,  causing  him  to  be  in  eternal  peace  and  in 
the  rest  of  peace.    This  is  what  is  meant  by  eternal  rest  from 
labor.    That  an  angel  is  alive  in  the  measure  of  the  applica- 
tion of  his  mind  to  use  is  very  manifest  from  this,  that  every 
one  has  conjugial  love  with  its  vigor,  potency,  and  delights, 
according  to  his  application  to  the  genuine  use  in  which  he  is 

engaged." 

When  the  three  new-comers  had  been  convinced  that  eternal 
rest  is  not  idleness,  but  the  delight  arising  from  some  useful 
work,  some  virgins  came  and  presented  them  with  needlework 
and  embroidery  made  with  their  own  hands ;  and  as  the  new- 
comers were  departing,  the  virgins  sang  an  ode  in  which  they 
expressed  in  angelic  melody  the  affection  for  useful  labor  and 

its  charms. 

695.  Fourth  Memorable  Relation : — 

At  the  present  day  most  of  those  who  believe  in  a  life  after 
death,  also  believe  that  in  heaven  their  thoughts  will  be  noth- 
ing but  devotions,  and  their  words  nothing  but  prayers ;  and 
that  all  these,  together  with  the  expressions  of  the  face  and 
the  actions  of  the  body,  will  be  nothing  but  glorification  of 
God,  thus  their  houses  will  be  houses  of  worship  or  sacred 
chapels,  and  they  themselves  will  all  be  priests  of  God.    But 


-•.a^-o.». ,-  ■"■  -j-CN^aC!WifeJfe*..-.-M.,;^aatBi::^riaiiht^J^  .;t.<M>yi 


832 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


N.  095] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FOURTH 


833 


I  can  affirm  that  the  holy  things  of  the  church  do  not  occupy 
the  minds  or  homes  of  men  there  any  more  than  in  the  world 
where  God  is  worshiped,  although  worship  there  is  purer  and 
more  mterior ;  while  the  various  matters  pertaining  to  civil 
prudence  and  to  rational  learning  are  to  be  found  there  in 

their  excellence. 

[2]  One  day  I  was  taken  up  to  heaven,  and  was  conducted 
to  a  certain  society  there,  where  the  Sophi  were  who  in  ancient 
times  excelled  in  learning  because  of  their  deep  reflection  and 
meditation  upon  such  subjects  as  were  both  rational  and  use- 
ful, and  who  were  now  in  heaven,  because  they  had  believed 
in  God  and  now  beUeved  in  the  Lord,  and  loved  their  neigh- 
bor as  themselves.  Afterwards  I  was  introduced  into  an  as- 
sembly of  these,  and  was  there  asked  where  I  came  from;  and 
I  explained  to  them  that  in  body  I  was  in  the  natural  world, 
but  in  spirit  in  their  world. 

Hearing  this,  those  angels  were  delighted,  and  asked,  "  In 
the  world  where  you  are  in  body  what  do  they  know  and 
understand  about  influx  ?" 

When  I  had  recalled  to  mind  what  I  had  gathered  on  that 
subject  from  the  discourses  and  writings  of  celebrated  men,  I 
replied,  that  as  yet  they  knew  nothing  about  any  influx  from 
the  spiritual  world  into  the  natural,  but  only  of  the  influx  of 
nature  into  her  subjects,  as  of  the  sun's  heat  and  light  into  liv- 
ing bodies,  and  also  into  trees  and  shrubs,  which  are  all  there- 
by made  to  live ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  of  the  influx  of  cold 
into  the  same  objects,  whereby  they  are  deprived  of  life;  and 
furthermore,  of  influx  of  light  mto  the  eye,  from  which  comes 
sight,  of  sound  into  the  ear,  from  which  comes  hearing,  of  odor 
into  the  nostrils,  from  which  comes  smell ;  and  so  on.    [3]  As 
to  anything  beyond  this,  the  learned  of  this  age  reason  diversely 
about  the  influx  of  the  soul  into  the  body  and  of  the  body  mto 
the  soul,  and  about  this  they  are  divided  into  three  parties,  one 
holding  that  there  is  an  influx  of  the  soul  into  the  body,  which 
they  call  occasional  influx,  because  of  its  occurring  whenever 
anything  strikes  the  bodily  senses ;  another,  that  there  is  an 
influx  of  the  body  into  the  soul,  which  they  call  physical  in- 
flux, because  the  objects  fall  upon  the  bodily  senses,  and  there- 
from  upon  the  soul;  the  third,  that  there  is  a  simultaneous  and 


instantaneous  influx  into  the  body  and  soul  together,  which 
they  call  pre-established  harmony.  Nevertheless,  each  one 
thinks  that  the  kind  of  influx  he  advocates  takes  place  within 
nature.  Some  believe  the  soul  to  be  a  particle  or  drop  of  ether, 
some  that  it  is  a  little  ball  or  spark  of  light,  and  others  that  it 
is  some  entity  that  hides  itself  in  the  brain.  But  this  or  that 
which  they  think  the  soul  to  be,  while  they  indeed  call  it  spir- 
itual, yet  by  spiritual  they  mean  nothing  more  than  a  purer 
natural ;  for  they  know  nothing  about  the  spiritual  world,  or 
its  influx  into  the  natural ;  and  therefore  they  remain  within 
the  sphere  of  nature.  In  this  sphere  they  go  up  and  down,  and 
lift  themselves  up  into  it  like  eagles  in  the  air;  and  those  who 
thus  abide  in  nature  are  like  the  inhabitants  of  some  island  in 
the  sea  who  are  unaware  that  there  is  any  land  beyond  their 
own,  or  are  like  fishes  in  a  stream  which  do  not  know  that 
there  is  air  above  their  waters.  A\  hen  therefore  they  hear  any 
mention  made  of  a  world  distinct  from  their  own,  where  an- 
gels and  spirits  dwell,  and  are  told  that  all  influx  into  men  is 
from  that  world,  as  well  as  the  interior  influx  into  trees,  they 
stand  amazed  as  if  they  were  listening  to  some  visionary  re- 
ports of  ghosts,  or  to  the  nonsense  of  astrologers.  [4]  In  the 
world  where  I  am  when  in  the  body,  with  the  exception  of  the 
philosophers,  our  people  do  not  think  about  or  mention  any  in- 
flux but  that  of  wine  into  cups,  of  food  and  drink  into  the  stom- 
ach, of  taste  into  the  tongue,  and  also,  perhaps,  of  the  influx  of 
the  air  into  the  lungs,  and  so  on ;  and  if  they  hear  anything  said 
about  an  influx  of  the  spiritual  world  into  the  natural,  they 
say, "Let  it  flow  in  if  it  will;  what  advantage  or  use  is  there  in 
knowing  it  ?"  And  they  go  away ;  and  if  they  afterwards  speak 
about  what  they  have  heard  respecting  that  influx,  they  play 
with  it  as  some  play  with  pebbles  between  their  fingers. 

[5]  Afterwards  I  talked  with  these  angels  about  the  wonder- 
ful effects  that  spring  from  the  influx  of  the  spiritual  world 
into  the  natural,  such  as  the  turning  of  grubs  into  butterflies, 
and  the  wonders  relating  to  bees  and  drones,  and  silk-worms, 
and  also  spiders ;  and  I  said  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
attribute  these  things  to  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun,  thus 
to  nature;  and,  what  I  have  often  wondered  at,  they  confirm 
themselves  by  means  of  these  in  favor  of  nature,  and  by  these 
53 


834 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


N.  01)6] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  FIFTH 


835 


confirmations  bring  sleep  and  death  upon  their  minds,  and  be- 
come atheists. 

I  then  related  some  wonderful  things  about  plants,  as  that 
they  all  progress  in  proper  order  from  seed  to  new  seed  agam, 
iust  as  if  the  earth  knew  how  to  conform  and  adapt  its  ele- 
ments to  the  prolific  principle  of  the  seed,  and  from  this  to 
bring  forth  the  germ,  to  expand  the  germ  into  a  stem,  from 
this  to  send  forth  branches  and  clothe  them  with  leaves,  then 
to  embellish  them  with  flowers  to  form  the  interiors  of  the 
flowers  to  form  the  rudiments  of  the  fruit  and  bring  it  forth, 
and  through  the  fruit,  in  order  that  it  may  be  born  again,  to 
produce  seed  like  offspring.    But  because  these  things  from 
being  seen  continually  and  from  their  yearly  recurrence,  have 
become  familiar,  usual,  and  common,  men  do  not  regard  them 
35  anything  wonderful,  but  as  mere  effects  of  nature;  and  they 
so  think  solely  for  the  reason  that  they  do  not  know  that  there 
is  any  spiritual  world,  and  that  it  operates  from  withm  and 
actuates  each  and  aU  things  that  come  forth  and  take  form  in 
the  world  of  nature  and  on  the  natural  earth,  operatmg  as  the 
human  mind  operates   upon  the  senses  and  motions  of   the 
body;  and  that  the  particular  things  in  nature  are  like  tunics, 
sheaths,  and  clothing  which  engirdle  spiritual  things,  and  proxi- 
mately produce  effects  correspondent  to  the  end  designed  by 

God  the  Creator. 

696.  Fifth  Memorable  Kelation : — 

I  once  prayed  to  the  Lord  for  permission  to  talk  with  the 
disciples  of  Aristotle,  also  with  the  disciples  of  Descartes  and 
Leibnitz,  in  order  that  I  might  learn  their  views  of  the  Inter- 
course between  the  Soul  and  the  Body.  When  I  had  ceased 
praying,  nine  men  approached,  three  of  them  disciples  of  Aris- 
totle three  of  Descartes,  and  three  of  Leibnitz;  and  they  stood 
round  about  me,-the  adorers  of  Aristotle  on  my  left,  at  my 
ri-ht  the  followers  of  Descartes,  and  behind  me  the  adherents 
of'^Leibnitz.  Far  away  and  widely  separated  from  each  other 
there  seemed  to  be  three  men  crowned  with  laurel,  and  by  a 
perception  flowing  in  from  heaven,  I  recognized  them  as  those 
OTeat  leaders  or  teachers  themselves;  while  behind  Leibnitz  a 
man  stood  holding  on  to  the  skirt  of  his  garment,  who  wa^ 
said  to  be  Wolff, 


; 


! 


[3]  When  these  nine  men  saw  each  other  they  at  first  salu- 
ted and  spoke  to  each  other  in  gentle  tones.     But  just  then  a 
spirit  with  a  torch  in  his  right  hand  rose  up  from  the  lower 
regions,  and  waved  the  torch  before  their  faces ;  and  thereupon 
the  three  parties  became  enemies,  and  looked  at  each  other 
with  fierce  countenances ;  for  the  lust  of  altercation  and  dis- 
pute seized  them.     The  Aristotelians,  who  were  also  school- 
men, began  by  saying,  "Who  does  not  see  that  objects  flow  m 
through  the  senses  into  the  soul,  as  one  passes  through  a  door 
into  a  chamber,  and  that  the  soul  thinks  in  accordance  with 
that  influx?     When  the  lover  sees  the  beautiful  virgin  or 
bride  does  not  his  eye  sparkle  and  bear  the  love  of  her  to  his 
soul  ?    When  a  miser  sees  bags  of  money,  is  there  not  a  burn- 
ing for  them  in  all  his  senses  and  from  these  is  not  this  order 
transferred  to  his  soul,  exciting  the  desire  to  possess  them? 
When  a  vain  man  hears  another  praising  him,  does  he  not 
prick  up  his  ears,  and  do  not  these  transmit  the  praises  to  his 
soul?     Are  not  the  senses  of  the  body  like  entrance-halls, 
through  which  alone  there  is  ingress  to  the  soul  ?    From  these 
facts  and  innumerable  others  like  them,  who  can  draw  any 
other  conclusion  than  that  influx  is  from  nature,  or  is  physi- 
cal?" 

[3]  To  these  remarks  the  followers  of  Descartes,  holdmg 
their  fingers  to  their  foreheads  a  while  and  then  withdrawing 
them,  replied  by  saying,  "  Alas  you  speak  from  appearances ; 
do  you  not  knoAV  that  it  is  not  the  eye  but  the  soul  that  loves 
the  virgin  or  bride ;  and  likewise  that  the  senses  of  the  body 
do  not  desire  the  money  in  the  bags  from  themselves,  but 
from  the  soul;  and  again,  not  otherwise  do  the  ears  drink  in 
the  praise  of  flatterers  ?  Is  not  perception  the  cause  of  sen- 
sation? And  perception  belongs  to  the  soul,  not  to  the  organ. 
Tell  us,  if  you  can,  what  is  it  but  the  thought  that  causes  the 
tongue  and  lips  to  speak?  And  what  is  it  but  the  will  that 
causes  the  hand  to  work  ?  Yet  thought  and  will  belong  to  the 
soul.  So  what  is  it  but  the  soul  that  causes  the  eye  to  see,  the 
ear  to  hear,  arid  the  other  organs  to  feel,  to  attend  to  objects 
and  turn  toward  them?  From  these  facts  and  innumerable 
others  like  them  any  one  who  is  wise  above  the  sensual  things 
of  the  body  concludes  that  influx  is  not  from  the  body  into  the 


836 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


N.  697] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SIXTH 


837 


soul,  but  from  the  soul  iuto  the  body;  this  we  call  occasional 
and  also  spiritual  influx." 

[4]  On  hearing  this  the  three  men  who  stood  behuid  the 
former  triads  and  who  were  adherents  of  Leibnitz,  raised  their 
voice  and  said,  "We  have  heard  the  arguments  of  both  sides 
and  have  compared  them,  and  have  perceived  that  in  many  re- 
spects the  last  arguments  are  the  stronger,  while  in  many  other 
respects  the  first  are  the  stronger.  Therefore,  with  your  per- 
mission we  will  settle  the  dispute." 

When  asked  how  they  would  do  this,  they  said,  "  There  is 
no  influx  of  the  soul  into  the  body,  nor  of  the  body  into  the 
soul,  but  there  is  a  unanimous  and  instantaneous  operation  of 
the  two  together,  which  a  celebrated  author  has  designated  by 
the  beautiful  term,  pre-established  harmony." 

[5]  After  all  this  the  spirit  again  appeared  with  the  torch 
in  his  hand,  but  this  time  in  his  left  hand,  and  he  waved  the 
torch  at  the  backs  of  their  heads,  whereby  the  ideas  of  all  of 
them  became  confused,  and  they  cried  out,  "Neither  our  souls 
nor  our  bodies  know  what  side  we  should  take ;  therefore  let 
us  decide  the  dispute  by  lot;  we  will  adopt  whichever  comes 

out  first." 

And  they  took  three  pieces  of  paper,  on  one  of  which  they 
wrote  the  words,  Physical  influx ;  on  the  second.  Spiritual  In- 
flux ;  and  on  the  third,  Pre-established  Harmony.  They  put 
the  three  papers  in  a  cap,  and  chose  one  of  their  number  to 
draw.  He  put  his  hand  into  the  cap  and  drew  out  the  paper 
on  which  was  written.  Spiritual  Influx.  When  they  saw  this 
and  read  it,  they  all  said,— some  speaking  in  a  clear  and  flow- 
ing and  some  in  a  faint  and  restrained  tone,  "  We  adopt  that, 
because  it  came  out  first."  But  then  an  angel  suddenly  stood 
near  and  said,  "  Do  not  think  that  the  paper  that  was  for 
Spiritual  Influx  came  out  by  chance ;  it  came  providentially ; 
for  you,  with  your  confused  ideas  do  not  see  its  truth ;  but  the 
truth  offered  itself  to  the  hand  of  him  who  drew  the  lot,  in 
order  that  you  might  adopt  it." 

697.  Sixth  Memorable  Relation : — 

I  once  saw  not  far  from  me  a  meteoric  display.  I  saw  a 
cloud  divided  into  little  clouds,  some  of  which  were  blue,  and 
some  dark ;  and  I  saw  them  dashing  against  each  other  as  it 


were,  with  rays  of  light  glittering  in  streaks  across  them; 
which  at  one  time  appeared  sharp  like  pointed  swords,  and 
again  blunt  like  broken  swords,  now  the  streaks  would  shoot 
out  at  each  other,  and  again  they  withdrew  into  themselves, 
exactly  like  combatants.  In  this  way  those  differently-colored 
clouds  seemed  to  be  fighting  with  each  other,  but  it  was  only 
play.  As  this  display  did  not  seem  to  be  far  from  me,  I  raised 
my  eyes  and  looked  at  it  carefully,  and  beheld  boys,  young 
men,  and  old  men  entering  into  a  house  built  of  marble  on  a 
foundation  of  porphyry.  The  phenomenon  was  over  this  house. 
I  then  spoke  to  one  of  those  who  were  entering,  and  asked  him 

what  was  there. 

He  replied,  "It  is  a  gymnasium,  where  youths  are  initiated 
iuto  various  matters  pertaining  to  wisdom." 

[t2]  Hearing  this,  I  entered  with  them.  I  was  in  the  spirit, 
that  is,  in  a  state  like  that  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  spiritual 
world,  who  are  called  angels  and  spirits.  And  behold,  in  the 
gymnasium  oi)posite  the  entrance  was  a  desk,  in  the  center 
were  benches,  round  about  tlie  sides  were  seats,  and  over  the 
entrance  was  an  orchestra.  The  desk  was  for  the  youths  who 
were  to  give  answers  to  the  problem  to  be  proposed  on  that  oc- 
casion ;  the  benches  were  for  the  auditors,  the  seats  at  the  sides 
for  those  who  had  answered  wisely  on  former  occasions,  and 
the  orchestra  for  older  men,  who  were  to  be  arbiters  and  judges. 
In  the  center  of  the  orchestra  was  a  pulpit,  where  a  wise  man, 
whom  they  called  the  head  teacher  was  sitting,  who  proposed 
the  problems  to  which  the  youths  gave  answer  from  the  desk. 

When  they  had  assembled,  the  man  arose  in  the  pulpit  and 
said,  "  :N"ow  please  to  answer  this  problem,  and  solve  it  if  you 
can.  What  is  the  soul,  and  what  is  its  nature?'^ 

[3]  AH  were  amazed  when  they  heard  this,  and  murmured 
at  it;  and  some  of  those  seated  on  the  benches  exclaimed, 
^'  What  man,  even  from  the  Saturnian  age  to  our  own,  has  been 
able  by  any  rational  thought  to  see  and  fully  comprehend  what 
the  soul  is,  still  less  what  the  nature  of  it  is?  Is  not  this 
question  above  the  si)here  of  the  understanding  of  all  men  ?" 

But  to  this  those  in  the  orchestra  replied,  "  The  question  is 
not  above  the  understanding,  but  in  and  before  it;  only  an- 
swer it." 


.^.jjaife^ 


838 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XII. 


N.  697] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SIXTH 


839 


And  the  youths  who  had  been  chosen  for  that  day  arose  and 
went  up  to  the  desk  and  answered  the  problem.  There  were 
five  of  these  who  had  been  examined  by  the  elders  and  found 
endowed  with  much  sagacity,  and  who  were  then  sitting  on 
sofas  near  the  desk,  and  who  afterward  went  up  to  the  desk  in 
the  order  in  which  they  sat.  Each  one  as  he  went  up  put  on  a 
silk  tunic  of  an  opalic  color,  and  over  it  a  gown  of  fine  wool 
inwoven  with  flowers,  and  also  a  cap,  on  the  top  of  which  was 
a  rosette  encircled  by  small  sapphires. 

I  saw  the  first  one  go  up  so  clothed,  and  he  said,  "What 
the  soul  is  and  what  its  nature  is,  has  not  been  revealed  to 
any  man  since  the  day  of  creation;  it  is  hidden  in  the  treasure- 
house  of  God  alone.  But  this  much  has  been  disclosed,  that 
the  soul  has  her  seat  in  man  like  a  queen ;  but  where  her  court 
is,  learned  masters  have  but  guessed ;  some,  that  it  is  m  the 
small  tubercle  between  the  cerebrum  and  the  cerebellum,  which 
is  called  the  pineal  gland ;  in  this  they  have  fixed  the  seat  of 
the  soul  because  the  whole  man  is  governed  from  those  two 
brains,  and  that  tubercle  regulates  them ;  therefore,  this,  which 
regulates  the  brain  at  wiU,  also  regulates  the  entire  man  from 
head  to  foot.  And  this,''  he  continued,  "  seemed  therefore  to 
be  the  truth  or  the  probability  to  many  in  the  world ;  but  after 
their  time  it  was  rejected  as  a  mere  invention." 

[5]  When  he  had  so  spoken  he  put  off  the  gown,  tunic,  and 
cap,  and  the  second  of  those  chosen  put  them  on  and  entered 
the  desk.   His  statement  respecting  the  soul  was  that  through- 
out all  heaven  and  all  the  world  it  is  not  known  what  the  soul 
is,  or  what  its  nature  is.    "  This  much,"  he  said,  "  is  known,  that 
there  is  a  soul  and  that  it  is  in  man,  but  where  it  is,  is  a  mat- 
ter of  conjecture.    This  is  certain,  that  it  is  in  the  head,  for 
there  the  understanding  thinks,  and  there  the  will  intends,  and 
in- the  fore-part  of  the  head,  that  is,  in  the  face,  are  man's  five 
sensories;  and  the  only  source  of  life  to  all  these  is  the  soul 
which  has  its  seat  within  the  head.    But  where  its  court  there 
is,  I  dare  not  say.    Sometimes  I  agree  with  those  who  have  as- 
signed  it  a  seat  in  the  three  ventricles  of  the  brain,  sometimes 
with  those  who  assign  it  a  seat  in  the  copora-striata,  sometimes 
with  those  who  locate  it  in  the  medullary  substance  of  both 
brains,  or  again  with  those  who  say  it  resides  in  the  cortical 


^ 


substance,  or  with  those  who  say  it  is  in  the  dura  mater;  for 
evidences  have  not  been  lacking  in  favor  of  each  of  these  lo- 
cations; in  favor  of  the  three  ventricles  on  the  ground  that 
these  are  the  receptacles  of  the  animal  spirits  and  the  differ- 
ent kinds  of  lymph  belonging  to  the  brain;  in  favor  of  the  cor- 
pora striata  on  the  ground  that  they  form  the  marrow  through 
which  the  nerves  go  forth,  and  through  which  both  brains  are 
continued  into  the  spinal  column,  and  from  this  column  and 
this  substances  the  fibers  emanate  from  which  the  whole  body 
is  woven ;  in  favor  of  the  medullary  substance  of  both  brains 
on  the  ground  that  this  substance  is  a  collection  and  mass  of 
all  the  fibers  that  go  to  form  the  rudiments  of  the  entire  man; 
in  favor  of  the  cortical  substance  on  the  ground  that  first  and 
last  ends  reside  there,  and  therefore  the  beginning  of  all  fi- 
bers, and  thus  of  all  sense  and  motions;  in  favor  of  the  dura 
mater,  on  the  ground  that  it  is  the  common  covering  of  both 
brains,  and  extends  itself  therefrom,  by  a  kind  of  continuity, 
over  the  heart  and  over  the  viscera  of  the  body.  As  for  my- 
self, I  do  not  decide  in  favor  of  one  more  than  another.  Do 
you  decide,  I  beg  of  you,  and  choose  which  you  prefer." 

[6]  When  he  had  said  this  he  came  down  from  the  desk  and 
handed  the  tunic,  gown,  and  cap  to  the  third,  who  stepped  up 
to  the  desk  and  spoke  as  follows,  "  What  has  a  youth  like  me 
to  do  with  so  sublime  a  problem  ?  I  appeal  to  the  learned  men 
sitting  here  beside  me,  I  appeal  to  you  wise  men  in  the  orches- 
tra ;  I  appeal  even  to  the  angels  of  the  highest  heaven,  whether 
any  one  from  his  own  rational  light  can  acquire  for  himself 
any  idea  respecting  the  souL  But  respecting  its  seat  in  man, 
I  can  like  others  form  conjectures;  and  my  conjecture  is  that 
it  has  its  seat  in  the  heart,  and  therefrom  in  the  blood.  And 
this  is  my  conjecture,  because  the  heart  by  its  blood  rules  both 
the  body  and  the  head;  for  it  sends  forth  the  great  vessel 
called  the  aorta  throughout  the  whole  body,  and  the  vessels 
called  the  carotid  arteries  into  all  parts  of  the  head.  There- 
fore it  is  universally  agreed  that  the  soul,  from  the  heart 
through  the  blood,  sustains,  nourishes,  and  vivifies  the  whole 
organic  system  of  both  the  body  and  the  head.  Its  adds  cre- 
dence to  this  assertion,  that  soul  and  heart  are  so  frequently 
mentioned  in  Sacred  Scripture,  as, 


^uw^tet^a^^s^i^^yia^fi^^dgM^^ 


840 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION         [Chap.  XII. 


That  thou  shalt  love  God  with  the  whole  soul  and  the  whole  heart,  and 
that  God  creates  in  man  a  new  soul  and  a  new  heart  {Deut  vi.  5  ;  x.  12  ; 
xi.  13 ;  xxvi.  16  ;  Jer.  xxxii.  41 ;  Matt.  xxii.  37  ;  Mark  xii.  30,  33 ;  Luke  x. 
27  ;  and  elsewhere). 

It  is  also  openly  stated  that  the  blood  is  the  soul  of  the  flesh 
(Lev.  xvii.  11, 14).''  Some  when  they  heard  these  remarks,  cried 
out,  *"  Learned,  Learned !''  These  were  of  the  canonical  order. 

[7]  Then  the  fourth,  having  put  on  the  vestments  of  the  pre- 
ceding speaker,  stepped  to  the  desk  and  said,  "  I  too  suspect 
that  there  is  no  man  of  so  acute  and  cultivated  a  genius  as  to 
be  able  to  see  clearly  what  the  soul  is,  and  what  its  nature  is ; 
and  I  am  therefore  of  the  opinion  that  the  acuteness  of  any 
one  who  wished  to  pry  into  this  subject  will  be  exhausted  with- 
out result.  Nevertheless,  from  my  boyhood  I  have  held  stead- 
fastly to  the  belief  of  the  ancients,  that  man's  soul  resides  in 
the  whole  of  him  and  in  every  part  of  this  whole,  and  thus 
both  in  the  head  and  each  part  of  it,  and  in  the  body  and  each 
part  of  it ;  and  that  it  is  a  useless  invention  of  the  moderns  to 
assign  it  a  seat  in  any  one  place,  and  not  everywhere.  More- 
over, the  soul  is  a  spiritual  substance,  of  which  neither  exten- 
sion'nor  place  can  be  predicated,  but  only  habitation  and  im- 
pletion.  Furthermore,  does  not  every  one  mean  the  life,  w^hen 
he  says  the  soul?    Does  not  the  life  reside  in  the  whole  and  in 

every  part  ?" 

Many  of  the  audience  favored  these  remarks. 

[8]  After  him  the  fifth  arose  and  having  put  on  the  same 
vestments,  he  spoke  from  the  desk  as  follows,  "I  will  not  stop 
to  inquire  where  the  soul  is,  whether  in  some  part  of  the  body 
or  everywhere  in  the  whole ;  but  from  my  own  store  and  larder 
I  will  open  my  mind  respecting  what  the  soul  is  and  what  is 
its  nature.    No  one  thinks  of  the  soul  except  as  a  pure  some- 
thing waich  may  be  likened  to  ether  or  air  or  wind,  m  which 
there  is  a  vital  element  arising  from  rationality,  which  man 
possesses  in  higher  degree  than  the  beasts.    This  opinion  I 
have  based  upon  the  fact  that  when  a  man  dies  he  is  said  to 
breath  out  his  soul  or  give  up  the  ghost,  and  therefore  the  soul 
as  it  lives  after  death  is  believed  to  be  such  a  breath  having  in 
it  a  cogitative  life  that  is  called  the  soul.    What  else  can  the 
soul  be  ?    But  as  I  have  heard  some  of  those  in  the  orchestra 


N.  697] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION,  SIXTH 


841 


saying  that  the  problem  respecting  the  soul,  what  it  is,  and 
the  nature  of  it,  is  not  above  the  understanding,  but  in  it 
and  before  it,  I  ask  and  pray  that  they  themselves  will  open 
to  us  this  eternal  mystery.'^ 

[9]  The  elders  in  the  orchestra  then  looked  at  the  head 
teacher  who  had  proposed  that  problem,  and  he  understood  by 
their  nods  that  they  wished  him  to  descend  and  instruct  them. 
And  he  at  once  descended  from  the  pulpit,  crossed  the  audi- 
torium, and  went  into  the  desk ;  Rud  there  stretching  forth  his 
hand  he  said,  "  Listen,  I  pray.    Who  does  not  believe  that  the 
soul  is  man's  inmost  and  finest  essence?    Yet  what  is  an 
essence  without  a  form  but  a  mere  figment  of  the  reason  ? 
The  soul  is  therefore  a  form,  but  what  kind  of  a  form  shall  be 
explained.    It  is  the  form  of  all  things  of  love  and  all  things 
of  wisdom;  all  things  of  love  are   called  affections,  and  all 
things  of  wisdom  are  called  perceptions.    These  perceptions 
from  their  affections  and  with  them  constitute  one  form  in 
which  are  innumerable  things  in  such  an  order,  series,  and  co- 
herence and  that  they  may  be  called  a  unit;  and  they  may  be 
called  a  unit  because  if  it  is  to  be  such  nothing  can  be  tak  ni 
from  it  or  added  to  it.    Wliat  is  the  human  soul  but  such  a 
form  ^    Are  not  all  things  of  love  and  all  things  of  wisdom 
the  essentials  of  that  form  ?    And  in  man  these  are  m  the 
soul  and  from  the  soul  in  the  head  and  body.     [lO]  ^  ou  are 
called  spirits  and  angels;  and  in  the  world  you  believed  spir- 
its and  angels  to  l^e  like  wind  or  ether,  and  thus  to  be  minds 
or  dispositions ;  but  now  you  see  cleai'ly  that  you  are  truly, 
really,  and  actually  men,  who  in  the  world  thought  and  lived 
in  a  material  body ;  and  you  knew  that  it  was  not  the  mate- 
rial body  that  lives  and  thinks,  but  the  spiritual  substance  in 
that  body ;  and  this  you  called  the  soul,  although  of  its  form 
you  had  no  knowledge,  and  yet  you  have  now  seen  it  and 
still  see  it.    All  of  you  are  souls,  respecting  the  immortality 
of  which  you  have  heard,  thought,  spoken,  and  written  so 
much;  and  being  forms  of  love  and  wisdom  from  God,  you 
can  never  die.    Thus  the  soul  is  a  human  form,  from  which 
not  an  iota  can  be  taken  away,  and  to  which  not  an  iota  can 
be  added ;  and  it  is  the  inmost  form  of  all  the  forms  of  the 
entire  body.    And  as  exterior  forms  receive  both  essence  and 


■■oj.^.jr-.;&-..i:ri»T>-..feii»As.  -lu-BiAikatafeaaifeififiiSittilliii^^ 


842  THE  TUU^  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  [Chap.  XII. 

form  from  the  inmost  form,  so  you,  as  you  appear  to  your- 
Ss  and  to  us,  are  souls.  In  a  .vord  the  soul  is  the  man 
Wf!  because 'it  is  the  inmost  man;  and  therefore  j^^s  f orm 
is  fuUv  and  completely  the  human  form,  let  it  is  not  lue, 
butte  Tearest  receptacle  of  life  from  God,  and  thus  God's 

'TunitTiplauded  these  remaxks:  but  some  said,  «We 

"^  S^tfhome.  And  behold,  in  the  pla.e  of  the  former 
meteoric  display  there  appeared  over  the  gy^-sium  a  ^n^^ 
cloud  without  any  contending  streaks  or  rays  This  cloud 
penetrated  the  roof  and  brightened  the  walls  ;  and  I  heard  that 
they  saw  writings,  among  other  thmgs  this  :- 

And  Jehovah  God  f  ovmed  «an,  and  breathed  into  man's  nostriU.  the 
oreath  of  lives  ;  and  man  became  a  Iivmg  soul  (Gen.  n.  7). 


N.  698] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


843 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE  HOLY  SUPPER. 

I. 

WITHOUT     SOME     KNOWLEDGE    OF     THE     COBBESPONDF.NCES     OF 

NATURAL  WITH  SPIRITUAL  THINGS,  IT  IS  IMPOSSIBLE 

TO    KNOW   WHAT    THE    USES    AND    BENEFITS 

or    THE    HOLY    SUPPER    ARE. 

698    This  has  been  partially  explained  in  the  chapter  on 
Baptism,  where  it  was  shown  that  without  a  know  edge  of  the 
spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  it  cannot  be  known  what  the  two 
sLraments,  baptism  and  the  holy  supper,  involve  and  effect 
ZTn  6671669).    It  is  now  said,  without  some  knowledge  of 
he  correspondences  of  natural  with  spiritual  things  which  is 
the  same  thing,  since  by  means  of  correspondences  the  natural 
sense  of  the  Word  is  changed  into  a  spiritual  sense  in  heaven ; 
Ld  because  of  this  these  two  senses  are  mutually  correspond- 
ent;  Therefore  he  who  has  a  knowledge  of  correspondences  is 
:;L'  to  understand  the  spiritual  sense.    But  what  correspond- 
ences are,  and  the  nature  of  them  can  be  seen  in  the  chapt  r 
on  the  Sacred  Scripture  from  beginning  to  end;  also  in  the 
explanation  of  the  Decalogue  from  the  first  to  the  last  com- 
mandment, and  particularly  in  the  Apocal^seReM 

699    What  true  Christian  does  not  acknowledge  that  these 
two  sa"craments  are  holy,  and  in  Chnstendom  are  even  the 
most  holy  things  of  worship?    But  ^^o  ^ncms  whe  ein  then 
holiness  resides,  or  whence  it  is  ?    In  the  ins  itutiou  of  the  hcjj 
supper  all  that  is  known  from  the  natural  sense  is  that  the 
flesh  of  Christ  is  given  to  eat,  and  His  blood  *»  dr.nk   an 
that  the  bread  and  wine  stand  for  these.    From  th's  who  ca^i 
think  otherwise  than  that  it  is  holy  merely  because  J  ^  coin- 
manded  by  the  Lord  ?    Therefore  the  most  ^^^""^  "^^^^ 
the  church  have  taught  that  the  element  becomes  a  sacm 
ment  when  the  Word  is  added  to  it  [in  the  service].    But  as 
Th  a  source  of  holiness  does  not  satisfy  the  unde-tandm^^ 
and  there  is  no  evidence  of  it  in  the  element  or  symbols,  but 


844 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XUI. 


N.  701] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


845 


is  only  a  matter  of  memory,  so  the  sacrament  is  observed  by 
some  from  a  coutidence  that  by  means  of  it  their  sms  are  for- 
given, by  others  because  they  beUeve  it  sanctifies,  by  others 
because  it  strengthens  their  faith,  and  thus  promotes  salva- 
tion; while  those  who  think  lightly  of  it,  come  to  it  simply 
because  they  have  been  accustomed  to  do  so  from  childhood ; 
and  others  neglect  it  because  they  see  no  reason  m  it  But  the 
impious  turn  away  from  it,  saying  to  themselves,  "What  is  it 
but  a  ceremony  stamped  with  holiness  by  the  clergy?  lor 
what  is  there  in  it  but  bread  and  wine  ?  And  what  is  it  but  a 
fiction  that  the  body  of  Christ  which  hung  upon  the  cross,  and 
His  blood  which  was  then  poured  out,  are  distributed  to  the 
communicants  along  with  the  bread  and  wine  ?"  And  so  on. 

700    Such  ideas  respecting  this  most  holy  sacrament  are  at 
this  day  cherished  throughout  all  Christendom,  solely  because 
they  are  in  accord  with  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  ^\  ord; 
while  the  spiritual  sense  in  which  alone  the  use  and  benefit 
of  the  holy  sui^per  are  seen  in  their  truth,  has  been  hitherto 
hidden,  not  having  teen  disclosed  until  the  present  tune,    ihe 
reason  why  this  sense  is  now  for  the  first  time  disclosed,  is 
that  heretofore  Christianity  has  existed  only  in  name,  except- 
ing some  shadow  of  it  in  a  few  individuals;  for  heretofore 
men  have  not  directly  approached  and  worshiped  the  ^^-iviour 
Himself  as  the  one  only  God  in  whom  is  the  Divine  irinity, 
but  only  mediately,  and  this  is  not  approaching  and  worshii> 
in-  but  merely  venerating  Him  as  the  cause  of  man  s  salva- 
tion, not  regarding  Him,  however,  as  the  essential  cause,  but 
as  the  mediate  cause  which  is  beneath  and  exterior  to  the 
essential  cause.    But  now,  because  real  Cliristianity  is  tegin- 
ning  to  dawn,  and  a  New  Church  meant  by  the  New  Jerusa- 
lem in  the  Apoeal,,pse,  is  now  being  established  by  the  Lord, 
wherein  God  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit  are  acknowl- 
edged as  one,  because  in  one  Person,  it  has  pleased  the  Lord  tfl 
reveal  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word,  to  enable  this  church 
to  enter  into  the  real  use  and  tenefit  of  these  sacraments,  tep- 
tism  and  the  holy  supper;  an.l  this  is  done  when  men,  with 
the  eyes  of  the  spirit,  that  is,  with  the  understandnig  see  the 
holiness  that  is  concealed  within  them,  and  apply  it  to  them- 
selves by  the  means  which  the  Lord  has  taught  in  His  ^^  ord. 


701    Without  the  opened  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word,  or 
what  is  the  same,  without  a  revelation  of  the  correspondence 
of  natural  with  spiritual  things,  the  holiness  of  the  sa^™nt 
here  treated  of  can  no  more  be  ulteriorly  recognized  than  the 
existence  of  a  treasure  hidden  in  a  field.    Such  a  field  is  no 
more  highly  valued  than  any  common  field;  but  when  it  is  dis- 
covered that  there  is  a  treasure  in  it,  the  field  is  valued  at  a 
irreat  price,  and  the  purchaser  enriches  himself  from  it;  still 
more  must  it  be  so  when  it  is  known  to  contain  a  treasure  more 
precious  than  all  gold.    [2]  Without  the  spiritual  sense  this 
sacrament  is  like  a  closed  house  full  of  jewels  and  treasures 
that  is  passed  by  like  any  other  house  on  the  street,  except 
that  the  gaze  of  those  passing  is  attracted  to  it,  to  view  it  and 
praise  it  and  estimate  its  value,  because  the  clergy  have  built 
its  walls  of  marble  and  covered  its  roof  with  plates  of  gold.  It 
is  otherwise  when  the  house  has  been  opened,  and  every  one 
is  given  leave  to  enter,  and  from  it  the  custodian  supplies  to 
some  a  loan,  and  to  others  presents  a  gift,  to  each  according  to 
his  rank.    It  is  said,  a  gift  from  it,  because  the  valuables  there 
are  inexhaustible,  and  are  continually  supplied.    This  is  true 
of  the  Word  with  its  spiritual  contents,  and  the  sacraments 
with  their  celestial  contents.    [3]  The  sacrament  here  treated 
of  without  a  revelation  of  its  holiness,  which  lies  concealed 
within  it,  apiiears  like  the  sand  of  a  river  containing  scarce  y 
visible  grains  of  gold  in  great  abundance ;  but  when  its  holi- 
ness has  been  revealed,  it  is  like  the  gold  collected  from  the 
sand,  melted  into  a  mass,  anci  wrought  into  beautiful  forms. 
This  sacrament,  when  its  holiness  has  not  been  disclosed  and 
seen  is  like  a  box  or  casket  made  of  beech  or  poplar,  contain- 
ing diamonds,  rubies,  and  many  other  precious  stones,  arranged 
in  order  in  compartments.     WTio  does  not  value  such  a  box  or 
casket  when  he  knows  that  such  things  are  concealed  within 
it  and  still  more  when  they  are  seen  and  are  offered  for  free 
distribution  ?    This  sacrament,  when  its  correspondences  with 
heaven  are  not  revealed,  and  the  heavenly  things  to  which  it 
corresponds  are  not  seen,  is  like  an  angel  appearing  in  the 
world  in  common  clothing,  who  is  honored  only  according  to 
his  clothing ;  but  it  is  wholly  different  when  he  is  known  to  be 
an  angel,  and  what  is  angelic  is  heard  from  his  lips,  and  mar- 


846 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIII. 


N.  703] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


84' 


vellous  things  are  seen  in  his  deeds.  [4]  The  difference  be- 
tween  a  holiness  that  is  merely  declared  to  belong  to  anything 
and  a  holiness  that  is  seen,  may  be  illustrated  by  an  instance 
which  was  seen  and  heard  in  the  spiritual  world.  An  epistle 
w^ritten  by  Paul  while  he  dwelt  in  the  world,  but  not  pub- 
lished, was  read,  no  one  knowing  that  it  was  by  Paul.  The 
hearers  at  first  thought  little  of  it ;  but  when  it  was  discovered 
to  be  one  of  Paul's  epistles,  it  was  received  with  joy,  and  each 
and  eveiything  in  it  was  adored.  This  makes  clear  how  the 
mere  attribution  of  holiness  to  the  Word  and  the  sacraments, 
when  made  by  the  higher  orders  of  the  clergy,  does  indeed 
give  them  a  stamp  of  holiness ;  but  it  is  quite  different  when 
the  holiness  itself  is  disclosed,  and  presented  visibly  to  the 
eye,  which  is  done  by  a  revelation  of  the  the  spiritual  sense. 
When  this  is  done  the  external  holiness  becomes  internal,  and 
the  attribution  of  holiness  becomes  an  acknowledgment  of  it. 
It  is  the  same  with  the  holiness  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
supper. 


11. 

WITH  A  KNOWLEDGE  OF  CORRESPONDENCES  WHAT  IS  MEANT  BY 
THE   lord's   flesh    AND    BLOOD   CAN   BE  KNOWN,  ALSO   THAT 
BREAD  AND   WINE  HAVE  A  LIKE   MEANING,  NAMELY,  THAT 
THE  lord's    flesh   AND   THE  BREAD   MEAN   THE  DIVINE 
GOOD  OF  HIS  LOVE,  ALSO  ALL  GOOD  OF  CHARITY:  AND 
THE  lord's   BLOOD    AND    THE   WINE   MEAN   THE   DI- 
VINE TRUTH  OF  HIS  WISDOM,  ALSO  ALL  TRUTH  OF 
faith;    and    EATING   MEANS    APPROPRIATION. 

702.  As  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  has  at  this  day 
been  disclosed,  and  together  with  it  correspondences  (because 
they  mediate  between  the  two  senses)  I  will  merely  present 
some  passages  from  the  Word,  from  which  it  can  be  clearly 
seen  what  is  meant  by  the  flesh  and  the  blood,  as  also  by  the 
bread  and  the  wine  in  the  holy  sui)per.  But  before  this  the 
institution  itself  of  this  sacrament  by  the  Lord,  and  His  doc- 
trine concerning  His  flesh  and  blood,  and  the  bread  and  the 
wine,  shall  be  set  forth. 


703.  The  InstitiitloJi  of  the  Holy  Shipper  by  the  Lord:— 
Jesus  kept  the  passover  with  His  disciples  ;  and  when  evenhig  had 
come  He  sat  down  with  them.  And  a^  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took 
bread  and  blessed,  and  brake,  and  gave  to  His  disciples,  and  said,  Take, 
eat  this  is  My  body.  And  He  took  the  cup  and  gave  thanks,  and  gave 
to  them,  saying.  Drink  of  it,  all  of  you  ;  this  is  My  blood  of  the  new 
covenant,  which  is  poured  out  for  many  {Matt.  xxvi.  20-28 ;  Mark  xiv. 
22-24;  Luke  xxii.  19,  20). 

The  Lord's  Doctrine  respecting  His  Flesh  and  Blood,  and  the 
Bread  and  Wine : — 

Work  not  for  the  meat  that  perisheth,  but  for  that  meat  which  abid- 
eth  unto  eternal  life,  which  the  Son  of  man  shall  give  unto  you.    Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  it  was  not  Moses  that  gave  you  the  bread  out  of 
heaven,  but  My  Father  giveth  you  the  true  bread  out  of  heaven  ;  for  the 
bread  of  God  is  He  that  cometh  down  out  of  heaven,  and  giveth  life  unto 
the  world.    I  am  the  bread  of  life  ;  he  that  cometh  to  Me  shall  not  hun- 
ger and  he  that  believeth  in  Me  shall  never  thirst.   I  am  the  bread  which 
came  down  out  of  heaven.   Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you  He  that  believ- 
eth in  Me  hath  eternal  life.    I  am  the  bread  of  life.    Your  fathers  did 
eat  manna  in  the  wilderness  and  they  died.    This  is  the  bread  which 
cometh  down  out  of  heaven,  that  one  may  eat  thereof  and  not  die.    I  am 
the  living  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven  ;  if  any  man  eat  of  this 
bread  he'' shall  live  for  ever  ;  and  the  bread  that  I  will  give  is  My  flesh, 
which  I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the  world.    Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you  Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  drink  His  blood,  ye 
have  no  life  in  you.    He  that  eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My  blood  hath 
eternal  life,  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day  ;  for  My  flesh  is  truly 
meat,  and  My  blood  is  truly  drink.    He  that  eateth  My  flesh  and  drink- 
eth My  blood  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in  him  {John  vi.  27-56). 

704.  Any  one  enlightened  from  heaven  can  perceive  in  him- 
self that  flesh  and  blood  in  the  above  passages  do  not  mean 
flesh  and  blood,  but  that  in  the  natural  sense  they  both  mean 
the  passion  of  the  cross,  which  they  were  to  remember.  There- 
fore, when  the  Lord  instituted  this  supper  of  the  last  Jewish 
and  the  first  Christian  passover.  He  said: — 

This  do  in  remembrance  of  Me  {Luke  xxii.  19  ;  1  Cor.  xi.  24,  25). 
It  may  likewise  be  seen  that  the  bread  and  wine  do  not  mean 
bread  and  wine,  but  in  the  natural  sense  they  have  the  sanie 
meaning  as  flesh  and  blood,  that  is  to  say,  the  passion  of  His 
cross,  for  it  is  written : — 

Jesus  brake  the  bread  and  gave  to  the  disciples,  and  said,  This  is  My 
body.  And  He  took  the  cup  and  gave  to  them,  saying.  This  is  My  blood 
{Matt.  xxvi.  26-28;  3farA:  xiv.  22-24  ;  Luke  xxii.  19,  20). 


ahBiBmiteiaiiciMiiirmMfr  iiin 


ttdtaMaii^^ 


Ma"«faaflaMaEflB3iBaaia 


848 


TilE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


N.  705] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


849 


Therefore  also  the  passion  of  the  cross  is  called  a  cup  (ilatf. 
xxvi  S9,  42,  44;  Mark  xiv.  36;  Jolin  xviu.  11). 

705  That  these  four,  flesh,  bloocl,  bread,  and  wme,  mean 
the  spiritual  and  celestial  things  that  correspond  to  them,  can 
be  seen  from  the  passages  in  the  ^Vord  wliere  they  are  men- 
tioned. That  "  flesh-'  means  in  tlie  Word  what  is  spiritual  and 
celestial  can  be  seen  from  the  following  passages  :— 

Come  and  bo  gatlieifdtogetheruntoll.e  .supper  of  the  g'-«'^t  «™> '  ;"?' 

ye  may  eat  the  fle.sh  of  kings,  an.l  the  «'-''«'f;'7'"»"'''''-«'^V  e  n  thai 
^nd  the  fle.sh  of  n.iehtv  men,  and  the  flesh  of  horses,  and  of  them  that 
sit  c!  them,  and  the  flesh  of  all  men,  both  free  and  bond,  both  small  and 
great  {Apoc.  xix.  17,  18). 

And  in  Ezekiel: — 

Gather  yourselves  from  every  side  to  My  sacrifice  that  I  do  ^crifice 
for  you  a  great  sacrifice  upon  the  mouutauis  of  Israel,  tliat  >e  may  eat 
flesh  and  drink  blood.  Ye  shall  eat  the  flesh  of  the  strong,  and  drink  the 
bood  of  the  princes  of  the  earth  ;  and  ye  shall  eat  fat  to  satiety,  aiul 
drink  blood  even  to  dmnkenness,  of  My  sacrifice  ;  and  ye  shall  he  sixtis- 
fi"d  at  my  t^ble  .ith  horse  and  with  chariot,  .ith  the  mighty  oian,  and 
^  ith  eve^T  man  of  ^var  ;  and  I  will  set  My  glory  among  the  heathen 
(xxxix.  17-21). 

AVho  does  not  see  that  in  these  passages  "flesh"  and  -blood" 
do  not  mean  flesh  and  Uood,  but  the  spiritual  and  celestia 
things  which  correspond  to  them  ?     Otherwise    what  would 
these  statements  l^e;  that  they  should  eat  the  flesh  of  kings 
commanders  of  thousands,  mighty  men,  ainl  horses,  and  of 
those  that  sat  on  them,  and  that  they  should  be  satished  at  the 
table  with  horses,  chariots,  mighty  men  and  all  men  of  >^^r, 
and  that  they  should  drink  the  blood  of  the  princes  of  the 
earth    and  should  drink  blood  even  to  drunkenness    but  un- 
meaning  and  strange  expressions  ?    That  these  words  are  ap- 
plied to  the  holy  supper  of  the  Lord  is  very  clear,  for  the  sui> 
Lr  of  the  great  God  is  mentioned,  and  also  the  great  sacrihce. 
As  all  spiritual  and  celestial  things  have  relation  solely  to 
good  and  truth,  it  follows  that  "flesh"  means  the  good  o 
charitv,  and  "blood"  the  truth  of  faith,  and  m  the  highest 
sense,' the  Lord  in  respect  to  the  Divine  good  of  love  and  the 
Divine  truth  of  wisdom.    "  llesh"  also  means  spiritual  good  m 
the  following  passage  in  Ezekiel:^ 


I  will  give  them  one  heart,  and  I  will  give  a  new  spirit  in  the  midst  of 
you  ;  and  I  will  take  away  the  heart  of  st^me  out  of  their  flesh,  and  will 
give  them  a  heart  of  flesh  (xi.  19  ;  xxvi.  26). 

In  the  Word  "heart"  signifies  love;  therefore  "a  heart  of 
flesh"  signifies  a  love  of  good.  That  "flesh  and  blood"  mean 
good  and  truth,  both  spiritual,  is  still  further  evident  from  the 
signification  of  "bread  and  wine"  in  what  now  follows;  for  the 
Lord  says  that  His  flesh  is  bread,  and  that  His  blood  is  the 
wine  that  was  drunk  from  the  cup. 

706.  The  Lord's  "blood"  means  His  Divine  truth  and  the 
truth  of  the  Word,  because  His  "  flesh,"  spiritually  understood, 
means  the  Divine  good  of  love,  and  in  Him  these  two  are  united. 
It  is  known  that  the  Lord  is  the  Word,  and  there  are  two 
things  to  which  everything  in  the  Word  has  relation,— Divine 
good  and  Divine  truth,  if  therefore,  instead  of  "the  Lord"  we 
say  "the  AVord,"  it  is  clear  that  these  two  are  meant  by  His 
flesh  and  blood.  That  "blood"  means  the  Lord's  Divine  truth 
or  the  truth  of  the  Word  is  evident  from  many  passages,  as, 
for  example,  where  blood  is  called  "the  blood  of  the  covenant," 
"  covenant"  meaning  conjunction,  which  is  effected  by  the  Lord 
by  means  of  His  Divine  truth;  as  in  Zechariah:— 

By  the  blood  of  thy  covenant  I  will  send  forth  the  bound  out  of  the 
pit  (ix.  11). 

And  in  Moses: — 

When  Moses  had  read  the  book  of  the  law  in  the  ears  of  the  people 
he  sprinkled  half  of  the  blood  upon  the  people  and  said.  Behold  the  blood 
of  the  covenant,  which  Jehovah  hath  concluded  with  you  upon  all  these 

words  (Ex.  xxiv.  3-8).  r.,,  •    .    ,r    r,i     At 

And  Jesus  took  the  cup  and  gave  to  them,  saying,  This  is  My  blood  of 
the  new  covenant  {Matt  xxvi.  27,  28 ;  Mark  xiv.  24  ;  Luke  xxu.  20). 

[2]  By  the  blood  of  the  new  covenant  or  testament  nothing  is 
meant  but  the  Word,  (which  is  called  the  covenant  or  testa- 
ment,  old  and  new),  thus  Divine  truth  in  the  Word.  As  this 
is  the  significance  of  "blood,"  the  Lord  gave  His  disciples  the 
wine,  saying,  "This  is  My  blood,"  "wine"  signifying  Divme 
truth,  and  therefore  wine  is  called  :— 

The  blood  of  grapes  {Gen.  xlix.  11 ;  Deut.  xxxii.  14). 
This  is  still  further  evident  from  the  Lord's  words  :— 
54 


850  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIII. 

V^rilv   verilv  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of 

Tth  My  blood  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in  bim  (John  vi.  53-o8). 
That  "blood"  here  means  the  Divine  truth  of  the  Word  is  very 
Sfe^for  it  is  said,  that  he  .vho  drinks  it  hath  Uf e  m^nn 
self,  and  abideth  in  the  Lord  and  the  Lord  in  him;  that  th  s  i 
effected  by  Divine  truth  and  a  life  according  to  it   and  that 
he  holy  supper  confirms  it,  may  be  known  in  the  church 
[3]  As  "blood"  signifies  the  Lord's  Divine  truth,  which  is  also 
the  Divine  truth  of  the  Word,  (and  this  is  the  real  covenant  or 
testament,  old  and  new),  therefore  among  the  children  of  Israel 
blood  was  the  holiest  x-epresentative  of  their  church  wherein 
eXhing  and  all  things  were  correspondences  of  natural  with 
spiritual  things.    For  example  :— 

Thev  were  to  take  of  the  paschal  blood  and  put  it  on  the  two  side-posts 
anfon  ti:  up?er  door-posts'of  the  hou-ses,  lest  the  plague  should  come 

"Tnd 'tl"  btoodlf  tl^'e^birnLftering  was  to  be  sprinkled  upon  the  altar, 
onihe  bottom  of  it,  on  Aaron  and  ^s -s,  -d  on  th-r^™-;«^  ^- 
xxix.  12,  10,  20,  21 ;  Lev.  i.  5, 11,  lo  ;  m.  2,  8,  13 ,  iv.  2o,  30,  d4  ,  v  , 

^^i^,:on^ihrilorth\^;rrouthe^m^^^^^^ 

of  the  altar  of  incense  (Lev.  iv.  6,  7,  17,  18  ;  xvi.  12-15). 

In  the  Apocalypse  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  has  a  similar  sig- 

nificance : — 

These  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb  (vli.  14). 
Also  in  this  passage : — 

There  was  war  in  heaven ;  Michael  and  his  angels  fought  against  the 
dra^onTaTd  ley  overcame'him  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  and 
through  the  word  of  their  testimony  (xu.  7,  11). 
[4]  For  it  cannot  be  imagined  that  Michael  and  his  angels 
overcame  the  dragon  by  any  other  means  than  th«J^«'-d  «  I^j^ 
vine  truth  in  the  Word,  for  the  angels  of  heaven  cannot  think 
Tany  kind  of  blood,  nor  do  they  think  of  the  Lord's  passion 
but  only  of  Divine  truth  and  of  the  Lord's  resurrection.    So 
when  man  thinks  of  the  Lord's  blood,  the  angels  have  a  pe,^ 
ception  of  the  Divine  truth  of  His  Word ;  and  when  men  think 


N.  706] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


851 


of  the  Lord's  passion,  they  have  a  perception  of  His  glorifica. 
tion,  and  then  of.  His  resurrection  only,  This  I  have  been  per- 
mitted to  leain  from  much  experience.  [5]  That  "blood'  sig- 
nifies Divine  truth  is  clear  also  from  the  following  passages  m 

David : — 

God  shaU  save  the  souls  of  the  needy,  and  precious  shall  their  blood 
be  hi  His  eyes  ;  and  they  shall  live,  and  He  will  give  them  of  the  gold  of 
Sheba  (Ps.  Ixxii.  13-16); 

"blood  precious  in  the  eyes  of  God"  meaning  the  Divine  truth 
in  them  ;  and  "  the  gold  of  Sheba"  wisdom  therefrom.    And  m 

Gather  vourselves  to  the  great  sacrifice  upon  the  mountains  of  Israel 
that  ye  nmy  eat  flesh  and  drink  blood  ;  ye  shall  dnnk  the  blood  of  the 
princes  of  the  earth,  and  ye  shall  drink  blood  even  to  drunkenness,  and 
I  will  set  My  glory  among  the  heathen  (xxxix.  17-21). 
This  treats  of  the  church  which  the  Lord  was  about  to  estab- 
lish among  the  nations.  That  "  blood"  here  cannot  mean  blood, 
but  the  truth  from  the  Word  which  they  had  may  be  seen  ]ust 

707.  That  ^-  bread"  and  "  flesh"  have  a  like  meaning  is  very 
clear  from  the  Lord's  words  :— 

Jesus  took  bread  and  brake,  and  gave  saying,  This  is  My  body  (Mait. 
xxvi.  26  ;  Mark  xiv.  22  ;  Luke  xxii.  19). 

And  again : — 

The  bread  that  I  will  give  is  My  flesh,  which  I  will  give  for  the  life  of 
the  world  {John  vi.  51). 

And  He  also  says  : — 

That  He  is  the  bread  of  life,  and  that  if  any  man  eat  of  this  bread  he 
shall  live  for  ever  {John  vi.  48,  51,  68). 

It  is  this  bread  also  that  is  meant  by  the  sacrifices  that  are 
called  bread  in  the  following  passages  :— 

The  priest  shall  bum  it  upon  the  altar ;  it  is  the  bread  of  the  offering 
made  by  fire  unto  Jehovah  (Leu.  iii.  H,  16). 

The  sons  of  Aaron  shall  be  holy  unto  their  God,  and  not  V^oi^J^^^^ 
name  of  their  God,  for  the  offerings  of  Jehovah  ^.^^^^^  f f ^' ^^^^f/^,^^ 
of  their  God  they  do  offer.  Thou  shalt  sanctify  him,  for  he  offereth  the 
toad  o^^^^^^  God  No  man  of  the  seed  of  Aaron  in  which  there  shall 
h^ve  b^en  a'bremish,  shall  come  nigh  to  offer  the  bread  of  his  God  {Le. 
xxi.  6,  8,  17,  21). 


852 


THE  TRUE  CITRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


Command  the  children  of  Israel,  and  say  unto  them,  My  offering  and 
My  bread  for  sacrifices  made  by  lire,  for  an  odor  of  rest,  shall  ye  observe 
to  offer  unto  Me  in  their  due  season  (iVuwi.  xxviii.  2). 

He  that  hath  touched  an  unclean  thing  shall  not  eat  of  the  holy  things, 
unless  he  bathe  his  flesh  in  water ;  afterward  he  shalt  eat  of  the  holy 
things,  because  this  is  his  bread  {Lev.  xxii.  6,  7). 

To  eat  of  the  holy  things  was  to  eat  of  the  flesh  of  the  sacri- 
fices, which  is  here  called  "  bread/'  as  well  as  in  Malachi  (i.  7). 
The  "meal-offerings"  used  in  the  sacrifices,  which  were  of  fine 
wheaten  flour,  and  were  therefore  bread,  had  the  same  signifi- 
cation (Lev.  ii.  1-11;  vi.  11-21;  vii.  9-13,  and  elsewhere); 
also  the  bread  on  the  table  in  the  tabernacle,  which  was  called 
"  the  bread  of  faces"  or  "  shew-bread"  (of  which  in  A"x.  xxv. 
30;  xl.  23;  Leu.  xxiv.  5-9).  That  "bread"  in  the  Word  means 
heavenly  bread,  not  natural  bread,  is  evident  from  the  follow- 
ing passages : — 

Man  doth  not  live  by  bread  only,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth 
out  of  the  mouth  of  Jehovah  doth  man  live  {Deut.  viii.  3). 

I  will  send  a  famine  into  the  land,  not  a  famine  of  bread,  nor  a  thirst 
for  water,  but  for  hearing  the  words  of  Jehovah  {Amos  viii.  11). 

Moreover,  "bread"  means  all  food  (Leo.  xxiv.  5-9;  Ex.  xxv. 
30;  xl.  23;  JVujn.  iv.  7;  1  Kinr/s  vii.  48)'.  That  it  also  means 
spiritual  food  is  plain  from  these  words  of  the  Lord : — 

Work  not  for  the  meat  that  perisheth,  but  for  that  meat  which  abideth 
unto  eternal  life,  which  the  Son  of  man  shall  give  unto  you  {John  vi.  27). 

708.  That  "  wine"  and  "  blood"  have  a  like  meaning  is  very 
evident  from  the  Lord's  words  : — 

Jesus  took  the  cup,  saying.  This  is  My  blood  {Matt.  xxvi. ;  Mark  xiv.  ; 
Luke  xxii.). 

Also  from  the  following  : — 

He  washeth  His  garment  in  wine,  and  His  covering  in  the  blood  of 
grapes  {Gen.  xlix.  11). 

This  refers  to  the  Lord. 

Jehovah  of  Hosts  shall  make  unto  all  people  a  feast  of  fat  things,  a 
feast  of  wine  on  the  lees  [or  sweet  wine]  {Isa.  xxv.  6). 

This  refers  to  the  sacrament  of  the  holy  supper  to  be  institu- 
ted by  the  Lord.    In  the  same : — 

Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that  hath 
no  silver  come,  buy  and  eat ;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  without  silver  (Iv.  1) 


N.  708] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


853 


"The  fruit  of  the  vine"  which  they  were  to  drink  new  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  (Matt.  xxvi.  29;  Mark  xiv.  25]  Luke  xxii. 
17,  18),  means  no  other  than  the  truth  of  the  New  Church 
and  of  heaven.  For  this  reason  the  church  in  many  places  in 
the  Word  is  called  a  vineyard  (as  in  Isa.  v.  1-4;  Matt.  xx. 
1-13) ;  and  the  Lord  calls  Himself  "  the  true  vine,"  and  men 
who  are  engrafted  into  Him,  "  the  branches"  (John  xv.  1,  6) ; 
as  also  in  other  passages. 

709.  From  all  this  it  can  now  be  seen  what  is  meant  in  a 
threefold  sense,  natural,  spiritual,  and  celestial,  by  the  Lord's 
flesh  and  blood,  also  by  bread  and  wine.  Every  man  in  Chris- 
tendom imbued  witli  religion  may  know,  and  if  he  does  not 
know  may  learn,  that  there  is  natural  nourishment  and  spir- 
itual nourishment,  and  that  natural  nourishment  is  for  the 
body,  and  spiritual  nourishment  is  for  the  soul ;  for  Jehovah 
the  Lord  says  in  Moses: — 

Man  doth  not  live  by  bread  only,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth 
out  of  the  mouth  of  Jehovah  doth  man  live  {Deut.  viii.  3). 

And  as  the  body  dies  and  the  soul  lives  after  death,  it  follows 
that  spiritual  nourishment  is  for  eternal  salvation.  Who  can- 
not see  from  this  that  these  two  kinds  of  nourishment  ought 
by  no  means  to  be  confounded,  and  that  if  any  one  does  con- 
found them,  he  must  needs  adopt  natural  and  sensual  ideas, 
which  are  material,  corporeal,  and  carnal,  respecting  the  Lord's 
flesh  and  blood,  and  the  bread  and  wine,  which  ideas  suffocate 
spiritual  ideas  respecting  this  most  holy  sacrament  ?  But  if 
any  one  is  so  simple  as  to  be  unable  to  think  from  his  under- 
standing of  anything  except  what  he  sees  with  the  eye,  I  ad- 
vise him,  when  he  takes  the  bread  and  wine  and  hears  them 
called  the  Lord's  flesh  and  blood,  to  think  within  hunself  of 
the  holy  supper  as  the  holiest  thing  of  worship,  and  to  call  to 
mind  Christ's  passion,  and  His  love  for  man's  salvation ;  for 
He  says : — 

This  do  in  remembrance  of  Me  {Luke  xxii.  19). 

Also, 

The  Son  of  man  came  to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many  {Matt.  xx. 
28  ;  Mark  x.  45). 

I  lay  down  My  life  for  the  sheep  {John  x.  15,  17  ;  xv.  13). 


854 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIIL 


710.  This  too  may  be  illustrated  by  comparisons.  Who  does 
not  remember  and  love  the  man  who,  from  the  zeal  of  love  for 
his  country,  lights  with  her  enemies  even  unto  death,  that  he 
may  thereby  deliver  her  from  the  yoke  of  servitude  ?  And 
who  does  not  remember  and  love  the  man  who,  when  he  set-s 
his  fellow-citizens  in  extreme  want,  with  death  from  grievous 
famine  staring  them  in  the  face,  out  of  pity  brings  forth  all 
his  gold  and  silver  from  his  house  and  distributes  it  freely  ? 
And  who  does  not  remember  and  love  the  man  who,  out  of 
love  and  friendship,  takes  the  only  lamb  he  possesses,  kills  it, 
and  sets  it  before  his  guests  ?    And  so  on. 


III. 


WHEN  ALL    THIS    IS    UNDERSTOOD    ANY    ONE   CAN    COMPREHEND 

THAT    THE    HOLY    SUPPER    CONTAINS    ALL    THINGS    OF    THE 

CHURCH    AND    ALL    THINGS    OF    HEAVEN    BOTH 

IN    GENERAL    AND    IN    PARTICULAR. 

711.  It  has  been  shovm  in  the  preceding  section  that  the 
Lord  Himself  is  in  the  holy  supper,  and  that  flesh  and  blood 
are  the  Lord  in  respect  to  the  Divine  good  of  love,  and  blood 
and  wine  are  the  Lord  in  respect  to  the  Divine  truth  of  wis- 
dom. Therefore  the  holy  supper  involves  three  things,  name- 
ly, the  Lord,  His  Divine  good,  and  His  Divine  truth.  Since, 
therefore,  the  holy  supper  includes  and  contains  these  three, 
it  follows  that  it  also  includes  and  contains  the  universals 
of  heaven  and  the  church.  And  as  all  particulars  depend  on 
universals  as  contents  on  their  containants,  it  also  follows 
that  the  holy  supper  includes  and  contains  all  the  particulars 
of  heaven  and  the  church.  From  all  this  it  is  clear,  for  the 
first  time,  that  as  the  Lord's  flesh  and  blood,  and  in  like  man- 
ner the  bread  and  wine,  mean  Divine  good  and  Divine  truth, 
both  from  the  Lord  and  both  being  the  Lord,  so  the  holy  sup- 
per contains  all  things  of  heaven  and  the  church,  both  in  gen- 
eral and  in  particular. 


jiiaiinWiiiiiBiiMflBHriimif  fiinirniiiftri  flii 


N.  712] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


855 


712.  It  is  also  known  that  there  are  three  essentials  of  the 
church,  God,  charity,  and  faith,  and  that  all  things  in  the 
church  have  relation  to  these  three  as  their  universals.  These 
are  identical  with  the  three  named  above,  since  in  the  holy 
supper  God  is  the  Lord,  charity  is  the  Divine  good,  and  faith 
the  Divine  truth.  What  is  charity  but  the  good  that  man  does 
from  the  Lord  ?  And  what  is  faith  but  the  truth  that  man  be- 
lieves from  the  Lord  ?  And  this  is  why  there  are  three  things 
in  man  in  respect  to  his  internal,  namely,  soul,  or  mind,  will, 
and  understanding.  These  three  are  the  receptacles  of  the 
three  universals;  the  soul  itself,  or  the  mind,  is  the  receptacle 
of  the  Lord,  for  it  lives  therefrom;  the  will  is  the  receptacle  of 
love  or  good ;  and  the  understanding  is  the  receptacle  of  wisdom 
or  truth.  Thus  each  thing  and  all  things  in  the  soul  or  mind, 
not  only  have  relation  to  the  three  universals  of  heaven  and 
the  church,  but  they  go  forth  from  them.  Mention  anything 
that  goes  forth  from  man  that  does  not  contain  mind,  will  and 
understanding.  If  any  one  of  these  were  taken  away,  would 
man  be  anything  more  than  any  inanimate  thing?  Likewise 
there  are  in  man's  external  three  things,  to  which  each  thing 
and  all  thmgs  have  relation,  and  upon  which  they  depend, 
namely,  the  body,  the  heart,  and  the  lungs.  And  these  three 
things  of  the  body  correspond  to  the  three  of  the  mind,  the 
heart  corresponding  to  the  will,  and  the  lungs  or  respiration  to 
the  understanding.  That  there  is  such  a  correspondence  has 
been  fully  shown  in  former  treatises.  Thus  then  have  each 
and  all  things  in  man  been  so  formed,  both  universally  and 
particularly,  as  to  be  receptacles  of  the  three  miiversals  of 
heaven  and  the  church.  This  is  because  man  was  created  an 
image  and  likeness  of  God,  and  he  was  so  created  in  order  that 
he  might  be  in  the  Lord  and  the  Lord  in  him. 

713.  On  the  other  hand  there  are  three  universals  opposite 
to  these,  namely,  the  devil,  evil,  and  falsity.  The  devil  (which 
means  hell)  is  directly  opposite  to  the  Lord,  evil  is  directly 
opposite  to  good,  and  falsity  to  truth.  These  three  make  one, 
for  where  the  devil  is  there  also  are  evil  and  falsity  therefrom. 
These  three  also  contain  both  universally  and  particularly  all 
things  of  hell  as  well  as  all  things  of  the  world  which  are  con- 
trary to  heaven  and  the  church.    As  these  are  opposites  they 


856 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


are  therefore  entirely  separate,  and  yet  are  retained  in  con- 
nection by  a  wonderful  subordination  of  all  hell  to  heaven, 
of  evil  to  good,  and  of  falsity  to  truth,  which  subordination 
is  treated  of  in  the  work  on  Heaven  and  Hell. 

714.  That  particulars  may  be  retained  in  their  order  and 
connection,  it  is  necessary  that  there  should  be  universals  from 
which  they  spring  and  in  which  they  rest ;  and  it  is  also  ne- 
cessary that  particulars  shoidd  in  a  certain  image  answer  to 
their  universals,  otherwise  the  whole  would  perish  together 
with  its  parts.  This  relation  has  caused  all  things  in  the  uni- 
verse to  be  preserved  in  their  integrity,  from  the  first  day  of 
creation  until  now,  and  to  still  continue.  That  all  things  in 
the  universe  have  relation  to  good  and  truth  is  well  known. 
This  is  because  all  things  were  created  by  God  from  the  Divine 
good  of  love  by  means  of  the  Divine  truth  of  wisdom.  Take 
anything  you  please,  an  animal,  a  shrub  or  a  stone,  and  you 
will  find  these  three  most  universal  principles  inscribed  upon 
them  in  a  kind  of  relationship. 

715.  As  the  Divine  good  and  the  Divine  truth  are  the  most 
universal  of  all  things  of  heaven  and  the  church,  so  Melchiz- 
edek,  who  represented  the  Lord,  brought  forth  bread  and  wine 
to  Abram,  and  blessed  him.  Respecting  Melchizedek,  it  is 
written : — 

Melchizedek,  king  of  Salem,  brought  forth  for  Abram  bread  and  wine  ; 
and  he  was  the  priest  of  God  Most  High.  And  he  blessed  him  {Qen.  xiv. 
18,  19). 

That  Melchizedek  represented  the  Lord,  is  evident  from  these 
words  in  David : — 

Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever,  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek  {Vs.  ex.  4). 

That  this  was  said  of  the  Lord  may  be  seen  in  Heh.  v.  5-10; 
vi.  20;  vii.  1,  10,  11,  15,  17,  21.  He  brought  forth  bread  and 
wine,  because  those  two  include  all  things  pertaining  to  hea- 
ven and  the  church,  thus  all  things  of  blessing,  the  same  as 
the  bread  and  the  wine  in  the  holy  supper. 


N.  716] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


857 


IV. 

IN    THE    HOLY    SUPPER   THE    LOKD     IS    WHOLLY    PRESENT    WITH 

THE  WHOLE  OF  HIS  REDEMPTION. 

716.  It  is  evident  from  the  Lord's  very  words  that  He  is 
wholly  present  in  the  holy  supper,  in  respect  both  to  His 
glorified  Human  and  the  Divine  from  which  the  Human  pro- 
ceeded. That  His  Human  is  present  in  the  holy  supper  is 
clear  from  the  following : — 

Jesus  took  bread  and  bi-ake,  and  gave  to  the  disciples  and  said,  This 
is  My  body  ;  and  He  took  the  cnp  and  gave  them,  saying.  This  is  My 
blood  {Mail.  xxvi.  2(3-28  ;  Mark  xiv.  22-24 ;  Luke  xxii.  19,  20). 

And  in  John  : — 

I  am  the  bread  of  life  ;  if  any  one  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for 
ever ;  and  the  bread  that  I  will  give  is  My  flesh.  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  He  that  eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My  blood  hath  eternal 
life,  and  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in  him  {John  vi.  51,  5(3). 
From  these  words  it  is  plainly  evident  that  the  Lord  in  re- 
spect to  His  glorified  Human  is  in  tlie  holy  supper.  That  He 
is  also  wholly  present  in  it  in  respect  to  His  Divine  from  which 
the  Human  proceeded,  is  evident  from  the  statement. 

That  He  is  the  bread  that  cometh  down  out  of  heaven  {John  vi.  51). 
He  came  down  out  of  heaven  with  the  Divine,  for  it  is  writ- 
ten:— 

The  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the  AVord ;  all  things  were 
made  by  Him  and  the  Word  was  made  flesh  {John  i.  1,  3,  14). 

And  further. 

That  He  and  the  Father  are  one  {John  x.  30). 

That  all  things  belonging  to  the  Father  are  His  {John  iii.  35  ;  xvi.  15). 

That  He  is  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in  Him  {John  xiv.  10,  11); 
(and  so  forth). 

Moreover,  His  Divine  can  no  more  be  separated  from  His  Hu- 
man than  the  soul  can  be  separated  from  the  body ;  so  when  it 
is  said  that  the  Lord  in  respect  to  His  Human  is  wholly  pres- 
ent in  the  holy  supi)er,  it  follows  that  His  Divine  from  which 
was  the  Human  is  there  along  with  it.  Since  then.  His  "flesh" 
signifies  the  Divine  good  of  His  love,  and  His  "blood"  the  Di- 
vine truth  of  His  wisdom,  it  is  clear  that  the  whole  of  the 
Lord  is  omnipresent  in  the  holy  supper  in  respect  both  to  His 


aB^Masfej-^fe^ajjaiaafflai 


858 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIII. 


Divine  and  to  His  glorified  Human;  consequently  that  the 
holy  supper  is  a  spiritual  eating. 

717.  That  the  whole  of  the  Lord's  redemption  is  in  the  holy 
supper  follows  from  what  has  already  been  said,  since  where 
the  Lord  is  wholly  present  there  also  is  His  whole  redemp- 
tion; for  it  is  in  respect  to  His  Human  that  He  is  the  Ke- 
deemer,  and  thus  also  redemption  itself.  Where  He  is  wholly 
present  no  part  of  redemption  can  be  absent,  consequently 
all  who  approach  the  holy  communion  wortliily  become  His 
redeemed.  And  as  redemption  means  deliverance  from  hell, 
conjunction  with  the  Lord,  and  salvation  (respecting  which 
see  further  on  in  this  chapter,  and  more  fully  in  the  chapter 
on  Redemption),  so  these  fruits  are  ascribed  to  man,  not  to 
the  extent  that  the  Lord  wills  (for  from  His  Divine  love  He 
wishes  to  ascribe  all  things  to  man),  but  to  the  extent  that 
man  receives;  and  he  that  receives  is  redeemed  in  the  degree 
in  which  he  receives.  From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  to  those 
who  come  worthily,  the  effects  and  fruits  of  the  Lord's  re- 
demption are  attained. 

718.  In  every  man  of  sound  mind  there  is  an  ability  to  re- 
ceive wisdom  from  the  Lord,  that  is,  to  multiply  to  eternity 
the  truths  from  which  wisdom  exists  ;  also  an  ability  to  receive 
love,  that  is,  to  bring  forth  to  eternity  the  goods  from  which 
love  exists.  This  perpetual  bringing  forth  of  good  and  of  love 
therefrom,  and  perpetual  multiplication  of  truth  and  of  wisdom 
therefrom,  is  granted  to  the  angels,  and  also  to  men  who  are 
becoming  angels ;  and  as  the  Lord  is  love  itself  and  wisdom  it- 
self, it  follows  that  man  has  the  ability  to  conjoin  himself  to 
the  Lord  and  the  Lord  to  himself  for  ever.  Nevertheless,  as 
2iian  is  finite,  the  Divine  Itself  of  the  Lord  cannot  be  conjoin- 
ed, but  only  adjoined  to  man,  as,  for  the  sake  of  illustration, 
the  light  of  the  sun  cannot  be  conjoined  to  the  eye,  or  tlie 
sound  of  the  air  to  the  ear,  but  only  adjoined  to  them,  thus  im- 
parting the  ability  to  see  and  hear.  For  man  is  not  life  in  him- 
self, as  the  Lord  is  even  in  regard  to  His  Human  (John  v.  2(]) ; 
but  is  only  a  receptacle  of  life ;  and  it  is  life  itself  that  is  ad- 
joined to  man,  but  not  conjoined.  This  has  been  added  in 
order  that  it  may  be  rationally  understood  how  the  Lord  and 
His  redemption  are  wholly  present  in  the  holy  supper. 


N.  719] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


V. 


859 


THE    LORD     IS    PRESENT    AND    OPENS    HEAVEN    TO    THOSE    WHO 
APPROACH     THE     HOLY    SUPPER    WORTHILY,    AND    IS    ALSO 
PRESENT    WITH    THOSE   WHO    APPROACH    UNWORTHILY, 
BUT    TO  THEM    HE    DOES    NOT    OPEN    HEAVEN  ;    CON- 
SEQUENTLY,    AS     BAPTISM     IS     INTRODUCTION 
INTO     THE      CHURCH      SO      IS      THE      HOLY 
SUPPER  INTRODUCTION  INTO  HEAVEN. 

719.  The  two  following  sections  explain  who  those  are  that 
come  to  the  holy  supper  worthily,  and  also  who  those  are  that 
approach  it  unworthily;  for  the  one  point  being  established, 
the  other  is  known  from  being  the  opposite.  With  both  the 
worthy  and  the  unworthy  the  Lord  is  present,  because  He  is 
omnipresent  both  in  heaven  and  in  hell,  and  also  in  the  world, 
consequently  with  the  evil  as  well  as  with  the  good.  But  with 
the  good,  that  is,  with  the  regenerate.  He  is  present  both  uni- 
versally and  individually;  for  the  Lord  is  in  them  and  they  are 
in  Him,  and  where  He  is  there  is  heaven.  Moreover,  heaven 
constitutes  the  body  of  the  Lord;  consequently  to  be  in  His 
body  is  also  to  be  in  heaven.  [2]  But  the  Lord's  presence  with 
those  who  come  to  the  holy  supper  unworthily  is  His  univer- 
sal and  not  His  individual  presence,  or  what  is  the  same,  His 
external  and  not  also  His  internal  presence.  His  universal  or 
external  presence  is  what  causes  a  man  to  live  as  a  man,  to  en- 
joy the  ability  to  know,  to  understand,  and  to  speak  rationally 
from  the  imderstanding ;  for  man  is  born  for  heaven,  and  is 
therefore  not  merely  natural,  like  a  beast,  but  also  spiritual. 
He  also  enjoys  the  ability  to  will  and  to  do  the  things  that 
from  his  understanding  he  is  able  to  know  about,  to  understand, 
and  thereby  rationally  speak  about.  But  if  the  will  rejects  the 
truly  rational  things  of  the  understanding,  which  are  also  in- 
trinsically spiritual,  the  man  becomes  external.  [3]  Conse- 
quently with  those  who  only  understand  what  is  true  and 
good,  the  Lord's  presence  is  universal  or  external,  while  with 
those  who  also  will  and  do  what  is  true  and  good,  the  Lord's 
presence  is  both  universal  and  individual,  or  both  internal  and 
external     Those  who  merely  understand  and  talk  about  what 


^a.i;iaasiiaaaiiaiaMiJ?: 


860 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIIL 


is  true  and  good  are  like  the  foolish  virgins  who  had  lamps 
but  no  oil  J  while  those  who  not  only  understand  and  talk  about 
what  is  true  and  good,  but  also  will  and  do  it,  are  the  wise 
virgins  who  were  admitted  to  the  wedding  while  the  former 
stood  at  the  door  and  knocked,  but  were  not  admitted  (^Matt. 
XXV.  1-12).  From  all  this  it  can  be  seen  that  the  Lord  is  pres- 
ent and  opens  heaven  to  those  who  come  to  the  holy  supper 
worthily ;  and  that  He  is  also  present  with  those  who  come  to 
it  unworthily,  but  to  them  He  does  not  open  heaven. 

720.  Nevertheless  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  Lord 
closes  heaven  to  those  who  come  unworthily,  this  He  does  to 
no  man,  even  to  the  end  of  his  life  in  the  world,  but  man  closes 
heaven  to  himself,  and  this  he  does  by  the  rejection  of  faith 
and  by  evil  of  life.  And  yet  man  is  held  constantly  in  a  state 
of  possible  repentance  and  conversion,  for  the  Lord  is  con- 
stantly present  and  urging  to  be  received ;  for  He  says  : — 

I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock  ;  if  any  man  hear  My  voice  and  open,  I 
will  come  in  and  will  sup  with  him  and  he  with  Me  {Apoc.  iii.  20). 

Therefore  the  fault  is  in  the  man  himself,  who  does  not  open 
the  door.  It  is  otherwise  after  death;  then  heaven  is  shut  and 
cannot  be  opened  to  those  who  have  continued  even  to  the  end 
of  life  to  come  to  the  holy  supper  unworthily ;  for  the  inte- 
riors of  their  minds  are  then  fixed  and  determined. 

721.  That  baptism  is  introduction  into  the  church  has  been 
shown  in  the  chapter  on  Baptism ;  that  the  holy  supper  is  in- 
troduction into  heaven  is  clear  from  what  has  been  said  above 
when  it  is  perceived.  These  two  sacraments,  baptism  and  the 
holy  supper,  are  like  two  gates  to  eternal  life.  By  baptism, 
which  is  the  first  gate,  every  Christian  is  let  into  and  intro- 
duced into  what  the  church  teaches  from  the  Word  respecting 
the  other  life,  all  of  which  teachnig  forms  the  means  whereby 
man  can  be  prepared  for  and  led  to  heaven.  The  second  gate 
is  the  holy  supper,  by  which  every  man  who  allows  himself  to 
be  prepared  and  led  by  the  Lord  is  admitted  into  and  intro- 
duced into  heaven.  There  are  no  other  universal  gates.  These 
two  sacraments  may  be  likened  to  what  occurs  with  a  prince 
who  is  born  heir  to  a  kingdom,  in  that  he  is  first  introduced  in- 
to a  knowledge  of  the  business  of  government,  and  in  the  sec- 


N    721] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


861 


ond  place  is  crowned  and  governs.  They  may  be  likened  also 
to  a  son  born  to  a  great  inheritan(;e,  in  that  he  first  learns  and 
is  imbued  with  such  things  as  pertain  to  the  proper  manage- 
ment of  possessions  and  riches,  and  secondly  takes  possession 
and  control;  also  to  the  building  of  a  house  and  dwelling  in 
it;  also  to  the  course  of  a  man's  instruction  from  childhood 
until  the  period  when  he  becomes  independent  and  exercises 
his  own  judgment,  and  his  subsequent  rational  and  spiritual 
life.  One  period  must  needs  precede,  that  the  second  may  be 
attained;  for  without  the  former  the  latter  is  impossible. 
These  illustrations  make  clear  that  baptism  and  the  holy  sup- 
per are  like  two  gates  through  which  man  is  introduced  to 
eternal  life;  and  that  beyond  the  first  gate  there  is  a  plain 
which  he  must  pass  over ;  and  that  the  second  is  the  goal  where 
lies  the  prize  to  which  he  has  directed  his  course.  For  the 
palm  is  not  bestowed  until  after  the  struggle,  nor  the  reward 
until  the  contest  is  decided. 


VL 


THOSE     COME     TO     THE     HOLY     SUPPER    WORTHILY     WHO     HAVE 

FAITH     IN     THE     LORD     AND     CHARITY     TOWARD     THE 

NEIGHBOR,  THAT   IS,  WHO  ARE  REGENERATE. 

722.  That  God,  charity,  and  faith  are  the  three  universals 
of  the  church,  because  they  are  the  universal  means  ot  salva- 
tion, is  known,  acknowledged,  and  perceived  by  every  Chris- 
tian who  studies  the  Word.  That  God  must  be  acknowledged 
in  order  that  one  may  have  religion,  or  that  anything  of  the 
church  may  be  in  him,  is  declared  by  reason  itself  when  there 
is  anything  spiritual  in  it;  consequently,  if  one  comes  to  the 
holy  supper  without  acknowledging  God,  he  profanes  it;  for 
he  sees  the  bread  and  wine  with  the  eye  and  tastes  them  with 
the  tongue,  while  the  thought  of  the  mind  is,  "  What  is  this 
but  a  useless  ceremony,  and  how  do  this  bread  and  wine  differ 
from  that  on  my  o\\ti  table  ?  Nevertheless  I  partake  of  them, 
lest  I  be  charged  by  the  priesthood,  and  so  also  by  the  common 
people,  with  the  infamy  of  being  an  atheist." 


862 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTLVN  RELIGION       [CiiAr.  XIII. 


N.  722] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


863 


[2]  That  after  the  acknowledgment  of  God,  charity  is  the 
second  means  which  enables  one  to  come  to  the  holy  supper 
worthily  is  evident  both  from  the  Word  and  from  the  exhor- 
tations read  before  approaching  the  communion  in  the  whole 
Christian  world.     It  is  evident  from  the  Word  in  this  :— 

That  the  first  command  or  precept  is  to  love  God  above  all  things,  and 
the  neighbor  as  oneself  {Matt.  xxii.  34-39 ;  Luke  x.  25-28). 

Again  in  Paul : — 

That  there  are  three  things  that  contribute  to  salvation,  and  the  great- 
est of  these  is  charity  (1  Cor.  xiii.  13). 

Also  from  these  passages  : — 

We  know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners  ;  but  if  any  man  is  a  worshiper 
of  God  and  doeth  His  will,  him  He  heareth  {John  ix.  31). 

Eveiy  tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down  and  cast 
into  the  fire  {Matt  vii.  19,  20  ;  Luke  iii.  8,  9). 

[3]  It  appears  also  from  the  exhortations  read  throughout  the 
whole  Christian  world  before  coming  to  the  holy  supper. 
Everywhere  men  are  thus  earnestly  admonished  to  be  in  char- 
ity by  reconciliation  and  repentance.  From  these  I  wiU  only 
quote  the  following  passage  from  the  exhortation  read  to  com- 
municants in  England : — 

"  The  way  and  means''  to  be  worthy  partakers  of  the  holy 
supper  "  is,  first  to  examine  your  lives  and  conversations  by 
the  rule  of  God's  commandments ;  and  whereinsoever  ye  shall 
perceive  yourselves  to  have  offended,  either  by  will,  word,  or 
deed,  there  to  bewail  your  own  sinfulness,  and  to  confess  your- 
selves to  Almighty  God,  with  full  purpose  of  amendment  of 
life.  And  if  ye  shall  perceive  your  offences  to  be  such  as  are 
not  only  against  God  but  also  against  your  neighbors,  then  ye 
shall  reconcile  yourselves  unto  them,  being  ready  to  make  res- 
titution and  satisfaction,  according  to  the  uttermost  of  your 
powers,  for  all  injuries  and  wrongs  done  by  you  to  any  other; 
and  being  likewise  ready  to  forgive  others  who  have  offended 
you,  as  ye  would  have  forgiveness  of  your  offences  at  God's 
hand ;  for  otherwise  the  receiving  of  the  holy  communion  doth 
nothing  else  but  increase  your  damnation.  Therefore  if  any 
of  you  be  a  blasphemer  of  God,  a  hinderer  or  slanderer  of  His 
Word,  an  adulterer,  or  be  in  malice,  or  envy,  or  in  any  other 


grievous  crime,  repent-  ye  of  your  sins,  or  else  come  not  to  that 
holy  table ;  lest,  a^er  the  taking  of  that  holy  sacrament,  the 
devil  enter  into  you  as  he  entered  into  Judas,  and  fill  you  full 
of  all  iniquities,  and  bring  you  to  destruction  both  of  body 
and  soul." 

[•1]  Faith  in  the  Lord  is  the  third  ineans  of  worthily  enjoy- 
ing the  holy  supper,  because  charity  and  faith  make  one,  like 
heat  and  light  in  spring,  from  which  two  conjoined  every  tree 
is  born  anew;  so  from  spiritual  heat,  which  is  charity,  and 
from  spiritual  light,  which  is  the  truth  of  faith,  every  man  has 
life.  That  faith  in  the  Lord  effects  this  is  evident  from  the 
following  passages : — 

He  that  believeth  in  Me  shall  never  die,  but  shall  live  {John  xi.  25,  26). 

This  is  the  will  of  the  Father  that  every  one  that  believeth  on  the  Son 
shall  have  eternal  life  (John  vi.  40). 

God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  who- 
soever believeth  on  Him  should  have  eternal  life  {John  iii.  15,  16). 

He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  eternal  life  ;  but  he  that  believeth 
not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him  {John 
iii.  36). 

We  are  in  the  truth,  in  the  Son  of  God,  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  tme 
God,  and  eternal  life  (1  John  v.  20). 

723.  That  man  is  regenerated  by  these  three,  the  Lord,  char- 
ity, and  faith,  acting  as  one,  and  that  no  one  can  enter  heaven 
unless  he  is  becoming  regenerate,  has  been  shown  in  the  chap- 
ter on  Reformation  and  Regeneration.  So  the  Lord  can  open 
heaven  to  none  but  the  regenerate,  and  after  the  natural  death 
introduction  into  heaven  is  given  to  none  else.  By  the  regener- 
ate, who  come  to  the  holy  supper  worthily,  those  are  meant  who 
are  in  these  three  essentials  of  the  church  and  heaven  interior- 
ly, not  those  wdio  are  so  only  exteriorly,  for  such  confess  the 
Lord  not  with  the  soul  but  with  the  tongue  only,  and  practise 
charity  toward  the  neighbor  not  with  the  heart  but  with  the 
body  only.  Such  are  all  who  are  "workers  of  iniquity,"  ac- 
cording to  these  words  of  the  Lord: — 

Then  shall  ye  begin  to  say,  Lord,  we  have  eaten  and  drunk  before  Thee. 
But  I  will  say  to  you,  I  know  you  not  whence  ye  are ;  depart  from  Me, 
all  ye  workers  of  iniquity  {Luke  xiii,  26,  27). 

724.  These  statements,  like  the  former,  may  be  illustrated 
by  various  things  that  are  in  accord  with  them,  and  also  by 


JafchiaKJjwBigaw-tfiiBirtiif'^'  '  •■■'•  •  ">--aaatJa«'J»fe--'''^^a;^^jftfesiaiagg^i*''^ 


864 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIII. 


N.  725] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


865 


some  that  correspond,  as  the  following:    No  one  is  admitted 
to  the  table  of  an  emperor  or  king  except  those  who  are  high 
in  office  and  rank;  and  even  these,  before  they  attend,  clothe 
themselves  in  becoming  garments,  and  put  on  their  insignia, 
that  they  may  come  acceptably  and  receive  favor.    Why  not 
the  same  with  the  table  of  the  Lord,  who  is  the  Lord  of  lords 
and  King  of  kings  (Ajjoc.  xvii,  14),  to  which  table  all  are  call- 
ed and  invited?    But  only  those  who  are  spiritually  worthy 
and  are  clothed  in  honorable  apparel  are  admitted,  after  arising 
from  the  table,  into  the  palaces  of  heaven,  and  into  the  joys 
there,  and  honored  as  princes  because  they  are  sons  of  the  Great 
King,  and  afterward  sit  down  daily  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  (Matt,  viii,  11),  by  whom  is  meant  the  Lord  in  respect 
to  the  Divine  celestial,  the  Divine  spiritual,  and  the  Divine 
natural.     These  things  may  also  be  likened  to  weddings  on 
earth,  to  which  only  the  relatives,  connections,  and  friends  of 
the  bridegroom  and  bride  are  invited ;  and  if  any  one  else  comes, 
he  may  be  admitted,  but  as  he  has  no  place  at  the  table,  he 
withdraws.    So  is  it  with  those  who  are  called  to  the  marriage 
of  the  Lord  as  the  Bridegroom  with  the  church  as  the  bride, 
with  whom  those  are  kindred,  relatives,  and  friends,  whose 
common  origin  comes  through  regeneration  by  the  Lord.    And 
again,  who  in  the  world  is  initiated  into  another's  friendship, 
unless 'he  is  at  heart  sincerely  faithful  and  does  what  the  other 
wishes  ?    Such  only  does  a  man  number  among  his  friends  and 
trust  with  his  property. 


YIL 

THOSE    WHO    COME    TO    THE    HOLY    SUPPER    WORTHILY    ARE    IN 
THE     LORD      AND      THE     LORD      IS     IN     THEM  ;      CONSE- 
QUENTLY   CONJUNCTION    WITH    THE    LORD    IS 
EFFECTED     BY     THE     HOLY     SUPPER. 

725.  In  several  chapters  above  it  has  been  shown  that  those 
come  to  the  holy  supper  worthily  who  have  faith  in  the  Lord 
and  charity  toward  the  neighbor;  and  that  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  is  effected  by  the  truths  of  faith,  and  conjunction  with 
Him  by  the  goods  of  charity  together  with  faith ;  and  from  this 


it  follows  that  those  who  worthily  come  to  the  holy  supper  are 
conjoined  w^ith  the  Lord,  and  those  who  are  conjoined  with 
Him  are  in  Him  and  He  in  them.  That  this  takes  place  with 
those  who  come  worthily,  the  Lord  Himself  declares  in  John 
as  follows: — 

He  that  eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My  blood  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in 
him  (vi.  56). 

That  this  is  conjunction  with  Him,  He  also  teaches  elsewhere 
in  John : — 

Abide  in  Me  and  I  in  you,  He  that  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in  him,  the  same 
beareth  much  fruit  (xv.  4,  5,  Apoc.  iii.  20). 

What  is  conjunction  with  the  Lord  but  being  among  those  who 
are  in  His  body  ?  And  those  constitute  His  body  who  believe 
in  Him  and  do  His  will.  His  will  is  the  exercise  of  charity  in 
accordance  with  the  truths  of  faith. 

726.  Eternal  life  and  salvation  are  impossible  without  con- 
junction with  the  Lord,  for  the  reason  that  He  is  both  of  these. 
That  He  is  eternal  life  is  clearly  evident  from  certain  passages 
in  the  Word,  as  from  the  following  in  John : — 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  (1  John  v.  20). 

He  is  also  salvation,  because  this  and  eternal  life  are  one.  His 
name  Jesus  signifies  salvation,  and  therefore  He  is  called  the 
Saviour  throughout  the  Christian  world.  And  yet  only  those 
come  to  the  holy  supper  worthily  who  are  interiorly  conjoined 
with  the  Lord,  and  those  are  interiorly  conjoined  with  Him 
who  are  regenerated.  Who  the  regenerated  are  has  been  shown 
in  the  chapter  on  Eeformation  and  Eegeneration.  Again, 
there  are  many  who  confess  the  Lord,  and  who  do  good  to  the 
neighbor;  but  unless  this  is  done  from  love  to  the  neighbor 
and  from  faith  in  the  Lord,  they  are  not  regenerated,  for  such 
do  good  to  the  neighbor  solely  for  reasons  that  look  to  the 
world  and  themselves,  and  not  to  the  neighbor  as  the  neighbor. 
The  works  of  such  are  merely  natural,  and  do  not  have  con- 
cealed within  them  anything  spiritual;  for  they  confess  the 
liOrd  with  the  mouth  and  lips  only,  from  which  their  heart  is 
far  away.  True  love  to  the  neighbor,  and  true  faith,  are  from 
the  Lord  alone,  and  both  are  given  to  man  when  he  from  his 


o5 


866 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIII, 


freedom  of  choice  does  good  to  the  neighbor  naturally,  and  be- 
lieves truths  rationally,  and  looks  to  the  Lord,  doing  these 
three  things  because  they  are  commanded  in  the  Word.  The 
Lord  then  implants  charity  and  faith  in  the  midst  of  him,  and 
makes  both  of  these  spiiitual.  Thus  the  Lord  conjoins  Him- 
self to  man,  and  man  conjoins  himself  to  the  Lord,  for  no  con- 
junction is  possible  unless  it  is  effected  reciprocally.  But  all 
this  has  been  fully  set  forth  in  the  chapters  on  Charity,  Faith, 
freedom  of  Choice,  and  Eegeneration. 

727.  It  is  well  known  that  in  the  world  conjunctions  and  af- 
filiations are  brought  about  by  invitations  to  the  table  and  by 
feasts,  for  the  host  thereby  designs  something  that  contrib- 
utes to  some  end  that  looks  to  harmony  or  friendship ;  much 
more  so  the  invitations  that  have  spiritual  objects  in  view. 
Feasts  in  the  ancient  churches  and  also  in  tlie  primitive  Chris- 
tian church  were  feasts  of  charity,  at  which  they  strengthened 
each  other  to  abide  in  the  worship  of  the  Lord  with  sincere 
hearts.    When  tlie  children  of  Israel  ate  together  of  the  sac- 
rifices near  the  tabernacle,  it  signified  nothing  else  than  una- 
nimity in  the  worship  of  Jehovah;  therefore  the  flesh  that 
they  ate,  being  a  part  of  the  sacrifice,  was  called  holy  {Jer.  xi. 
15;  Hag.  ii.  12,  and  fre(iuently  elsewhere).    AVhy  not,  then,  the 
bread  and  wine  and  the  paschal  flesh  at  the  supper  of  the 
Lord,  who  offered  Himself  a  sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  all  the 
world  ?    [2]  And  again,  conjunction  with  the  Lord  by  means 
of  the  holy  supper  may  be  illustrated  by  the  conjunction  of 
several  families  descendants  of  one  father;  from  whom  blood 
relations  descend  and  in  their  order  kindred  and  connections, 
all  deriving  something  from  the  first  stock.    But  it  is  not  flesli 
and  blood  they  thus  acquire,  but  something  from  the  flesh  and 
blood,  that  is,  the  soul  and  an  inclination  therefrom  to  like 
things,  whereby  they  are  conjoined.    Also  the  conjunction  it- 
self is  apparent  in  a  general  way  in  the  features  and  in  the 
manners,  and  they  are  therefore  called  one  flesh  (as  in  Gen. 
xxix.  14;  xxxvii.  27;  2  Sam.  v.  1;  xix.  12,  13,  and  elsewhere). 
[3]  It  is  the  same  in  respect  to  conjunction  with  the  Lord, 
who  is  the  Father  of  all  the  faithful  and  blessed.    Conjunction 
with  Him  is  effected  by  means  of  love  and  faith,  whereby  two 
are  said  to  be  one  flesh.    Therefore  the  Lord  said : — 


N.  727] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


867 


He  that  eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My  blood  abideth  in  Me  and  I 
in  him  {John  vi.  o()). 

Who  does  not  see  that  the  bread  and  wine  do  not  effect  this, 
but  the  good  of  love,  which  is  meant  by  the  bread,  and  the 
truth  of  faith,  which  is  meant  by  the  wine,  and  which  are  the 
Lord's  own,  and  which  go  forth  and  are  communicated  from 
Him  alone?  Moreover,  all  conjunction  is  effected  by  love,  and 
love  is  not  love  without  trust.  Let  those  who  believe  that  the 
bread  is  flesh,  and  the  wine  blood,  and  who  cannot  raise  their 
thought  above  this  l^elief,  remain  in  it,  yet  not  without  this 
truth,  that  that  which  is  most  holy  in  it,  and  which  effects  con- 
junction with  the  Lord,  is  what  is  attributed  and  appropriated 
to  man  as  his  own,  though  it  remains  unceasingly  the  Lord's. 


YIII. 


TO    THOSE    WHO    COME    TO    THE    HOLY    SUPPER    WORTHILY    IT    IS 

LIKE    A    SIGNATURE    AND    SEAL    THAT    THEY 

ARE    THE    SONS    OF    GOD. 

728.  The  reason  why  the  holy  supper  is  to  those  who  come 
to  it  woi-thily  like  a  signature  and  seal  that  they  are  the  sons 
of  God,  is  that  as  before  said,  the  Lord  is  then  present,  and 
admits  into  heaven  those  who  are  born  of  Him,  that  is,  the 
regenerate.  The  holy  supper  effects  this,  because  the  Lord  is 
then  present  even  as  to  His  Human  (for  it  has  been  shown 
above  that  in  the  holy  supper  the  Lord  is  wholly  present,  and 
with  His  Avhole  redemption) ;  for  of  the  bread  He  said,  "  This 
is  my  body ;"  and  of  the  wine,  "  This  is  My  blood."  Conse- 
quently He  then  admits  them  into  His  Body ;  and  the  church 
and  heaven  constitute  His  Body.  Allien  man  is  becoming  re- 
generate, the  Lord  is  indeed  present,  and  through  His  Divine 
operation  prepares  man  for  heaven ;  but  that  man  may  actually 
enter  he  must  present  himself  to  the  Lord ;  and  as  the  Lord 
actually  presents  Himself  to  man,  man  must  actually  receive 
Him,  not,  however,  as  He  hung  upon  the  cross,  but  as  He  is 
in  His  glorified  Human,  in  which  He  is  present,  the  body  of 


868 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGKJN       [Chap.  XIII. 


N.  730] 


THE  HOLY  SUPPER 


869 


which  is  the  Divine  good  and  the  blood  of  which  is  the  Divine 
truth.  These  are  given  to  man,  and  by  means  of  them  man  is 
regenerated,  and  he  is  in  the  Lord  and  the  Lord  in  him ;  and 
for  the  reason  shown  above,  that  the  eating  which  is  mani- 
fested in  the  holy  supper  is  a  spiritual  eating.  From  all  this 
rightly  understood  it  is  clear  that  the  holy  supper  is  like  a  sig- 
nature and  seal  that  those  who  come  to  it  worthily  are  sons  of 
God. 

729.  But  those  who  die  in  infancy  or  childhood,  not  reach- 
ing the  age  at  which  they  can  come  worthily  to  the  holy  suj)- 
per,  are  introduced  into  heaven  by  the  Lord  through  baptism ; 
for  baptism  (as  has  been  shown  in  the  chapter  on  Baptism), 
is  introduction  into  the  Christian  church,  and  also  insertion 
among  Christians  in  the  spiritual  world ;  and  there  the  church 
and  heaven  are  one ;  therefore  to  those  who  are  there,  introduc- 
tion into  the  church  is  also  introduction  into  heaven ;  and  as 
they  are  there  educated  under  the  auspices  of  the  Lord,  they 
become  more  and  more  regenerate,  and  become  His  children ; 
for  they  know  no  other  Father.  But  children  and  youths  born 
outside  of  the  Christian  church  are  introduced  when  they  have 
received  faith  in  the  Lord,  into  the  heaven  assigned  to  their 
religion  by  other  means  than  baptism ;  and  are  not  mingled 
with  those  who  are  in  the  Christian  heaven.  For  there  is  not 
a  nation  in  all  the  world  that  may  not  be  saved  if  it  acknowl- 
edges God  and  lives  well ;  for  they  have  all  been  redeemed  by 
the  Lord,  and  man  is  by  birth  spiritual,  whereby  he  has  an 
ability  to  receive  the  gift  of  redemption.  Those  who  receive 
the  Lord,  that  is,  have  faith  in  Him,  and  do  not  lead  an  evil 
life,  are  called  : — 

Sons  of  God,  and  bom  of  God  {John  1.  12,  13 ;  xi.  62); 

Also  children  of  the  kingdom  {Matt.  xiii.  38); 

And  again  heirs  {Matt.  xix.  29 ;  xxv.  34); 

The  Lord's  disciples  are  also  called  sons  {John  xiii.  33); 

And  so  are  all  angels  {Job  i.  6  ;  ii.  1). 

730.  It  is  w^ith  the  holy  supper  as  with  a  covenant,  which, 
after  the  articles  of  agreement  are  settled,  is  drawn  up  and 
finally  executed  with  a  seal.  That  the  Lord's  blood  is  a  cove- 
nant, He  Himself  teaches  ;  for  when  He  took  the  cup  and  gave 
it,  He  said : — 


Drink  of  it,  all  of  you ;  for  this  is  My  blood  of  the  new  testament 
{Matt.  xxvi.  27,  28  ;  Mark  xiv.  24  ;  Luke  xxii.  20). 

"  The  new  testament''  means  the  new  covenant ;  therefore  the 
Word  written  by  the  prophets  before  the  Lord's  coming  is 
called  the  Old  Testament  or  Covenant,  while  that  written  after 
His  coming  by  the  evangelists  and  apostles  is  called  the  New 
Testament  or  (Covenant.  That  "  blood"  as  well  as  the  wine  of 
the  holy  supper  means  the  Divine  truth  of  the  Word  can  be 
seen  above  (n.  TOG,  708),  and  the  Word  is  the  covenant  itself 
which  the  Lord  made  wdth  man  and  man  with  the  Lord ;  for 
the  Lord  descended  as  the  Word,  that  is,  as  Divine  truth ;  and 
as  this  is  His  blood,  so  in  the  Israelitish  church,  which  was 
representative  of  the  Christian  church,  blood  is  called, 

The  blood  of  the  covenant  {Ex.  xxiv,  7,  8  ;  Zeck.  ix.  11); 
And  the  Lord  a  covenant  of  the  people  {Isa.  xiii.  0  ;  xlix.  8  •  Jer  xxxi 
31-34 ;  Fs.  cxi.  9).  ,        •  . 

Moreover,  it  is  in  accordance  with  order  in  the  world  that  there 
should  be  by  all  means  a  signature,  in  order  that  there  may  be 
some  certitude,  and  that  it  should  follow  after  deliberate  ac- 
tion. AVhat  is  a  commission  or  a  will  without  the  signature  ? 
What  is  a  legal  decision  without  a  decree  signed  to  ratify  the 
decision?  What  is  a  high  office  in  a  kingdom  without  a  com- 
mission ?  What  is  promotion  to  any  office  if  it  is  not  con- 
firmed ?  What  is  the  possession  of  a  house  without  purchase 
or  agreement  with  the  owner  ?  What  is  progression  to  an  end, 
or  running  to  a  goal,  and  thus  for  a  reward,  if  there  is  no  end 
or  goal  where  the  reward  is  to  be  gained;  or  if  the  judge  hac 
not  in  some  manner  made  the  wager  sure  ?  But  these  last 
have  been  added  merely  for  the  sake  of  illustration,  that  even 
the  simple  may  see  that  the  holy  supper  is  like  a  signature,  a 
seal,  a  badge,  or  a  proof  of  appointment  even  to  the  angels, 
that  those  who  come  to  it  worthily  are  sons  of  God ;  and  it  is 
also  like  a  key  to  the  house  in  heaven  where  they  are  to  dwell 
for  ever. 

731.  I  once  saw  an  angel  flying  beneath  the  eastern  heaven, 
holding  a  trumpet  in  his  hand  and  at  his  lips,  and  blowing  it 
toward  the  north,  toward  the  west,  and  toward  the  south.  He 
was  clad  in  a  robe  that  floated  behind  him  as  he  flew,  and  he 
was  engirdled  with  a  belt  that  blazed  and  shone,  as  it  were, 


ML'=r.^jte^.iiil^:ai->.i,..^ 


870 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


with  carbuncles  and  sapphires.  He  flew  downward,  and  alight- 
ed gently  on  the  ground  near  where  I  stood.  As  he  touched 
the  ground,  he  walked  hither  and  thither  erect  upon  his  feet, 
and  when  he  saw  me  directed  his  steps  toward  me.  I  was  in 
the  spirit,  and  in  that  state  was  standing  on  a  hill  in  the 
southern  quarter. 

As  he  came  near  I  spoke  to  him,  saying,  "'VMiat  now?  I 
heard  the  sound  of  your  trumpet,  and  saw  you  descend  through 
the  air." 

The  angel  replied:  "I  am  sent  to  convoke  from  among 
those  dwelling  in  this  world  who  are  from  tlie  kingdoms  of 
the  Christian  world,  such  men  as  are  most  celebrated  for  learn- 
ing, of  the  finest  genius,  and  most  noted  for  wisdom,  that  they 
may  come  together  on  this  hill  where  you  are  now  standing, 
and  freely  express  their  minds  as  to  what  they  thought  and 
understood  and  what  wisdom  they  had  when  in  the  world,  re- 
specting Heavenly  Joy  and  Eternal  Happiness.  [2]  I  have  been 
sent  on  this  mission  because  some  new-comers  from  the  world 
having  been  admitted  into  our  heavenly  society  which  is  in 
the  east,  have  told  us  that  not  one  single  person  in  the  whole 
Christian  world  knows  what  heavenly  joy  and  eternal  happi- 
ness are,  and  thus  what  heaven  is.  At  this  my  brethren  and 
companions  were  much  astonished,  and  said  to  me,  *Go  down, 
make  proclamation,  and  call  together  the  wisest  men  in  the 
world  of  spirits,  where  all  mortals  are  first  assembled  after 
their  departure  from  the  natural  world,  in  order  that  we  may 
know  with  certainty  from  the  mouths  of  many,  whether  it  is 
true  that  such  darkness  or  dense  ignorance  prevails  among 
Christians  respecting  the  future  life.'' 

The  angel  then  said,  "  Wait  a  little,  and  you  will  see  troops 
of  the  wise  ones  flocking  hither;  the  Lord  will  prepare  a  house 
for  them  to  meet  in." 

[3]  I  waited ;  and  behold,  after  half  an  hour  I  saw  two  com- 
panies coming  from  the  north,  two  from  the  west,  and  two  from 
the  south;  and  as  they  arrived  they  were  led  by  the  angel  who 
had  the  trumpet  to  the  house  prepared  for  them,  and  there  oc- 
cupied the  places  assigned  them  according  to  their  quarters. 
There  were  six  companies  or  troops,  and  there  was  a  seventh 
from  the  east  which  was  not  visible  to  the  others  because  of 


N.  731] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


871 


its  superior  light.  When  they  had  assembled,  the  angel  ex- 
plaiixed  the  reason  of  their  convocation,  and  asked  the  com- 
panies to  set  forth  in  succession  their  wisdom  respecting  Hea- 
venly Joy  and  Eteimal  Happiness.  Each  company  then  formed 
a  circle,  all  turning  their  faces  inward,  that  they  might  recall 
the  subject  from  ideas  acquired  in  the  former  world  and  then 
carefully  consider  it,  and  after  consideration  and  consultation 
express  their  views. 

732.  After  consultation  the  first  company,  which  was  from 
the  north,  said,  "  Heavenly  joy  and  eternal  happiness  are  one 
with  the  very  life  of  heaven;  therefore  one  who  enters  heaven 
enters  as  to  his  life  into  its  festivities,  precisely  as  any  one 
going  to  a  wedding  enters  into  its  festivities.  Do  we  not  see 
that  heaven  is  above  us,  thus  in  place  ?  Are  there  not  enjoy- 
ments upon  enjoyments  and  pleasures  upon  pleasures  there, 
and  there  only?  When  man  is  admitted  into  heaven  he  is  ad- 
mitted into  these  pleasures  as.  to  every  perception  of  his  mind 
and  every  sensation  of  his  body,  out-  of  the  plenitude  of  the 
joys  of  that  place.  Therefore  heavenly  happiness,  which  is  al- 
so eternal  happiness,  is  simply  admission  into  heaven,  which 
admission  is  of  Divine  grace." 

[2]  When  this  had  been  said,  the  company  from  the  north 
from  its  wisdom  expressed  the  following  opinion :  ''  Heavenly 
joy  and  eternal  happiness  are  no  other  than  most  cheerful  com- 
panionship with  angels  and  the  sweetest  conversations  with 
them,  whereby  the  countenance  is  continually  expanded  with 
gladness  and  the  faces  of  all  the  company  are  kept  sweetly 
smiling  with  compliments  and  pleasantries.  What  are  heav- 
enly joys  but  variations  of  such  things  to  eternity?" 

[3J  The  third  company,  which  was  the  first  company  of  the 
wise  men  from  the  western  quarter,  from  the  thoughts  of  their 
affections  delivered  the  following  opinion :  "  What  are  heaven- 
ly joy  and  eternal  happiness  but  feastings  with  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob,  on  whose  tables  there  will  be  delicate  and  costly 
food,  with  generous  and  noble  wines;  and  after  the  feasts  sports 
and  dances  of  virgins  and  young  men  to  the  music  of  sym- 
phonies and  flutes,  interspersed  with  singing  of  the  sweetest 
songs  ?  And  in  the  evenings  there  will  be  dramatic  exhibi- 
tions, and  after  these  feasting  again,  and  so  on  daily  for  ever," 


872 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIII 


W  After  that  the  fourth  company,  which  was  the  second 
from  the  western  quarter,  declared  their  opinion,  saying,  ^^  We 
have  entertained  several  ideas  about  heavenly  joy  and  eternal 
happiness;  and  we  have  examined  various  kinds  of  joy,  com- 
paring them  with  one  another,  and  we  have  reached  the  con- 
clusion that  heavenly  joys  are  paradisal  joys.  What  is  heav- 
en but  a  paradise,  extending  from  the  east  to  the  west  and 
from  the  south  to  the  north,  and  containing  fruit  trees  and  de- 
lightful flowers,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  the  magnificent  tree 
of  life,  and  around  these  the  blessed  will  sit  eating  delicious 
fruit  and  adorned  with  wreaths  of  flowers  of  the  sweetest  odors, 
which,  breathed  upon  by  perpetual  spring,  are  created  and  re- 
created daily  with  infinite  variety  ?  And  the  minds  of  these, 
being  continually  renewed  by  this  perpetual  growth  and  bloom, 
and  also  by  the  ever-vernal  temperature,  cannot  but  inhale  and 
exhale  new  joys  each  day,  and  be  restored  thereby  to  the  flower 
of  their  youth,  and  through  this  to  the  primitive  state  into 
which  Adam  and  his  wife  were  created,  and  so  be  re-admitted 
into  their  paradise,  transferred  from  earth  to  heaven." 

[5}  The  fifth  company,  which  was  the  first  of  the  gifted 
ones  from  the  southern  quarter,  spoke  as  follows:  "Heavenly 
joys  and  eternal  happiness  are  nothing  but  supreme  dominion, 
boundless  wealth,  and  thereby  more  than  royal  magnificence 
and  transcendent  splendor.  That  such  are  the  joys  of  heaven 
and  their  unceasing  fruition,  which  is  eternal  happiness;  we 
saw  clearly  from  the  state  of  those  in  the  former  world  who 
possessed  them,  and  also  from  the  teaching  that  the  blessed  in 
heaven  are  to  reign  with  the  Lord,  and  are  to  be  kings  and 
princes,  because  they  are  the  sons  of  Him  who  is  King  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords,  and  that  they  are  to  sit  on  thrones,  and 
angels  are  to  minister  unto  them.  The  magnificence  of  heaven 
we  clearly  saw  from  this,  that  the  New  Jerusalem,  whereby 
the  glory  of  heaven  is  depicted,  is  to  have  gates,  each  of  which 
will  be  one  pearl,  and  streets  of  pure  gold,  and  a  wall  with 
foundations  of  precious  stones;  consequently  that  every  one 
who  is  received  into  heaven  has  a  palace  of  his  own  glittering 
with  gold  and  precious  stones,  and  a  dominion  that  will  be 
transmitted  in  order  from  one  to  another.  And  as  we  knew 
that  joys  and  happiness  are  inherent  in  such  things,  and  that 


N.  732] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


God's  promises  cannot  fail,  we  have  been  unable  to  attribute 
the  most  happy  state  of  heavenly  life  to  any  other  source." 

[6]  Then  the  sixth  company,  which  was  the  second  from  the 
southern  quarter,  raised  their  voice  and  said,  "The  joy  of  heav- 
en and  its  eternal  happiness  is  no  other  than  the  perpetual 
glorification  of  God,  a  never-ceasing  festival  and  most  blissful 
worship  with  songs  and  jubilees,  thus  a  constant  uplifting  of 
the  heart  to  God,  with  full  trust  that  He  accepts  those  prayers 
and  praises  because  of  His  Divine  munificence  in  bestowing 
such  blessedness."    Some  of  the  company  added  that  this  glo- 
rification would  take  place  with  splendid  illuminations,  most 
fragrant  incense,  and  processions  of  great  pomp,  the  chief 
priest  going  before  with  a  great  trumpet,  the  primates  and 
other  orders  greater  and  less  following  him,  and  after  these, 
men  with  j)alms  and  women  with  golden  images  in  their  hands. 
733.  The  seventh  company,  which  was  invisible  to  the  others 
because  of  its  superior  light,  was  from  the  eastern  quarter  of 
heaven.     They  were  angels  of  the  same  society  as  that  to 
which  the  angel  who  had  the  trumpet  belonged.    When  these 
heard  in  heaven  that  not  a  single  person  in  the  Christian  world 
knew  what  the  joy  of  heaven  and  eternal  happiness  are,  they 
said  to  each  other,  "Surely  this  cannot  be  true;  there  cannot 
be  such  thick  darkness  and  such  mental  stupor  among  Chris- 
tians; let  us  go  down  ourselves  also,  and  hear  whether  it  is 
true ;  if  it  is,  it  is  certainly  a  wonder." 

Then  these  angels  said  to  the  angel  with  the  trumpet,  "  We 
know  that  every  man  who  has  desired  heaven,  and  has  thought 
at  all  definitely  about  the  joys  there,  is  introduced  after  death 
into  these  imagined  joys ;  and  after  such  have  experienced  the 
nature  of  these  joys  and  found  them  to  be  according  to  the 
empty  fancies  of  the  mind  and  their  wild  imaginings,  they  are 
led  out  of  them  and  instructed.  This  takes  place  with  most  of 
those  in  the  world  of  spirits  who  in  the  former  life  had  medi- 
tated about  heaven,  and  had  formed  such  conclusions  about  its 
joys  as  to  desire  them." 

On  hearing  this  the  angel  with  the  trumpet  said  to  the  six 
companies  called  together  from  the  wise  of  the  Christian  world, 
"Follow  me,  and  I  will  introduce  you  into  your  joys,  and  thus 
into  heaven." 


874 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


734.  So  saying,  the  angel  led  the  way;  and  the  first  company 
that  followed  him  was  of  those  who  had  persuaded  themselves 
that  heavenly  joys  were  merely  most  cheerful  companionship 
and  most  agreeable  conversations.    These  were  introduced  by 
the  angel  to  an  assembly  in  the  northern  quarter,  who  m  the 
former  world  had  thought  the  joys  of  heaven  to  be  of  that 
character.    There  was  a  spacious  house  there  m  which  they 
were  assembled.     In  the  house  there  were  more  than  fifty 
rooms,  distinguished  by  the  different  kinds  of  conversation. 
Ill  some  of  the  rooms  they  talked  about  what  they  had  seen 
and  heard  in  the  market-place  and  on  the  streets;  in  some 
they  made  amorous  remarks  about  the  fair  sex,  adding  oc- 
casional jests  until  every  face  in  the  company  expanded  with 
merry  laughter.    In  other  rooms  they  talked  about  the  news 
concerning  courts,  ministers,  the  state  of  politics,  and  the  vari- 
ous things  that  had  emanated  from  secret  councils,  mingled 
with  arguments  and  conjectures  about  events.     In  other  rooms 
they  talked  about  business;  in  others  about  literary  matters; 
in  others  about  matters  pertaining  to  civil  prudence  and  moral 
life ;  and  in  others  again  about  ecclesiastical  affairs,  the  sects ; 

and  so  on. 

I  was  permitted  to  look  into  that  house,  and  I  saw  men 
rumnino-  from  room  to  room,  seeking  companionship  m  then- 
preferences  and  thus  in  their  joy;  and  of  such  companionship 
I  saw  three  kinds.    Some  were  very  eager  to  talk,  some  anxious 
to  ask  questions,  and  some  greedy  to  hear.    ^  There  were  four 
doors  to  the  house,  one  toward  each  quarter;  and  I  noticed 
that  many  separated  themselves  from  the  companies  and  were 
in  haste  to  go  out.    I  followed  some  to  the  eastern  door,  and 
saw  them  sitting  near  it  with  sad  faces.    I  approached  them 
and  asked  why  they  were  sitting  there  so  sad;  and  they  re- 
plied "  The  doors  of  this  house  are  kept  closed  against  those 
who  wish  to  go  out;  and  it  is  now  the  third  day  since  we  en- 
tered- and  the  life  of  our  desire  has  been  exhausted  in  com- 
pany 'and  conversation,  and  we  have  become  so  wearied  hy 
unceasing  talk  that  we  can  hardly  bear  to  hear  the  murmur  of 
the  sound  of  it.    And  so  out  of  weariness  we  came  to  this  door 
and  knocked,  but  we  were  told  that  the  doors  of  this  house  are 
not  opened  to  let  people  out,  but  only  to  let  them  m,  and  that 


N.  734] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


875 


we  must  stay  and  enjoy  the  delights  of  heaven;  and  from  this 
we  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  we  are  to  remain  here  for 
ever ;  and  therefore  sadness  has  seized  our  minds,  and  now  our 
breasts  begin  to  feel  oppressed,  and  anxiety  is  coining  upon  us.'' 

[3]  The  angel  then  addressed  them  and  said,  "  This  state  is 
the  death  of  those  joys  of  yours  which  you  believed  to  be  the 
only  heavenly  joys,  when  in  fact  they  are  only  accessories  of 
heavenly  joys." 

They  asked  the  angel,  *^  What,  then  is  heavenly  joy  ?" 

The  angel  answered  briefly,  "It  is  delight  in  doing  some- 
thing useful  both  for  oneself  and  for  others.  Delight  in  use 
derives  its  essence  from  love  and  its  existence  from  wisdom. 
Delight  in  use  arising  from  love  through  wisdom  is  the  soul 
and  life  of  all  heavenly  joys.  In  the  heavens  there  are  the 
most  gladsome  companionships,  which  exhilarate  the  minds  of 
the  angels,  cheer  their  spirits,  delight  their  breasts,  and  re- 
fresh their  bodies;  but  these  they  enjoy  after  they  have  per- 
formed their  uses  in  their  offices  and  employments,  from  which 
come  the  soul  and  life  in  all  their  pleasures  and  enjoyments; 
but  if  that  soul  or  life  is  taken  away  the  accessory  joys  gradu- 
ally cease  to  be  joys,  becoming  first  indistinct,  then  as  it  were 
worthless,  and  at  length  distasteful  and  distressing." 

When  this  had  been  said,  the  door  was  opened,  and  those 
sitting  near  it  sprang  out;  and  they  fled  to  their  homes,  each 
to  his  duty  and  work,  and  were  revived. 

735.  After  this  the  angel  addressed  those  who  had  adopted 
the  idea  that  the  joys  of  heaven  and  eternal  happiness  are 
feastings  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  followed  by  games 
and  spectacles,  and  then  feasting  again,  and  so  on  to  eternity. 
And  he  said  to  them,  "  Follow  me,  and  I  will  introduce  you 
into  the  felicities  of  your  joys."  And  he  led  them  through  a 
meadow  to  a  plain  staked  out,  and  on  it  tables  were  placed, 
fifteen  on  each  side. 

They  asked  why  there  were  so  many  tables;  the  angel  re- 
plied, "The  first  table  is  Abraham's,  the  second  Isaac's,  the 
third  Jacob's  and  near  them  in  order  are  the  tables  of  the 
twelve  apostles ;  on  the  other  side  is  the  same  number  of  tables 
for  their  wives,  the  three  first  being  for  Sarah,  Abraham's 
wife,  Rebecca,  Isaac's  wife,  and   Leah  and  Rachel,  Jacob's 


I 


li"-^iaS.jMLiA  riaftadiiraMitS.i.'^to.aaa.- 


876 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIII. 


wives ;  tlie  twelve  remaining  tables  are  for  the  wives  of  the 
twelves  apostles.'' 

[Si]  After  a  little  delay,  all  the  tables  were  seen  to  be  loaded 
with  dishes,  and  the  spaces  between  decorated  with  little  py- 
ramids of  sweetmeats.  The  guests  stood  around  the  tables 
waiting  to  see  those  who  were  to  preside.  These,  after  a  lit- 
tle waiting,  appeared,  entering  in  order  of  procession  from 
Abraham  to  the  last  of  the  apostles;  and  each  going  at  once 
to  his  own  table,  took  his  place  upon  a  couch  at  the  head  of 
it.  Then  they  said  to  those  standing  around,  "  Sit  you  down 
with  us."  And  the  men  sat  down  with  those  fathers,  and  the 
women  with  their  wives,  and  ate  and  drank  in  gladness  and 
with  reverence. 

After  the  meal  the  fathers  went  out ;  and  then  sports  were 
introduced,  dances  by  maidens  and  young  men,  and  afterward 
spectacles;  and  when  these  were  ended  the  guests  were  again 
invited  to  the  feasting,  but  with  the  understanding  that  on 
the  lirst  day  they  should  eat  with  Abraham,  on  the  second  with 
Isaac,  on  the  third  with  Jacob,  on  the  fourth  with  Peter,  on  the 
fifth  with  James,  on  the  sixth  with  John,  on  the  seventh  with 
Paul,  and  with  all  the  rest  in  order  until  the  fifteenth  day, 
when  they  were  to  renew  the  feasting  again  in  the  same  order ; 
changing  seats ;  and  so  on  to  eternity. 

[3]  After  this  the  angel  called  together  the  men  of  his  com- 
pany and  said  to  them,  "All  those  Avhom  you  see  at  the  tables 
had  the  same  imaginary  thought  about  the  joys  of  heaven  and 
its  eternal  happiness  that  you  had;  and  these  feasting  scenes 
were  instituted  and  permitted  by  the  Lord  in  order  that  they 
might  see  the  vanity  of  their  ideas  and  be  led  away  from  them. 
Those  chief  men  whom  you  saw  at  the  head  of  the  tables  mere- 
ly personated  old  men;  most  of  them  are  rustics  with  beards, 
and  puffed  up  by  some  little  wealth,  upon  whom  has  been  in- 
duced the  fantasy  that  they  actually  were  those  ancient  fa-^ 
thers.    But  follow  me  to  the  ways  of  exit  from  this  camp." 

[4]  They  followed  him ;  and  they  saw  fifty  here  and  fifty 
there  who  had  loaded  their  stomachs  with  food  until  they  were 
nauseated,  and  longed  to  return  to  the  familiar  scenes  of  their 
own  homes,  some  to  their  offices,  some  to  their  business,  and 
some  to  their  trades.    But  many  were  detained  by  the  keepers 


N.  73r,] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


877 


of  the  grove,  and  were  asked  how  many  days  they  ha^l  feasted 
and  whether  they  had  yet  eaten  at  the  tables  with  Peter  and 
Paul,  and  were  told  that  it  would  be  shameful  for  them  to  go 
away  before  doing  so,  because  it  would  be  unbecoming.  But 
most  of  them  answered,  "We  are  surfeited  with  our  joys,  the 
food  has  become  insipid  to  us,  our  taste  has  dried  up,'  our 
stomachs  loathe  these  things,  we  cannot  bear  these  drinks,  we 
have  spent  several  days  and  nights  in  this  luxury,  and  we 
earnestly  beg  to  be  let  out."  And  being  let  out,  with  panting 
breath  and  hurried  steps  they  fled  home. 

[5]  Then  the  angel  called  tU  men  of  his  company,  and  on 
the  way  taught  them  about  heaven,  as  follows :    "  In  heaven 
just  as  in  the  world,  there  are  food  and  drink,  feasts  and  con' 
vivial  parties,  on  the  tables  of  the  great  are  the  choicest  foods 
rarities,  and  delicacies,  whereby  their  spirits  are  exhilarated 
and  refreshed;  there  are  also  plays  and  exhibitions,  and  instru- 
mental  and  vocal  music;  and  all  in  the  highest  perfection 
Moreover,  such  things  are  joys  to  those  in  heaven,  but  not 
happiness;  happmess  must  be  in  the  joys,  and  thus  from  them 
It  is  happiness  in  the  joys  that  causes  them  to  be  joys,  enrich- 
es them,  and  so  sustains  them  as  to  prevent  their  becoming 
l>altry  and  wearisome;  and  this  happiness  every  man  has  from 
use  in  his  employment.     [0]  In  the  affection  of  every  angel's 
^vill  there  is  a  kind  of  hidden  current  that  draws  his  mind  to 
the  doing  of  something,  wherein  the  mind  finds  tranquillity 
and  satisfaction;  and  this  satisfaction  and  tranquillity  produce 
a  state  of  mind  receptive  of  the  love  of  use  from  the  Lord;  and 
from  the  reception  of  this  love  comes  heavenly  happiness,  which 
is  the  life  of  those  joys  that  have  been  enumerated.    Heavenly 
food  in  Its  essence  is  no  other  than  love,  wisdom,  and  use  to- 
gether ;  that  is,  use  from  love  through  wisdom ;  and  because 
of  this  to  every  one  in  heaven  food  for  the  body  is  given  ac- 
cording to  the  use  he  performs,  most  excellent  food  to  those 
who  are  eminently  useful ;  food  of  medium  quality  but  of  ex- 
(juisite  taste  to  those  whose  use  is  of  the  middle  grade ;  inferi- 
or food  to  those  who  perform  low  uses ;  but  none  to  the  indo- 
lent." 

736.  The  angel  then  called  to  him  that  company  of  so-called 
wise  men  who  had  placed  heavenly  joys  and  eternal  happi- 


i^lp^fytfi  mtiBtrnMii  ^Miii  wmiiiaaiiiiiw— ■ 


878 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  Xlll. 


ness  therefrom  in  the  possession  of  supreme  dominion  and 
boundless  wealth,  and  in  more  than  royal  magniticence  and 
transcendent  splendor,  because  it  is  said  in  the  Word  that  the 
righteous  should  be  kings  and  princes,  and  should  reign  with 
Christ  for  ever,  and  be  ministered  unto  by  the  angels;  and  so 
on     To  these  the  angel  said,  "  Follow  me,  and  I  will  introduce 
you  into  your  joys.''    And  he  led  them  into  a  portico  construct- 
ed of  columns'aiid  pyramids.    In  front  of  it  was  a  low  porch 
which  formed  the  entrance  to  the  portico;  and  through  this  he 
led  them;  and  behold,  twenty  persons  were  seen  there,  and 
were  waiting.    And  presently  there  came  one  who  personated 
an  angel,  and  said  to  them,  "The  way  to  heaven  is  through  this 
portico;  wait  here  a  while  and  prepare  yourselves,  for  the  old- 
er among  you  are  to  be  kings,  and  the  younger  princes.''     [52] 
AVhen  he  had  said  this  a  throne  was  seen  near  each  column^ 
and  on  it  a  robe  of  silk,  and  on  the  robe  a  scepter  and  crown 
and  near  each  pyramid  a  seat  appeared  raised  three  cubits  from 
the  ground ;  on  each  seat  was  a  chain  made  of  small  links  ot 
gold,  and  scarfs  of  an  order  of  knights  fastened  together  at  the 
ends  with  diamond  rings.    It  was  then  proclaimed,  "  Go  now 
and  robe  yourselves,  take  your  seats,  and  wait."    And  instant- 
ly the  older  men  ran  to  the  thrones,  and  the  younger  to  the 
seats,  and  robed  themselves  and  sat  down.    Then  a  kind  of 
mist  appeared  coming  up  from  the  lower  regions,  and  as  this 
drew  near,  the  faces  of  Ihose  occupying  the  thrones  and  seats 
began  to  swell  and  their  hearts  to  heave,  and  they  were  filled 
with  the  confidence  that  they  were  now  kings  and  princes. 
That  mist  was  the  aura  of  hallucination  by  which  they  were 
inspired.    And  presently  some  youths  flew  to  them  as  if  from 
heaven,  and  stood  two  behind  each  throne,  and  one  behind  each 
seat,  to  sei-ve  them.    Proclamation  was  then  made  in  turn  by  a 
herald    "  Ye  kings  and  princes,  wait  yet  a  little  while ;  your 
palaces  in  heaven  are  now  being  made  ready;  the  courtiers  will 
come  soon  with  their  life-guards  and  lead  you  to  them."    They 
waited  and  waited  until  their  spirits  panted  and  grew  weary 

with  desire. 

[3]  After  three  hours  the  heaven  above  their  heads  was 
opened  and  angels  looked  down,  and  pitying  them,  said,  "  \\liy 
do  you  sit  there  so  foolishly,  acting  like  players  ?    They  have 


N.  736] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


879 


played  tricks  upon  you  and  have  changed  you  from  men  to 
images,  because  you  have  fixed  it  in  your  hearts  that  you  were 
to  reign  with  Christ  like  kings  and  princes,  and  that  angels 
would  then  minister  unto  you.    Have  you  forgotten  the  words 
of  the  Lord,  that  he  who  would  be  great  in  heaven  must  be- 
come a  servant?    Learn,  then,  that  being  kings  and  princes 
and  reigning  with  Christ,  means  being  wise  and  performing 
uses;  for  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  which  is  heaven,  is  a  kingdom 
of  uses  because  the  Lord  loves  all,  and  therefore  wills  good  to 
all,  and  good  is  use.    And  as  the  Lord  does  what  is  good  or 
useful  mediately  through  angels,  and  in  the  world  through 
men,  so  to  those  who  faithfully  perform  uses,  He  gives  the 
love  of  use  and  its  reward,  which  is  internal  blessedness,  and 
this  IS  eternal  happiness. 

[4]  In  the  heavens  as  on  earth  there  are  supreme  dominions 
and  boundless  wealth;  for  there  are  governments  there,  and 
forms  of  government,  and  therefore  greater  and  lesser  powers 
and  dignities;  and  those  who  occupy  the  highest  positions  have 
palaces  and  courts,  which  surpass  those  of  emperors  and  kin-s 
on  earth  in  magnificence  and  splendor;  and  they  are  surround- 
ed  with  honor  and  glory  because  of  the  number  of  courtiers 
ministers,  and  attendants,  and  their  splendid  vestments.    But 
those  who  are  thus  exalted  are  chosen  from  among  those  whose 
hearts  are  in  the  public  welfare,  while  their  bodily  senses  only 
are  appealed  to  by  the  grandeur  of  magnificence  for  the  foster- 
ing of  obedience.    And  as  it  is  a  matter  of  public  welfare  that 
every  one  should  be  of  some  use  in  society  a.s  in  the  common 
body  and  as  all  use  is  from  the  Lord,  and  is  effected  through 
angels  and  men  as  if  it  were  done  by  them,  it  is  clear  that  this 
IS  reigning  with  the  Lord." 

When  this  had  been  heard  from  heaven,  those  who  had  per- 
sonated the  kings  and  princes  descended  from  the  thrones  and 
seats  and  threw  away  their  scepters,  crowns,  and  robes;  and 
the  mist  in  which  was  the  aura  of  hallucination  departed  from 
them,  and  a  bright  cloud  overshadowed  them,  in  which  there 
was  an  aura  of  wisdom,  and  sanity  was  thereby  restored  to 
their  minds. 

737.  After  this  the  angel  returned  to  the  house  where  the 
wise  from  the  Christian  world  had  assembled,  and  called  to 


880 


THE  TRUE  CHRIvSTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


N.  737] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


881 


him  those  who  had  iiersuacled  themselves  that  the  joys  of  heav- 
en and  eternal  happiness  were  paradisal  delights. 

To  them  he  said,  «  Follow  me,  and  1  will  conduct  you  into 
paradise,  your  heaven,  so  that  you  may  enter  into  the  beati- 
tudes of  your  eternal  happiness."    And  he  led  them  through  a 
lofty  gate  formed  by  the  interwoven  branches  and  shoots  ot 
noble  trees;  and  when  they  had  passed  through  this  he  led 
them  about  by  winding  paths  from  one  quarter  to  another. 
The  place  was  actually  a  para^lise  which  is  at  the  tirst  entrance 
to  heaven,  and  into  which  are  admitted  those  who  had  believed 
when  in  the  world  that  all  heaven  is  a  paradise,  Ix-cause  heav- 
en is  called  paradise,  and  who  had  impressed  upon  themselves 
the  idea  that  after  death  there  is  complete  rest  from  labor,  and 
that  this  rest  is  nothing  else  than  breathing  the  very  soul  ot 
delights,  walking  upon  roses,  being  gladdened  by  the  hnest 
juice  of  the  grape,  and  banqueting;  and  that  this  life  is  to  be 
found  only  in  a  heavenly  paradise. 

[2]  As  they  followed  the  angel  they  saw  a  great  multitude 
of  men  both  old  and  young,  and  of  boys,  women  and  girls,  sit- 
ting in  groups  of  three  and  groups  of  ten  on  flower-beds,  weav-- 
ing  wreaths  with  which  they  decorated  the  heads  of  the  "Id 
men  and  the  arms  of  the  young  men,  and  bands  of  which  they 
fastened  across  the  breasts  of  the  boys;  others  were  pressing 
iuice  from  grapes,  cherries,  and  mulberries,  into  cups,  and 
drinking  it  sociably;  others  were  inhaling  the  fragrance  ex- 
haled and  diffused  from  flowers,  fruit,  and  odoriferous  leave^ ; 
others  were  singing  sweet  songs  which  soothed  the  ears  of  the 
listeners;  others  sat  at  fountains,  turning  the  water  ot  th.. 
gushing  streams  into  different  shapes;  some  were  walking 
about,  talking  and  jesting;  some  entered  into  little  garden- 
houses  to  recline  on  couches;  and  many  other  paradisal  forms 
of  pleasure  they  saw.  ,  ,   ,  i.- 

[3]  When  they  had  seen  these  things,  the  angel  led  his  com- 
panions here  and  there  through  winding  ways,  and  at  last  to 
some  persons  seated  on  a  most  beautiful  flower-bed  surrounded 
bv  orange,  olive,  and  citron  trees.  These  sat  swaying  them- 
selves to  and  fro,  wailing  and  weeping,  their  faces  resting  on 
their  hands.  The  angel's  companions  addressed  them  asking 
why  they  sat  thus.    They  answered,  "It  is  now  seven  days 


smce  we  came  into  this  paradise.  When  we  came  in,  our  minds 
seemed  to  be  exalted  to  heaven  and  to  be  admitted  into  the  in- 
nermost satisfactions  of  its  joys;  but  after  three  days  those 
.satisfactions  began  to  diminish,  to  fade  from  our  ininds  to 
become  imperceptible,  and  so  to  fail  altogether.    And  when 
our  imaginary  joys  had  thus  ceased,  we  feared  the  loss  of  all 
the  delights  of  our  life,  and  began  to  doubt  whether  there  is 
any  such  thing  as  eternal  happiness.    After  this  we  wandered 
through  paths  and  plots  in  search  of  the  gate  by  which  we  en- 
tered;  but  we  simply  walked  about  and  about,  making  inquir- 
ies of  those  we  met.    Some  of  them  said  that  the  gate  could 
not  be  found,  because  this  paradisal  garden  is  a  vast  labyrinth 
of  such  a  nature  that  any  one  wishing  to  go  out  only  entered 
more  deeply  m,  adding,  '  Therefore  you  will  have  to  remain 
here  to  eternity;  you  are  now  in  tlie  midst  of  the  paradise 
where  is  the  center  of  all  its  delights ! ' "  To  the  companions  of 
the  angels  they  said  further,  "We  have  already  been  sitting 
here  a  day  and  a  half;  and  as  we  are  now  hopeless  of  finding 
our  way  out,  we  sat  down  here  on  this  flower-bed,  and  are  lookt 
mg  about  us  at  the  abundance  of  olives,  grapes,  oranges,  and 
citrons.    But  the  more  we  look  about  the  more  does  our  sight 
become  weary  of  seeing,  our  smell  of  smelling,  and  our  taste  of 
tasting.    This  is  the  cause  of  the  sadness  in  which  you  find  us 
and  ot  our  wailing  and  weeping." 

[4]  When  they  had  heard  this,  the  angel  of  the  company 
said  to  them  "This  paradisal  labyrinth  is  really  an  entrance 
to  heaven.    I  know  the  way  out,  and  will  lead  you  to  it."    At 
these  words  those  who  were  seated  arose  and  embraced  the 
angel,  and  joining  his  company  went  with  him.    And  the  an- 
ge    taught  them  on  the  way  what  heavenly  joy  and  its  eter- 
nal happiness  are,  that  they  are  not  external  paradisal  delights 
unless  there  is  m  them  internal  paiadisal  delights.    "External 
paradisal  delights,"  he  said,  "are  delights  of  the  bodily  senses 
only  while  internal  paradisal  delights  are  delights  of  the  soul's 
affections ;  unless  these  are  in  the  former  there  is  no  heav- 
enly hfe  in  them,  because  there  is  no  soul  in  them;  and  any 
dehght  apart  from  its  correspondent  soul  gradually  languishes 
tecomes  torpid,  and  wearies  the  mind  more  than  labor    There 
are  paradisal  gardens  everywhere  in  heaven,  and  from  them 
66 


g82  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIII. 

the  angels  derive  their  joys;  and  so  far  as  the  soul's  delight 
is  in  them,  so  far  those  joys  are  joys  to  them 

[5]  Hearing  this  they  all  asked,  -  What  is  the  soul's  delight, 

and  what  is  its  origin  ?" 

The  angel  replied,  "The  soul's  delight  comes  from  love  and 
wisdom  from  the  Lord;  and  because  love  is  the  elhcient  and 
becomes  efficient  by  means  of  wisdom,  so  the  abode  of  both  s 
in  the  effect  and  the  effect  is  use.  This  dehght  flows  from  tlu- 
Lord  into  the  soul,  and  descends  through  the  higher  and  lowei 
regions  of  the  mind  into  all  the  bodily  senses,  and  hnds  its  lul- 
ness  in  them.  Joy  thereby  becomes  joy,  and  it  becomes  eter- 
nal from  the  Eternal  in  whom  it  originates,  lou  have  beeii 
viewing  paradisal  scenes,  and  I  declare  to  you  that  there  is  not 
one  thing  there,  not  even  a  little  leaf,  that  does  not  coine  from 
the  marriage  of  love  and  wisdom  in  use.  Therefore  if  man  is 
in  this  marriage  he  is  in  a  heavenly  paradise,  and  thus  n. 

TsS  After  this  the  angelic  leader  returned  to  the  hall,  to 
those  who  had  lirmly  persuaded  themselves  that  heavenly  3oy 
and  eternal  happiness  are  a  perpetual  glorification  of  God  and 
an  endless  festival;  and  this,  because  they  had  believed  when 
in  the  world  that  after  death  they  would  see  God  and  because 
the  life  of  heaven  on  account  of  the  worship  of  God  there,  is 
called  a  perpetual  sabbath.  ^^^  -  ^    A..r^ 

To  these  the  angel  said,  "Follow  me,  and  I  will  introduce 
vou  into  your  joy."    And  he  led  them  into  a  small  city.    In  the 
center  of  it  there  was  a  temple,  and  all  the  houses  were  called 
sacred  chapels.    In  this  city  they  saw  a  gathering  of  people 
from  every  quarter  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  among 
them  a  number  of  priests  who  received  the  visitors,  saluted 
them,  and  taking  them  by  the  hand  led  them  to  the  gates  of 
the  temple,  and  then  to  some  chapels  round  about  the  temple, 
and  initiated  them  into  the  endless  worship  of  God;  saying, 
"This  city  is  the  vestibule  of  heaven,  and  the  temple  of  this 
city  is  the  entrance  to  a  grand  and  spacious  temple  m  heaven, 
where  God  is  glorified  by  angels  with  praises  and  prayers  for 
ever     It  is  ordered  both  here  and  there  that  new-comers  shall 
first' enter  the  temple  and  remain  there  three  days  and  three 
nights,  and  after  this  initiation  shall  enter  into  the  houses  of 


N.  738J 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


883 


this  city  (which  are  so  many  chapels  consecrated  by  us),  and 
shall  go  from  cliapel  to  chapel,  and  in  communion  with  those 
assembled  there  shall  pray,  and  shout,  and  repeat  what  has 
been  preached.  Be  very  careful  to  think  of  nothing  by  your- 
selves and  to  speak  of  nothing  with  your  companions,  except 
what  is  holy,  and  pious,  and  religious." 

[ii]  After  this  tlie  angel  led  his  company  into  the  temple, 
which  was  full,  and  was  crowded  with  many  who  liad  enjoyed 
great  dignity  in  the  world,  and  also  with  many  common  people. 
At  the  gates  of  the  temple  guards  were  placed  to  prevent  any 
one  from  going  out  until  he  had  been  there  three  days.  And 
the  angel  said,  "This  is  the  second  day  since  these  people  came 
in;  watch  them,  and  you  will  see  how  they  glorify  God." 

And  looking  at  them  they  saw  most  of  them  asleep,  and 
those  who  were  awake  continually  yawning;  and  some  of  them, 
in  consequence  of  the  continued  elevation  of  their  thoughts  to 
God  without  any  return  whatever  to  the  body,  seemed  like 
faces  separated  from  their  bodies  (for  so  they  api)eared  to 
themselves,  and  therefore  to  others) ;  and  tlie  eyes  of  some 
looked  wild  from  their  being  continually  turned  upward.    In 
a  word,  the  breasts  of  all  were  opi)ressed,  and  their  spirits 
were  weary  with  the  tediousness ;  and  they  turned  away  from 
the  pulpit  and  cried  out,  "Our  ears  are  stunned,  stop  your 
preaching;  we  no  longer  hear  a  word;  the  very  sound  begins 
to  be  more  than  we  can  bear."    And  then  they  rose  up  and 
rushed  in  a  mass  to  the  gates,  broke  them  open,  overpowered 
the  guards  and  drove  them  away.     [3]  Seeing  this  the  priests 
followed,  keeping  close  to  them,  teaching  and  teaching,  pray- 
ing and  sighing,  and  saying,  "Celebrate  the  festival,  glorify 
God,  sanctify  yourselves;  in  this  vestibule  of  heaven  we  will 
inaugurate  you  into  an  eternal  glorification  of  God  in  the 
grand  and  spacious  temple  that  is  in  heaven,  and  thus  lead 
you  into  the  enjoyment  of  eternal  happiness."    But  the  crowd 
did  not  understand  these  words,  and  scarcely  heard  them  be- 
cause of  the  dullness  of  their  minds  from  a  two  days'  suspen- 
sion and  detention  from  domestic  and  out-door  affairs.    But 
when  they  attemi)ted  to  tear  themselves  away  from  the  priests, 
the  priests  caught  them  by  the  arms,  and  also  by  their  cloth- 
ing, urging  them  to  the  chapels  to  hear  their  sermons ;  but  in 


884 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


N.  739] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


vain.    They  cried  out,  "Let  us  go;  we  feel  as  if  we  should 

faint." 

[4]  At  these  words  four  men  in  white  garments  and  with 
miters  appeared.  One  of  them  when  in  the  world  had  been 
an  archbishop,  and  the  other  three  had  been  bishops ;  they  had 
now  become  angels.  These  called  the  priests  together,  and  ad- 
dressing them,  said,  "We  saw  you  from  heaven  with  these 
sheep,  and  saw  how  you  are  feeding  them.  You  are  feeding 
them  even  to  madness.  You  do  not  know  what  glorifying  God 
means.  It  means  to  bring  forth  the  fruits  of  love,  that  is,  to 
discharge  faithfully,  sincerely,  and  diligently  the  work  of  one's 
calling;  for  this  is  from  love  to  God  and  love  to  the  neigh- 
bor, and  is  the  bond  of  society  and  the  good  of  society.  It  is 
in  this  way  that  God  is  glorified,  and  then  by  w^orship  at  stated 
times.    Have  you  not  read  these  words  of  the  Lord  ? 

Herein  is  My  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit ;  and  ye  shall 
become  My  disciples  {John  xv.  8). 

[5]  You  priests  may  be  in  the  glorifying  of  God  by  means  of 
worship,  because  it  is  your  office,  and  from  it  you  have  honor, 
glory,  and  remuneration ;  but  you  could  no  more  continue  in  it 
than  these  people  if  honor,  glory,  and  remuneration  were  not 
connected  with  your  office." 

So  saying  the  bishops  ordered  the  guards  at  the  gate  to  let 
all  pass  out  and  to  admit  all,  "  for,"  they  said,  "  there  are  a 
great  many  who  can  conceive  of  no  other  heavenly  joy  than 
the  unceasing  worship  of  God,  because  they  have  been  wholly 
ignorant  of  what  the  heavenly  state  is." 

739.  After  this  the  angel  returned  with  his  companions  to 
the  place  of  meeting,  from  which  the  different  companies  of 
wise  men  had  not  yet  departed,  and  there  he  called  to  him 
those  who  believed  that  heavenly  joy  and  eternal  happiness 
are  merely  admittance  into  heaven,  and  that  this  admittance 
is  from  Divine  grace,  and  that  those  admitted  are  at  once 
gifted  with  joy,  like  those  in  the  world  who  are  permitted  to 
enter  royal  palaces  on  days  of  festivity,  or  are  invited  to 

weddings. 

To  these  the  angel  said, "  Wait  here  a  while,  and  I  will  sound 
my  trumpet,  and  those  who  are  celebrated  for  wisdom  in  the 


885 


spiritual  affairs  of  the  church  will  come  hither."    After  a  few 
hours  there  came  nine  men,  each  decorated  with  a  laurel  wreath 
as  a  token  of  his  reputation.    These  were  led  by  the  angel  in- 
to  the  place  of  meeting  where  all  those  called  together  before 
were  waiting,  and  in  their  presence  the  angel  addressed  the 
nme  wearing  the  wreaths,  saying,  "I  know  that  you,  because 
ot  your  wish  and  in  accordance  with  your  ideas,  have  been 
permitted  to  ascend  to  heaven,  and  that  you  have  returned  to 
this  lower  or  sub-celestial  earth  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the 
state  of  heaven ;  teU  us  therefore  how  heaven  appeared  to  you." 
[  j]  They  replied  in  order.    The  first  said,  -My  idea  of  heav- 
en, trom  earliest  boyhood  even  until  the  end  of  my  life  in  the 
world,  was  that  it  was  a  place  of  all  kinds  of  blessedness,  sat- 
isfaction, delight,  gratification,  and  pleasure ;  and  that  if  I 
were  to  be  admitted  there  I  should  be  surrounded  by  an  aura 
ot  such  felicities,  and  should  inhale  them  with  full  breast  like 
a  bridegroom  when  he  celebrates  his  marriage  and  enters  the 
marriage-chamber  with  his  bride.    With  this  idea  I  ascended 
to  heaven ;  I  passed  the  first  guards,  and  also  the  second ;  but 
when  I  came  to  the  third,  the  officer  of  the  guards  addressed 
me  and  said,  ^  Who  are  you,  friend  ?'  I  answered,  ^  Is  not  this 
heaven  ?   I  came  here  prompted  by  my  own  earnest  desire  • 
admit  me,  I  entreat  you.'    And  he  admitted  me.    And  I  saw 
some  angels  m  white  garments,  who  walked  around  me,  and 
looked  at  me,  and  murmured,  ^  Here  is  a  new  guest,  not  clothed 
in  the  garments  of  heaven.'    I  heard  the  remark,  and  thought 
This  seems  to  me  like  what  the  Lord  said  of  the  man  who 
came  to  the  wedding  not  having  a  wedding-garment;'  and  I 
said    '  Give  me  such  garments   of  heaven.'     But  they  only 
laughed.     And  then  one  came  running  from  the  court  witli 
the  command,  '  Strip  him  naked,  cast  him  out,  and  throw  his 
clothes  after  him.'   And  so  I  was  cast  out." 

[3]  The  second  in  order  then  said,  "I  also  believed  as  he 
did,  that  If  I  were  only  admitted  into  heaven,  which  was  above 
my  head,  joys  would  flow  around  me,  and  I  should  breathe 
them  for  ever.  I  also  obtained  my  wish.  But  when  the  angels 
saw  me  they  fled,  and  said  to  one  another,  'What  portent  is 
this?  How  did  that  bird  of  night  get  here?'  And  I  actual- 
ly felt  myself  to  be  changed  from  being  a  man,  although  I 


hA^ji£»jjfc;a^--^i^'^'ji^^'i!^-^°»'*~i^;*iBhj.j«*a>^^ 


886 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


N.  739] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


S87 


was  not  changed.  This  effect  was  produced  by  my  inhaling  the 
heavenly  atmosphere.  And  presently  one  ran  from  the  court 
with  the  command  that  two  servants  should  lead  me  out,  and 
conduct  me  back  by  the  way  I  came,  right  to  my  own  house. 
And  when  I  was  at  home,  1  again  appeared  to  myself  and  others 

as  a  man." 

[4]  The  third  said,  "My  constant  idea  of  heaven  was  de- 
rived from  place,  not  from  love;  and  therefore  when  I  entered 
this  world  I  longed  intensely  to  get  into  heaven,  and  seenig 
some  ascending,  1  followed,  and  was  admitted,  though  only  a 
few  steps.    But  when  I  wished  to  gladden  my  mind  with  an 
idea  of  the  joys  and  blessedness  there,  owing  to  the  light  of 
heaven  (which  was  white  like  snow,  and  the  essence  of  which 
is  said  to  be  wisdom),  a  stupor  seized  my  mind,  and  from  it  a 
thick  darkness  came  upon  my  eyes,  and  I  began  to  be  insane; 
and  presently,  owing  to  the  heat  of  heaven  (which  corresponded 
to  the  brightness  of  that  light,  and  the  essence  of  which  is  said 
to  be  love),  my  heart  palpitated,  anxiety  took  possession  of 
me,  I  was  tortured  with  interior  pain,  and  threw  uiyself  down 
at  full  length  upon  the  ground.    And  while  I  was  lying  there, 
an  attendant  came  from  the  court  with  the  command  for  them 
to  carry  me  away  carefully  into  my  own  light  and  heat,  and  as 
soon  as  I  came  into  these  my  spirit  and  heart  were  restored  to 


me. 

[5]  The  fourth  said,  "My  idea  of  heaven  also  was  derived 
from  place  not  from  love,  and  as  soon  as  I  entered  the  si)iritual 
world  I  asked  some  wise  men  whether  it  was  aUowable  to  as- 
cend to  heaven.    They  told  me  that  every  one  is  permitte.l,  but 
he  should  beware  lest  he  be  cast  down  again.    I  laughed  at  this, 
and  went  up,  believing  like  the  others  that  all  in  the  wliole 
world  are  capable  of  receiving  the  joys  of  heaven  in  their  ful 
ness.    But  verily,  as  soon  as  I  entered  I  became  almost  dead; 
and  from  the  pain  and  consequent  torture  in  my  head  and  body, 
I  threw  myself  upon  the  ground,  writhed  like  a  serpent  near  a 
fire,  crawled  to  the  brink,  and  thus  cast  myself  down.    After- 
wards I  was  taken  up  by  some  who  stood  below,  and  carried  to 
an  inn,  where  my  health  was  restored." 

[6]  The  remaining  five  also  gave  wonderful  accounts  of  then- 
ascents  to  heaven,  comparing  the  changes  of  their  states  of  life 


to  that  of  fishes  when  taken  out  of  water  into  the  air,  and  of 
birds  when  taken  up  into  the  ether,  and  they  said,  that  after 
those  hard  experiences  they  no  longer  had  any  desire  for  heav- 
en; but  only  for  a  life  in  company  with  their  like,  wherever 
they  miglit  be ;  and  that  they  knew  that  in  the  world  of  spirits 
where  we  then  were,  all  are  first  prepared,  the  good  for  heaven 
and  the  evil  for  hell ;  and  when  prepared,  they  see  ways  open- 
ed for  them  to  societies  of  those  like  themselves,  with  whom 
they  are  to  remain  for  ever ;  also  that  they  then  enter  these 
ways  with  delight,  because  they  are  the  ways  of  their  love. 

When  those  of  the  first  assembly  had  heard  these  statements, 
they  all  confessed  that  they,  too,  had  entertained  no  other  idea 
of  heaven  than  as  a  place  where  with  full  mouth  they  might 
for  ever  drink  in  the  joys  flowing  around  them.     [7]  The  angel 
with  the  trumpet  then  said  to  them,  "  You  now  see  that  the 
joys  of  heaven  and  eternal  happiness  are  not  a  matter  of  place, 
but  of  the  state  of  man's  life,  and  the  state  of  heavenly  life  is 
from  love  and  wisdom;  and  as  use  is  the  containant  of  these 
two,  the  state  of  heavenly  life  is  from  the  conjunction  of  these 
m  use.     It  is  the  same  if  we  say  instead,  charity,  faith,  and 
good  works,  since  charity  is  love,  faith  is  truth  from  which 
comes  wisdom,  and  good  works  are  uses.    Furthermore,  there 
are  places  in  our  spiritual  world  as  in  the  natural  world,  other- 
wise  there  would  be  no  habitations  or  distinct  dwellings ;  and 
yet  place  here  is  not  place,  but  an  appearance  of  place  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  state  of  love  and  wisdom,  or  charity  and 
faith.     [8]  Every  one  who  becomes  an  angel  carries  his  heaven 
within  him,  because  he  carries  within  him  the  love  that  be- 
longs to  his  heaven;  for  man  by  creation  is  a  lesser  likeness, 
image,  and  type  of  the  great  heaven;  and  the  human  form  is 
nothing  else;  so  that  every  one  enters  that  heavenly  society 
whose  form  he  is  as  an  individual  likeness ;  consequently  when 
he  enters  into  that  society  he  enters  a  form  correspondent  to 
his  own,  thus  he  enters  the  society  as  if  entering  into  himself 
from  himself,  and  as  if  from  the  society  into  the  society  in  him- 
self, and  partakes  of  its  life  as  his  own,  and  of  his  own  life  as 
its  life.    Every  society  is  like  a  common  body,  the  angels  there- 
m  are  the  like  parts  of  which  the  general  co-exists.    From  this 
It  now  follows  that  those  who  are  in  evils  and  in  consequent 


888 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII 


falsities,  have  formed  in  themselves  a  likeness  of  hell,  and  this 
is  what  suiters  torture  in  heaven  from  the  influx  and  vehemence 
of  the  activity  of  opposite  against  opposite ;  for  infernal  love  is 
the  opposite  of  heavenly  love,  and  the  delights  of  the  two  loves 
come  into  collision  like  hostile  forces,  and  destroy  each  other 

when  they  meet." 

740.  After  all  these  things  had  taken  place  a  voice  was 
heard  from  heaven,  saying  to  the  angel  with  the  trumpet, 
"  Choose  ten  men  from  all  those  assembled,  and  introduce  them 
to  us ;  we  have  heard  from  the  Lord  that  He  will  so  prepare 
them  that  the  heat  and  light,  of  love  and  wisdom,  of  our  heav- 
en may  be  borne  by  them  without  harm  for  three  days." 

Ten  men  were  then  chosen  and  followed  the  angel.  And 
they  went  up  a  steep  path  to  a  certain  hill,  and  from  this  to  a 
mountain  on  which  was  the  heaven  of  those  angels,  which  had 
before  appeared  to  them  at  a  distance  like  an  expanse  in  the 
clouds.  The  gates  were  opened  for  them,  and  when  they  had 
passed  the  third  the  introducing  angel  ran  to  the  prince  of  that 
society  or  heaven,  and  announced  their  arrival.  And  the 
prince  said  in  reply,  '^  Take  some  of  my  attendants,  and  carry 
back  word  to  them  that  I  am  pleased  that  they  have  come,  and 
introduce  them  into  my  ante-court,  and  give  to  each  his  own 
room  and  bed-chamber.  Take  also  some  of  my  courtiers  and 
some  servants  to  wait  upon  them,  and  render  them  any  service 
they  may  desire."    This  was  done. 

When  they  had  been  admitted  by  the  angel,  they  asked 
whether  they  might  be  permitted  to  go  and  see  the  prince. 
The  angel  replied,  "  It  is  now  morning,  and  he  cannot  be  seen 
before  noon ;  all  are  still  engaged  in  their  own  duties  and 
labors.  But  you  are  invited  to  dinner ;  and  then  you  will  sit 
at  the  table  with  our  prince;  and  in  the  mean  time  I  wiU  con- 
duct you  into  his  palace  where  you  will  see  magnificent  and 

splendid  things." 

[2]  When  he  had  led  them  to  the  palace  they  first  viewed 
it  from  without.  It  was  spacious,  built  of  porphyry,  with  a 
foundation  of  jasper.  Before  the  doors  were  six  tall  columns 
of  lapis  lazuli.  The  roof  was  made  of  plates  of  gold,  the  high 
windows  were  of  the  clearest  crystal,  and  their  frames  of  gold. 
They  were  then  led  into  the  interior  of  the  palace,  and  con- 


N.  740] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


889 


ducted  from  room  to  room ;  and  they  saw  ornaments  of  in- 
describable beauty,  and  on  the  ceilings  decorations  of  inimit- 
able carvings.  Placed  against  the  walls  they  saw  tables  of 
silver  fused  with  gold,  on  which  were  various  useful  articles 
made  of  precious  stones  and  of  whole  gems  in  heavenly  forms. 
And  more  things  they  saw,  which  no  eye  on  earth  had  ever 
seen,  and  therefore  no  one  had  been  able  to  believe  that  such 
things  exist  in  heaven. 

[3]  While  they  were  standing  amazed  at  the  sight  of  such 
magnificence  the  angel  said,  "  Do  not  be  astonished ;  these 
things  that  you  see  are  not  the  work  or  fabrication  of  any  an- 
gelic hand,  but  were  made  by  the  Architect  of  the  universe  and 
bestowed  as  a  gift  on  our  prince,  so  that  architectural  art  is 
here  in  its  perfection,  and  from  it  come  all  the  rules  of  art  in 
the  world."  The  angel  said  further,  '^  You  may  suppose,  per- 
haps, that  such  things  fascinate  our  eyes  and  so  far  infatuate 
them  that  we  believe  these  things  to  be  the  joys  of  our  heaven ; 
but  they  are  merely  accessory  to  the  joys  of  our  hearts,  our 
hearts  not  being  in  them ;  and  so  far  therefore  as  we  contem- 
plate them  as  accessory,  and  as  the  workmanship  of  God,  we 
contemplate  in  them  the  Divine  omnipotence  and  kindness." 

741.  After  this  the  angel  said  to  them,  "It  is  not  yet  noon; 
(iome  with  me  into  the  garden  of  our  prince  which  adjoins  this 
palace."  They  went ;  and  at  the  entrance  the  angel  said,  "  Be- 
liold  the  most  magnificent  garden  in  this  heavenly  society." 

But  they  replied,  "  What  do  you  say  ?  There  is  no  garden 
here ;  we  see  only  one  tree,  with  what  seems  like  fruits  of  gold 
on  its  branches  and  top,  and  like  leaves  of  silver,  with  their 
edges  adorned  with  emeralds ;  and  under  the  tree  we  see  little 
children  with  their  nurses." 

To  this  the  angel  with  inspired  voice  replied,  "  This  tree  is 
in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  and  is  called  by  us  the  tree  of  our 
heaven,  and  by  some  the  tree  of  life.  But  go  on  and  draw 
nearer,  and  your  eyes  will  be  opened,  and  you  will  see  the 
garden." 

This  they  did;  and  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  saw 
trees  heavily  laden  with  delicious  fruit,  about  which  vines  en- 
twined their  tendrils,  and  their  to])S  were  bent  down  with  fruit 
toward  the  tree  of  life  in  the  center.     [2]  These  trees  were 


890 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


planted  in  a  continuous  row,  which  went  out  and  on  in  endless 
circles  or  curves  like  those  of  a  perpetual  spiral;  it  was  a  per- 
fect spiral  formed  by  trees,  wherein  one  species  followed  an- 
other in  unbroken  order  according  to  the  excellence  of  their 
fruit.  There  was  quite  a  space  between  the  beginning  of  the 
spiral  and  the  tree  in  the  center,  and  this  space  gleamed  with 
a  radiance  that  made  the  trees  of  the  spiral  beam  with  an  un- 
broken and  unceasing  splendor  from  the  lirst  to  the  last.  The 
first  trees  were  the  noblest  of  all,  luxuriant  with  the  rarest 
fruit;  these  were  called  trees  of  paradise,  never  having  been 
seen  in  any  country  of  the  natural  world,  because  they  do  not 
and  cannot  exist  there.  These  were  followed  by  olive  trees, 
then  those  that  yielded  wine,  then  fragrant  trees,  and  finally 
trees  useful  to  workmen  for  the  wood.  Here  and  there  in  this 
coil  of  trees  or  spiral  there  were  seats  formed  of  branches  of 
the  trees  behind  drawn  forward  and  interlaced  and  enriched 
and  adorned  with  their  fruits.  In  that  perpetual  circle  of  trees 
were  passages  opening  to  flower-plots,  and  from  these  to  lawns, 
divided  off  into  squares  and  beds. 

[3]  The  companions  of  the  angel,  on  seeing  these  things,  ex- 
claimed, "  Behold  heaven  in  form !  Wherever  we  turn  our  eyes 
something  heavenly  and  paradisal  meets  them,  which  is  in- 
effable." 

The  angel  was  delighted  with  these  exclamations,  and  said, 
"All  our  heavenly  gardens  are  representative  forms  or  types 
of  heavenly  beatitudes  in  their  origin,  and  because  your  minds 
were  exalted  by  the  influx  of  these  beatitudes,  you  exclaimed, 
*  Behold  heaven  in  form ! '  But  those  who  do  not  receive  that 
influx  look  upon  these  paradisal  objects  only  as  upon  a  mere 
forest.  All  who  are  in  a  love  of  use  receive  the  influx;  but 
those  who  are  in  the  love  of  glory  not  from  use  do  not  receive 
it."  Afterwards  he  explained  and  taught  what  was  represent- 
ed and  signified  by  each  thing  in  the  garden. 

742.  While  they  were  thus  engaged,  there  came  a  messenger 
from  the  prince,  who  invited  them  to  eat  bread  with  him ;  and 
at  the  same  time  two  court  attendants  brought  garments  of 
white  linen,  and  said,  "  Put  these  on ;  for  no  one  is  admitted 
to  the  prince's  table  unless  he  is  clothed  in  the  garments  of 
heaven." 


N.  742] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


801 


They  put  on  the  garments  and  accompanied  their  angel ;  and 
they  were  conducted  into  a  corridor,  a  promenade  of  the  palace, 
where  they  waited  for  the  prince;  and  there  they  were  brought 
by  the  angel  into  companionship  with  great  men  and  govern- 
ors, who  also  were  waiting  for  the  prince.  And  behold,  after 
lialf  an  hour  the  doors  were  opened,  and  through  a  wider  one 
on  the  west  they  saw  him  enter  in  the  order  and  pomp  of  a 
l)rocession.  Before  him  came  his  privy  counselors,  after  these 
his  chamberlains,  and  after  these  again  the  chief  officers  of  his 
court.  In  the  midst  of  the  latter  was  the  prince,  behind  him 
courtiers  of  various  rank,  and  last  of  all  the  life-guards.  In 
all,  they  numbered  one  hundred  and  twenty. 

[i2]  The  angel  standing  before  the  ten  new-comers,  who  from 
their  dress  were  seen  to  be  visitors,  approached  the  prince  with 
them  and  reverently  presented  them;  and  the  prince  without 
stopping  in  the  procession,  said  to  them,  *'  Come  and  take  bread 
with  me." 

They  followed  him  into  the  dining-hall,  where  they  saw  a 
table  magnificently  prepared.  In  the  center  of  it  was  a  high 
pyramid  of  gold,  having  on  its  shelves  in  triple  order  a  hun- 
dred dishes  containing  sweet  cakes,  solidified  musts  of  wines, 
and  other  delicacies  made  of  bread  and  wine.  Through  the 
middle  of  the  pyramid  there  welled  \\\},  as  it  were,  a  fountain 
bubbling  over  with  nectareous  wine,  a  stream  of  which  spread 
itself  from  the  top  of  the  pyramid  and  filled  the  cups.  At  the 
side  of  this  high  pyramid  were  various  heavenly  projections 
of  gold,  on  which  were  dishes  and  plates  loaded  with  every 
kind  of  food.  These  heavenly  projections  on  which  the  plates 
and  dishes  rested,  Avere  forms  of  art  derived  from  wisdom, 
which  could  not  be  executed  in  the  world  by  any  art,  or  de- 
scribed in  any  language.  The  dishes  and  plates  were  of  silver, 
engraved  around  with  forms  resembling  those  on  their  sup- 
ports ;  the  cups  were  of  transparent  gems.  Thus  was  the  table 
furnished. 

743.  The  dress  of  the  prince  and  his  ministers  was  as  fol- 
lows: The  prince  was  clad  in  a  long  robe  of  a  purple  color, 
decorated  with  silver  stars  of  needlework ;  under  the  robe  was 
a  tunic  of  bright  violet-colored  silk;  this  was  open  at  the  breast 
where  the  front  part  of  a  belt  was  visible,  bearing  the  badge 


892 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIIL 


N.  744] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


893 


of  his  society.  The  badge  was  an  eagle  on  the  top  of  a  tree, 
brooding  her  young;  it  was  of  buiiiished  gold  surrounded  by 
diamonds.  The  privy  counselors  were  clad  somewhat  in  the 
same  way,  but  without  the  badge;  instead  of  which  they  had 
carved  sapphires  suspended  from  their  necks  by  golden  chains. 
The  courtiers  wore  gowns  of  a  brown  color,  in  which  were  in- 
terwoven flowers  encircling  young  eagles;  the  tunics  under 
these  were  of  opaline  silk,  as  were  their  breeches  and  stock- 
ings.    Such  was  their  clothing. 

744.  The  privy  counselors,  the  chamberlains,  and  the  gov- 
ernors, stood  around  the  table;  and  at  the  command  of  the 
prince  they  folded  their  hands,  and  all  together  in  a  low  tone 
gave  thanks  to  the  Lord;  and  then,  at  a  nod  from  the  prince, 
took  their  places  on  the  cushioned  seats  at  the  table.  And  tho 
prince  said  to  the  visitors,  "Sit  you  down  with  me  also;  there 
are  your  seats.''  And  they  sat  down.  The  courtiers  before  sent 
by  the  prince  to  wait  upon  them,  stood  behind  them.  The 
prince  then  said  to  them,  "  Take  each  one  of  you  a  plate  from 
its  place,  and  then  a  dish  from  the  pyramid."  They  did  so; 
and  behold,  there  instantly  appeared  fresh  plates  and  dishes 
in  place  of  those  taken  away.  Their  cups  were  filled  with  wine 
from  the  fountain  springing  from  the  great  pyramid ;  and  they 
ate  together. 

[2]  When  they  were  moderately  satisfied,  the  prince  ad- 
dressed the  ten  guests,  saying,  "I  have  heard  that  you  were 
assembled  on  the  earth  that  is  beneath  this  heaven  to  disclose 
your  thoughts  respecting  the  joys  of  heaven  and  eternal  happi- 
ness therefrom ;  and  that  you  advanced  different  opinions,  each 
according  to  the  delights  of  his  bodily  senses.  But  what  are 
the  delights  of  the  bodily  senses  apart  from  the  delights  of  the 
soul?  It  is  the  soul  that  imparts  delight  to  these.  The  de- 
lights of  the  soul  are  in  themselves  imperceptible  beatitudes; 
but  they  become  more  and  more  perceptible  as  they  descend 
into  the  thoughts  of  the  mind,  and  from  these  into  the  sensa- 
tions of  the  body.  In  the  thoughts  of  the  mind  they  are  per- 
ceptible as  joys,  in  the  sensations  of  the  body  as  delights,  and 
in  the  body  itself  as  pleasures.  From  all  these  together  comes 
eternal  happiness ;  while  from  the  latter  alone  the  happiness 
is  not  eternal  but  temporary,  and  comes  to  an  end  and  passes 


away,  and  sometimes  becomes  unhappiness.  You  have  now 
seen  that  all  your  joys  are  also  joys  of  heaven,  and  more  ex- 
cellent than  you  could  ever  have  conceived ;  and  yet  our  minds 
are  not  interiorly  aifected  by  them.  [3]  There  are  three  things 
that  flow  in  as  one  from  the  Lord  into  our  souls ;  these  three 
as  one,  that  is,  this  trine,  are  love,  wisdom,  and  use ;  but  love 
and  wisdom  alone  have  only  an  ideal  existence,  because  they 
exist  only  in  the  affection  and  thought  of  the  mind;  while  in 
use  they  have  a  real  existence,  because  then  they  exist  also  in 
bodily  act  and  operation,  and  where  they  exist  really,  there 
they  have  permanent  existence.  But  as  love  and  wisdom  have 
their  existence  and  permanence  in  use,  it  is  use  that  affects  us; 
and  use  is  the  faithful,  sincere,  and  diligent  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  one's  employment.  The  love  of  use  and  the  conse- 
quent pursuit  of  use  prevents  the  mind  from  becoming  dissi- 
l)ated,  and  from  wandering  about  and  drinking  in  all  the 
cupidities  that  flow  in  with  their  allurements  through  the 
senses  from  the  body  and  the  world,  and  that  scatter  to  the 
four  winds  the  truths  of  religion  and  morality  together  with 
their  goods.  But  the  ai:>plication  of  the  mind  to  use  holds  and 
binds  these  together,  and  disposes  the  mind  into  a  form  recep- 
tive of  wisdom  from  these  truths,  and  at  the  same  time  expels 
to  the  circumference  tha  illusions  and  mockeries  both  of  falsi- 
ties and  vanities.  But  on  these  subjects  you  will  hear  more 
from  the  wise  men  of  our  society,  whom  I  will  send  to  you  this 
afternoon." 

So  saying  the  prince  arose,  and  with  him  his  guests ;  he 
said  grace,  and  then  commanded  the  angelic  guide  of  the 
strangers  to  conduct  them  back  to  their  apartments,  and  to 
show  them  all  the  honors  of  courtesy ;  also  to  invite  courteous 
and  affable  men  to  entertain  them  with  conversation  on  the 
various  joys  of  that  society. 

745.  When  they  had  returned  to  their  apartments  this  was 
done.  Men  invited  from  the  city  came  to  entertain  them  with 
conversation  on  the  various  joys  of  the  society;  and  after  the 
usual  greetings  they  conversed  with  them  agreeably,  as  they 
walked.  But  their  angelic  guide  said,  "These  ten  men  have 
been  invited  into  this  heaven  to  behold  its  joys,  and  thereby 
to  acquire  a  new  idea  of  eternal  happiness.    Recount  to  them. 


„,^V.y|^.,.^;:...t^,^^,^^^.^y^^^^^ 


>ifti>1>n.rlL-  [•'Til?  i*-'['^  '.    I*  Tt  nil 


894 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


N.  745] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


895 


therefore,  some  of  its  joys  which  affect  the  bodily  senses ;  after- 
wards some  wise  men  are  to  come  who  will  mention  some  of 
the  things  that  render  those  joys  satisfactory  and  delightful."- 
Hearing  this,  the  men  invited  from  the  city  mentioned  the 
following :  (1)  There  are  days  of  festivity  appointed  here  by 
the  prince,  to  relieve  the  mind  of  the  fatigue  which  the  pas- 
sion of  emulation  may  have  brought  upon  some.    On  these 
days  there  are  musical  and  vocal  concerts  in  the  public  squares, 
and  outside  of  the  city  there  are  games  and  shows;  music 
stands  are  also  raised  in  the  public  squares,  surrounded  by 
lattice-work  of  interwoven  vines,  from  which  hang  clusters  of 
grapes ;  while  within  this  lattice-work,  on  three  rows  of  seats, 
one  above  another,  sit  musicians  with  stringed  and  wind  in- 
struments, high-toned  and  low-toned,  some  powerful  and  some 
sweet ;  and  at  the  sides  are  singers  of  both  sexes,  delighting 
the  citizens  with  the  sweetest  jubilees  and  songs,  choruses  and 
solos,  varied  in  character  at  intervals.    On  these  days  of  fes- 
tivity all  this  is  continued  from  morning  until  noon,  and  then 
again  until  evening.    [2]  (2)  Moreover,  every  morning  there  are 
heard  from  the  houses  about  the  squares  the  sweetest  songs 
of  girls  and  maidens,  with  which  the  whole  city  resounds. 
Each  morning  some  one  affection  of  spiritual  love  is  sung,  that 
is,  is  expressed  by  modifications  or  modulations  of  the  voice  in 
singing,  and  that  affection  is  perceptible  in  the  singing  as  if  it> 
were  the  affection  itself.    It  flows  into  the  souls  of  the  hearers, 
and  stirs  them  to  a  correspondence  with  it.    Such  is  heavenly 
singing.    The  singers  say  that  the  sound  of  their  song  inspires 
and  animates  them  from  within,  as  it  were,  and  exalts  them 
with  joy  in  the  measure  of  its   reception  by  their  hearers. 
When  the  singing  ceases,  the  windows  of  the  houses  on  the 
squares  are  closed,  and  also  those  of  the  houses  on  the  streets, 
and  the  doors  also,  and  then  the  whole  city  is  silent ;  there  is 
no  noise  anywhere,  and  no  wandering  idlers  are  seen ;  all  thus 
prepared  then  enter  upon  the  duties  of  their  employments. 
[3]  (3)  At  noon  the  doors  are  opened,  and  in  the  afternoon  in 
some  places  the  windows  also,  and  the  boys  and  girls  are  seen 
playing  in  the  streets,  their  nurses  and  teachers  sitting  in  the 
porches  of  the  houses  keeping  watch  over  them.     [4]  (4)  In 
the  outskirts  of  the  city,  there  are  various  games  of  boys  and 


young  men ;  there  are  foot-races  and  games  of  ball,  and  what  is 
called  tennis,  with  the  balls  struck  back  and  forth ;  there  are 
public  contests  among  the  boys  to  determine  who  is  the  quicker 
and  who  the  slower  in  speaking,  acting,  and  understanding; 
and  to  the  quicker  some  laurel  leaves  are  given  as  a  reward, 
with  many  other  methods  of  calling  out  the  latent  abilities  of 
the  boys.  [•">]  (5)  And  again,  outside  the  city  there  are  theat- 
rical exhibitions,  where  players  represent  the  various  proprie- 
ties and  virtues  of  moral  life;  with  players  among  them  of 
lower  parts  for  the  sake  of  what  is  relative.'^ 

One  of  the  ten  asked,  "  Why  for  the  sake  of  what  is 
relative  ?" 

They  replied,  "  Ko  virtue  with  its  proprieties  and  graces  can 
be  presented  in  a  living  way  except  by  an  exhibition  of  what 
is  relative  from  its  greatest  to  its  least  phases.  These  players 
represent  the  least  phases  even  till  they  become  none.  But  it 
is  provided  by  law  that  nothing  opposite,  which  is  called  im- 
proper and  unbecoming,  shall  be  exhibited,  except  figuratively 
and  as  it  were  remotely.  It  is  so  provided,  because  nothing 
that  is  proper  and  good  in  any  virtue  can  pass  by  successive 
steps  to  what  is  improper  and  evil,  but  only  to  its  least  phase 
until  it  perishes ;  and  when  it  perishes  the  opposite  begins. 
Therefore,  heaven,  where  all  things  are  proper  and  good,  has 
nothing  in  common  with  hell,  where  all  things  are  improper 
and  evil." 

746.  While  they  were  speaking  a  servant  ran  to  them  and 
announced  the  arrival  of  eight  wise  men,  who  had  been  sent  by 
the  prince's  command,  and  who  wished  to  enter ;  hearing  which 
the  angel  went  out,  received,  and  conducted  them  in.  And 
the  wise  men,  as  soon  as  the  usual  and  proper  forms  of  intro- 
duction were  over,  first  spoke  with  them  about  the  beginning 
and  growth  of  wisdom,  mingling  with  their  conversation  vari- 
ous observations  respecting  its  progress,  as  that  wisdom  with 
the  angels  has  no  limit  or  end,  but  gi'ows  and  increases  to 
eternity. 

Hearing  this  the  angel  who  had  charge  of  the  strangers  said 
to  the  wise  men,  "  Our  prince  spoke  at  table  with  these  men 
about  the  seat  of  wisdom  as  being  in  use ;  will  you  too,  if  you 
please,  talk  with  them  upon  the  same  subject," 


a'.Aa£-:i.-'V.«tiiiaJ»ieaiiieaiiite^^ 


89() 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIII. 


And  they  said,  "  Man  as  first  created  was  imbued  with  wis- 
dom and  its  love,  not  for  his  own  sake,  but  that  he  might  com- 
municate it  from  himself  to  others.  Therefore  it  is  written  in 
the  wisdom  of  the  wise  that  no  one  is  wise  or  lives  for  himself 
alone,  but  for  others  also ;  whence  comes  society,  Avhich  other- 
wise could  not  exist.  Living  for  others  is  being  useful.  Uses 
are  the  bonds  of  society ;  these  bonds  are  as  many  as  there  are 
good  uses,  and  in  number  uses  are  infinite.  There  are  spirit- 
ual uses,  which  pertain  to  love  of  God  and  love  to  the  neigh- 
bor; there  are  moral  and  civil  uses,  which  pertain  to  love  of 
the  society  and  community  in  which  a  man  lives,  and  of  the 
companions  and  citizens  with  whom  he  lives.  There  are  natu- 
ral uses,  which  pertain  to  the  love  of  the  world  and  its  necessi- 
ties ;  and  there  are  bodily  uses,  which  pertain  to  the  love  of 
self-preservation  for  the  sake  of  higher  uses.  [2]  AH  these 
uses  are  inscribed  on  man,  and  follow  in  order  one  after  an- 
other, and  when  they  exist  simultaneously  one  is  within  the 
other.  Those  who  are  in  the  first  mentioned  uses,  which  are 
spiritual,  are  also  in  those  that  follow,  and  such  are  wise ;  but 
those  who  are  not  in  the  first,  but  are  in  the  second  and  from 
these  in  the  subsequent  ones,  are  not  so  wise,  but  only  seem  to 
be  so  because  of  their  outward  morality  and  right  civil  life. 
Those  who  are  not  in  the  first  and  second,  but  are  in  the  third 
and  fourth,  are  anything  but  wise,  for  they  are  satans,  loving 
the  world  only,  and  loving  themselves  because  of  the  world. 
Those  who  are  only  in  the  fourth  class  of  uses  are  the  least 
wise  of  all,  for  they  are  devils,  since  they  live  for  themselves 
alone,  or  if  for  others,  it  is  solely  on  account  of  themselves. 
[3]  Furthermore,  every  love  has  its  own  delight,  for  thereby 
love  lives;  and  the  delight  of  the  love  of  uses  is  a  heavenly 
delight,  which  enters  the  subsequent  delights  in  order,  and  ac- 
cording to  their  order  of  succession  exalts  them  and  renders 
them  etemal.^^  They  then  enumerated  some  heavenly  delights 
that  proceed  from  the  love  of  use,  saying,  that  there  were 
myriads  of  myriads  of  them,  and  that  those  who  entered  heav- 
en entered  into  them.  Afterwards  they  spent  the  day  with 
them,  until  evening,  in  wise  conversations  aljout  the  love  of  use. 

[4]  About  evening-time  there  came  a  footman  clothed  in  lin- 
en to  the  ten  visitors  who  accompanied  the  angel,  and  invited 


N.  746] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


897 


them  to  a  wedding  to  be  celebrated  the  next  day.  The  visitors 
were  much  pleased  that  they  were  also  to  see  a  wedding  m 
heaven.  After  this  they  were  conducted  to  a  certain  privy 
counselor,  and  supped  with  him;  and  after  supper  they  re- 
turned and  separated  from  one  another,  each  going  to  his  own 
chamber,  where  they  slept  until  morning. 

When  they  awoke  they  heard  the  singing  of  the  girls  and 
maidens  from  the  houses  round  about  the  square,  as  spoken  of 
above.  It  was  the  affection  of  conjugial  love  that  they  were 
singing;  and  being  deeply  stirred  and  affected  by  its  sweetness, 
they  perceived  a  blessed  charm  pervading  their  joys  by  which 
they  were  exalted  and  renewed.  When  it  was  time  the  angel 
said,  "  Make  yourselves  ready ;  put  on  the  garments  of  heaven 
which  our  prince  has  sent  to  you."  And  they  put  them  on ; 
and  behold,  the  garments  shone  as  if  with  a  flaming  light.  And 
they  asked  the  angel,  "  Whence  is  this  ?  "  He  replied,  "  It  is 
because  you  are  going  to  a  wedding ;  with  us  our  garments  then 
shine  and  become  wedding  garments." 

747.  After  this  the  angel  led  them  to  the  house  of  the  wed- 
ding, and  the  porter  opened  the  doors ;  and  as  soon  as  they  had 
crossed  the  threshold  they  were  received  and  saluted  by  an  an- 
gel sent  from  the  bridegroom,  and  conducted  in  and  taken  to 
seats  set  apart  for  them.  Presently  they  were  invited  into  the 
ante-room  of  the  bridal  chamber,  in  the  center  of  which  they 
saw  a  table,  whereon  was  placed  a  magnificent  candlestick  with 
seven  golden  branches  and  bowls ;  on  the  walls  hung  lamps  of 
silver,  the  burning  of  which  gave  the  atmosphere  a  golden  ap- 
pearance. On  each  side  of  the  candlestick  they  saw  a  table  on 
which  loaves  of  bread  were  set  in  triple  order ;  and  in  the  four 
corners  of  the  room  were  tables  upon  which  were  crystal  gob- 
lets. 

[2]  While  they  were  examining  these  things,  behold  a  door 
was  opened  from  a  room  next  the  bridal  chamber,  and  they  saw 
six  virgins  coming  out  followed  by  the  bridegroom  and  bride 
holding  each  other  by  the  hand,  and  leading  each  other  to  their 
seat  which  had  been  placed  directly  opposite  the  candlestick. 
On  this  they  seated  themselves,  the  bridegroom  on  the  left  and 
the  bride  on  his  right,  and  the  six  virgins  standing  at  the  side 
of  the  seat  near  the  bride.    The  bridegroom  was  dressed  m  a 

57 


898 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


robe  of  glowing  purple  and  a  coat  of  shining  white  linen,  with 
an  ephocl  on  which  was  a  golden  plate  set  around  with  dia- 
monds ;  and  on  the  plate  was  engraved  a  young  eagle,  the  nup 
tial  emblem  of  that  heavenly  society.  The  head  of  the  bride- 
groom was  covered  with  a  miter.  The  bride  was  dressed  in  a 
scarlet  cloak,  and  under  it  an  embroidered  garment,  reaching 
from  the  neck  to  the  feet ;  around  her  waist  was  a  golden  belt 
and  on  her  head  a  crown  of  gold  set  with  rubies. 

[3]  While  they  thus  sat  together,  the  bridegroom  turned  to 
the  bride  and  placed  on  her  finger  a  golden  ring,  and  drew 
forth  bracelets  and  a  necklace  of  pearls,  fastening  the  bracelets 
on  her  wrists  and  the  necklace  about  her  neck,  and  saying, 
"  Accept  these  pledges  f  and  as  she  accepted  them,  he  kissed 
her  and  said,  "  Now  you  are  mine,"  and  called  her  his  wife. 

When  this  had  been  done  the  guests  cried  out,  "  Blessings 
on  you ;"  each  one  first  saying  this  separately,  and  then  all  to- 
gether ;  and  one  sent  to  represent  the  prince  also  said  it ;  and 
at  that  moment  the  ante-chamber  was  filled  with  an  aromatic 
smoke,  which  was  a  sign  of  blessing  from  heaven. 

Then  the  attendants  took  loaves  from  the  two  tables  near 
the  candlestick,  and  cups  now  filled  with  wine  from  the  tables 
in  the  corners,  and  gave  to  each  guest  his  loaf  and  his  cup; 
and  they  ate  and  drank. 

After  this  the  husband  and  his  wife  arose,  the  six  virgins 
following  them  to  the  threshold  with  the  now  lighted  silver 
lamps  in  their  hands ;  and  the  married  pair  entered  the  bridal 
chamber,  and  the  door  was  closed. 

748.  The  angel  guide  then  told  the  guests  about  his  ten 
companions,  saying  that  he  had  introduced  them  by  command, 
had  shown  them  the  magnificence  of  the  prince's  palace,  and 
the  wonderful  things  it  contained,  that  they  had  dined  with 
the  prince ;  and  afterward  conversed  with  the  wise  men  of  the 
society.  And  he  asked,  "  W^ill  you  permit  them  to  have  a  lit- 
tle talk  with  you  also  ?"  And  they  approached  and  began  the 
conversation. 

A  wise  one  from  among  those  at  the  wedding  said,  "  Do  you 
understand  the  significance  of  what  you  have  seen  ?  " 

They  replied,  "  Somewhat.''  And  then  they  asked  him  why 
the  bridegroom,  now  the  husband,  was  so  clothed ;  aad  he  an- 


N.  748] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


899 


swered,  "The  bridegroom,  now  the  husband,  represented  the 
Lord ;  and  the  bride,  now  his  wife,  represented  the  church ;  be- 
cause marriages  in  heaven  represent  the  marriage  of  the  Lord 
with  the  church.  This  is  why  the  bridegroom  had  a  miter  on 
his  head,  and  was  dressed  in  a  robe,  coat,  and  ephod,  like 
Aaron ;  and  the  bride,  now  the  wife,  had  a  crown  on  her  head, 
and  was  dressed  in  a  cloak  like  a  queen;  but  to-morrow  they 
will  be  clothed  differently,  because  this  representation  only 
lasts  during  to-day." 

[2]  Again  they  asked,  "As  he  represented  the  Lord,  and 
she  the  church,  why  did  she  sit  at  his  right  ?" 

The  wise  one  replied,  "Because  there  are  two  things  that 
constitute  the  marriage  of  the  Lord  and  the  church,  love  and 
wisdom,  and  the  Lord  is  love  and  the  church  is  wisdom ;  and 
wisdom  is  at  the  right  of  love  because  the  man  of  the  church 
is  wise  as  if  of  himself,  and  as  he  becomes  wise,  he  receives 
love  from  the  Lord.  Furthermore,  the  right  hand  signifies 
power,  and  love  has  power  through  wisdom.  But  as  before 
said,  after  marriage  the  representation  is  changed,  the  husband 
then  representing  wisdom,  and  the  wife  the  love  of  his  wisdom. 
This,  however,  is  not  the  prior  love,  but  a  secondary  love, 
which  the  wife  has  from  the  Lord  through  the  wisdom  of  the 
husband.  Love  of  the  Lord,  which  is  the  prior  love,  is  in  the 
husband  the  love  of  being  wise ;  therefore  after  marriage  the 
two,  husband  and  wife  together,  represent  the  church." 

[3]  Again  they  asked,  "  Why  did  not  you  men  stand  beside 
the  bridegroom,  now  the  husband,  while  the  six  virgins  stood 
beside  the  bride,  now  the  wife  ?" 

The  wise  one  replied,  "  Because  to-day  we  ourselves  are 
counted  among  the  virgins,  and  the  number  six  signifies  all, 
and  what  is  complete." 

But  they  said,  "  What  does  that  mean  ?" 

He  replied,  "Virgins  signify  the  church,  and  the  church 
is  of  both  sexes ;  therefore  in  relation  to  the  church  we,  too, 
are  virgins ;  as  is  evident  from  the  following  in  the  Ajyoc- 
alypse : — 

These  are  they  that  were  not  defiled  with  women  ;  for  they  are  vir- 
gins. These  are  they  that  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  He  goeth 
(xiv.  4). 


900 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIII. 


And  because  ^  virgins'  signify  the  church,  the  Lord  compared 
the  church, 

To  ten  virgins  invited  to  a  wedding  {Matt.  xxv.  1-13); 

and  because  Israel,  Zion,  and  Jerusalem,  signify  the  church,  the 
virgin  and  daughter  of  Israel,  Zion  and  Jerusalem,  are  so  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  the  Word.  And  again,  the  Lord  descriVjes 
His  marriage  with  the  church  in  these  words  in  David: — 

On  thy  right  hand  doth  stand  the  queen  in  the  best  gold  of  Ophir  ;  her 
clothing  is  inwrought  with  gold  ;  she  sliall  be  led  unto  the  king  in  broid- 
ered  work ;  the  virgins  that  follow  her,  her  companions,  shall  enter  into 
the  king's  palace  {Ps.  xlv.  9-15)." 

[4]  Finally  they  asked,  "Is  it  not  proper  that  some  priest 
should  be  present  and  minister  in  these  matters  ?" 

The  wise  one  answered,  "  This  is  proper  on  earth,  but  not  in 
the  heavens  because  of  the  representation  of  the  Lord  Himself 
and  the  church.  On  earth  this  is  not  known.  Nevertheless, 
with  us  a  priest  ministers  at  betrothals,  and  hears,  receives, 
confirms,  and  consecrates  the  consent.  Consent  is  the  essen- 
tial of  marriage,  and  the  things  that  follow  are  its  formalities.*' 

749.  After  this  the  angel  guide  went  to  the  six  virgins  and 
told  them  also  about  his  companions,  and  besought  them  to 
honor  the  visitors  with  their  company.  And  they  approached 
them ;  but  when  they  came  near  they  suddenly  turned  back  and 
entered  the  woman's  apartment  where  their  virgin  friends  were. 

Seeing  this,  the  angel  guide  followed  them  and  asked  why 
they  turned  back  so  suddenly  without  speaking  to  the  visitors; 
and  they  replied,  "We  could  not  go  near  them."  He  asked 
why;  and  they  said,  "We  do  not  know;  but  we  perceived  some- 
thing that  repelled  and  drove  us  back ;  Ave  l3eg  pardon.'' 

The  angel  turned  to  his  companions  and  told  them  the 
reply,  adding,  "I  suspect  that  your  love  of  the  sex  is  not 
chaste;  in  heaven  we  love  virgins  for  their  beauty  and  the 
elegance  of  their  manners;  and  we  love  them  intensely  but 
chastely."  His  companions  laughed  at  this,  and  said,  "Your 
suspicion  is  correct ;  who  can  see  such  beauties  near  and  not 
feel  some  desire  ?" 

750.  After  this  social  festivity  all  the  wedding-guests  de- 
parted, and  also  the  ten  men  in  company  with  their  angel.    It 


'••"•-"' ■•^'^""■■'fc*'*^'--^" 


N.  750] 


MEMORABLE  RELATION 


901 


was  late  in  the  evening,  and  they  went  to  bed.  At  dawn  they 
heard  it  proclaimed,  "  To-day  is  the  Sabbath."  They  arose  and 
asked  the  angel  what  it  meant.  He  replied,  "  It  is  a  summons 
to  the  worship  of  God  which  returns  at  stated  times  and  is 
l>ruclaimed  by  the  priests ;  it  is  conducted  in  our  temples,  and 
continues  about  two  hours ;  come  with  me,  therefore,  if  you 
like,  and  I  will  introduce  you." 

They  made  themselves  ready  and  accompanied  the  angel, 
and  entered  the  temple.  And  behold,  it  was  a  large  temple, 
capable  of  seating  about  three  thousand  persons,  semi-circular 
in  form,  with  benches  or  seats  extending  entirely  around,  fol- 
lowing the  shape  of  the  temple.  The  pulpit  was  in  front  of  the 
seats,  back  a  little  from  the  center ;  the  door  was  on  the  left 
behind  the  pulpit. 

The  ten  visitors  entered  with  their  angel  guide,  and  he  as- 
signed them  their  seat,  saying,  "  Every  one  who  enters  the  tem- 
ple knows  his  place,  he  knows  it  from  something  within;  and 
he  can  sit  nowhere  else ;  if  he  sits  elsewhere,  he  hears  noth- 
ing and  perceives  nothing;  and  moreover  he  disturbs  the  order, 
and  when  the  order  is  disturbed  the  priest  is  not  inspired." 

751.  When  all  had  assembled,  the  priest  ascended  the  pul- 
pit and  preached  a  sermon  full  of  the  spirit  of  wisdom.  It 
was  a  sermon  about  the  holiness  of  the  Sacred  Scripture,  and 
about  the  conjunction  of  the  Lord  tJiereby  with  both  the  spirit- 
ual world  and  the  natural  world.  In  the  state  of  enlighten- 
ment in  which  he  was,  he  fully  proved  that  that  Holy  Book 
was  dictated  by  the  Lord  Jehovah,  and  that  therefore  He  is  in 
it,  even  so  that  He  is  the  wisdom  in  it;  but  the  wisdom  which 
is  Himself  in  the  Word  lies  concealed  under  the  sense  of  the 
letter,  and  is  disclosed  to  those  only  who  are  both  in  the  truths 
of  doctrine  and  in  goods  of  life ;  and  who  are  thus  in  the  Lord 
and  the  Lord  in  them.  To  the  sermon  he  added  an  earnest 
prayer,  and  descended  from  the  pulpit. 

As  the  audience  was  leaving,  the  angel  asked  the  priest  to 
speak  some  words  of  peace  to  his  ten  companions ;  so  he  went 
to  them,  and  they  talked  together  for  half  an  hour.  He  spoke 
of  the  Divine  trinity  as  being  in  Jesus  Christ  in  whom  dwell- 
eth  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily,  according  to  the  saying 
of  the  Apostle  Paul ;  and  he  afterward  spoke  of  the  union  of 


902 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIIL 


charity  and  faith,  but  he  said  the  union  of  charity  and  truth, 
Ixjcause  faith  is  truth. 

752.  After  expressing  their  thanks,  they  went  home.  And 
the  angel  said  to  them,  "This  is  the  third  day  since  you  came 
up  to  this  heavenly  society,  and  you  were  prepared  by  the  Lord 
to  remain  here  three  days ;  so  the  time  has  come  for  us  to  part; 
you  will  therefore  put  off  the  clothes  sent  you  by  the  prince, 
and  put  on  your  own."  And  as.  soon  as  they  had  put  on  their 
own  clothes  they  were  inspired  with  a  desire  to  depart;  so  they 
departed  and  descended,  the  angel  accompanying  them  all  the 
way  to  the  place  of  the  assembly ;  and  there  they  gave  thanks 
to  the  Lord  for  having  vouchsafed  to  bless  them  with  knowl- 
edge and  consequent  intelligence  respecting  heavenly  joys  and 
eternal  happiness. 


N.  753] 


THE  CONSUMMATION  OF  THE  AGE 


903 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   CONSUMMATION   OF   THE  AGE,  THE   COMING   OF  THE 
LORD,  AND  THE  NEW  HEAVEN  AND  NEW  CHURCH. 


L 

THE    CONSUMMATIOX    OF    THE    AGE    IS    THE    LAST    TIME    OF    THE 

CHURCH    oil    ITS    END. 

753.  There  have  been  several  churches  on  this  earth,  and 
in  the  course  of  time  they  have  all  been  consummated,  and 
after  their  consummation  new  churches  have  arisen,  and  so  on 
to  the  present  time.  The  consummation  of  the  church  takes 
place  when  there  is  no  Divine  truth  left  except  what  has  been 
falsified  or  set  aside ;  and  when  there  is  no  genuine  truth  no 
genuine  good  is  possible,  since  every  quality  of  good  is  formed 
by  means  of  truths ;  for  good  is  the  essence  of  truth,  and  truth 
is  the  form  of  good,  and  witliDut  form  there  can  be  no  quality. 
Good  and  truth  can  no  more  be  separated  than  will  and  under- 
standing, or  what  is  the  same  thing,  than  love's  affection  and 
the  thought  therefrom.  Consequently  when  truth  is  consum- 
mated in  a  church,  good  is  also  consummated  there ;  and  when 
this  takes  place,  the  church  comes  to  an  end,  that  is,  is  con- 
summated. 

754.  The  church  is  consummated  by  various  means,  espe- 
cially by  such  things  as  cause  falsity  to  appear  to  be  truth ; 
and  when  falsity  appears  to  be  truth,  good  that  is  essentially 
good,  such  as  is  called  spiritual  good,  is  no  longer  possible. 
The  good  that  is  then  believed  to  be  good  is  merely  natural 
good,  such  as  is  brought  forth  by  a  moral  life.  The  chief 
cause  of  the  consummation  of  truth  and  of  good  along  with  it, 
is  the  two  natural  loves  that  are  diametrically  opposed  to  the 
two  spiritual  loves,  and  that  are  called  love  of  self  and  love  of 
the  world.  Love  of  self  when  it  is  ])redominant  is  the  opposite 
of  love  to  God,  and  love  of  the  world  when  it  is  predominant  is 
the  opposite  of  love  to  the  neighbor.    Love  of  self  is  a  wishing 


904 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV, 


well  to  oneself  alone,  and  not  to  any  other  except  for  the  sake 
of  self ;  and  the  same  is  true  of  love  of  the  world ;  and  these 
lov^es  when  they  are  fostered  spread  like  gangrene  through  the 
body,  gradually  destroying  every  part  of  it.  That  such  love 
has  invaded  the  churches  is  manifest  from  Babylon  and  the 
way  it  is  described  {Gen.  xi.  1-9 ;  Isa.  xiii. ;  xiv.;  xlvii. ;  Jer.  1. ; 
Dan.  ii.  31-47;  iii.  1-7,  seq.',  v.;  vi.  8-28;  vii.  1-14;  and  Apoc. 
xvii.  and  xviii.  from  beginning  to  end  of  both).  Babylon  has 
finally  exalted  itself  to  such  a  degree  as  not  only  to  transfer 
the  Lord's  Divine  power  to  itself,  but  also  to  strive  with  the 
utmost  energy  to  grasp  all  the  riches  of  the  world.  That  like 
loves  would  break  forth  from  many  of  the  leaders  of  the 
churches  outside  the  pale  of  Babylon,  if  their  power  were  not 
restricted  and  thus  curbed,  may  be  deduced  from  certain  signs 
and  appearances  not  altogether  without  meaning.  What  then 
follows  but  that  such  a  man  will  regard  himself  as  God  and  the 
world  as  heaven,  and  will  pervert  all  the  truth  of  the  church  ? 
For  it  is  impossible  for  the  merely  natural  man  to  recognize 
and  acknowledge  real  truth,  which  is  truth  in  itself,  nor  can 
such  truth  be  given  him  by  God,  because  it  falls  into  what  is 
inverse  to  it  and  becomes  falsity.  Besides  these  two  loves 
there  are  still  other  causes  of  the  consummation  of  truth  and 
good,  and  consequently  of  the  church ;  but  those  causes  are 
secondary  and  subordinate  to  these  two. 

755.  That  the  consummation  of  the  age  is  the  last  time  of 
the  church,  can  be  seen  from  those  passages  in  the  Word  where 
it  is  spoken  of,  as  in  the  following : — 

A  consummation  and  decision  I  have  heard  from  Jehovah  upon  the 
whole  land  {Isa.  xxviii.  22). 

A  consummation  is  determined,  righteousness  has  overflowed,  for  the 
Lord  Jehovah  of  Hosts  is  making  a  consummation  and  a  decision  in  the 
whole  land  {Isa.  x.  22,  23). 

The  whole  land  shall  be  devoured  in  the  fire  of  Jehovah's  jealousy  ; 
for  He  shall  make  a  speedy  couKSummation  of  all  them  that  dwell  in  the 
land  {Zeph.  i.  18). 

In  these  passages  "the  land"  signifies  the  church,  because  the 
land  of  Canaan  is  meant,  where  the  church  was.  That  "the 
land ''  signifies  the  church  may  be  seen  proven  by  many  pas- 
sages from  the  Word  in  the  Apocalt/pse  Beuealed  (n.  285,  902). 


N.  765] 


THE  CONSUMMATION  OF  THE  AGE 


905 


At  last  upon  the  bird  of  abominations  shall  be  desolation,  and  even 
to  the  consummation  and  decision  shall  it  drop  upon  the  devastation 
{Dan.  ix.  27). 

That  these  words  were  spoken  by  Daniel  respecting  the  end  of 

the  present  Christian  church  may  be  seen  in  Matt.  xxiv.  15 : — 

The  whole  earth  shall  be  a  waste,  yet  will  I  not  make  a  consummation 

{Jer.  iv.  27). 

The  iniquity  of  the  Amo rites  is  not  yet  consummated  {Gen.  xv.  16). 

Jehovah  said,  I  will  go  down  and  see  whether  they  have  made  a  con- 
summation according  to  the  cry  that  is  come  unto  Me  {Gen.  xviii.  21). 

This  was  said  of  Sodom.  The  last  period  of  the  present  Chris- 
tian church  is  also  meant  by  the  Lord  by  the  consummation  of 
the  age  in  the  following  passages : — 

The  disciples  asked  Jesus,  What  shall  be  the  sign  of  Thy  coming,  and 
of  the  consummation  of  the  age  ?  {Matt.  xxiv.  3). 

In  the  time  of  harvest  I  will  say  to  the  reapers.  Gather  ye  together  first 
the  tares,  to  burn  them  ;  but  gather  the  wheat  into  My  barn.  So  shall  it 
be  in  the  consummation  of  the  age  {Matt.  xiii.  30,  39,  40). 

In  the  consummation  of  the  age  the  angels  shall  go  forth  and  separate 
the  wicked  from  the  midst  of  the  righteous  {Matt.  xiii.  40). 

Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the 
consummation  of  the  age  {Matt,  xxviii.  20). 

It  must  be  known  that  the  meaning  of  "devastation,']  "desola- 
tion," and  "decision"  is  similar  to  the  meaning  of  "consumma- 
tion ;"  but  "  desolation"  signifies  the  consummation  of  truth, 
"devastation"  the  consummation  of  good,  and  "decision"  the 
full  consummation  of  both ;  also  that  "  the  fulness  of  time''  in 
which  the  Lord  came  and  is  to  come  into  the  world  means 
consummation. 

756.  The  consummation  of  the  age  can  be  illustrated  by  va- 
rious things  in  the  natural  world,  for  here  each  and  all  things 
on  the  earth  grow  old  and  decay,  but  by  alternate  changes 
which  are  called  the  circles  of  things.  Times  in  general  and 
in  particular  pass  through  these  circles.  In  general,  the  year 
passes  from  spring  to  summer,  through  this  to  autumn,  then 
ends  in  winter,  and  from  this  returns  to  spring;  this  is  the 
circle  of  heat.  In  particular,  the  day  passes  from  morning  to 
noon,  through  this  to  evening,  and  ends  in  night,  and  from  this 
returns  again  to  morning ;  this  is  the  circle  of  light.  Again, 
every  man  runs  through  the  circle  of  nature,  beginning  life  in 


iiasatdfeia'aiaBi^^ 


90G 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


infancy,  advancing  therefrom  to  youth  and  manhood,  from  this 
to  old  age,  and  dies.  So  likewise  every  bird  of  the  air  and 
every  beast  of  the  earth.  Also,  every  tree  begins  with  a  germ, 
goes  on  to  its  full  stature,  and  gradually  declines  until  it  falls. 
The  same  is  true  of  every  bush  and  every  shrub,  and  even  of 
every  leaf  and  flower,  also  of  the  soil  itself,  which  in  time  be- 
comes barren ;  and  of  all  still  water  which  gradually  becomes 
foul.  All  these  are  alternative  consummations,  which  are  natu- 
ral and  temporal,  and  yet  periodical ;  because  when  one  has 
passed  from  its  origin  to  its  end,  another  like  it  arises ;  thus 
everything  is  born  and  dies  and  is  born  again,  in  order  that 
creation  may  be  continued.  This  is  like  what  takes  place  in 
the  church  because  man  is  a  church  and  in  general  constitutes 
the  church,  and  one  generation  follows  another  with  a  constant 
variation  of  disposition ;  and  iniquity  once  enrooted,  that  is,  an 
inclination  to  it,  is  transmitted  to  posterity,  and  is  extirpated 
by  regeneration  only,  which  is  wrought  by  the  Lord  alone. 


11. 


THE    PRESENT    IS    THE    LAST    TIME  OF  THE    CHRISTIAN    CHURCH, 

WHICH  WAS    FORETOLD    AND   DESCRIBED   BY  THE   LORD 

IN    THE    GOSPELS    AND    IN    THE    APOCALYPSE. 

757.  It  has  been  shown  in  the  preceding  article  that  the 
consummation  of  the  age  signifies  the  last  time  of  the  church, 
and  this  makes  clear  what  is  meant  by  "  the  consummation  of 
the  age"  of  which  the  Lord  speaks  in  the  Gospels  {Matt.  xxiv. ; 
Mark  xiii.  j  Luke  xxi.).     For  it  is  written: — 

As  Jesus  was  sitting  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  disciples  drew  near 
unto  Him  privately,  saying.  What  shall  be  the  sign  of  Thy  coming  and  of 
the  consummation  of  the  age  ?  {Matt.  xxiv.  3). 

Then  the  Lord  began  and  foretold  and  described  this  consum- 
mation, what  it  was  to  be  step  by  step,  until  His  coming ;  and 
that  He  was  then  to  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power 
and  glory,  and  was  to  gather  His  elect  (verses  30,  31),  and 


N.  757] 


THE  CONSUMMATION  OF  THE  AGE 


9o: 


other  events  which  in  no  wise  took  place  at  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem.  These  things  the  Lord  there  described  in  prophetic 
discourse,  in  which  every  single  word  has  weight.  What  these 
particular  ftiings  involve  has  been  explained  in  the  Arcana 
Coelestia  (n.  3353-3356,  348(>-3489,  3650-3655,  3751-3757, 
3897-3901,  4056-4060,  4229-4231,  4332-4335,  4422-4424). 

758.  That  all  these  things  which  the  Lord  spoke  about  with 
His  disciples  were  said  of  the  last  time  of  the  Christian  church, 
is  very  evident  from  the  Apocalypse,  where  there  are  like  pre- 
dictions respecting  the  consummation  of  the  age  and  the  com- 
ing of  the  Lord,  all  of  which  are  explained  in  detail  in  the 
Apocalypse  Revealed,  published  in  1766.  Because,  then,  what 
the  Lord  said  in  the  presence  of  His  disciples  respecting  the 
consummation  of  the  age  and  His  coming,  coincides  with  what 
was  afterward  revealed  by  John  in  the  Apocalypse  respecting 
the  same  subjects,  it  is  clearly  evident  that  He  meant  no 
other  consummation  than  that  of  the  present  Christian  church. 
Moreover,  there  is  a  further  prophecy  in  Daniel  respecting  the 
end  of  this  church ;  therefore  the  Lord  says  : — 

When  ye  shall  see  the  abomination  of  desolation,  predicted  by  Daniel 
the  prophet,  standing  in  the  holy  place,  let  him  that  readeth  note  it  well 
{Matt.  xxiv.  15  ;  Dan.  ix.  27). 

There  are  like  things  in  the  other  prophets.  That  such  an 
abomination  of  desolation  exists  to-day  in  the  Christian  church 
will  be  made  still  more  clear  in  an  Appendix,  in  which  it  will 
be  seen  that  there  is  not  a  single  genuine  truth  remaining  in 
the  church,  and  also  that  unless  a  new  church  shall  be  raised 
up  in  the  place  of  the  present  one,  "  no  flesh  can  be  saved," 
according  to  the  Lord's  words  in  Matthew  (xxiv.  22).  That  the 
Christian  church,  as  it  is  to-day,  is  consummated  and  devas- 
tated to  such  an  extent,  those  on  the  earth  who  have  confirmed 
themselves  in  its  falsity  are  unable  to  see,  for  the  reason  that 
the  confirmation  of  falsity  is  the  denial  of  truth;  and  this  im- 
poses a  veil  as  it  were  upon  the  understanding,  whereby  it  is 
protected  from  the  entrance  of  anything  that  might  pull  up 
the  ropes  and  stakes,  by  which  its  system,  like  a  strong  tent, 
has  been  built  and  shaped.  To  this  may  be  added  that  the 
natural  rational  faculty  is  able  to  confirm  whatever  it  pleases, 
thus  falsity  and  truth  equally ;  and  when  coiifirmed,  they  both 


908 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIV. 


appear  in  a  similar  light,  and  it  is  not  known  whether  the  light 
is  illusive  like  that  in  a  dream,  or  true  like  that  of  day.  But 
the  spiritual  rational  faculty,  which  those  possess  who  look  to 
the  Lord,  and  from  Him  are  in  the  love  of  truth,  is  wholly 

different. 

759.  For  this  reason  every  church  made  up  of  those  who  see 
by  confirmations  seems  to  itself  to  be  the  only  church  that  is 
in  the  light,  and  all  others  which  dissent  from  it  appear  to  be 
in  darkness.    For  those  who  see  by  confirmations  are  not  un- 
like owls,  which  see  light  in  the  obscurity  of  night,  and  in  the 
day-time  see  the  sun  and  its  rays  as  thick  darkness.    Such  has 
been  and  such  is  every  church  that  is  in  falsities,  when  it  has 
become  fixed  in  falsities  by  leaders  who  seem  to  themselves  to 
be  lynx-eyed,  and  who  have  made  for  themselves  a  morning 
light  out  of  their  own  intelligence  and  evening  light  out  of  the 
Word.    Did  not  the  Jewish  church  when  it  was  wholly  devas- 
tated (which  it  was  when  our  Lord  came  into  the  world),  loudly 
declare  through  its  scribes  and  those  skilled  in  the  law,  that 
because  it  had  the  Word  it  alone  was  in  heavenly  light,  and 
yet  they  crucified  the  Messiah  or  the  Christ  who  was  the  Word 
itself  and  the  All  in  all  things  of  it  ?    What  is  the  cry  of  that 
church  which  is  meant  by  "  Babylon"  in  the  Prophets  and  m 
the  Apocalypse,  but  that  she  is  the  queen  and  mother  of  all 
churches,  and  that  those  which  withdraw  from  her  are  spuri- 
ous offspring  that  must  be  excommunicated?    And  this,  even 
when  she  has  thrust  the  Lord  the  Saviour  from  the  throne  and 
altar  and  placed  herself  thereon,     m  Does  not  every  church, 
even  the  most  heretical,  when  once  accepted,  fill  country  and 
city  with  the  cry  that  it  alone  is  orthodox  and  oecumenical,  and 
that  it  possesses  the  gospel  which  the  angel  flying  in  the  midst 
of  heaven  announced  {Apoc.  xiv.  6)?    And  who  does  not  hear 
the  crowd  echoing  that  it  is  so  ?    Did  not  the  whole  Synod  ot 
Dort  look  upon  predestination  as  a  star  coming  down  above 
their  heads  out  of  heaven,  and  did  they  not  kiss  that  dogma  as 
the  Philistines  kissed  the  image  of  Dagon  in  the  temple  of 
Ebenezer  at  Ashdod,  and  as  the  Greeks  kissed  the  Palladium 
in  the  temple  of  iMinerva  ?    For  they  called  that  dogma  the 
palladium  of  religion ;  and  they  did  not  know  that  a  falling 
stai-  is  a  meteor  formed  of  illusive  light,  and  when  such  light 


N.  759] 


THE  CONSUMMATION  OF  THE  AGE 


909 


falls  upon  the  brain  it  enables  it  to  confirm  every  falsity  (which 
is  done  by  fallacies),  until  it  is  believed  to  be  the  true  light, 
and  is  decreed  to  be  a  fixed  star,  and  is  finally  sworn  to  be  the 
star  of  stars.  [3]  Who  speaks  with  fuller  persuasion  of  the 
certitude  of  his  delusion  than  the  atheistic  naturalist  ?  Does 
he  not  laugh  with  the  fullest  assurance  at  the  Divine  things  of 
God,  the  heavenly  things  of  heaven,  and  the  spiritual  things 
of  the  church  ?  Does  not  every  lunatic  believe  his  foolishness 
to  be  wisdom,  and  wisdom  to  be  foolishness  ?  Who  by  the 
sight  of  the  eye  can  distinguish  the  illusive  light  of  rotten 
wood  from  the  light  of  the  moon  ?  Does  not  any  one  who  is 
averse  to  balsamic  odors,  as  those  who  are  affected  with  uterine 
diseases,  repel  those  odors  from  the  nostrils  and  choose  ill- 
smelling  odors  in  preference  ?  And  so  on.  All  these  things 
have  been  presented  for  the  sake  of  illustration,  to  make  clear 
that  by  natural  light  alone,  or  until  truth  from  heaven  beams 
forth  in  its  own  light,  the  fact  that  the  church  is  consummated, 
that  is,  that  it  is  in  mere  falsities,  cannot  be  recognized.  For 
falsity  does  not  see  truth,  but  truth  sees  falsity ;  and  every 
man  is  such  that  he  can  see  and  comprehend  truth  when  he 
hears  it ;  but  a  man  confirmed  in  falsities  cannot  so  introduce 
truth  into  his  understanding  that  it  will  remain,  since  it  finds 
no  place  there ;  and  if  it  hapi)ens  to  enter,  the  assembled  horde 
of  falsities  casts  it  out  as  heterogeneous. 


IIT. 

THIS    LAST     TIME    OF     THE     CHRISTIAN     CHURCH    IS     THE     VERY 

NIGHT      IN     WHICH      FORMER     CHURCHES 

HAVE    COME    TO    AN    END. 

760.  That  there  have  been  in  general  four  churches  on  this 
earth  since  its  creation,  one  after  the  other,  can  be  seen  from 
both  the  historic  and  the  prophetic  Word,  especially  in  Daniel, 
where  these  four  churches  are  pictured  by  the  statue  which 
Nebuchadnezzar  saw  in  his  dream  (chap,  ii.),  and  afterward  by 
the  four  beasts  coming  up  out  of  the  sea  (chap.  vii.).  The  first, 
which  should  be  called  the  Most  Ancient  church,  existed  be- 


QIO  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chai-.  XIV. 

fore  the  flood;  and  its  consummation  or  destruction  is  pictured 
bv  the  flood.    The  second,  which  should  be  called  the  Ancient 
church,  existed  in  Asia,  and  a  pait  of  it  i"  Africa;  it  was 
consunlmated  and  destroyed  by  idolatries.    The  third  church 
was  the  Israelitish,  which  began  with  the  promulgation  of  the 
Decalogue  upon  Mount  Sinai,  was  continued  by  means  ot  the 
Word  written  by  Moses  and  the  prophets,  and  was  consum- 
mated or  brought  to  an  end  by  the  profanation  of  the  Word; 
which  profanation  was  complete  at  the  time  of  the  Lord  s  com- 
ing into  the  world;  and  in  consequence  they  crucified  Him 
who  was  the  Word.    The  fourth  is  the  Christian  church,  which 
was  established  by  the  Lord  through  the  evangehsts  and  apos- 
tles    Of  this  church  there  have  been  two  epochs,  one  extend- 
ing from  the  Lord's  time  to  the  Council  of  Nice,  and  the  other 
from  that  Council  to  the  present  day;  but  in  its  Progress  it 
has  been  divided  into  three-the  Cxreek,  the  Eoman  Cathohc, 
and  the  Reformed.    All  these,  however,  are  called  Christian 
churches.    Furthermore,  within  each  of  these  general  churches 
there  have  been  a  number  of  particular  churches ;  and  these, 
in  spite  of  their  secession,  have  retained  the  general  name,  as 
heresies  in  the  Christian  church. 

761  That  the  last  time  of  the  Christian  church  was  the 
very  night  in  which  the  former  churches  came  to  an  end,  can 
be  seen  from  the  Lord's  prediction  respecting  it  in  the  Gospels 
and  in  Daniel;  in  the  Gospels  from  the  foUowing:— 

That  they  would  see  the  abomination  of  desolation,  and  there  would 
be  great  tribulation,  such  as  had  not  been  from  the  begmnmg  of  the 
world  until  then,  nor  ever  would  be  ;  and  except  those  days  should  be 
TorLed  no  flesh  would  be  saved  ;  and  finally  the  sun  sha  ^e  d-kened 
the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven 
(ilait.  xxiv.  15,  21,  22,  29). 
That  time  is  also  called  night  elsewhere  in  the  Gospels,  as  in 

In  that  night  there  shall  be  two  men  in  one  bed ;  the  one  shall  be 
taken  and  the  other  left  (xvii.  34). 

And  in  John : — 

I  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that  sent  Me,  the  night  cometh  when 
no  man  can  work  (ix.  4). 
[2]  As  at  midnight  all  light  departs,  and  the  Lord  is  the  true 


^-..^ — «UL^.>.M*a«.i-fat*^>-  ^'-^-^juaMimiU^aiaii 


N.  761] 


THE  CONSUMMATION  OF  THE  AGE 


911 


light  (Jo?in  i.  4-9;  viii.  12;  xii.  35,  36,  46),  so  when  the  Lord 
ascended  to  heaven  He  said  to  His  disciples :  — 

Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  consummation  of  the  age 
(Matt,  xxviii.  20); 

and  then  it  is  that  He  departs  from  them  to  a  new  church. 

That  this  last  time  of  the  church  is  the  very  night  in  which 

the  former  churches  have  come  to  an  end  can  be  seen  also  from 

the  following  passages  in  Daniel :  — 

At  last  upon  the  bird  of  abomination  shall  be  desolation  ;  and  even  to 
the  consummation  and  decision  shall  it  drop  upon  the  devastation  (ix.  27). 

That  this  is  a  prediction  respecting  the  end  of  the  Christian 
church  is  clearly  evident  from  the  Lord's  words  in  3Iatthew 
(xxiv.  15) ;  as  also  from  what  is  said  in  Daniel  respecting  the 
fourth  kingdom,  or  the  fourth  church,  represented  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar's statue:  — 

Whereas  thou  sawest  iron  mixed  with  miry  clay,  they  shall  mingle 
themselves  with  the  seed  of  man  ;  but  they  shall  not  cohere  one  with  the 
other  even  as  iron  doth  not  mingle  with  clay  {Dan.  ii.  43), 

"the  seed  of  man"  meaning  the  truth  of  the  Word.  [3]  And 
again,  from  what  is  said  respecting  the  fourth  church  repre- 
sented by  the  fourth  beast  coming  up  out  of  the  sea :  — 

I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and  behold  a  fourth  beast,  dreadful  and 
terrible ;  it  shall  devour  the  whole  earth,  and  shall  tread  it  down,  and 
break  it  in  pieces  {Dan.  vii.  7,  23). 

This  means  that  all  the  truth  of  the  church  will  be  consum- 
mated, and  then  it  will  be  night,  because  the  truth  of  the 
church  is  light.  Kespecting  this  church  there  are  many  other 
like  predictions  in  the  Apocalypse,  especially  in  the  sixteenth 
chapter  which  treats  of  the  vials  full  of  the  wrath  of  God 
poured  out  upon  the  earth,  these  vials  signifying  the  falsities 
that  would  then  inundate  and  destroy  the  church.  So  like- 
wise in  many  places  in  the  Frophets,  as  in  the  following : — 

Shall  not  the  day  of  Jehovah  be  darkness  and  not  light  ?  even  thick 
darkness  and  no  brightness  ?  {Amos  v.  18,  20  ;  Ze'ph.  i.  15). 

Again : — 

In  that  day  Jehovah  shall  look  down  upon  the  land,  and  behold  dark- 
ness, and  the  light  is  darkened  in  the  ruins  thereof  (Isa.  v.  30  ;  viii.  22), 

"the  day  of  Jehovah"  meaning  the  day  of  the  Lord's  coming. 


61  o  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 

762    That  four  churches  have  existed  on  this  earth  since 
the  creation  of  the  world  is  in  accordance  with  Diynie  order, 
which  requires  that  there  be  a  beginning  and  then  its  end  Ix'- 
fore  a  new  beginning  starts  in.    Therefore  every  day  begins 
with  morning,  progresses,  ends  in  night,  and  then  begins  anew; 
also  every  year  begins  with  spring,  progresses  through  summer 
to  autumn,  closes  in  winter,  and  then  begins  agam;  and  in 
order  that  these  changes  may  take  phu;e  the  sun  rises  in  the 
ea«t  progresses  therefrom  through  the  south  to  the  west,  and 
finishes  its  course  in  the  north,  after  which  it  rises  again.    It 
is  the  same  with  churches;  the  first,  whi.-h  w;i8  the  Most  An- 
cient, was  like  morning,  spring,  and  the  east;  the  second  or 
Ancient  church  was  like  day,  summer,  and  the^soutli;  the  third 
was  like  evening,  autumn,  and  the  west;  and    he  fourth  like 
ni^'ht,  winter  and  the  north.    From  these  orderly  progressions 
the  wise  men  of  ancient  times  inferred  four  ages  of  the  world, 
the  first  of  which  they  called  the  golden  age,  the  second  the 
sUver  age,  the  third  the  copper  age,  and  the  fourth  the  iron 
age,  by  which  metals,  moreover,  these  churches  are  represented 
in  kebuchiidneEzar's  statue.     And  again,  in  the  Lord  s  sight 
the  church  is  seen  as  a  single  man,  and  this  larger  man  must 
pass  through  his  stages  of  life  like  an  individual,  that  is    o 
sav,  from  infancy  to  youth,  from  this  to  manhood,  and  finally 
to  old  age;  and  "then,  when  he  dies,  he  will  rise  again.    The 
Lord  says : — 

Except  a  grain  of  wheat  fall  into  the  earth  and  die,  it  abideth  [alone]; 
but  if  it  die,  it  beareth  much  fmit  (John  xu.  24). 

763  It  is  according  to  order  that  a  first  should  go  forth  to 
its  last  lx)th  in  general  and  in  particular,  in  order  that  variety 
may  exist  in  aU  things,  and  through  varieties  every  quality; 
for  quality  is  perfected  by  means  of  differences  "-elatmg  to 
what  is  more  or  less  opposite.  Who  cannot  see  that  truth  takes 
on  its  quality  through  the  existence  of  falsity,  and  good  like- 
wise through  the  existence  of  evil,  as  light  takes  on  its  quality 
through  the  existence  of  darkness,  and  heat  through  the  exist, 
ence  of  cold  ?  WTiat  would  color  be  if  there  were  no  black  and 
nothing  but  white?  If  it  were  otherwise  the  quality  of  inter- 
mediate colors  could  not  but  be  imperfect.    What  is  sensation 


N.  763] 


THE  CONSUMMATION  OF  THE  AGE 


913 


apart  from  relation ;  and  what  is  relation  except  to  things  op- 
posite  ?    Is  not  the  sight  of  the  eye  obscured  by  looking  at 
white  only,  and  quickened  by  a  color  that  inwardly  derives 
something  from  black,  such,  for  example,  as  green?    Is  not 
the  sense  of  hearing  dulled  by  the  continued  strain  of  one  tone 
njion  its  organs,  and  stimulated  by  a  modulation  that  is  varied 
by  relative  sounds?    What  is  the  beautiful  without  relation 
to  the  unbeautiful  ?    So  in  some  pictures  in  order  to  present 
vividly  the  beauty  of  a  virgin,  an  ugly  face  is  placed  beside 
the  handsome  one.    What  are  joy  and  happiness  without  rela- 
tion to  what  is  joyless  and  unhappy?    Will  not  one  become 
insane  by  dwelling  upon  one  idea  only,  uninterrupted  by  a 
variety  that  tends  to  things  opposite?    It  is  the  same  with 
the  spiritual  things  of  the  church,  the  opposites  of  which  have 
relation  to  evil  and  falsity,  which,  nevertheless,  are  not  from 
the  Lord,  but  from  man  who  has  freedom  of  choice  which  he 
can  turn  either  to  a  good  use  or  an  evil  use;  comparatively  as 
it  is  with  darkness  and  cold,  which  are  not  from  the  sun  but 
are  from  the  earth,  which  by  its  revolutions  in  turn  withdraws 
from  the  sun  and  returns  to  it;  and  without  its  turning  from 
and  to  the  sun  there  would  be  neither  day  nor  year,  conse- 
(piently  no  person  and  no  thing  on  the  earth.    I  have  heard 
that  churches  which  are  in  difPerent  goods  and  truths,  provided 
their  goods  relate  to  love  to  the  Lord,  and  their  truths  to  faith 
in  Him,  are  like  so  many  gems  in  a  king's  crown. 


IV. 

THIS     NIGHT     IS     FOLLOWED     BY     A     MORXIXG     WHICH     IS     THE 

COMING    OF    THE    LORD. 

764.  As  the  successive  states  of  the  church  in  general  and 
in  particular  are  described  in  the  Word  by  the  four  seasons  of 
the  year,  spring,  summer,  autumn,  and  winter,  and  by  the  four 
divisions  of  the  day,  morning,  noon,  evening,  and  night ;  and 
as  the  present  church  in  Christendom  is  the  night,  it  follows 
that  the  morning,  that  is,  the  beginning  of  a  new  church,  is 
now  at  hand.  That  the  successive  states  of  the  church  are  de- 
58 


914 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


scribed  in  the  Word  by  the  four  states  of  the  light  of  day,  can 
be  seen  from  the  following  passages  :  — 

Unto  evening  and  moniing  two  thousand  and  three  hundred  ;  then  the 
holy  one  shall  be  justified.  The  vision  of  the  evening  and  the  morning 
is  truth  {Dan.  viii.  14,  26). 

Crying  to  me  from  Seir,  Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ?  The  watch- 
man said,  The  morning  cometh  and  also  the  night  {Isa.  xxi.  11.  12). 

The  end  is  come  ;  the  morning  is  come  upon  thee,  O  inhabitant  of  the 
land  ;  behold  the  day  cometh  ;  the  morning  is  gone  forth  {Ezek.  vii.  6,  7, 
10). 

Jehovah  in  the  morning  shall  bring  His  judgment  to  light ;  nor  shall 
He  fail  {Zeph.  iii.  5). 

God  is  in  the  midst  of  her ;  God  shall  help  her  at  the  return  of  the 
morning  {Ps.  xlvi.  5). 

I  have  waited  for  Jehovah ;  my  soul  looketh  for  the  Lord  more  than 
watchmen  for  the  morning,  I  say,  more  than  watchmen  for  the  morning  ; 
for  with  Him  is  plenteous  redemption,  and  He  will  redeem  Israel  {Ps. 
cxxx.  5-8). 

[2]  In  these  passages  ^'  evening''  and  "  night''  mean  the  last 
time  of  the  church,  and  "morning"  the  first.  The  Lord  Him- 
eelf  is  also  called  the  morning  in  the  following  passages :  — 

The  God  of  Israel  said.  The  Rock  of  Israel  spake  to  Me.  He  shall 
be  as  the  light  of  the  morning,  a  morning  without  clouds  (2  Sam.  xxiii. 
3,4). 

I  am  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  David,  and  the  bright  and  morning 
Star  {Apoc.  xxii.  16). 

From  the  womb  of  the  morning  Thou  hast  the  dew  of  Thy  youth  {Ps. 
ex.  3). 

These  passages  refer  to  the  Lord.  Because  the  Lord  is  the 
morning,  He  arose  from  the  sepulchre  early  in  the  morning, 
being  about  to  begin  a  new  church  (Mark  xvi.  2,  9).  [3]  That 
it  is  the  Lord's  coming  that  is  to  be  waited  for  can  be  clearly 
seen  from  His  prediction  respecting  it  in  Matthew : — 

As  Jesus  wag  sitting  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives  the  disciples  drew  near 
unto  Him  privately,  saying,  Tell  us,  what  shall  be  the  sign  of  Thy  com- 
ing, and  of  the  consummation  of  the  age  ?  (xxiv.  3). 

After  the  tribulation  of  those  days  the  sun  shall  be  darkened,  and  the 
moon  shall  not  give  her  liglit,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven,  and 
the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken  ;  and  then  shall  appear  the 
sign  of  the  Son  of  man  ;  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the 
clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and  glory  {Matt.  xxiv.  29,  30 ;  Mark  xiii. 
26 ;  Luke  xxi.  27). 


N.  764] 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  LORD 


915 


As  were  the  days  of  Noah,  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man 
be.  Therefore  be  ye  also  ready  ;  for  in  an  hour  that  ye  think  not,  shall 
the  Son  of  man  come  {Matt.  xxiv.  37,  39,  44,  46). 

In  Luke : — 

When  the  Son  of  man  cometh,  shall  He  find  faith  on  the  earth  ? 
(xviii.  8). 

In  John: — 

Jesus  said  of  John,  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come  (xxi.  22,  23). 

[4]  In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles : — 

When  they  saw  Jesus  taken  up  into  heaven,  two  men  stood  by  them  in 
white  apparel,  who  said,  Jesus  who  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven, 
shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  see  Him  go  into  heaven  (i.  9-11). 

In  the  Apocalypse : — 

The  Lord  God  of  the  holy  prophets  sent  His  angel  to  show  unto  His 
servants  the  things  which  must  shortly  be  done.  Behold  I  come  quickly  ; 
blessed  is  he  that  keepeth  the  words  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book.  Be- 
hold I  come  quickly,  and  My  reward  is  with  Me,  to  render  to  every  man 
according  to  his  work  (xxii.  6,  7,  12). 

And  again : — 

I  Jesus  have  sent  Mine  angel  to  testify  unto  you  these  things  in  the 
churches.  I  am  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  David,  the  bright  and  morn- 
ing Star.  And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say.  Come  ;  and  he  that  heareth, 
let  him  say,  Come  ;  and  he  that  is  athirst,  let  him  come ;  and  he  that 
wisheth,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely  (xxii.  16,  17). 

And  again : — 

He  that  testifieth  these  things  saith,  Yea,  I  come  quickly.  Amen.  Even 
so,  come  Lord  Jesus.  The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you 
all.  Amen  (xxii.  20,  21). 

766.  The  Lord  is  present  with  every  man,  urging  and  press- 
ing to  be  received;  and  His  first  coming,  which  is  called  the 
dawn,  is  when  man  receives  Him,  which  he  does  when  he  ac- 
knowledges Him  as  his  God,  Creator,  Redeemer,  and  Saviour. 
From  this  time  man's  understanding  begins  to  be  enlightened 
in  spiritual  things,  and  to  advance  into  a  more  and  more  in- 
terior wisdom ;  and  as  he  receives  this  wisdom  from  the  Lord, 
he  advances  through  morning  into  day,  and  this  day  lasts  with 
him  into  old  age,  even  to  death ;  and  after  death  he  passes  into 
heaven  to  the  Lord  Himself;  and  there,  although  he  died  an 


916 


THE  TKUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


old  man,  he  is  restored  to  the  morning  of  his  life,  and  the  rud- 
iments of  the  wisdom  implanted  in  him  in  the  natural  world 
grow  to  eternity. 

767.  The  man  who  has  faith  in  the  Lord  and  charity  toward 
the  neighbor  is  a  church  in  particular;  and  the  church  in  gen- 
eral is  composed  of  such.  It  is  wonderful  that  every  angel,  in 
whatever  direction  he  turns  his  body  and  face,  sees  the  Lord 
in  front  of  him ;  the  Lord  being  the  sun  of  the  angelic  heaven ; 
and  this  appears  before  their  eyes  when  they  are  engaged  in 
spiritual  meditation.  The  same  is  true,  in  respect  to  the  sight 
of  his  spirit,  of  any  man  in  the  world  in  whom  the  church  is ; 
but  because  this  sight  is  veiled  over  by  the  natural  sight,  to 
which  the  other  senses  add  their  allurements,  and  because  the 
objects  of  these  senses  are  such  things  as  pertain  to  the  body 
and  the  world,  this  state  of  the  man's  spirit  is  unknown.  This 
seeing  the  Lord  in  front,  however  one  may  turn,  originates  in 
this,  that  all  truth  (which  is  the  source  of  wisdom  and  faith), 
and  all  good  (through  which  love  and  charity  exist),  are  from 
the  Lord,  and  are  the  Lord's  in  man ;  consequently  every  truth 
of  wisdom  is  like  a  mirror  in  which  the  Lord  is  seen,  and 
every  good  of  love  is  an  image  of  the  Lord.  This  is  the  cause 
of  this  wonderful  appearance.  [2]  But  an  evil  spirit  constantly 
turns  away  from  the  Lord,  and  looks  continually  to  his  OAvn 
love,  and  this  he  does  in  whatever  direction  he  turns  his  body 
and  face.  The  cause  of  this  is  the  same,  but  reversed;  for 
every  evil  is  an  image,  in  a  sort  of  form,  of  a  man's  ruling 
love,  and  falsity  therefrom  presents  that  image  as  in  a  mirror. 
[31  That  some  such  thing  is  also  implanted  in  nature  may  be 
inferred  from  certain  plants,  in  their  striving  to  rise  above 
the  herbage  that  surrounds  them,  to  look  at  the  sun ;  and  again 
from  the  fact  that  some  of  them  turn  towards  the  sun  from 
his  rising  to  the  end  of  the  day  that  they  may  ripen  under  his 
auspices.  Nor  do  I  doubt  that  there  is  a  like  endeavor  and  ef- 
fort in  all  the  twigs  and  branches  of  every  tree ;  but  not  being 
elastic  enough  to  bend  and  turn,  the  act  is  checked.  Moreover, 
it  is  clear  to  any  one  investigating  the  matter,  that  all  the 
whirlpools  either  of  inland  or  ocean  waters  spontaneously  fol- 
low in  their  motion  the  general  course  of  the  sun.  [4]  AVhy, 
then,  should  not  man,  who  was  created  in  the  image  of  God,  so 


N.  767] 


THE  COMINv':^  OF  THE  LORD 


917 


turn,  unless  by  means  of  his  gift  of  freedom  of  choice  he  turns 
that  endeavor  and  effort,  implanted  in  him  by  the  Creator,  in 
another  direction  ?  This  may  also  be  likened  to  a  bride's  con- 
stantly keeping  before  the  sight  of  her  spirit  something  of  the 
image  of  her  l^etrotlied,  and  seeing  him  in  his  gifts  as  in  mir- 
rors, longing  for  his  coming,  and  when  he  comes  receiving  him 
with  the  joy  in  which  her  bosom's  love  tinds  its  delight. 


y. 

THE     lord's     ("OMTXa     IS     NOT     HTS     COMTXG     TO     DESTROY     THK 

VISIBLE    HEAVEX    AND    THK    HABITABLE    EARTH,    AXD    TO 

CREATE    A    NEW    HEAVEN    AND    A    NEW    EARTH,  AS 

MANY,    FROM      NOT     UNDERSTANDING     THE 

SPIRITUAL      SENSE      OF      THE      WORD, 

HAVE     HITHERTO     SUPPOSED. 

768.  The  prevailing  opinion  in  the  churches  at  the  present 
day  is,  that  when  the  Lord  shall  come  for  the  last  judgment, 
He  will  appear  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  angels  and  the 
sound  of  trumpets ;  will  gather  together  all  who  still  dwell  on 
the  earth,  together  with  all  who  have  died;  will  separate  the 
wicked  from  the  good,  as  a  shepherd  separates  the  goats  from 
the  sheep ;  will  then  cast  the  wicked  or  the  goats  into  hell,  and 
will  raise  the  good  or  the  sheep  into  heaven;  and  at  the  same 
time  will  create  a  new  visible  heaven  and  a  new  habitable 
earth,  and  will  send  down  upon  that  earth  the  city  called  the 
New  » Jerusalem,  built  according  to  the  description  of  it  in  the 
Apocalypse  (chap,  xxi.),  that  is,  of  jasper  and  gold,  and  the 
foundations  of  its  wall  of  every  precious  stone,  while  its  height, 
breadth,  and  length  will  be  equal,  each  twelve  thousand  fur- 
longs ;  also  that  into  that  city  will  be  gathered  all  the  elect, 
both  those  who  are  still  alive  and  those  who  have  died  since 
the  beginning  of  the  Avorld;  that  these  will  then  return  into 
their  bodies,  and  in  that  magnificent  city,  as  their  heaven,  will 
enjoy  eternal  blessedness.  Tliis  is  the  prevailing  opinion  in 
the  (Christian  cluirehes  of  to-day  respecting  the  Lord's  coming 
and  the  last  judgment. 


918 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIV. 


769.  In  respect  to  the  state  of  souls  after  death,  the  belief 
universally  and  in  each  instance  is  that  human  souls  after  death 
are  airy  thiugs  (some  cherishing  the  idea  that  they  are  like  a 
puff  of  wind),  and  being  such,  they  are  reserved  until  the  day 
of  the  last  judgment  either  in  the  center  of  the  earth,  where 
their  abode  is,  or  in  the  limbus  of  the  fathers.  But  on  these 
points  they  differ,  some  holding  that  souls  are  ethereal  or  aerial 
forms  and  thus  are  like  phantoms  and  specters,  some  of  them 
dwelling  in  the  air,  some  in  the  forests,  some  in  the  waters ; 
others  holding  that  the  souls  of  the  dead  are  transferred  to  the 
planets  or  to  the  stars,  and  have  habitations  given  to  them 
there ;  and  some  believe  that  after  a  thousand  years  they  will 
return  into  their  bodies;  but  the  majority  believe  that  they  are 
reserved  for  the  time  when  the  entire  firmament  together  w4th 
the  terraqueous  globe  will  be  destroyed,  which  will  be  done  by 
fire  breaking  forth  from  the  center  of  the  earth  or  hurled  down 
like  universal  lightning  from  heaven;  that  then  the  graves  will 
be  opened,  and  the  reserved  souls  will  be  clothed  again  with 
their  bodies,  and  transported  to  that  holy  city,  Jerusalem,  and 
so  will  dwell  together  on  another  earth  in  lustrous  bodies, 
some  lower  down  in  that  city,  some  higher  up;  for  the  height 
of  it,  like  its  breadth  and  length,  will  be  twelve  thousand  fur- 
longs (Aj)oc.  xxi.  16). 

770.  When  a  clergyman  or  a  layman  is  asked  whether  he 
firmly  believes  all  these  things,  as  that  the  antediluvians  to- 
gether with  Adam  and  Eve,  and  the  postdiluvians  together 
with  Noah  and  his  sons,  and  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  to- 
gether with  all  the  prophets  and  apostles,  as  w^ell  as  the  souls 
of  all  other  men,  are  still  reserved  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth 
or  are  flying  about  in  the  ether  or  air ;  as  also  whether  he  be- 
lieves that  souls  will  be  re-clothed  with  their  bodies  or  be  re- 
united with  them,  when  yet  these  dead  bodies  have  been  eaten 
up  by  worms  and  mice  and  fishes,  and  Egyptian  bodies  as 
mummies  have  been*  eaten  up  by  men,  and  others  are  mere 
skeletons  dried  up  in  the  sun  and  crumbled  to  dust;  also 
whether  he  believes  that  the  stars  of  heaven  will  then  fall  up- 
on the  earth,  which,  however,  is  smaller  than  a  single  one  of 
them ;  and  whether  these  things  are  not  absurdities  which  rea- 
son itself  dissipates,  as  it  does  anything  contradictory;  to  these 


N.  770] 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  LORD 


919 


things  some  will  make  no  reply ;  some  will  say,  "  These  things 
are  matters  of  faith,  to  which  we  keep  the  understanding  in 
obedience ;"  some  that  not  only  these  but  many  other  matters 
that  are  above  reason  belong  to  the  Divine  omnipotence.  And 
when  they  mention  faith  and  omnipotence,  reason  is  exiled, 
and  sound  reason  either  disapi)ears  and  becomes  as  nothing,  or 
becomes  as  a  specter,  and  is  called  insane.  They  add,  "Are 
not  these  things  in  accordance  with  the  Word?  Must  not 
every  one  think  and  speak  from  that  ?" 

771.  It  has  been  shown  in  the  chapter  on  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
ture that  the  Word  in  the  letter  was  written  by  appearances 
and  correspondences,  consequently  in  all  its  particulars  there 
is  a  spiritual  sense,  and  in  that  sense  the  truth  is  in  its  own 
light  while  the  sense  of  the  letter  is  in  shade.  In  order  there- 
fore that  the  man  of  the  New  Church  may  not  wander  about, 
like  the  man  of  the  old,  in  the  shade  that  obscures  the  sense  of 
the  letter  of  the  Word,  especially  in  respect  to  heaven  and  hell 
and  man^s  life  after  death,  and  here  in  respect  to  the  Lord's 
coming,  it  has  pleased  the  Lord  to  open  the  sight  of  my  spirit, 
and  thus  introduce  me  into  the  spiritual  world,  and  permit  me 
not  only  to  talk  with  spirits  and  angels,  relatives  and  friends, 
and  even  with  kings  and  princes  who  have  finished  their  course 
in  the  natural  world,  but  also  to  see  the  wonders  of  heaven 
and  the  miseries  of  hell,  and  thus  to  learn  that  man  does  not 
abide  in  some  indefinite  place  in  the  earth,  nor  fly  about  blind 
and  dmnb  in  the  air  or  in  vacancy,  but  lives  as  a  man  in  a 
substantial  body  in  a  much  more  perfect  state  (if  he  is  among 
the  blessed),  than  that  in  which  he  formerly  lived  when  in  the 
material  body.  In  order  therefore,  that  man  from  ignorance 
may  not  immerse  liimself  still  more  deeply  in  this  opinion 
respecting  the  destruction  of  the  visible  heaven  and  habit- 
able earth,  and  in  respect  also  to  the  spiritual  world  (because 
of  which  ignorance  naturalism  together  with  atheism,  which 
among  the  learned  has  begun  to  take  root  in  the  interior  ra- 
tional mind,  is  spreading  more  widely,  like  mortification  in 
the  flesh,  even  extending  to  the  external  mind  from  which 
man  speaks),  I  have  been  commanded  by  the  Lord  to  make 
known  various  things  that  I  have  seen  and  heard  respecting 
Heaven  and  Hell  and  respecting  the  Last  Judgment,  and  also 


920 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


to  explain  the  Apocalypse,  which  treats  of  the  Lord's  coming 
the  former  heaven,  the  new  heaven,  and  the  holy  Jerusalem. 
From  these,  when  they  have  been  read  and  understood,  any 
one  can  see  what  is  meant  by  the  Lord's  coming,  the  new 
heaven,  and  the  New  Jerusalem. 


VL 


THIS    COMING    OF    THE    LORD    WHICH    IS    HIS    SECOND    COMING, 

IS    TAKING    PLACE  IN  ORDER  THAT    THE    EVIL  MAY  BE    SEP- 

ARATICD   FROM  THE  GOOD,  AND  THAT  THOSE  WHO   HAVE 

BELIEVED  AND  DO  BELIEVE  IN  HIM,  MAY  BE  SAVED, 

AND  THAT  FROM    THEM  A  NEW  ANGELIC   HEAVEN 

AND     A     NEW    CHURCH     ON    EARTH     MAY     BE 

formed;  and  WITHOUT  THIS,  NO  FLESH 

COULD     BE    SAVED   {Matt.    XXIV.   22). 

772.  That  this  second  coming  of  the  Lord  does  not  take 
place  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  visible  heaven  and  hab- 
itable earth,  has  been  shown  in  the  preceding  section.  That 
it  is  not  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  anything,  but  to  build 
up,  consequently  not  to  condemn  but  to  save  those  who  since 
His  first  coming  have  believed  in  Him  and  also  those  who 
may  hereafter  believe  in  Him,  is  evident  from  these  words  of 
the  Lord: — 

God  sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to  judge  the  world,  but  that  the 
world  through  Him  might  be  saved  ;  he  that  believeth  on  Him  is  not 
judged,  but  he  that  believeth  not  hath  been  judged  already,  because  he 
hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God  {John  iii. 
17,  18). 

And  elsewhere : — 

If  any  man  hear  My  words  and  believe  not,  I  judge  him  not ;  for  I 
came  not  to  judge  the  world  but  to  save  the  world  :  He  that  despiseth  Me 
and  receiveth  not  My  words,  hath  one  that  judgeth  him  ;  the  Word  that 
I  have  spoken  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day  {John  xii.  47,  48). 

That  the  last  judgment  took  place  in  the  spiritual  world  in 
the  year  1757,  has  been  shown  in  the  little  work  on  The  Last 


N.  772] 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  LORD 


921 


Judgment  (London,  1758) ;  and  further  in  a  Contlnaatiou  on 
the  Last  Judgment,  (Amsterdam,  1763).  To  all  this  I  can  tes- 
tify, because  I  saw  it  with  my  own  eyes  in  a  state  of  full 
wakefuhiess. 

773.  The  Lord's  coming  is  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  new 
heaven  of  those  who  have  believed  in  Him,  and  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing  a  new  church  of  those  who  shall  hereafter 
believe  in  Him,  inasmuch  as  these  two  are  the  ends  for  which 
He  came.  The  very  end  for  which  the  universe  was  created 
was  no  other  than  the  formation  from  men  of  an  angelic  heav- 
en, where  all  who  believe  in  God  shall  live  for  ever  in  eternal 
blessedness;  for  the  Divine  love  which  is  in  God  and  essen- 
tially is  God,  can  intend  nothing  else,  and  the  Divine  wisdom 
which  is  also  in  God  and  is  God,  can  effect  nothing  else.  As 
the  end  for  which  the  universe  was  created  was  an  angelic 
heaven  from  the  human  race,  and  at  the  same  time  a  church 
on  earth  (for  man  enters  heaven  through  the  church) ;  and  as 
the  salvation  of  men  (which  is  to  be  effected  in  men  who  are 
to  be  born  in  the  world),  is  thus  the  continuation  of  creation, 
so  throughout  the  Word  the  term  "  to  create,"  which  is  fre- 
quently used,  means  to  form  for  heaven,  as  in  the  following 
passages : — 

Create  for  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God,  and  renew  a  lirm  spirit  in  the 
midst  of  me  (Ps.  li.  10). 

Thou  openest  Thine  hand,  they  are  satisfied  with  good  ;  Thou  sendest 
forth  Thy  Spirit,  they  are  created  {Fs.  civ.  28,  30). 

A  people  that  shall  be  created  shall  praise  Jah  (Ps.  cii.  18). 

Thus  hath  said  Jehovah  thy  Creator,  O  Jacob,  and  thy  Former,  O 
Israel  j  I  have  redeemed  thee,  I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name,  thou  art 
Mine.  Every  one  that  is  called  by  My  name  into  My  glory  have  I  created 
him  {Isa.  xliii.  1,  7). 

In  the  day  that  thou  wast  created  they  were  prepared.  Thou  wast 
perfect  in  thy  ways  from  the  day  that  thou  wast  created,  till  iniquity  was 
found  in  thee  {Ezek.  xxviii.  13,  15). 

This  is  said  of  the  king  of  Tyre  : — 

That  they  may  see,  know,  consider  and  undei-stand  that  the  hand  of 
Jehovah  hath  done  it,  and  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  hath  created  it  {Isa. 
xli.  20). 

From  all  this  the  meaning  of  the  term  "  to  create"  in  the  fol- 
lowing  passages  can  be  seen  : — 


922 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


Jehovah  creating  the  heavens,  spreading  forth  the  earth,  giving  breath 
unto  the  people  upon  it,  and  spirit  to  them  that  walk  in  it  {Isa.  xlii.  5 ; 
xlv.  12,  18). 

Behold  I  create  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  ;  be  ye  glad  for  ever  in 
that  which  I  create  ;  for  behold  I  create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing  {Isa.  Ixv. 
17,  18). 

774.  The  Lord's  presence  is  unceasing  with  every  man,  both 
the  evil  and  the  good,  for  without  His  presence  no  man  lives ; 
but  His  coming  is  only  to  those  who  receive  Him,  who  are 
such  as  believe  on  Him  and  keep  His  commandments.  The 
Lord's  unceasing  presence  causes  man  to  become  rational,  and 
gives  him  the  ability  to  become  spiritual.  This  is  effected  by 
the  light  that  goes  forth  from  the  Lord  as  the  sun  in  the  spir- 
itual world,  and  that  man  receives  in  his  understanding ;  that 
light  is  truth,  and  by  means  of  it  man  has  rationality.  But 
the  Lord's  coming  is  to  him  who  joins  heat  with  that  light, 
that  is,  love  with  truth;  for  the  heat  that  goes  forth  from 
that  same  sun  is  love  to  God  and  love  toward  the  neighbor. 
The  mere  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  the  consequent  enlighten- 
ment of«  the  understanding,  may  be  likened  to  presence  of 
solar  light  in  the  world;  unless  this  light  is  joined  with  heat, 
all  things  on  earth  become  desolate.  But  the  coming  of  the 
Lord  may  be  likened  to  the  coming  of  heat,  which  takes  place 
in  spring ;  because  heat  then  joins  itself  with  light,  the  eartli 
is  softened,  and  seeds  sprout  and  bring  forth  fruit.  Such  is 
the  parallelism  between  the  spiritual  things  which  are  the 
environment  of  man's  spirit,  and  the  natural  things  which 
are  the  environment  of  his  body. 

775.  The  same  is  true  of  the  man  of  the  church  in  the 
composite  or  collective  sense  as  of  the  individual  or  single 
man.  Man  in  the  collective  or  composite  sense  is  the  church 
among  many,  while  the  individual  or  single  man  is  the  churcli 
in  any  one  of  those  many.  It  is  according  to  Divine  order  that 
there  should  be  what  is  general  and  what  is  particular,  and 
that  both  should  be  together  in  every  single  thing,  and  that 
otherwise  particulars  cannot  have  existence  and  permanence; 
just  as  there  are  no  particulars  within  man  without  generals 
by  which  they  are  surrounded.  The  particulars  in  man  are  the 
viscera  and  their  parts,  and  the  generals  are  the  coverings 
which  surround  not  only  the  whole  man,  but  also  every  one  of 


N.  775] 


THE  COxMING  OF  THE  LORD 


923 


the  viscera,  and  every  single  part  thereof.  The  same  is  true 
of  every  beast,  bird,  and  worm;  also  every  tree,  shrub,  and 
seed ;  nor  can  a  tone  be  produced  by  a  stringed  instrument  or 
the  breath,  unless  there  is  a  most  general  from  which  each 
least  particular  of  the  modulation  derives  its  general,  in  order 
to  exist.  The  same  is  true  of  every  bodily  sense,  as  sight, 
hearing,  smell,  taste,  and  touch;  and  also  of  all  the  internal 
senses,  which  belong  to  the  mind.  All  this  has  been  said  by 
way  of  illustration,  to  make  clear  that  in  the  church  also  there 
is  what  is  general  and  what  is  particular,  also  Avhat  is  most 
general;  and  that  this  is  why  there  have  been  four  preceding 
churches  in  order,  from  which  progression  what  is  most  gen- 
eral in  the  church  has  arisen,  and  in  succession  the  general  and 
the  particular  of  each  church.  In  man  also  there  are  two  most 
general  things  from  which  all  the  generals  and  the  several  par- 
ticulars derive  their  existence.  In  his  body  these  two  most 
general  things  are  the  heart  and  lungs ;  in  his  spirit  they  are 
the  will  and  understanding.  On  these  four  depend  all  things 
pertaining  to  his  life,  both  in  general  and  in  particular,  all  of 
which  without  them  would  fall  asunder  and  die.  And  so  would 
it  be  with  the  whole  angelic  heaven,  and  with  the  whole  human 
race,  and  even  with  the  whole  created  universe,  if  they  did  not 
all  in  general,  and  each  in  particular  depend  on  God,  on  His 
love  and  His  wisdom. 


VIL 


THIS    SECOND     COMING     OF    THE    LORD     IS    NOT     A     COMING     IN 

PERSON,    BUT     IN     THE     WORD,  WHICH     IS     FROM 

HIM,    AND    IS    HIMSELF. 

776,  It  is  written  in  many  places  that  the  Lord  will  come 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven  (as  in  Matt.  xvii.  5;  xxiv.  30;  xxvi. 
64;  Mark  xiv.  02;  Luke  ix.  34,  35;  xxi.  27;  Apoc.  i.  7;  xiv.  14; 
Ban.  vii.  13).  And  as  no  one  has  hitherto  known  what  is 
meant  by  "the  clouds  of  heaven,"  it  has  been  believed  that 
the  Lord  would  appear  in  them  in  Person.  Heretofore  it  has 
not  been  known  that  "  the  clouds  of  heaven'^  mean  the  Word 


924 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIV. 


in  the  sense  of  the  letter,  and  that  the  "glory  and  power''  in 
which  He  is  then  to  come  {Matt.  xxiv.  30),  mean  the  spiritual 
sense  of  the  Word,  because  no  one  as  yet  has  had  the  least 
conjecture  that  there  is  a  spiritual  sense  in  the  Word,  such  as 
this  sense  is  in  itseK.  But  as  the  Lord  has  now  opened  to  me 
the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word,  and  has  granted  me  to  be  as- 
sociated with  angels  and  spirits  in  their  world  as  one  of  them, 
it  is  disclosed  that  "a  cloud  of  heaven''  means  the  Word  in  the 
natural  sense,  and  "glory"  the  Word  in  the  spiritual  sense, 
and  "power"  the  Lord's  power  through  the  Word.  That  such 
is  the  signihcation  of  "the  clouds  of  heaven"  may  be  seen  from 
the  following  passages  in  the  Word : — 

There  is  none  like  unto  the  God  of  Jeshumm,  who  rideth  in  the  heaven, 
and  in  magnificence  upon  the  clouds  (Beut.  xxxiii.  20,  27). 

Sing  unto  God,  praise  His  name  ;  extol  Him  that  rideth  upon  the  clouds 
(Ps.  Ixviii.  4). 

Jehovah  rideth  upon  a  light  cloud  {Isa.  xix.  1). 

[2]  '^  To  ride"  signifies  to  instruct  in  Divine  truths  from  the 
Word,  for  "  a  horse"  signifies  understanding  of  the  Word  (see 
Apocalypse  Revealed,  n.  298).  Who  does  not  see  that  God  does 
not  ride  upon  the  clouds  ?    Again  : — 

God  rode  upon  cherubs.  He  made  His  pavillion  thick  clouds  of  the 
heaveiLs  {Ps.  xviii.  10,  11). 

"  Cherubs"  also  signify  the  AVord  (see  Apocalypse  Revealed,  n. 
239,  672). 

Jehovah  bindeth  up  the  waters  in  His  clouds  ;  He  spreadeth  His  cloud 
over  His  throne  {Job  xxvi.  8,  *J). 

Give  ye  strength  unto  God  ;  His  strength  is  in  the  clouds  (Ps.  Ixviii.  34). 

Jehovah  will  create  over  every  dwelling  of  Mount  Zion  a  cloud  by 
day ;  for  over  all  the  glory  shall  be  a  covering  {Isa.  iv.  6). 

The  Word  in  the  sense  of  the  letter  was  also  represented  by 
the  cloud  in  which  Jehovah  descended  upon  Mount  Sinai,  when 
He  promulgated  the  law ;  the  principles  of  the  law  that  were 
then  promulgated  were  the  first  fruits  of  the  Word.  [^^J  As 
further  proof,  the  following  may  also  be  added :  In  the  s])irit- 
ual  world  as  well  as  in  the  natural  world  there  are  clouds,  but 
from  a  different  origin.  In  the  spiritual  world  there  are  some- 
times bright  clouds  over  the  angelic  heavens,  but  dusky  clouds 
over  the  hells.    The  bright  clouds  over  the  angelic  heavens 


N.  776] 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  LORD 


925 


signify  obscurity  there  arising  from  the  literal  sense  of  the 
Word;  but  when  these  clouds  are  dispersed,  it  signifies  that 
they  are  in  the  clear  light  of  the  Word  from  the  spiritual 
sense;  while  the  dusky  clouds  over  the  hells  signify  the  fal- 
sification and  i)rofanation  of  the  Word.  This  signification  of 
"  clouds"  in  the  spiritual  world  has  its  origin  in  the  fact  that 
the  light  which  there  goes  forth  from  the  Lord  as  a  sun,  signi- 
fies Divine  truth ;  for  which  reason  He  is  called  ''  the  Light" 
{fJolin  i.  9;  xii.  35).  And  for  the  same  reason  the  Word  itself 
there  which  is  kept  in  the  sacred  recesses  of  the  temples,  ap- 
pears surrounded  by  a  clear  white  light,  and  its  obscurity  is 
induced  by  clouds. 

777.  That  the  Lord  is  the  Word  can  be  clearly  seen  from 
the  following  in  John : — 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  God 
was  the  Word.    And  the  Word  was  made  flesh  {John  i.  1,  14). 

"  The  Word"  means  here  Divine  truth  because  Divine  truth 
among  Christians  is  from  no  other  source  than  the  Word, 
which  is  the  fountain  from  which  all  churches  bearing  the 
name  of  Christ  draw  living  waters  in  their  fulness ;  and  yet  a 
church  accepting  the  Word  in  its  natural  sense  is,  as  it  were, 
in  a  cloud,  but  one  accepting  it  in  its  spiritual  and  celestial 
senses  is  in  glory  and  power.  That  there  are  three  senses  in 
the  Word,  a  natural,  a  spiritual,  and  a  celestial,  one  within  the 
other,  has  been  shown  in  the  chapter  on  the  Sacred  Scripture, 
and  in  the  chapter  on  the  Decalogue  or  Catechism.  From  all 
this  it  is  clear  that  "  the  Word"  in  John  means  Divine  truth. 
John  also  bears  testimony  to  this  in  his  first  Epistle: — 

We  know  that  the  Son  of  God  hath  come,  and  hath  given  us  an  under- 
standing that  we  may  know  Him  that  is  true,  and  we  are  in  Him  that  is 
true,  even  in  His  Son  Jesus  Christ  (v.  20). 

This  is  why  the  Lord  so  frequently  said,  "Verily  I  say  unto 
you,"  verily  \ame,n^  in  the  Hebrew  language  meaning  truth. 
(That  He  is  "  the  Amen"  see  Apoc.  iii.  14,  and  "  the  Truth" 
John  xiv.  6.)  Moreover,  when  the  learned  men  of  the  present 
day  are  asked  what  they  understand  by  "  the  Word"  in  John 
(i.  1),  they  say  that  it  means  the  Word  in  its  pre-eminence; 
yet  what  is  the  Word  in  its  pre-eminence  but  Divine  truth? 


926 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Chap.  XIV. 


From  all  this  it  is  evident  that  the  Lord  is  now  to  appear  in 
the  Word.  He  is  not  to  appear  in  Person,  because  since  He 
ascended  into  heaven  He  is  in  His  glorihed  Human,  and  in 
this  He  cannot  appear  to  any  man  unless  the  eyes  of  his  spirit 
are  first  opened;  and  this  cannot  be  done  in  any  one  who  is 
in  evils  and  consequent  falsities,  thus  not  in  any  of  the  goats 
whom  He  sets  on  His  left  hand.  Therefore  when  He  showed 
Himself  to  His  disciples.  He  first  opened  their  eyes,  for  it  is 
written : — 

And  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  knew  Him  ;  and  He  vanished  out 
of  their  sight  {Luke  xxiv.  31). 

The  same  took  place  with  the  women  who  Avere  at  the  sepulchre 
after  the  resurrection,  and  in  consequence  they  also  saw  angels 
sitting  in  the  sepulchre  and  talking  with  them,  and  angels 
cannot  be  seen  with  the  material  e^^e.  Neither  did  the  apostles 
before  the  resurrection  see  the  Lord  in  His  glorified  Human 
with  their  bodily  eyes,  but  in  spirit,  which  seems,  after  one  is 
awakened  from  it,  like  the  state  of  sleep.  This  is  evident  from 
the  Lord's  transfiguration  before  Peter,  James,  and  John,  for 
it  is  said, 

That  they  were  heavy  with  sleep  (Luke  ix.  32). 

It  is  idle  therefore,  to  believe  that  the  Lord  will  appear  in  the 
clouds  of  heaven  in  Person ;  but  He  is  to  appear  in  the  Word, 
which  is  from  Him  and  therefore  is  Himself. 

778.  Every  man  is  his  own  love  and  his  own  intelligence, 
and  whatever  proceeds  from  him  derives  its  essence  from  those 
two  essentials  or  properties  of  his  life.  Therefore  the  angels, 
from  a  brief  intercourse  with  a  man,  recognize  what  he  is  es- 
sentially; they  know  his  love  from  the  tone  of  his  voice,  and 
his  intelligence  from  his  speech.  This  is  because  there  are  two 
universals  of  life  belonging  to  every  man,  the  will  and  the  un- 
derstanding. The  will  is  the  receptacle  and  abode  of  his  love, 
and  the  understanding  the  receptacle  and  abode  of  his  intel 
ligence.  Therefore  all  things  whatever,  whether  action  oi 
speech,  that  proceed  from  man,  constitute  the  man  and  are  tht 
man  himself.  In  like  manner,  but  in  a  pre-eminent  degree 
the  Lord  is  Divine  love  and  Divine  wisdom,  or  what  is  the 
same  thing,  Divine  good  and  Divine  truth;  for  His  will  is 


N.  778] 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  LORD 


*j  ^ 


of  the  Divine  love  and  the  Divine  love  is  of  His  will,  while 
His  understanding  is  of  the  Divine  wisdom  and  the  Divine 
wisdom  is  of  His  understanding;  the  Human  form  is  their 
containant.  From  this  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  how  the 
Lord  is  the  Word.  But  on  the  contrary,  he  who  is  antagonistic 
to  the  Word,  that  is,  to  the  Divine  truth  therein,  consequently, 
to  the  Lord  and  His  church,  is  his  own  evil  and  his  own  fal- 
sity, both  in  reference  to  his  mind  and  in  reference  to  the 
effects  thereof,  relating  to  actions  and  words,  which  proceed 
from  the  body. 


VIIL 


THIS   SECOND    COMING  OF  THE   LORD  IS  EFFECTED  BY  MEANS  OF 
A  MAN   TO  WHOM  THE  LORD   HAS    MANIFESTED    HIMSELF  IX 
PERSON,    AND     WHOM     HE    HAS     FILLED    WITH     HIS 
SPIRIT,     THAT     HE     MAY     TEACH     THE     DOC- 
TRINES OF  THE   NEW  CHURCH   FROM  THE 
LORD    BY   MEANS   OF   THE   WORD. 

779.  Since  the  Lord  cannot  manifest  Himself  in  Person, 
as  shown  just  above,  and  nevertheless  has  foretold  that  He 
was  to  come  and  establish  a  new  church,  which  is  the  Xew 
Jerusalem,  it  follows  that  He  will  do  this  by  means  of  a  man, 
who  is  able  not  only  to  receive  these  doctrines  in  his  under- 
standing but  also  to  publish  them  by  the  press.  That  the 
Lord  manifested  Himself  before  me.  His  servant,  and  sent  me 
to  this  office,  that  He  afterward  opened  the  eyes  of  my  spirit 
and  thus  introduced  me  into  the  spiritual  world  and  granted 
me  to  see  the  heavens  and  the  hells,  and  to  talk  with  angels 
and  spirits,  and  this  now  continuously  for  several  years,  I 
affirm  in  truth;  as  also  that  from  the  first  day  of  that  call  I 
have  not  received  anything  whatever  pertaining  to  the  doc- 
trines of  that  church  from  any  angel,  but  from  the  Lord  alone 
while  I  have  read  the  Word. 

780.  In  order  that  the  Lord  might  be  continuously  present 
with  me  He  has  unfolded  to  me  the  spiritual  sense  of  His 
Word,  wherein  is  Divine  truth  in  its  very  light,  and  it  is  in 


•^■Jts^i,^xs%Si^^iAi^i^^JU^^^ii»t,SS^ 


ft^^MlH^^I^J. 


[-■j.^MMJt-ii'.iaaBli&^ji 


928 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


this  light  that  He  is  continually  present.  For  His  presence  in 
the  Word  is  by  means  of  the  spiritual  sense  and  in  no  other 
way ;  through  the  light  of  this  sense  He  passes  into  the  obscu- 
rity of  the  literal  sense,  which  is  like  what  takes  place  when 
the  light  of  the  sun  in  day-time  is  passing  through  an  inter- 
posing cloud.  That  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  is  like 
a  cloud,  and  the  spiritual  sense  is  the  glory,  the  Lord  Himself 
being  the  sun  from  which  the  light  comes,  and  that  thus  the 
Lord  is  the  Word, 'has  been  shown  above.  That  "the  glory" 
in  which  He  is  to  come  {Matt.  xxiv.  30),  signifies  Divine  truth 
in  its  light,  in  which  light  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  is, 
can  be  clearly  seen  from  the  following  passages : — 

The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  desert,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  Jehovah; 
the  glory  of  Jehovah  shall  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh  shall  see  it  {Isa.  xl. 
3,5). 

Shine;  for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  Jehovah  is  risen  upon 
thee  {Isa.  Ix.  1,  to  the  end). 

I  will  give  thee  for  a  covenant  of  the  people,  for  a  light  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  My  glory  will  I  not  give  to  another  {Isa.  xlii.  0,  8;  xlviii.  11). 

Thy  light  shall  break  forth  as  the  morning;  the  glory  of  Jehovah  shall 
gather  thee  up  {Isa.  Iviii.  8). 

All  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  gloiy  ^f  Jehovah  {Num.  xiv.  21; 
Isa.  vi.  1-3;  Ixvi.  18). 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word;  in  Him  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the 
light  of  men.  That  was  the  tnie  I^ight.  And  the  Word  was  made  flesh, 
and  we  beheld  His  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father 
{John  i.  1,  4,  9,  14). 

The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God  (Ps.  xix.  1). 

The  glory  of  God  will  lighten  the  Holy  Jerusalem,  and  the  Lamb  is 
the  light  thereof,  and  the  nations  that  are  saved  shall  walk  in  the  light 
of  it  (Apoc.  xxi.  23,  24). 

Besides  in  many  other  places.  ^'  Glory"  signifies  Divine  truth 
in  its  fulness,  because  all  that  is  magnificent  in  heaven  is 
from  the  light  that  goes  forth  from  the  Lord,  and  the  light  go- 
ing forth  from  Him  as  the  sun  there,  is  in  its  essence  Divine 
truth. 


N.  781] 


NEW  HEAVEN  AND  NEW  CHURCH 


929 


IX. 

THIS    IS   WHAT    IS    MEANT    IN    THE    APOCALYPSE    BY   "THE  NEW 

HEAVEN    AND    THE    NEW    EARTH,"  AND    "THE    NEW 

JERUSALEM"    DESCENDING    THEREFROM. 

781.  We  read  in  the  Apocalypse: — 

I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth ;  for  the  first  heaven  and  the 
first  earth  were  passed  away.  And  I  John  saw  the  holy  city,  New  Jeru- 
salem, coming  down  out  of  heaven  from  God,  made  ready  as  a  bride 
adorned  for  her  husband  (xxi.  1,  2). 

Something  like  this  is  also  written  in  Isaiah : — 

Behold,  I  create  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  ;  be  ye  glad  and  re- 
joice for  ever ;  and  behold,  I  will  create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing  and  her 
people  a  joy  (Ixv.  17,  18). 

It  has  been  made  known  previously  in  this  chapter  that  the 
Lord  is  at  this  day  forming  a  new  heaven  from  such  Christians 
as  acknowledged  in  the  world,  or  after  their  departure  from 
the  world  were  able  to  acknowledge,  that  He  is  the  God  of 
heaven  and  earth,  according  to  His  words  in  Matthew  (xxviii. 

18). 

782.  By  the  New  Jerusalem  coming  down  from  God  out  of 
heaven  (Apoc.  xxi.),  a  new  church  is  meant  for  the  reason  that 
Jerusalem  was  the  metropolis  in  the  land  of  .Canaan,  and  the 
temple  and  altar  were  there,  and  the  sacrifices  were  offered 
there,  thus  the  Divine  worship  itself,  to  which  every  male  of 
the  whole  land  was  commanded  to  go  three  times  a  year,  was 
celebrated  there;  and  also  for  the  reason  that  the  Lord  was  in 
Jerusalem,  and  taught  in  its  temple,  and  afterward  glorified 
His  Human  there.  This  is  why  "  Jerusalem'^  signifies  the 
church.  That  "  Jerusalem*'  means  the  church  can  be  clearly 
seen  from  the  prophecies  in  the  Old  Testament  respecting  the 
new  church  to  be  established  by  the  Lord,  in  that  it  is  there 
called  "  Jerusalem.''  [2]  Those  passages  only  shall  be  here 
cited  from  which  any  one  endowed  with  interior  reason  can 
see  that  "Jerusalem"  there  means  the  church.  These  are  the 
following : — 

Behold,  I  create  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  and  the  former  shall 
not  be  remembered.    Behold,  I  will  create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing  and  her 

59 


930 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


people  a  gladness  ;  that  I  may  rejoice  over  Jerusalem  and  be  glad  over 
My  people.  Tlien  the  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  feed  together  ;  they  shall 
not  do  evil  in  the  whole  mountain  of  My  holiness  (Isa.  Ixv.  17-19,  25). 

For  Zion's  sake  will  I  not  be  silent,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake  I  will 
not  rest,  until  the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as  brightness,  and  her 
salvation  as  a  lamp  burneth.  Then  the  nations  shall  see  thy  righteous- 
ness, and  all  kings  thy  glory,  and  thou  shalt  be  called  by  a  new  name 
which  the  mouth  of  Jehovah  shall  utter.  And  thou  shalt  also  be  a  crown 
of  beauty  in  the  hand  of  Jehovah,  and  a  royal  diadem  in  the  hand  of  thy 
God.  Jehovah  delighteth  in  thee,  and  thy  land  shall  be  married.  Behold, 
thy  salvation  cometh  ;  behold,  His  reward  is  with  Him  ;  and  they  shall  call 
them  the  people  of  holiness,  the  redeemed  of  Jehovah  ;  and  thou  shalt  be 
called  a  city  sought  out,  not  forsaken  {Isa.  Ixii.  1-4,  11,  12). 

[3]  Awake,  awake  ;  put  on  thy  strength,  O  Zion  ;  put  on  the  garments 
of  thy  beauty,  O  Jerusalem,  the  holy  city  ;  for  henceforth  there  shall  no 
more  come  into  thee  the  uncircumcised  and  the  unclean.  Shake  thyself 
from  the  dust ;  arise,  sit  down,  O  Jerusalem.  My  people  shall  know  My 
name  in  that  day,  for  I  am  He  that  doth  speak  ;  behold,  it  is  I.  Jehovah 
hath  comforted  His  people  ;  He  hath  redeemed  Jerusalem  {Isa.  lii.  1,  2, 
6,  9). 

Sing  for  joy,  O  daughter  of  Zion  ;  be  glad  with  all  the  heart,  O  daugh- 
ter of  Jerusalem  ;  the  king  of  Israel  is  in  the  midst  of  thee  ;  thou  shalt 
not  fear  evil  any  more  ;  He  will  rejoice  over  thee  with  joy  ;  He  will  rest 
in  thy  love  ;  He  will  joy  over  thee  with  singing  ;  I  will  make  you  a  name 
and  a  praise  among  all  people  of  the  earth  {Zeph.  iii.  14-17,  20). 

Thus  said  Jehovah  thy  Redeemer,  saying  to  Jerusalem,  Thou  shalt  be 
inhabited  (Isa.  xliv.  24,  26). 

Thus  saith  Jehovah :  I  will  return  unto  Zion,  and  will  dwell  in  the 
midst  of  Jerusalem  ;  whence  Jerusalem  shall  be  called  a  city  of  truth,  and 
the  mountain  of  Jehovah  of  Hosts  the  holy  mountain  {Zech.  viii.  3,  20-23). 

Then  shall  ye  know  that  I  am  Jehovah  your  God  dwelling  in  Zion,  the 
mountain  of  holiness,  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  holiness  ;  and  it  shall  come 
to  pass  in  that  day,  that  the  mountains  shall  drop  down  new  wine,  and 
the  hills  shall  flow  with  milk.  And  Jerusalem  shall  abide  to  generation 
and  generation  {Joel  iii.  17-21). 

[4]  In  that  day  shall  the  shoot  of  Jehovah  be  for  beauty  and  glory, 
and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  he  that  is  left  in  Zion  and  he  that  remain- 
eth  in  Jerusalem,  shall  be  called  holy  every  one  that  is  written  unto  life 
in  JeriLsalem  {Isa.  iv.  2,  3). 

In  the  end  of  days  it  shall  be  that  the  mountain  of  the  house  of  Jeho- 
vah shall  be  established  as  the  head  of  the  mountains ;  for  out  of  Zion 
shall  go  forth  doctrine,  and  the  Word  of  Jehovah  from  Jerusalem  {Micah 

iv.  1.  2,  8). 

At  that  time  they  shall  call  Jerusalem  the  throne  of  Jehovah,  and  all 
nations  shall  be  gathered  unto  it,  because  of  the  name  of  Jehovah  at  Jeru- 
salem ;  neither  shall  they  walk  any  more  after  the  stubbornness  of  their 
^vil  heart  (Jer.  iii.  17). 


imffiiiiliifiiiiiiMliiiiilBifiTtiniiiinni rVw  rt'ifBTiittiilkiiM^Mlfr itillhl 


N.  782] 


NEW  HEAVEN  AND  NEW  CHURCH 


931 


Look  upon  Zion,  the  city  of  our  set  feast ;  let  thine  eye  see  Jerusalem 
a  quiet  habitation,  a  tabernacle  that  shall  not  be  taken  down  ;  the  stakes 
thereof  shall  never  be  removed  ;  and  the  cords  thereof  shall  not  be  broken 

{Isa.  xxxiii.  20). 

(So  also  elsewhere,  as  in  Isa.  xxiv.  23  ;  xxxvii.  32  ;  Ixvi.  10-14  ;  Zech. 
xii.  3,  6-10 ;  xiv.  8,  11,  12,  21 ;  Mai.  iii.  4 ;  Ps.  cxxii.  1-7  ;  cxxxvii.  4-6). 

[5]  That  ^Merusaleiii"  means  here  a  church  about  to  be  estab- 
lished by  the  Lord,  and  not  the  Jerusalem  inhabited  by  the 
Jews,  is  evident  from  the  particulars  of  its  description  in  the 
passages  quoted ;  as  that  Jehovah  God  was  to  create  a  new 
heaven  and  a  new  earth,  and  after  that  Jerusalem ;  and  that 
she  should  be  a  crown  of  glory  and  a  royal  diadem ;  that  she 
should  be  called  holiness,  a  city  of  truth,  the  throne  of  Jehovah, 
a  quiet  habitation,  a  tabernacle  that  should  not  be  taken  down ; 
that  there  the  w^olf  and  the  lamb  are  to  feed  together;  that  the 
mountains  there  will  drop  down  new  wine,  and  the  hills  flow 
with  milk,  and  Jerusalem  shall  abide  to  generation  and  gener- 
ation, with  many  other  things.  It  is  also  said  of  the  people 
there  that  they  are  holy,  that  they  are  all  written  unto  life, 
and  shall  be  called  the  redeemed  of  Jehovah.  All  these  pas- 
sages, moreover,  treat  of  the  Lord's  coming,  especially  of  His 
second  coming,  when  Jerusalem  is  to  be  such  as  is  there  de- 
scribed ;  for  until  then  she  was  not  married,  that  is,  made  the 
bride  and  wife  of  the  Lamb,  as  the  New  Jerusalem  is  said  to 
be  in  the  Apocalypse.  [G]  Tlie  former  church  (that  is,  the 
existing  church),  is  meant  by  "  Jerusalem"  in  Daniel,  and  its 
beginning  is  there  described  as  follow^s : — 

Know  and  perceive,  that  from  the  gohig  forth  of  the  Word,  even  to 
the  restoration  and  building  of  Jerusalem,  even  to  the  Messiah  the  prince 
shall  be  seven  weeks.  After  the  threescore  and  two  weeks  it  shall  be  re- 
stored and  built  with  street  and  moat,  but  in  straitness  of  times  (ix.  25). 

But  its  end  is  there  described  by  the  following : — 

At  last  upon  the  bird  of  abominations  shall  be  desolation  ;  and  even  to 
the  consummation  and  decision  shall  it  drop  upon  the  devastation  (ix.  27). 

This  last  passage  is  referred  to  by  the  Lord's  words  in  Mat- 
thew : — 

When  ye  shall  see  the  abomination  of  desolation  predicted  by  Daniel 
the  prophet  standing  in  the  holy  place  let  him  that  readeth  note  it  well 
(xxiv.  15). 


932 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


That  "  Jerusalem''  in  the  foregoing  passages  does  not  mean  the 
Jerusalem  inhabited  by  the  Jews  can  be  seen  from  those  pas- 
sages in  the  Word  where  the  latter  is  said  to  be  utterly  lost, 
and  destined  to  be  destroyed  (as  in  Jer,  v.  1 ;  vi.  6,  7 ;  vii.  17- 
34;  viii.  6-22;  ix.  10-22;  xiii.  9,  10,  14;  xiv.  16;  Lam,  i.  8,  9, 
17;  Ezek.  iv.;  v.  9-17;  xii.  8,  19;  xv.  Qh-^\  xvi. ;  xxiii. ;  Matt. 
xxiii.  37,  38;  Luke  xix.  41-44;  xxi.  20-22;  xxiii.  28-30;  be- 
sides many  other  passages);  as  also  from  the  passages  where 
it  is  called  "Sodom"  {Isa.  iii.  9;  Jer,  xxiii.  14;  Ezek.  xvi.  46, 
48;  and  elsewhere). 

783.  That  the  church  is  the  Lord's,  and  that  from  the  spir- 
itual marriage,  which  is  that  of  good  and  truth,  the  Lord  is 
called  the  Bridegroom  and  Husband,  and  the  church  the  bride 
and  wife,  is  well  known  to  Christians  from  the  Word,  espe- 
cially from  the  following.    John  said  of  the  Lord ; — 

He  that  hath  the  bride  is  the  bridegroom,  but  the  friend  of  the  bride- 
groom, who  standeth  and  heareth  him  rejoiceth  becaiLse  of  the  bride- 
groom's voice  {John  iii.  29), 

Jesus  said,  The  ciiildren  of  the  bride-chamber  cannot  mourn  so  long 
as  the  bridegroom  is  with  them  {Matt.  ix.  15 ;  Mark  ii.  19,  20 ;  Luke  v. 
34,  35). 

I  saw  the  holy  city.  New  Jerusalem,  coming  down  out  of  heaven  from 
God  made  ready  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband  {Apoc.  xxi.  2). 

The  angel  said  to  John :  Come,  I  will  show  thee  the  bride,  the  wife  of 
the  Lamb,  and  from  a  mountain  he  showed  him  the  holy  city  Jerusalem 
(Apoc.  xxi.  9,  10). 

The  time  of  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  His  wife  hath 
made  herself  ready.  Blessed  are  they  that  have  been  called  unto  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb  {Apoc.  xix.  7,  9). 

I  am  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  David,  the  bright  and  morning 
Star.  And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come.  And  he  that  is  athirst, 
let  him  come,  and  he  that  willeth,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely 
(Apoc.  xxii.  16,  17). 

784.  It  is  in  accordance  with  Divine  order  that  a  new  heav- 
en should  be  formed  before  a  new  church  is  established  on 
earth,  for  the  church  is  both  internal  and  external,  and  the  in- 
ternal church  makes  one  with  the  church  in  heaven,  thus  with 
heaven  itself;  and  what  is  internal  must  be  formed  before  its 
external,  what  is  external  being  formed  afterwards  by  means 
of  its  internal.  This  is  well  known  in  the  world  among  the 
clergy.    Just  so  far  as  this  new  heaven,  which  constitutes  the 


N.  784] 


NEW  HEAVEN  AND  NEW  CHURCH 


933 


internal  of  the  church  with  man,  increases,  does  the  New  Jeru- 
salem, that  is,  the  New  Church,  descend  from  it ;  consequently 
this  cannot  take  place  in  a  moment,  but  it  takes  place  to  the 
extent  that  the  falsities  of  the  former  church  are  set  aside. 
For  where  falsities  have  already  been  implanted  what  is  new 
oannot  enter  until  the  falsities  have  been  rooted  out,  and  this 
will  take  ])lace  with  the  clergy,  and  so  with  the  laity ;  for  the 
Lord  said : — 

No  one  puts  new  wine  into  old  wineskins,  else  the  skins  burst  and  the 
wine  is  spilled,  but  they  put  new  wine  into  fresh  wineskins,  and  both  are 
preserved  {Matt.  ix.  17  ;  Mark  ii.  22  ;  Luke  v.  37,  38). 

That  these  things  take  place  only  at  the  consummation  of  the 
age,  by  which  is  meant  the  end  of  the  church,  can  be  seen  from 
these  words  of  the  Lord : — 

Jesus  said,  The  kingdom  of  the  heavens  is  like  unto  a  man  who  sowed 
good  seed  in  his  field  ;  but  while  men  slept,  his  enemy  came  and  sowed 
tares  among  the  wheat,  and  went  away;  but  when  the  blade  sprang  up, 
then  appeared  the  tares  also.  The  servants  came  and  said  Wilt  thou 
that  we  go  and  gather  them  up  ?  But  he  said.  Nay;  lest  haply  while  ye 
gather  up  the  tares,  ye  root  up  the  wheat  with  them;  let  both  grow  to- 
gether until  the  harvest;  and  in  the  time  of  harvest  I  will  say  to  the 
reapers,  Collect  first  the  tares  and  bind  them  in  bundles  to  burn;  but 
gather  the  wheat  into  my  barn.  The  harvest  is  the  consummation  of  the 
age  ;  as  the  tares  are  gathered  and  burned  with  tire,  so  shall  it  be  in  the 
consummation  of  the  age  {Matt.  xiii.  24-30,  39,  40). 

"  Wheat"  means  here  the  truths  and  goods  of  the  new  church, 
and  "  tares"  the  falsities  and  evils  of  the  former  church.  In 
the  first  section  of  this  chapter  it  can  be  seen  that  "  the  con- 
summation of  the  age"  means  the  end  of  the  church. 

785.  That  there  is  in  everything  an  internal  and  an  exter- 
nal, and  that  the  external  depends  on  the  internal  as  the  body 
does  on  its  soul,  every  single  thing  in  the  world  shows  when 
it  is  properly  examined.  In  man  this  is  manifest.  As  his  en- 
tire body  is  from  his  mind,  so  in  each  thing  that  proceeds 
from  man  there  is  an  internal  and  an  external ;  in  his  every 
action  there  is  the  mind's  will,  and  in  his  every  word  the 
mind's  understanding,  so  also  in  his  every  sensation.  In  every 
bird  and  beast,  and  even  in  every  insect  and  worm,  there  is  an 
internal  and  an  external ;  and  again  in  every  tree,  plant,  and 
germ,  and  even  in  every  stone  and  every  particle  of  soil.    A 


934 


THK  TRUK  CHKISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


N.  786] 


NEW  HEAVEN  AND  NEW  CHURCH 


98;] 


few  facts  relating  to  the  silk-worm,  the  bee,  and  dust,  will  suf- 
fice  to  make  this  clear.    The  internal  of  the  silk-worm  is  that 
whereby  its  external  in  moved  to  weave  its  cocoon,  and  atter- 
ward  to  fly  forth  as  a  butterfly.    The  internal  of  the  bee  is  that 
whereby  its  external  is  moved  to  suck  honey  from  flowers,  and 
to  build  its  cells  in  wonderful  forms.    The  internal  of  a  parti- 
cle of  soil  whereby  its  external  is  moved,  is  its  endeavor  to  fe- 
cundate seed;  it  exhales  from  its  little  bosom  something  which 
introduces  itself  into  the  inmosts  of  the  seed,  and  produces  this 
effect;  and  this  internal  follows  the  growth  of  the  seed  even  to 
new  seed.    The  same  takes  place  in  things  of  an  opposite  char- 
acter in  which  there  is  also  an  internal  and  an  external;  as 
in  the  spider,  whose  internal,  whereby  its  external  is  moved,  is 
the  ability  and  consequent  inclination  to  construct  an  ingen- 
ious web,  at  the  center  of  which  it  lies  in  wait  for  the  flies  that 
fly  into  it,  which  it  eats.    It  is  the  same  with  every  noxious 
worm,  every  serpent,  and  every  beast  of  the  forest ;  as  also 
with  every  impious,  cunning,  and  treacherous  man. 


X. 


THIS  NEW  CHURCH  IS  THE  CROWN  OF  ALL  THE  CHURCHES   THAT 
HAVE  HITHERTO  EXISTED   ON    THE  EARTH. 

786  It  has  been  shown  above  that  there  have  been,  in  gen- 
eral, from  the  beginning,  four  churches  on  this  earth,  one  be- 
fore the  flood,  the  second  after  it,  the  third  the  IsTaelitish 
church,  and  the  fourth  that  which  is  called  the  Christian 
church;  and  as  all  churches  depend  on  a  knowledge  and  ac- 
knowledgment of  one  God,  with  whom  the  man  of  the  church 
can  be  conjoined,  and  as  none  of  these  four  churches  has  pos- 
sessed  that  truth,  it  follows  that  a  church  must  follow  these 
four  which  will  know  and  acknowledge  one  Cxod.  The  sole  end 
of  God's  Divine  love,  when  He  created  the  world,  was  to  c^on- 
ioin  man  to  Himself  and  Himself  to  man  that  He  might  thus 
dwell  with  man.     This  truth  the  former  churches  did  not  pos- 


sess,  the  Most  Ancient  church,  which  preceded  the  flood,  wor- 
shiping an  invisible  God  with  whom  no  conjunction  is  possi- 
ble ;  the  Ancient  church  which  followed  the  flood,  did  likewise; 
the  Israelitish  church  worshiped  Jehovah,  who  in  Himself  is 
an  invisible  God  {Ex.  xxxiii.  18-23),  but  under  a  human  form, 
which  Jehovah  God  put  on  by  means  of  an  angel,  in  which  He 
was  seen  by  Moses,  Abraham,  Sarah,  Hagar,  Gideon,  Joshua, 
and  sometimes  by  the  prophets.     This  human  form  was  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  Lord  who  was  to  come,  and  because  this 
was  representative  so  each  thing  and  all  things  in  their  church 
were  made  representative.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  the  sac- 
rifices and  everything  else  pertaining  to  their  worship  repre- 
sented the  Lord  who  was  to  come,  and  that  when  He  came  they 
were  abrogated.     The  fourth,  which  is  called  the  Christian 
church,  did  indeed  with  the  lips  acknowledge  one  God,  but  in 
three  Persons,  each  One  of  whom  was  singly  or  by  Himself 
God;  thus  it  acknowledged  a  divided  Trinity,  but  not  a  Trinity 
imited  in  one  Person ;  and  from  this  an  idea  of  three  Gods  ad- 
hered to  their  minds,  although  the  expression  ^'one  God"  was 
on  their  lips.    Moreover,  the  teachers  of  the  church  from  that 
doctrine  of  theirs  Avhich  they  concocted  after  the  Kicene  Coun- 
cil, teach  that  men  ought  to  believe  in  God  the  Father,  God  the 
Son,  and  God  the  Holy  Spirit,  all  of  them  invisible,  because 
existent  in  a  similar  Divine  essence  before  the  world  was  (al- 
though, as  said  above,  with  an  invisible  God  no  conjunction  is 
possible),  for  they  still  do  not  know  that  the  one  God  who  is 
invisible  came  into  the  world  and  assumed  a  Human,  not  only 
that  He  might  redeem  men,  but  also  that  He  might  become 
visible,  that   thereby   conjunction  with   man   might   become 
possible.    For  we  read  : — 

The  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the  Word.  And  the  Word  was 
made  flesh  {John  i.  1,  14). 

And  in  Isaiah  : — 

Unto  us  a  Child  is  born,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given,  and  His  name,  God, 
Mighty,  Father  of  Eternity  (ix.  0). 

It  is  also  frequently  declared  in  the  Prophets  that  Jehovah 
Himself  would  come  into  the  world,  and  would  be  a  Redeemer, 
which  He  also  became  in  the  Human  which  He  assumed. 


ST' 


936 


THE  TRUE  CHEISTIAN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


N.  787] 


NEW  HEAVEN  AND  NEW  CHURCH 


937 


787.  This  New  Church  is  the  crown  of  all  the  churches  that 
have  hitherto  existed  on  the  earth,  because  it  is  to  worship  one 
visible  God  in  whom  is  the  invisible  like  the  soul  in  the  body. 
Thus,  and  not  otherwise,  is  a  conjunction  of  God  with  man 
possible  because  man  is  natural,  and  therefore  thinks  natural- 
ly, and  conjunction  must  exist  in  his  thought,  and  thus  in  his 
love's  affection,  and  this  is  the  case  when  he  thinks  of  God  as 
a  Man.  Conjunction  with  an  invisible  God  is  like  a  conjunc- 
tion of  the  eye's  vision  with  the  expanse  of  the  universe,  the 
limits  of  which  are  invisible;  it  is  also  like  vision  in  mid- 
ocean,  which  reaches  out  into  the  air  and  upon  the  sea,  and  is 
lost.  Conjunction  with  a  visible  God,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
like  beholding  a  man  in  the  air  or  on  the  sea  spreading  forth 
his  hands  and  inviting  to  his  arms.  For  all  conjunction  of 
God  with  man  must  be  also  a  reciprocal  conjunction  of  man 
with  God ;  and  no  such  reciprocation  is  possible  except  with  a 
visible  God.  That  before  the  assumption  of  the  Human,  God 
was  not  visible,  the  Lord  Himself  also  teaches  in  John  :— 

Ye  have  neither  heard  the  voice  of  the  Father  at  any  time,  nor  seen 
His  form  (v.  37). 

And  in  Moses: — 

That  no  one  can  see  God  and  live  {Ex.  xxxiii.  20). 

But  that  He  is  visible  through  His  Humanity  is  stated  in 
John : — 

No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time ;  the  only  begotten  Son,  who  is  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Father,  He  hath  manifested  Him  (i.  18). 

And  in  the  same : — 

Jesus  said  I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  ;  no  one  cometh  un- 
to the  Father  but  by  Me.  He  that  knoweth  Me,  knoweth  the  Father, 
and  he  that  seeth  Me  seeth  the  Father  (xiv.  6,  7,  9). 
That  there  is  a  conjunction  with  the  invisible  God  through  the 
visible,  that  is,  through  the  Lord,  He  teaches  in  the  following 
passages : — 

Jesus  said,  Abide  in  Me,  and  I  in  you  ;  he  that  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in 
him,  the  same  beareth  much  fruit  {John  xv.  4,  5). 

In  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  ye  m  Me  and 

I  in  you  (John  xiv.  20). 

The  glory  which  thou  hast  given  Me  I  have  given  them,  that  they  may 
be  one,  even  as  we  are  one  ]  I  in  them,  and  Thou  in  Me  ;  that  the  love 


wherewith  Thou  hast  loved  Me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them  {John 
xvii.  21-23,  20  j  also  vi.  56). 

It  is  also  taught  that  He  and  the  Father  are  one,  and  that  in 
order  to  have  eternal  life  man  must  believe  in  Him.  That  sal- 
vation depends  on  conjunction  with  God  has  been  frequently 
shown  above. 

788.  That  this  church  is  to  follow  those  that  have  existed 
since  the  beginning  of  the  world,  and  that  it  is  to  endure  for 
ages  of  ages,  and  is  thus  to  be  the  crown  of  all  the  churches 
that  have  preceded,  was  foretold  by  Daniel;  first,  when  he 
narrated  and  explained  to  Nebuchadnezzar  his  dream  of  the 
four  kingdoms  (which  mean  the  four  churches  that  were  rep- 
resented by  the  statue  that  he  saw),  saying : — 

In  the  days  of  those  kings  the  God  of  the  heavens  shall  make  a  king- 
dom to  arise  which  shall  not  perish  for  ages,  and  it  shall  consume  all 
those  kingdoms  ;  but  itself  shall  stand  for  ages  {Dan.  ii.  44). 

And  this,  he  said,  should  be  done, 

By  a  stone  becoming  a  great  rock  and  filling  all  the  earth  (verse  35); 

*'rock"  in  the  Word  meaning  the  Lord  in  respect  to  Divine 
truth.     The  same  prophet  also  says  elsewhere : — 

I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and  behold,  one  like  the  Son  of  man  came 
with  the  clouds  of  heaven  ;  and  there  was  given  Him  dominion,  and  glory, 
and  a  kingdom  ;  and  all  peoples,  nations,  and  languages  shall  worship 
Him  ;  His  dominion  is  the  dominion  of  an  age,  which  shall  not  pass  away, 
and  His  kingdom  that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed  (vii.  13,  14). 

And  this  he  said  after  he  saw  the  four  great  beasts  coming  up 
out  of  the  sea  (verse  3),  which  beasts  also  represented  the  four 
prior  churches.  That  all  this  was  prophesied  by  Daniel  re- 
specting the  present  time,  can  be  seen  from  his  words  in  xii. 
4,  as  also,  from  the  words  of  the  Lord  in  Matt.  xxiv.  15,  30. 
Like  things  are  said  in  the  Apocalypse: — 

The  seventh  angel  sounded  ;  and  there  were  great  voices  in  heaven, 
saying,  The  kingdoms  of  the  world  are  become  our  Lord's  and  His 
Christ's  ;  and  He  shall  reign  unto  the  ages  of  the  ages  (xi.  15). 

789.  Furthermore,  the  other  prophets  have  made  many  pre- 
dictions respecting  this  church,  what  its  character  would  be,  a 
few  of  which  shall  be  cited :    In  Zechariah : — 


^-: 


938 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTUN  RELIGION        [Chap.  XIV. 


N.  789] 


NEW  HEAVEN  AND  NEW  CHURCH 


939 


It  shall  be  one  day  that  shall  be  known  to  Jehovah,  not  day  nor  night ; 
for  about  the  time  of  evening  it  shall  be  light.  In  that  day  living  watei-s 
shall  go  out  from  Jerusalem  ;  and  Jehovah  shall  be  king  over  all  the 
earth  ;  in  that  day  shall  there  be  one  Jehovah  and  His  name  one  (xiv.  7-9). 

In  Joel: — 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day  that  the  mountains  shall  drop 
down  new  wine,  and  the  hills  shall  flow  with  milk  ;  and  Jerusalem  shall 
abide  to  generation  and  generation  (iii.  17-21). 

In  Jeremiah: — 

At  that  time  they  shall  call  Jerusalem  the  throne  of  Jehovah  ;  and  all 
the  nations  shall  be  gathered  unto  it,  because  of  the  name  of  Jehovah  a 
Jerusalem  ;  neither  shall  they  walk  any  more  after  the  stubbornness  ot 
their  evil  heart  (iii.  17;  Apoc.  xxi.  24,  26). 

In  Isaiah: — 

Thine  eyes  shall  see  Jerusalem  a  quiet  habitation,  a  tabernacle  that 
shall  not  be  Uken  down  ;  the  stakes  thereof  shall  never  be  removed,  and 
the  cords  thereof  shall  not  be  broken  (xxxiu.  20). 
[2]  In  these  passages  "Jerusalem"  means  the  new  and  holy 
Jerusalem  described  m  the  Apocalypse  (chap,  xxi.),  by  which 
the  New  Church  is  meant.    Again  in  Isaiah  :— 

There  shall  go  forth  a  Shoot  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse  and  righteous- 
ness shall  be  the  girdle  of  His  loins,  and  truth  the  girdle  of  His  thighs. 
Therefore  the  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  with  the 
kid  and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  fatling  together,  and  a  little 
child  shall  lead  them.  And  the  cow  and  the  bear  shall  f  eed  ;  their  young 
ones  shall  lie  down  together.  And  the  sucking  child  shall  play  on  the 
hole  of  the  asp,  and  the  weaned  child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the  basilisk  s 
den  They  shall  not  do  evil  nor  corrupt  themselves  in  all  the  mountain 
of  My  holiness  ;  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  Jehovah^ 
In  that  day  it  shall  come  to  pa.ss  that  the  nations  shall  seek  the  Root  ot 
Jesse,  which  standeth  for  an  ensign  of  the  people  ;  and  His  rest  shall  be 
glory  (xi.  1,  5-10). 

That  such  things  have  not  yet  taken  place  in  the  churches, 
least  of  all  in  the  last,  is  well  known.    In  Jeremiah:  — 

Behold  the  days  come,  in  which  I  will  make  a  new  covenant ;  and  this 
shall  be  the  covenant,  I  will  put  My  law  in  their  inward  pam  and  upon 
their  hearts  will  I  write  it,  and  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  My 
Sef-nd  they  shall  all  know  Me,  from  the  least  of  them  unto  the 
greatest  of  them  (xxxi.  31-34  ;  Apoc.  xxi.  3). 

[3]  That  this  state  of  things  has  not  existed  in  the  churches 
heretofore,  is  also,  known.    This  was  because  men  did  not  ap- 


proach  the  visible  God  whom  all  shall  know,  because  He  is  the 

Word  or  law  which  He  will  put  in  their  inward  parts  and  write 

upon  their  hearts.    Again  in  Isaiah:  — 

For  Jerusalem's  sake  I  will  not  rest,  until  the  righteousness  thereof  go 
forth  as  brightness,  and  the  salvation  thereof  as  a  lamp  that  burneth  ;  and 
thou  Shalt  be  called  by  a  new  name,  which  the  mouth  of  Jehovah  shall  de- 
clare ;  and  thou  shalt  be  a  crown  of  beauty  and  a  royal  diadem  in  the  hand 
of  thy  God.  Jehovah  shall  delight  in  thee,  and  thy  land  shall  be  married. 
Behold,  thy  salvation  cometh  ;  behold,  his  reward  is  with  Him.  And  they 
shall  call  them,  the  people  of  holiness,  the  redeemed  of  Jehovah,  and  thou 
Shalt  be  called,  a  city  sought  out  and  not  forsaken  (Ixii.  1-4,  11,  12). 

790.  What  this  church  is  to  be  is  fully  described  in  the 
Apocalypse,  where  the  end  of  the  former  church  and  the  begin- 
ning of  the  new  are  treated  of.  This  New  Church  is  described 
by  the  New  Jerusalem,  by  its  magnificence,  and  by  its  being 
the  future  bride  and  wife  of  the  Lamb  (xix.  7;  xxi.  2,  9).  Be- 
sides these  I  win  cite  only  the  following  quotation  from  the 
Apocalypse:  When  the  New  Jerusalem  was  seen  descending 
from  heaven  it  was  said : — 

Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  He  shall  dwell  with 
them,  and  they  shall  be  His  peoples.  Himself  shall  be  with  them,  their 
God.  And  the  nations  that  are  saved  shall  walk  in  the  light  of  it ;  and 
there  shall  be  no  night  there.  I  Jesus  have  sent  Mine  angel  to  testify  unto 
you  these  things  in  the  churches.  I  am  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  Da- 
vid, and  the  bright  and  morning  Star.  And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say. 
Come.  And  he  that  heareth,  let  him  say.  Come.  And  he  that  is  athirst, 
let  him  come.  And  he  that  wisheth,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely. 
Even  so,  come.  Lord  Jesus.    Amen  (xxi.  3,  24,  25  ;  xxii.  16,  17,  20). 

791.  Note. After  this  work  was  finished  the  Lord  called 

together  His  twelve  disciples  who  followed  Him  in  the  world ; 
and  the  next  day  He  sent  them  all  forth  throughout  the  whole 
spiritual  world  to  preach  the  Gospel  that  the  lord  god  jesus 
CHRIST  reigns,  whose  kingdom  shaU  be  for  ages  and  ages,  ac- 
cording to  the  prediction  in  Daniel  (vii.  13,  14),  and  in  the 
Apjocalypse  (xi.  15). 

Also  that  blessed  are  those  that  come  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the 
Lamb  {Apoc.  xix.  9). 

This  took  place  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  June,  1770.  This  is 
what  is  meant  by  these  words  of  the  Lord:  — 

He  shall  send  His  angels  and  they  shall  gather  together  His  elect,  from 
the  end  of  the  heavens  to  the  end  thereof  (Matt.  xxiv.  31). 


aius^ 


E^j£aa;i£at£fc;tg!ia:.aia^g]Kiiiia!^^ 


940 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supflement 


N.  793] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WORLD 


941 


SUPPLEMENT. 


THE    SPIRITUAL  WORLD. 


792.  The  spiritual  world  has  been  treated  of  in  detail  in  the 
work  entitled  Heaven  and  Hell,  in  which  many  things  relating 
to  that  world  are  described;  and  as  every  man  enters  that 
world  after  death,  man's  state  there  is  also  described.  Who 
does  not  know,  or  may  not  know,  that  man  lives  after  deatli, 
because  he  is  born  a  man  and  is  created  an  image  of  (xod,  and 
also  because  the  Lord  teaches  it  in  His  Word  ?  But  what  his 
life  is  to  be,  has  been  hitherto  unknown.  It  has  been  believed, 
that  he  would  then  be  a  soul,  and  of  soul  there  has  been  no 
other  idea  than  that  of  ether  or  air,  thus  that  it  is  a  mere 
breath,  such  as  man  breathes  out  from  his  mouth  when  he  dies, 
in  which,  however,  his  vitality  resides.  It  is  also  regarded  as 
destitute  of  any  sight  like  that  of  the  eye,  and  of  any  hear- 
ing like  that  of  the  ear,  and  of  any  speech  like  that  of  the 
mouth.  And  yet,  man  after  death  is  as  much  a  man  as  he  was 
before,  so  much  so  as  to  be  unaware  that  he  is  not  still  in  the 
former  world ;  for  he  has  sight,  hearing  and  speech  as  in  the 
former  world ;  he  walks,  runs,  and  sits,  as  in  the  former  world ; 
he  lies  down,  sleeps,  and  awakes,  as  in  the  former  world;  he 
eats  and  drinks  as  in  the  former  world;  he  enjoys  marriage 
delight  as  in  the  former  world ;  in  a  word,  he  is  a  man  in  each 
and  every  respect.  From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  death  is  not 
the  extinction  but  the  continuation  of  life,  and  is  merely  a 
transition. 

793.  That  man  is  as  much  a  man  after  death  as  before,  al- 
though he  is  not  then  visible  to  the  eyes  of  the  material  body, 
can  be  seen  from  the  appearance  of  the  angels  to  Abraham, 
Hagar,  Gideon,  Daniel,  and  some  of  the  prophets,  also  in  the 
Lord's  sepulchre,  and  frequently  afterwards  to  John  as  related 
in  the  Apocalypse ;  but  especially  from  the  Lord  Himself,  who 
showed  by  touch  and  by  eating  that  He  was  a  Man,  and  yet 
became  invisible  to  the  eyes  of  His  disciples.  Who  can  be  so 
foolish  as  not  to  acknowledge  that  although  He  was  invisible 
He  was  just  as  much  a  Man?    His  disciples  saw  Him  because 


the  eyes  of  their  spirits  were  then  opened ;  and  when  these  are 
opened,  the  things  of  the  spiritual  world  appear  as  clearly  as 
those  of  the  natural  world.  The  difference  between  man  in  the 
natural  world  and  man  in  the  spiritual  world  is,  that  man  in 
the  spiritual  world  is  clothed  with  a  substantial  body,  but  man 
in  the  natural  world  with  a  material  body,  within  which  is  his 
substantial  body;  and  the  substantial  man  sees  the  substantial 
man  just  as  clearly  as  the  material  man  sees  the  material.  But 
the  substantial  man  cannot  see  the  material  man,  nor  the  ma- 
terial man  the  substantial,  because  of  the  difference  between 
what  is  material  and  what  is  substantial,  the  nature  of  which 
difference  can  be  defined,  but  not  in  few  words. 

794.  From  what  I  have  seen  during  so  many  years,  I  can 
relate  the  following:  In  the  spiritual  world  there  are  lands 
just  as  in  the  natural  world,  and  there  are  plains  and  valleys, 
mountains  and  hills,  also  springs  and  rivers ;  there  are  parks, 
gardens,  groves,  and  forests ;  there  are  cities,  with  palaces  and 
houses  in  them;  there  are  writings  and  books;  there  are  oc- 
cupations and  business;  there  are  gold,  silver,  and  precious 
stones;  in  a  word,  there  are  all  things  and  each  thing  there 
that  are  in  the  natural  world;  although  the  things  in  heaven 
are  immeasurably  more  perfect.  But  there  is  this  difference, 
that  all  things  seen  in  the  spiritual  world  are  instantaneously 
created  by  the  Lord,  as  the  houses,  parks,  food,  and  the  rest; 
and  that  they  are  created  in  correspondence  with  the  inte- 
riors of  angels  and  spirits,  which  are  their  affections  and  the 
thoughts  therefrom;  while  all  things  seen  in  the  natural  world 
spring  up  and  grow  from  seed. 

795.  This  being  the  case,  and  also  because  I  have  talked 
there  daily  with  the  nations  and  peoples  of  this  world,  both 
with  those  who  are  in  Europe,  and  also,  with  those  who  are  in 
Asia  and  Africa,  thus  with  those  of  different  religions,  I  will 
add  as  a  supplement  to  this  work  a  brief  description  of  the 
state  of  some  of  these  peoples.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
in  the  spiritual  world  the  state  of  every  nation  and  people  in 
general,  and  also  of  individuals,  is  in  accordance  with  their  ac- 
knowledgment and  worship  of  God ;  and  that  all  who  in  heart 
acknowledge  God,  and  from  this  time  on,  all  who  acknowledge 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  God,  Kedeemer,  and  Saviour,  are  in 


Q42  THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 

heaven,  while  those  who  do  not  not  acknowledge  Him  are  be 
neath  heaven,  where  they  are  taught,  and  those  who  accept 
what  they  are  taught,  are  raised  up  into  heaven,  but  those  who 
do  not  are  cast  down  to  hell;  and  to  this  class  belong  those 
who,  like  the  Socinians,  have  approached  God  the  Father  only, 
or  who  like  the  Arians  have  denied  the  Divinity  of  the  Lord's 
Human.     For  the  Lord  said  :— 

I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life  ;  no  man  cometli  unto  the  Father 
but  through  Me. 
And  to  Philip  who  wished  to  see  the  Father,  He  said  :— 

He  that  hath  seen  and  known  Me,  hath  seen  and  known  the  Father 
{John  xiv.  6,  Seq.). 


N.  796] 


LUTHER 


943 


LUTHER,  MELANCTHOX,  AND  CALVIN  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  WORLD. 

796    Having  frequently  talked  with  these  three  leaders,  re- 
formers of  the  Christian  church,  I  have  thus  learned  what  the 
state  of  their  life  has  been  from  its  beginning  in  that  world  up 
to  the  present  time.    As  for  Luther,  from  the  time  that  he  en- 
tered the  spiritual  world  he  was  a  most  vehement  propagator 
and  defender  of  his  dogmas,  and  his  zeal  for  them  grew  as  the 
number  of  those  from  the  earth  who  agreed  with  him  and  fa- 
vored him  increased.    A  house  was  given  him  there  like  the 
one  he  had  at  Eisleben  while  he  lived  in  the  body.     In  the 
center  of  this  house  he  erected  a  sort  of  throne,  somewhat  ele- 
vated  where  he  sat;  and  through  the  open  door  he  admitted 
hearers,  and  arranged  them  in  classes,  admitting  to  the  class 
nearest  to  himself  those  who  were  the  more  favorable  to  him, 
and  placing  behind  them  those  less   favorable,  and  then  lie 
made  set  speeches  to  them,  occasionally  permitting  questions 
in  order  that  he  might  from  some  point  resume  the  thread  ot 
his  discourse.     [2]  In  consequence  of  this  general  approv^  he 
at  length  acquired  a  power  of  persuasion,  which  is  so  ettica- 
cious  in  the  spiritual  world  that  no  one  is  able  to  resist  it  or 
speak  against  what  is  said.    But  as  this  was  a  kind  of  incanta- 
tion used  by  the  ancients,  he  was  strictly  forbidden  to  speak 
any  more  from  that  power  of  persuasion;  and  thereafter  he 


taught,  as  he  had  done  before,  from  the  memory  and  under- 
standing together.    This  power  of  persuasion,  which  is  a  kind 
of  incantation,  flows  from  the  love  of  self ;  and  on  this  account 
it  finally  becomes  of  such  a  natui-e  that  when  any  one  contra- 
dicts, not  only  is  the  subject  in  question  attacked,  but  also, 
the  person  himself.     [3]  Such  was  the  state  of  Luther's  life 
up  to  the  time  of  the  last  judgment,  which  took  place  in  the 
spiritual  world  in  the  year  1757.     But  a  year  after  that,  he 
was  removed  from  his  first  house  to  another,  and  at  the  same 
time  underwent  a  change  of  state.    And  then,  having  heard 
that  I,  while  still  in  the  natural  world,  could  speak  with  those 
in  the  spiritual  world,  he  among  others  came  to  me;  and  after 
some  questions  and  answers,  he  saw  that  there  is  at  this  day 
an  end  of  the   former  church  and  the  beginning  of  a  new 
church,  respecting  which  Daniel  prophesied,  and  which  was 
predicted  by  the  Lord  Himself  in  the  Gospels.    He  also  saw 
that  it  is  this  new  church  that  is  meant  by  the  New  Jerusalem 
in  the  Apocalypse,  and  by  ^'the  eternal  gospel"  which  the  an- 
gel flying  in  the  midst  of  heaven  proclaimed  unto  them  that 
dwell  upon  the  earth  {Apoc.  xiv.  6).    At  this  he  became  very 
angry  and  railed.    But  as  he  observed  the  increase  of  the  new 
heaven  (which  was  formed  and  is  still  forming  of  those  who 
acknowledge  the  Lord  alone  as  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth, 
according  to  His  words  in  Matthew  (xxviii.  18),  and  also  that 
the  number  of  his  own  congregations  was  daily  diminishing, 
he  ceased  his  railing,  and  then  came  nearer  to  me,  and  began 
to  talk  with  me  more  familiarly.    And  when  he  had  been  con- 
vinced that  he  had  got  his  chief  dogma  of  justification  by  faith 
alone  from  his  own  intelligence  and  not  from  the  Word,  he 
suffered  himself  to  be  instructed  respecting  the  Lord,  charity, 
true  faith,  freedom  of  choice,  and  also  respecting  redemption, 
and  this  solely  from  the  Word.     [4]  And  finally  when  he  had 
been  convinced,  he  began  to  favor  those  truths  out  of  which 
the  Kew  Church  is  built  up,  and  finally  to  confirm  himself  in 
them  more  and  more.    At  this  time  he  was  with  me  daily;  and 
then,  as  often  as  he  brought  those  truths  together,  he  began  to 
laugh  at  his  former  dogmas  as  things  diametrically  opposed  to 
the  Word ;  and  I  heard  him  say, ''  Do  not  wonder  at  my  seizing 
upon  justification  by  faith  alone,  excluding  charity  from  its 


944 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


ST)iritual  essence,  and  thus  taking  away  from  men  all  freedom 
of  choice  in  things  spiritual,  and  affirming  other  things  that 
depend  on  faith  alone  once  accepted,  a^  links  on  a  chain,  since 
my  obiect  was  to  break  away  from  the  Roman  Cathohcs,  and 
this  obiect  I  could  compass  and  attain  in  no  other  way     1 
therefore  do  not  wonder  at  my  own  errors,  but  I  do  wonder 
that  one  crazy  man  could  make  so  many  others  crazy;  so  that 
they  failed  to  see  what  is  said  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  on  the 
other  side,  although  it  is  very  manifest;''  and  as  he  said  this 
he  looked  askance  at  certain  dogmatic  writers,  men  of  celel> 
rity  in  his  time,  faithful  followers  of  his  doctrine.    [5]  I  was 
told  by  the  examining  angels  that  the  reason  why  this  leader 
was  more  nearly  in  a  state  of  conversion  than  many  others 
who  had  confirmed  themselves  in  the  doctrine  of  justification 
by  faith  alone,  was  that  in  his  childhood,  before  he  entered 
upon  the  Reformation,  he  had  been  imbued  with  the  dogma  of 
the  pre-eminence  of  charity;  and  for  this  reason  his  teachmg 
respecting  charity  was  so  excellent,  both  in  his  writings  and 
in  his  preaching;  and  as  a  consequence,  justifying  faith  with 
him  was  merely  implanted  in  his  external-natural  man,  and 
had  not  taken  root  in  his  internal-spiritual  man.    It  is  other- 
wise with  those  who  in  their  childhood  confirm  themselves 
against  the  spirituality  of  charity;  and  this  comes  of  itself 
when  iustification  by  faith  alone  is  established  by  confirma- 
tions    I  have  talked  with  the  prince  of  Saxony,  with  whom 
Luther  had  been  associated  in  the  world,  and  he  told  me  that 
he  had  often  reproved  Luther,  especially  for  separatmg  char- 
ity from  faith  and  declaring  faith  to  be  saving  and  charity  not 
savine    when  not  only  does  Sacred  Scripture  join  together 
these  two  universal  means  of  salvation,  but  Paul  even  sets 
charity  before  faith,  when  he  says, 

That  there  are  three,  faith,  hope,  charity,  and  that  the  greatest  of 
these  is  charity  (1  Cor.  xiii.  13). 

But  he  said  that  Luther  as  often  replied  that  he  could  not 
do  otherwise,  because  of  the  Roman  Catholics.    This  prince  is 

among  the  blessed.  ^      j  4.1, 

797    As  to  the  lot  of  Melancthon  when  he  first  entered  the 
spiritual  world,  and  what  it  was  afterward,  I  have  been  per- 


N.  797] 


MELANCTHON 


945 


mitted  to  learn  many  things  not  only  from  angels  but  also  from 
himself,  for  I  have  talked  with  him  repeatedly,  yet  not  so  often 
nor  so  intimately  as  with  Luther.  The  reason  why  I  have  not 
talked  with  him  so  often  or  so  intimately  is  that  he  could  not 
approach  me  as  Luther  did,  because  he  had  given  his  attention 
so  fully  to  justification  by  faith  alone,  and  not  to  charity;  and 
1  was  surrounded  by  angelic  spirits  who  were  in  charity,  and 
who  were  a  hindrance  to  his  approaching  ine.  [2]  I  have  heard 
that  when  he  first  entered  the  spiritual  world,  a  house  was  pre- 
pared for  him  like  that  in  which  he  had  dwelt  in  the  world. 
This  is  done  for  most  of  the  new-comers  there,  and  for  this 
reason  they  do  not  know  but  that  they  are  still  in  the  natural 
world,  and  the  time  that  has  passed  since  their  death  seems  to 
them  merely  as  a  sleep.  Also  everything  in  his  room  was  like 
what  he  formerly  had;  a  similar  table,  a  similar  desk  with  com- 
partments, and  a  similar  library;  so  that  as  soon  as  he  came 
there,  as  if  he  had  just  awakened  from  a  sleep,  he  seated  him- 
self at  the  table  and  continued  his  writing,  and  that,  too,  on  the 
subject  of  justification  by  faith  alone,  and  so,  on  for  several 
days,  writing  nothing  whatever  about  charity.  The  angels  per- 
ceiving this,  asked  him  through  messengers  why  he  did  not 
write  about  charity  also.  He  replied  that  there  is  nothing  of 
the  church  in  charity,  for  if  charity  were  to  be  received  as  in 
any  way  an  essential  attribute  of  the  church,  man  would  ascribe 
to  himself  the  merit  of  justification  and  consequently  of  salva^ 
tion,  and  thus  he  would  rob  faith  of  its  spiritual  essence.  [3] 
When  the  angels  who  were  over  his  head  perceived  this,  and 
when  the  angels  who  were  associated  with  him  when  he  was 
outside  of  his  house  heard  it  (for  angels  are  associated  with 
every  new-comer  at  the  beginning),  they  all  withdrew.  A  few 
weeks  after  this  occurred,  the  things  that  he  used  in  his  room 
began  to  be  obscured  and  at  length  to  disappear,  until  at  last 
there  was  nothing  left  there  but  the  table,  paper,  and  inkstand ; 
and,  moreover,  the  walls  of  his  room  seemed  to  be  plastered 
with  lime,  and  the  floor  to  be  covered  with  a  yellowish,  brick- 
like material,  and  he  himself  to  be  in  coarser  clothing.  Won- 
dering at  this,  he  asked  of  those  about  him  why  it  was  so,  and 
was  told  that  it  was  because  he  had  separated  charity  from  the 
church,  which  was,  nevertheless,  its  heart.  But  as  he  repeat- 
60 


AUAii^Mkbi 


946 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


edly  contradicted  this,  and  went  on  writing  about  faith  as  the 
one  only  essential  of  the  church  and  the  means  of  salvation,  and 
separated  charity  more  and  more,  he  suddenly  seemed  to  him- 
self to  be  under  ground  in  a  sort  of  workhouse,  where  there 
were  others  like  him.  And  when  he  wished  to  go  out  he  was 
detained,  and  it  was  announced  to  him  that  no  other  lot  awaits 
those  who  thrust  charity  and  good  works  outside  of  the  doors 
of  the  church.  But  as  he  had  been  one  of  the  Reformers  of 
the  church,  he  was  released  by  the  Lord's  command,  and  sent 
back  to  his  former  room,  where  there  was  nothing  but  the  table, 
paper,  and  inkstand.  Nevertheless,  because  of  his  confirmed 
ideas,  he  continued  to  besmear  the  paper  with  the  same  error, 
so  that  he  could  not  be  kept  from  being  alternately  sent  down 
to  his  captive  fellows  and  sent  back  again.  When  sent  back, 
he  appeared  in  a  garment  made  of  a  hairy  skin,  because  faith 
without  charity  is  cold.  [4]  He  himself  told  me  that  there  was 
another  room  adjoining  his  o^ti  in  the  rear,  in  which  there 
were  three  tables,  at  which  sat  men  like  himself,  who  had  like- 
wise exiled  charity,  and  that  sometimes  a  fourth  table  appeared 
there,  on  which  were  seen  monstrous  things  in  various  forms, 
but  they  were  not  frightened  thereby  from  their  work.  He 
said  that  he  conferred  with  these,  and  was  confirmed  by  them 
daily.  Nevertheless,  after  a  time,  he  was  smitten  with  fear, 
and  began  to  write  something  about  charity ;  but  what  he  wrote 
on  the  paper  one  day  he  did  not  see  the  next  day,  for  this  is 
what  happens  to  every  one  there  when  he  commits  anything 
to  paper  from  the  external  man  only,  and  not  also  from  the  in- 
ternal, thus  from  compulsion  and  not  from  freedom.  The  writ- 
ing is  obliterated  of  itself.  [5]  But  after  the  beginning  of  the 
establishment  of  the  new  heaven  by  the  Lord,  he  began  to  think 
from  the  light  from  that  heaven  that  he  might  possibly  be  in 
error ;  and  in  consequence,  because  of  anxiety  about  his  lot,  he 
felt  impressed  upon  hmi  some  interior  ideas  respecting  charity. 
In  this  state  he  consulted  the  Word,  and  then  his  eyes  were 
opened,  and  he  saw  that  it  was  filled  throughout  Avith  love  to 
God  and  love  toivards  the  neighbor,  so  that  it  was,  as  the  Lord 
says,  that  on  these  two  commandments  hang  the  law  and  the 
proi^hets,  that  is,  the  whole  Word.  From  this  time  he  was  in- 
teriorly conveyed  into  the  southern  quarter  towards  the  west, 


( 


N.  707J 


MELANCTHON 


947 


and  thus  to  another  house,  and  there  he  talked  with  me,  saying 
that  his  writings  on  charity  did  not  then  vanish  as  formerly, 
but  appeared  obscurely  the  next  day.  [6]  One  thing  I  won- 
dered at,  that  when  he  walked,  his  steps  had  a  clanking  sound, 
like  those  of  a  man  walking  with  iron  heels  on  a  stone  pave- 
ment. To  this  must  be  added,  that  when  any  novitiate  from 
the  world  entered  his  room  to  talk  with  him  or  see  him,  he 
would  summon  a  spirit  from  among  those  given  to  magic,  who 
by  fantasy  could  call  up  various  beautiful  shapes,  and  who 
then  adorned  his  chamlier  with  ornaments  and  flowered  tapes- 
try, and  also  with  the  appearance  of  a  library  in  the  center. 
But  as  soon  as  the  visitors  were  gone  those  shapes  vanished, 
and  the  former  plastering  and  emptiness  returned.  But  this 
was  when  he  was  in  his  former  state. 

798.  About  Calvin  I  have  heard  the  following :  I.  When 
he  first  entered  the  spiritual  world  he  fully  believed  that  he 
was  still  in  the  world  where  he  was  born;  and  although  he  was 
told  l)y  the  angels  associated  with  him  in  the  beginning  that 
he  was  then  in  their  world,  and  not  in  his  former  one,  he  said, 
^'1  have  the  same  body,  the  same  hands,  and  like  senses." 
But  he  was  taught  l)y  the  angels  that  he  was  then  in  a  sub- 
stantial body,  and  that  formerly  he  had  been  not  only  in  that 
same  body,  but  also  in  a  material  body  which  invested  the  sul> 
stantial;  and  that  the  material  body  had  been  cast  oif,  while  the 
substantial  body,  from  which  a  man,  is  a  man  still  remained. 
This  he  at  first  understood ;  but  the  next  day  he  returned  to 
his  former  belief,  that  he  was  still  in  the  world  where  he  was 
born.  This  was  because  he  was  a  sensual  man  and  had  no 
other  belief  than  what  he  could  draw  from  the  objects  of  the 
bodily  senses;  and  from  this  it  came  about  that  he  drew  all 
the  dogmas  of  his  faith  as  conclusions  from  his  own  intelli- 
gence and  not  from  the  Word.  His  quoting  the  Word  was  in 
order  to  win  the  assent  of  the  common  people.  [i2]  II.  After 
this  first  period,  having  left  the  angels,  he  wandered  about  in- 
quiring for  those  who  from  ancient  times  believed  in  Predesti- 
nation ;  and  he  was  told  that  they  had  been  removed  from  that 
place  and  shut  up  and  covered  over,  and  that  there  was  no 
way  open  to  them  except  rearward  under  the  earth;  but  that 
the  disciples  of  Gotschalk  still  went  about  freely,  and  some- 


■is,iss^^t*^^ji&*£j^^S^sS!:^:i^!^£ia^^iSSl^^u^S^.s&li^s£! 


ilaSha^MiWagS' 


948 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Sitpplement 


times  assembled  iii  a  place  called,  in  spiritual  language,  Pyris. 
And  as  he  earnestly  desired  their  company,  he  was  led  to  an 
assembly  where  some  of  them  were  standing;  and  when  he 
came  among  them  he  was  in  his  heart's  delight,  and  bound  him- 
self to  them  by  interior  friendship.  [3]  III.  But  when  the 
followers  of  Gotschalk  had  been  led  away  to  their  brethren  in 
the  cavern,  Calvin  became  weary,  and  therefore  sought  here 
and  there  for  an  asylum,  and  was  finally  received  into  a  certain 
society  made  up  wholly  of  the  simple-minded,  some  of  whom 
were  also  religious ;  and  when  he  saw  that  they  knew  nothing 
and  could  understand  nothing  about  predestination,  he  betook 
himself  to  one  corner  of  the  society,  and  there  hid  himself  for 
a  long  time,  not  opening  his  mouth  on  any  chuich  matter.  This 
was  provided  in  order  that  he  might  withdraw  from  his  error 
respecting  predestination,  and  that  the  ranks  of  those,  who, 
after  the  Synod  of  Dort  adhered  to  that  detestable  heresy 
might  be  filled  up ;  all  of  whom  were  gradually  sent  away  to 
their  fellows  in  the  cavern.  [4]  IV.  At  length  when  the  mod- 
ern Predestinarians  inquired  where  Calvin  was,  he  was  found 
after  a  search  for  him,  on  the  confines  of  a  certain  society  con- 
sisting solely  of  the  simple-minded.  He  was  therefore  called 
away  from  there  and  conducted  to  a  certain  governor  who  was 
filled  with  similar  dregs ;  and  who  therefore  took  him  into  his 
house  and  guarded  him,  and  this  until  the  new  heaven  began 
to  be  established  by  the  Lord;  and  then,  as  the  governor,  his 
guardian,  was  cast  out  together  with  his  troop,  Calvin  betook 
himself  to  a  certain  house  of  ill-repute,  and  remained  there  for 
some  time.  [5]  V.  As  he  then  enjoyed  the  liberty  of  wander- 
ing about,  and  also  of  coming  near  to  the  place  where  I  was 
stopping,  I  was  permitted  to  talk  with  him,  in  the  first  i)lace 
about  the  new  heaven  which  is  at  this  day  being  formed  of 
those  who  acknowledge  the  Lord  alone  as  the  God  of  heaven 
and  earth,  according  to  His  own  words  in  Matthew  (xxviii.  18). 
I  told  him  that  such  believe, 

That  He  and  the  Father  are  one  {John  x.  30) ; 

And  that  He  is  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in  Him,  and  that  whoso- 
ever sees  and  knows  Him,  sees  and  knows  the  Father  {John  xiv.  0-11); 

thus  that  there  is  one  God  only  in  the  church  as  in  heaven. 
[6]  At  first,  when  I  said  this,  as  usual  he  was  silent;  but  after 


N.  708] 


CALVIN 


949 


half  an  hour  he  broke  the  silence  and  said,  "Was  not  Christ  a 
man,  the  son  of  Mary,  who  was  married  to  Joseph  ?  How  can 
a  man  be  adored  as  God  ?^'  I  answered,  "  Is  not  Jesus  Christ 
our  Kedeemer  and  Saviour  both  God  and  Man  ?"  He  replied, 
"  He  is  both  God  and  Man ;  nevertheless  the  Divinity  is  the 
Father's  and  not  His."  I  asked,  "Where  then  is  Christ?"  He 
answered,  "In  the  lowest  parts  of  heaven;"  and  he  gave  as 
proof  of  this  His  humiliation  before  the  Father,  and  His  suf- 
fering Himself  to  be  crucified.  To  this  he  added  some  witty 
remarks  about  the  worship  of  C'hrist,  which  then  invaded  his 
memory  from  the  world,  which  was,  in  brief,  that  the  worship 
of  Christ  was  nothing  but  idolatry.  He  wanted  to  add  things 
unfit  to  be  spoken  about  that  worship;  but  the  angels  who 
were  with  me  shut  his  lips.  [7]  But  from  a  zeal  to  convert 
him  I  said,  that  the  Lord  our  Saviour  is  not  only  both  God 
and  Man,  but  in  Him  God  is  Man  and  Man  is  God.  And  this 
I  confirmed  by  Paul's  saying. 

That  in  Him  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily  (1  Col.  ii.  9); 

and  by  John's: — 

That  He  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  (1  Epistle^  v.  20); 

as  also  from  the  words  of  the  Lord  Hunself : — 

That  it  is  the  Father's  will  that  all  who  believe  on  the  Son  shall  have 
eternal  life,  and  that  he  who  believes  not  shall  not  see  life,  but  the 
wrath  of  God  abide th  on  him  {John  iii.  30  ;  vi.  40) ; 

and  finally  by  the  declaration  of  faith  called  Athanasian, 
which  declares  that  in  Christ  God  and  Man  are  not  two  but 
one,  and  are  in  one  Person  like  the  soul  and  body  in  man. 
[8]  When  he  heard  this,  he  replied,  "What  are  all  those 
things  you  have  presented  from  the  Word  but  empty  sounds  ? 
Is  not  the  AVord  the  book  of  all  heresies,  and  thus  like  the 
weathercocks  on  house-tops  and  ships'  masts,  which  turn  every 
way  according  to  the  wind?  It  is  Predestination  alone  that 
determines  all  things  pertaining  to  religion ;  this  is  their  habi- 
tation or  their  tent  of  meeting,  wherein  faith,  through  which 
justification  and  salvation  are  effected,  is  the  shrine  and  sanc- 
tuary. Has  any  man  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things  ? 
Is  not  everything  of  salvation  a  free  gift?  Any  arguments 
therefore  against  these  principles,  and  so  against  predestinar 


aa  Ms&!^HlH^'^^-^'^''''^~^^ta^i^lSM:f^-  t-A^^»^-^i^'ei^^ 


950 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION     [Supplement 


tion,  I  listen  to  and  value  as  much  as  I  do  eructations  from 
the  stomach  or  the  rumbling  of  the  bowels.  And  this  being 
so,  I  have  thought  to  myself  that  any  church  where  anything 
else  is  taught,  even  from  the  Word,  together  with  the  crowd 
there  assembled,  is  like  a  pen  of  beasts  containing  botli  sheep 
and  wolves,  but  with  the  wolves  muzzled  by  the  laws  of  civil 
justice,  lest  they  should  attack  the  sheep  (the  sheep  meaning 
the  predestined),  also  that  the  praying  and  preaching  there 
are  like  so  much  hiccoughing.  But  1  will  give  you  my  confes- 
sion of  faith ;  it  is  this :  There  is  a  God,  and  He  is  omnipo- 
tent; and  there  is  no  salvation  for  any  except  those  who  are 
elected  and  predestined  by  God  the  Father;  and  every  one 
else  is  condemned  to  his  lot,  that  is,  to  his  fate."  [^]  Hearing 
this  I  answered  with  much  warmth,  '^  What  you  say  is  horrible. 
Begone,  wicked  spirit!  Being  in  the  spiritual  world  do  you 
not  know  that  there  is  a  heaven  and  a  hell,  and  that  predesti- 
nation implies  that  some  have  been  designated  for  heaven  and 
some  for  hell  ?  Can  you  then  form  to  yourself  any  other  idea 
of  God  than  as  being  a  tyrant  who  admits  liis  favorites  into 
his  city,  and  sends  the  rest  to  the  rack  ?  Shame  on  3'ou." 
[10]  1  then  read  to  him  what  is  written  in  the  dogmatic  book 
of  the  Evangelical  Protestants,  called  Formula  Concord'ur,  re- 
lating to  the  erroneous  doctrine  of  the  Calvanists  in  regard  to 
the  worship  of  the  Lord  and  predestination.  Their  doctrine  of 
the  worship  of  the  Lord  is  thus  defined : — 

It  is  damnaLle  idolatiy,  if  the  confidence  and  faith  of  the  heart  are 
placed  in  Christ,  not  only  according  to  His  Divine  but  also  according  to 
His  human  nature,  and  the  honor  of  worship  is  directed  to  both. 

And  predestination  is  thus  defined : — 

Christ  did  not  die  for  all  men,  but  only  for  the  elect.  God  has 
created  the  greater  part  of  men  for  eternal  damnation,  and  does  not  wish 
that  the  greater  part  should  be  converted  and  live.  The  elect  and  born 
again  cannot  lose  faith  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  although  they  should  com- 
mit all  kinds  of  great  sins  and  crimes.  But  those  who  are  not  elected  are 
necessarily  damned,  nor  can  they  attain  to  salvation  even  if  they  were  to 
be  baptized  a  thousand  times,  were  to  partake  of  the  sacrament  daily, 
and  moreover  were  to  lead  as  holy  and  blameless  a  life  as  it  is  ever  pos- 
sible to  live  (Leipsic  edition  of  1756,  pp.  837,  838). 

When  T  had  read  this,  T  asked  him  whether  this,  which  was 
written  in  that  book,  was  from  his  doctrine  or  not.     He  said 


N.  798] 


CALVIN 


951 


that  it  was,  but  that  he  did  not  remember  whether  or  not  those 
very  words  had  flowed  from  his  pen,  although  they  might  have 
from  his  lips.  [H]  All  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  when  they 
heard  this,  withdrew  from  him,  and  he  betook  himself  hastily 
to  a  way  that  led  to  a  cave,  which  was  occupied  by  those  who 
had  confirmed  in  themselves  the  execrable  dogma  of  predesti- 
nation. I  afterward  talked  with  some  of  those  imprisoned  in 
that  cave,  and  asked  about  their  lot.  They  said  that  they  were 
compelled  to  labor  for  food,  that  they  were  all  enemies  of  each 
other,  that  each  sought  an  occasion  to  do  evil  to  the  other,  and 
this  they  did  whenever  they  found  the  slightest  opportunity, 
and  that  this  was  the  delight  of  their  lives.  (More  about  pre- 
destination and  the  predestinarians  may  be  seen  above,  n.  485- 
488.) 

799.  I  have  also  talked  with  many  others,  both  with  follow- 
ers of  these  three  men  and  with  their  opponents ;  and  respect- 
ing all  of  them  I  was  enabled  to  conclude  that  all  such  among 
them  as  have  lived  a  life  of  charity,  and  still  more  those  who 
have  loved  truth  because  it  is  truth,  suffer  themselves  to  be  in- 
structed in  the  spiritual  world,  and  then  accept  the  doctrines 
of  the  Kew  Church ;  while  on  the  other  hand  those  who  have 
confirmed  themselves  in  falsities  of  religion,  and  also  those 
who  have  lived  an  evil  life,  do  not  suffer  themselves  to  be  in- 
structed; and  that  these  turn  away  step  by  step  from  the  new 
heaven,  and  associate  themselves  with  their  like  who  are  in 
hell,  where  they  confirm  themselves  more  and  more  against 
the  worship  of  the  Lord,  and  set  themselves  against  it  even  to 
such  an  extent  that  they  cannot  bear  to  hear  the  name  Jesus. 
But  it  is  the  reverse  in  heaven,  where  all  with  one  accord  ac- 
knowledge the  Lord  as  the  God  of  heaven. 


THE    DUTCH    IX    THE    SPIRITUAL    WORLD. 

800.  In  the  work  on  Heaven  and  Hell  it  is  related  that  the 
Christians  among  whom  the  Word  is  read  and  there  is  a 
knowledge  and  acknowledgment  of  the  Lord  the  Kedeemer 
and  Saviour  are  in  the  center  of  the  nations  and  peoples  of 
the  entire  spiritual  world,  because   with  them  there   is  the 


952 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


greatest  spiritual  light ;  and  from  them  as  a  center  light  goes 
forth  in  all  directions  to  the  very  boundaries,  according  to 
what  is  shown  in  the  chapter  on  the  Sacred  Scripture  (n.  267- 
272).  In  this  Christian  center  those  of  the  Keformed  churches 
are  allotted  places  according  to  their  reception  of  spiritual 
light  from  the  Lord ;  and  because  the  Dutch  have  that  light 
more  deeply  and  fully  joined  in  with  their  natural  light  than 
others,  and  in  consequence  are  more  receptive  of  rational  con- 
siderations, they  are  granted  dwelling-places  in  that  Christian 
center  in  the  east  and  south — in  the  east,  because  of  their  ca- 
pacity to  receive  spiritual  heat,  and  in  the  south,  because  of 
their  capacity  to  receive  spiritual  light.  In  the  work  on  Heav- 
en and  Hell  (n.  141-153)  it  is  shown  that  the  quarters  in  the 
spiritual  world  are  not  like  those  in  the  natural  world ;  and 
that  the  dwelling-places  according  to  the  different  quarters 
there  are  dwelling-places  in  accord  with  their  reception  of 
faith  and  love,  those  who  excel  in  love  being  in  the  east  and 
those  who  excel  in  intelligence  in  the  south. 

801.  And  the  reason  why  the  Dutch  occupy  those  quarters 
of  the  Christian  center  is  that  business  is  their  final  love,  and 
money  a  mediate  love  subservient  thereto;  and  such  a  love  is 
spiritual.  But  where  money  is  the  final  love  and  business  a 
mediate  love  subservient  thereto,  as  with  the  Jews,  that  love  is 
natural  and  springs  from  avarice.  The  love  of  business,  when 
final,  is  spiritual,  because  of  its  use,  in  that  it  subserves  the 
common  good  to  which  indeed  the  man's  own  good  is  closely 
conjoined  and  appears  to  him  to  be  of  more  importance  than 
the  common  good,  because  he  thinks  from  his  natural  man. 
Nevertheless,  when  business  is  an  end,  the  love  of  it  is  also  the 
end,  and  in  heaven  every  one  is  regarded  in  accordance  with 
his  final  love;  for  the  final  love  may  be  likened  to  the  ruler  of 
a  kingdom  or  the  master  of  a  house,  and  the  other  loves  to  their 
subjects  or  servants.  Moreover,  the  final  love  has  its  seat  in  the 
highest  or  inmost  parts  of  the  mind,  while  the  mediate  loves 
are  below  it  or  outside  of  it,  and  subservient  to  its  every  nod. 
The  Dutch  are  in  that  spiritual  love  more  than  any  others.  But 
the  Jews  are  in  that  love  inverted ;  consequently  their  love  of 
business  is  purely  natural,  containing  within  it  nothing  of  the 
common  good,  but  solely  their  own  good. 


uwi»aiWiT«"^ii  •*^'«ia^---<:'^'''''iaaaaaaaa 


N.  802] 


THE  DUTCH 


953 


802.  The  Dutcli  cling  more  firmly  than  others  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  their  religion,  nor  are  they  to  be  moved  from  them. 
Even  when  they  are  convinced  that  this  or  that  does  not  agree 
with  their  belief,  they  refuse  to  admit  it,  and  turn  away  and 
remain  unmoved.  Thus  they  separate  themselves  from  any  in- 
terior intuition  of  truth,  keeping  their  reason  closely  under 
obedience.  Such  being  their  character,  when,  after  death,  they 
enter  the  spiritual  world  they  are  prepared  in  a  peculiar  man- 
ner to  receive  the  spiritual  things  of  heaven,  which  are  Divine 
truths.  They  are  not  taught  truths,  because  they  do  not  receive ; 
but  the  nature  of  heaven  is  described  to  them,  and  after  that 
they  are  permitted  to  ascend  thither  and  see  it;  and  whatever 
is  then  in  harmony  with  their  genius  is  infused  into  them,  and 
being  sent  down  in  this  state  they  return  to  their  companions 
with  a  full  desire  for  heaven.  [3]  If  they  do  not  then  receive 
the  truth  that  God  is  one  in  Person  and  in  Essence,  and  that 
the  Lord  the  E/cdeemer  and  Saviour  is  this  God,  and  that  in 
Hun  is  the  Divine  trinity,  also  this  truth,  that  faith  and  char- 
ity in  knowledge  and  in  speech,  apart  from  a  life  of  faith  and 
charity,  are  of  no  effect,  and  that  the  Lord  bestows  these  when 
man  after  self-examination  repents ; — if  when  they  are  taught 
these  truths  they  still  turn  away  from  them,  and  still  think  of 
God  as  existent  in  three  Persons,  and  of  religion  as  a  fact 
merely,  they  are  brought  into  a  miserable  condition,  and  their 
business  is  taken  away  from  them,  even  until  they  find  them- 
selves reduced  to  extremities.  They  are  then  conducted  to 
those  who,  because  they  are  in  Divine  truths,  abound  in  all 
things,  and  among  whom  business  flourishes;  and  there  the 
thought  is  insinuated  into  them  from  heaven,  "Why  is  it  that 
these  people  are  so  prosperous?  "  At  the  same  time  they  are  led 
to  reflect  upon  the  faith  and  life  of  such,  in  that  they  are  averse 
to  evils  as  sins  ;  and  having  thought  carefully  about  the  matter 
they  perceive  a  harmony  with  their  own  thought  and  reflection. 
This  is  repeated  at  intervals.  At  length,  they  are  brought  to 
think  that  if  they  are  freed  from  their  misery  they  must  be- 
lieve in  a  like  manner ;  and  then,  as  they  accept  that  belief  and 
live  that  life  of  charity,  riches  and  a  happy  life  are  given  to 
them.  [3]  In  this  manner  those  who  have  to  some  extent  lived 
a  life  of  charity  in  the  world,  are  of  themselves  reformed  and 


954 


THE  THUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION       [Supplement 


prepared  for  heaven.  Afterwards  they  come  to  excel  in  con- 
stancy to  the  extent  that  they  might  be  called  Constances;  and 
they  do  not  permit  themselves  to  be  led  away  by  any  reasoning 
or  fallacy  or  obscurity  induced  by  sophistry,  or  by  any  mere 
confirmations  arising  from  any  absurd  points  of  view;  for  they 
become  more  clear-sighted  than  before. 

803.  The  teachers  who  instruct  in  their  lyceums  study  the 
mysteries  of  the  prevailing  faith  very  intently,  especially  those 
who  are  there  called  Cocceians ;  and  because  the  dogma  of  pre- 
destination springs  inevitably  from  those  mysteries,  and,  more- 
over, has  been  established  by  the  Synod  of  Dort,  it  also  is  sown 
and  planted  there,  as  seed  from  the  fruit  of  any  tree  is  planted 
in  a  field.  Because  of  this  the  laity  talk  much  among  them- 
selves about  predestination;  but  in  different  ways;  some  grasp- 
ing it  with  both  their  hands,  some  with  one  only,  laughing  at 
it,  and  some  hurl  it  from  them  as  a  snaky  lizard;  for  they 
know  nothing  of  the  mysteries  of  the  faith  from  which  that 
viper  was  hatched.  These  mysteries  they  are  ignorant  of,  be- 
cause they  are  intent  upon  their  business;  and  while  these 
mysteries  do  indeed  touch  their  understanding,  they  do  not 
penetrate  it.  Therefore  the  dogma  of  predestination  among  the 
laity,  and  even  among  the  clergy,  is  like  an  image  in  the  hu- 
man form  placed  on  a  rock  in  the  sea,  with  a  large  shell  glitter- 
ing like  gold  in  its  hand,  at  the  sight  of  which  some  captains 
sailing  past  lower  their  sails  as  a  mark  of  honor  and  reverence ; 
some  merely  wink  at  it  and  salute  it;  while  some  hiss  at  it  as 
at  something  ludicrous.  It  is  also  an  unknown  bird  from  India 
placed  on  a  high  tower,  which  some  swear  is  a  turtle-dove, 
some  guess  is  a  cock,  and  others  loudly  affirm  that  it  is  cer- 
tainly an  owl. 

804.  The  Dutch  are  easily  distinguished  from  others  in  the 
spiritual  world,  because  they  appear  in  garments  like  those 
they  wear  in  the  natural  world,  with  the  difference  that  those 
who  have  received  faith  and  spiritual  life  are  more  elegantly 
clad.  They  appear  in  like  garments  because  they  hold  stead- 
fastly to  the  principles  of  their  religion,  and  in  accordance 
with  those  principles  all  in  the  spiritual  World  are  clad ;  and 
therefore  those  there  who  are  in  Divine  truths  have  white  gar- 
ments and  garments  of  fine  linen. 


MaMM^^aMttaaaMiiiiiiiiffrffli  tifTnl 


N.  805] 


THE  DUTCH 


955 


805.  The  cities  in  which  the  Dutch  dwell  are  guarded  in  a 
peculiar  manner.    All  the  streets  are  roofed  and  have  gates  in 
them,  in  order  that  no  one  may  see  into  them  from  the  rocks 
and  hills  round  about.    This  arises  from  their  innate  prudence 
in  not  disclosing  their  counsels  or  divulging  their  intentions; 
for  in  the  spiritual  world  such  things  are  drawn  out  by  inves- 
tigation.    When  any  one  comes  with  the  intention  of  examin- 
ing into  their  state,  he  is  led,  when  he  withdraws,  to  the  closed 
gates  of  the  streets,  and  then  led  back  and  led  to  other  gates 
until  he  becomes  greatly  annoyed,  and  then  he  is  let  out.    This 
is  to  prevent  his  return.    Wives  who  desire  to  rule  over  their 
husbands  dwell  at  one  side  of  the  city  and  meet  their  husbands 
only  when  they  are  invited,  and  that  is  done  in  a  civil  manner. 
The  husbands  then  take  them  to  houses  where  marriage  part- 
ners live  who  do  not  exercise  authority  one  over  the  other,  and 
show  them  how  beautiful  and  clean  the  houses  of  such  are,  and 
how  happy  their  lives,  and  that  all  this  comes  from  mutual 
and  marriage  love.    Those  wives  who  give  attention  to  these 
things  and  are  influenced  by  them  leave  off  exercising  author- 
ity and  live  with  their  husbands;  and  they  then  have  dwell- 
ings given  them  nearer  to  the  center  of  the  city,  and  are  called 
angels.    This  is  because  true  marriage  love  is  heavenly  love 
which  is  without  dominion. 


THE    ENGLISH    IX    THE    SPIRITUAL    WORLD. 

806.  There  are  two  states  of  thought  in  man,  an  external 
and  an  internal ;  in  the  external  state  he  is  in  the  natural 
world,  in  the  internal  in  the  spiritual  world.  In  the  good  these 
states  make  one,  but  not  in  the  evil.  Man's  internal  nature  is 
rarely  manifest  in  the  world,  because  from  infancy  he  has 
learned  to  be  moral  and  rational,  and  loves  to  appear  such. 
But  in  the  spiritual  world  it  is  clearly  manifest  what  his  na- 
ture is,  for  man  is  then  a  spirit,  and  a  spirit  is  the  internal 
man.  And  since  it  has  been  granted  me  to  be  in  that  world, 
and  there  to  see  the  internal  nature  of  men  from  different 
kingdoms  of  the  world,  I  feel  it  necessary,  because  of  its  im- 
portance, to  make  this  known. 


956 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


807.  As  to  the  English  nation,  the  better  ones  among  them 
are  at  the  center  of  all  Christians,  bec;aiise  they  have  an  in- 
terior intellectual  light ;  a  light  that  is  not  manifest  to  any  one 
in  the  natural  world,  but  it  is  clearly  manifest  in  the  spiritual 
world.  This  light  they  acquire  from  their  freedom  of  speech 
and  of  the  press,  and  consequent  freedom  of  thought.  With 
others,  who  have  not  such  freedom,  tliat  light  is  suppressed 
because  it  has  no  outlet.  It  is  true  that  such  light  is  not  ac- 
tive of  itself,  but  it  is  rendered  active  by  others,  especially  by 
men  of  repute  and  authority.  As  soon  as  anything  is  said  by 
them,  the  light  shines  forth.  For  this  reason  governors  are 
appointed  over  the  English  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  priests 
are  given  them  who  are  men  of  celebrity  and  of  eminent  abil- 
ity, whose  judgment  tliey  accept  because  of  this  inherent 
quality. 

808.  They  possess  also  a  similarity  of  disposition,  whicli 
leads  them  to  become  closely  attached  to  friends  who  are  of 
their  own  nation,  but  rarely  to  others;  they  also  aid  each 
other ;  they  love  sincerity ;  they  are  lovers  of  their  country  and 
are  zealous  for  her  glory.  They  look  upon  foreigners  as  one, 
from  the  roof  of  his  own  palace,  might  look  with  a  spy-glass 
at  persons  dwelling  outside  of  a  city,  or  wandering  about  there. 
The  political  affairs  of  their  kingdom  occupy  their  minds  and 
possess  their  hearts,  sometimes  so  far  as  to  withdraw  their 
minds  from  studies  of  loftier  inquiry,  by  which  a  higher  intel- 
ligence is  acquired.  It  is  true  that  these  studies  are  eagerly 
pursued  in  youth  by  those  who  give  attention  to  them  in  the 
schools ;  but  they  pass  away  as  transient  things.  Nevertheless 
their  rationality  is  quickened  by  these  studies,  and  sparkles 
with  a  light  by  which  they  form  beautiful  images,  as  a  glass 
prism  turned  toward  the  sun  forms  a  rainbow,  and  paints  it  in 
glowing  colors  on  a  plane  surface  fixed  to  receive  it. 

809.  There  are  two  large  cities  like  London,  to  which  most 
of  the  English  go  after  death.  I  was  permitted  to  see  one  of 
these  and  to  walk  through  it.  Where  in  London  the  mer- 
chants meet,  which  is  called  the  Exchange,  there  in  that  city 
is  the  center  where  its  governors  reside.  Above  that  center  is 
the  east,  below  it  is  the  west ;  on  the  right  is  the  south,  and 
on  the  left  the  nortli.    In  the  eastern  (quarter  those  dwell  who 


■aAgMfliin^MiAMHHtaiMfea 


N.  809] 


THE  ENGLISH 


957 


have  hved  a  life  of  charity  in  a  greater  degree  than  others; 
here  are  magnificent  palaces.  In  the  southern  quarter  the  wise 
dwell,  and  among  them  there  is  much  splendor.    In  the  nortli- 
ern  quarter  those  dwell  who  more  than  others  have  loved  free- 
dom of  speech  and  the  press.    In  tlie  western  quarter  those 
dwell  who  deal  in  justification  by  faith  alone.    On  the  right 
in  this  latter  quarter  there  is  an  entrance  to  the  city  and  also 
an  exit  therefrom ;  and  those  who  live  wickedly  are  here  put 
out  of  the  city.  The  preachers  who  live  in  the  western  quarter 
and  teach  the  doctrine  of  faith  alone,  do  not  dare  to  enter  the 
city  by  the  large  streets,  but  only  through  the  narrow  alleys, 
because  none  but  those  Avho  believe  in  charity  are  tolerated  in 
the  city  proper.  I  have  heard  them  complaining  of  the  preach- 
ers from  the  west,  that  they  composed  their  sermons  with  so 
much  art  and  eloquence,  secretly  weaving  into  them  the  doc- 
trine of  justification  by  faith,  that  they  did  not  know  Avhether 
good  ought  to  be  done  or  not.    They  preach  that  faith  inward- 
ly is  a  good,  and  this  good  they  distinguish  from  the  good  of 
charity,  which  they  call  good  that  claims  a  merit,  and  there- 
fore not  acceptable  to  God.    But  when  those  who  dwell  in  the 
eastern  and  southern  quarters  of  the  city  hear  such  sermons 
they  leave  the  -churches,  and  the  preachers  are  afterward  de- 
prived of  the  priestly  office. 

810.  I  afterward  heard  many  reasons  whv  those  preachers 
were  deprived  of  their  office.    I  was  told  that  the  chief  reason 
IS,  that  they  did  not  prepare  their  sermons  from  the  Word  and 
thus  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  but  from  their  own  rational  light, 
and  thus  from  their  own  spirit.     They  begin,  indeed,  as  a  pre- 
lude, with  a  text  from  the  Word,  but  this  they  merely  touch 
with  their  lips,  and  then  abandon  as  tasteless,  immediately 
selecting  sometlnng  savory  from  their  own  intelligence,  which 
they  roll  about  in  their  moutlis  and  turn  over  upon  their  tongues 
as  something  delicious.     Such  is  their  teaching.    It  was  said 
that  as  a  consequence  there  was  no  more  spirituality  in  their 
sermons  than  in  the  songs  of  birds,  and  that  they  we're  merely 
allegorical  adornments,  like  wigs  beautifully  curled  and  pow- 
dered on  bald  heads.  The  mysteries  of  their  discourses  on  jus- 
tification by  faith  alone  were  likened  to  the  quails  brought  up 
from  the  sea  and  strewn  about  the  camps  of  the  children  of 


xigjKi.^j.-^i.iigfla&rf-""'-"-*-'*- '  "•    ''^-^-""  -'  ^a.'-..— ^'v.  ■■■...■.  .    ■'^---'■=^*-^ ---^*ijaeaijfe,riiJMiiiM«aJiitfj<iaiaai'j 


958 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


Israel  (Num.  xi.),  because  of  which  several  thousand  persons 
died;  while  the  theology  of  charity  and  faith  together  were 
likened  to  the  manna  from  heaven.  I  once  heard  their  preach- 
ers talking  together  about  faith  alone ;  and  I  saw  a  kind  of 
image  formed  by  them,  which  represented  their  faith  alone. 
In  their  li-ght,  which  was  the  light  of  hallucination,  this  ap- 
peared like  a  great  giant ;  but  when  light  from  heaven  was  let 
in  upon  it,  it  appeared  like  a  monster  above  and  a  serpent 
below.    Seeing  this,  they  withdrew,  and  the  bystanders  threw 

the  image  into  a  pond. 

811.  The  other  great  city,  also  called  London,  is  not  in  the 
Christian  center,  but  at  some  distance  to  the  north.  Into  it 
those  pass  after  death  who  are  interiorly  wicked.  In  the  cen- 
ter of  it  there  is  an  open  communication  with  hell,  by  which 
they  are  at  times  swallowed  up. 

812  From  those  in  the  spiritual  world  who  were  from  Eng- 
land it  was  seen  that  they  have  two  kinds  of  theology,  one  de- 
rived from  their  doctrine  of  faith,  and  the  other  from  then- 
doctrine  of  charity ;  the  former  is  held  by  those  who  are  initi- 
ated into  the  priesthood,  and  the  latter  by  the  laity,  especially 
those  who  dwell  in  Scotland  and  on  its  borders.  With  these 
latter  the  believers  in  faith  alone  are  afraid  to  engage  in  argu- 
ment, because  they  combat  them  both  from  the  Word  and  from 
reason.  This  doctrine  of  charity  is  set  forth  in  the  exhortation 
read  in  the  churches  on  the  Sabbath  day  to  those  who  approach 
the  sacrament  of  the  holy  supper.  In  that  exhortation  it  is 
openly  declared  that  if  they  are  not  in  charity  and  do  not  shun 
evils  as  sins,  thev  cast  themselves  into  eternal  damnation ;  and 
if  in  such  a  state  they  approach  the  holy  communion,  the  devil 
will  enter  into  them  as  he  did  into  Judas. 


THE    GERMANS    IN    THE    SPIRITUAL    WORLD. 

813.  It  is  known  that  the  natives  of  a  kingdom  that  is  di- 
vided into  several  provinces  are  not  alike  in  genius,  but  dif- 
fer from  each  other  in  particular  ways  as  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth's  different  climates  do  in  general  ways,  and  yet  that 
a  common  genius  prevails  among  those  who  are  under  one 


■  — *t-..        ■    -■  -^irfatr  -  I i*q»a AjJ'jiHi 


N.  813] 


THE  GERMANS 


959 


king,  and  therefore  under  one  code  of  laws.  As  to  Germany 
it  is  more  divided  into  separate  states  than  the  surrounding 
kingdoms.  It  is  an  empire,  with  all  the  states  under  its  gen- 
eral supervision,  while  the  prince  of  each  state  enjoys  despotic 
power  in  his  own  realm;  for  there  are  greater  and  lesser 
dukedoms  there,  and  each  duke  is  like  a  monarch  in  his  own 
kingdom.  Furthermore,  religion  is  there  divided;  in  some 
dukedoms  are  the  so-called  Evangelicals,  in  some  the  Re- 
tormed,  and  in  some  the  Papists.  With  such  diversity  of  both 
government  and  religion,  the  dispositions,  inclinations,  and 
lives  of  the  Germans  are  more  difficult  to  describe  from  those 
seen  in  the  spiritual  world  than  those  of  the  nations  and  peo- 
ples of  other  parts.  And  yet,  as  a  common  genius  reigns 
everywhere  among  peoples  of  the  same  language,  this  may 
be  in  some  measure  seen  and  described  from  ideas  collected 
together. 

814.  As  the  Germans  are  under  a  despotic  government  in 
each  particular  dukedom,  they  have  no  such  freedom  of  speech 
and  of  the  press  as  the  Hollanders  and  the  British  have,  and 
when  that  freedom  is  restrained,  freedom  of  thought,  that  is, 
the  freedom  to  investigate  matters  to  the  furthest  extent,  is 
also  kept  in  restraint.  For  this  restraint  is  like  a  high  wall 
about  the  basin  of  a  fountain,  which  causes  the  water  within 
to  rise  even  to  the  orifice  of  the  inflowing  stream,  so  that  the 
stream  can  no  longer  leap  forth.  Thought  is  like  the  inflow- 
ing stream,  and  speech  therefrom  is  like  the  basin.  In  a  word, 
influx  adapts  itself  to  efflux,  and  in  like  manner  the  under- 
standing from  above  adapts  itself  to  its  measure  of  freedom  to 
speak  and  publish  its  thoughts.  For  this  reason  that  noble 
nation  is  little  devoted  to  matters  of  judgment,  but  rather  to 
matters  of  memory.  This  is  why  they  are  especially  given 
to  historical  writings,  and  in  their  books  trust  to  men  of  repu- 
tation and  learning  among  them,  quoting  opinions  of  such 
abundantly,  and  subscribing  to  some  one  of  them.  In  the 
spiritual  world  this  state  of  theirs  is  represented  by  a  man 
carrying  books  under  his  arm,  and  when  any  one  disputes 
about  any  matter  of  judgment,  he  says,  "  I  will  give  you  an 
answer,"  and  immediately  draws  a  book  from  under  his  arm 
and  reads  from  it. 


960 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplemknt 


815.  From  this  state  of  theirs  many  things  proceed,  and 
among  them  this,  that  they  keep  the  spiritual  things  of  the 
church  inscribed  upon  the  memory,  and  seldom  elevate  them 
into  the  higher  understanding,  but  admit  them  only  into  the 
lower,  from  which  they  reason  about  them,  which  is  doing 
wholly  differently  from  free  nations.  Such  nations,  as  regards 
the  spiritual  things  of  the  church  called  theological,  are  like 
eagles  which  rise  to  whatever  height  they  please ;  while  nations 
that  are  not  free  are  like  swans  in  a  river.  Again,  free  nations 
are  like  the  larger  deer  with  lofty  horns,  that  roam  the  fields, 
groves,  and  forests  at  perfect  liberty;  while  nations  that  are 
not  free  are  like  the  deer  kept  in  parks  to  please  a  prince. 
And  still  again,  free  peoples  are  like  the  winged  horse  which 
the  ancients  called  Pegasus,  that  flew  not  only  over  the  seas, 
but  over  the  so-called  Parnassian  hills,  and  also  over  the  hills 
of  the  Muses  beneath  them;  while  a  people  not  freed  are  like 
noble  horses  handsomely  caparisoned  in  kings  stables.  There 
are  like  differences  in  their  judgments  regarding  the  mysteri- 
ous matters  of  theology.  The  clergy  of  the  Germans,  while 
they  are  students,  write  out  from  the  mouths  of  their  teachers 
in  the  colleges  certain  dicta,  and  these  they  guard  as  the  au- 
thoritative utterances  of  erudition ;  and  when  they  are  inaugu- 
rated into  the  priesthood,  or  made  lecturers  in  the  scliools, 
they,  for  the  most  part,  draw  their  official  utterances  in  the 
desk  or  in  the  pulpit  from  those  dicta.  Such  of  their  priests 
as  do  not  teach  in  accordance  with  orthodoxy  usually  preach 
about  the  Holy  Spirit  and  its  wonderful  workings  and  excita- 
tions of  holiness  in  men's  hearts.  But  those  who  teach  about 
faith  according  to  the  orthodoxy  of  the  present  day,  appear  to 
the  angels  as  if  decorated  with  wreaths  of  oak  leaves;  wliile 
those  w^ho  teach  from  the  AVord  about  charity  and  its  works 
appear  to  the  angels  to  be  adorned  with  wreaths  of  odoriferous 
leaves  of  laurel.  Those  there  who  are  called  Evangelical,  in 
their  disputes  with  the  Reformed  about  truths,  appear  to  be 
rending  their  garments,  because  garments  signify  truths. 

816.  I  asked  where  the  people  of  Hamburg  were  to  be 
found  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  was  told  that  they  are  no- 
where now  gathered  together  in  one  society,  still  less  in  any 
civil  community,  but  are  scattered  about  and  intermingled 


N,  816] 


THE  GERMANS 


961 


with  the  Germans  in  the  various  quarters.  And  when  the 
reason  was  asked  it  was  said  that  it  arose  from  their  contin- 
ual mental  introspections  and  wanderings,  as  it  were,  outside 
of  their  OAvn  city,  and  very  little  within  it;  for  such  as  the 
state  of  man's  mind  is  in  the  natural  world,  such  it  is  in  the 
spiritual  world;  for  man's  mind  is  his  spirit,  or  the  posthu- 
mous man  that  lives  after  his  departure  from  the  material 
body. 


THE    PAPISTS    IN    THE    SPIRITUAL    WORLD. 

817.  The  Papists  in  the  spiritual  world  appear  round  about 
and  beneath  the  Protestants,  and  separated  from  them  by  inter- 
spaces which  they  are  forbidden  to  pass,  although  the  monks 
by  clandestine  arts  secure  for  themselves  a  way  through,  and 
also  send  out  emissaries  by  hidden  paths  to  make  converts; 
but  they  are  traced  out,  and  after  being  punished,  are  either 
sent  back  to  their  companions  or  cast  down. 

818.  Since  the  last  judgment,  which  took  place  in  the  spir- 
itual world  in  the  year  1757,  the  state  of  all,  and  consequently 
the  state  of  the  Papists,  is  so  changed  that  they  are  not  per- 
mitted, as  formerly,  to  congregate  in  bodies;  but  for  every 
love,  either  good  or  evil,  ways  are  appointed,  which  those  who 
come  from  the  world  immediately  enter,  and  pass  to  societies 
correspondent  to  their  loves.  Thus  the  wicked  are  borne  to 
societies  that  are  in  hell,  and  the  good  to  societies  in  heaven ; 
and  in  this  way  their  forming  for  themselves  artificial  hea- 
vens, as  they  previously  did,  is  guarded  against.  Such  socie- 
ties are  very  numerous  in  the  world  of  spirits,  which  is  inter- 
mediate between  heaven  and  hell,  for  they  are  as  many  as  the 
genera  and  species  of  affections  pertaining  to  the  love  of  good 
and  the  love  of  evil;  and  in  the  meantime,  before  their  mem- 
bers are  raised  up  into  heaven  or  cast  down  to  hell,  they  are 
in  spiritual  conjunction  with  the  men  of  the  world,  because 
men  also  are  intermediate  between  heaven  and  hell. 

819.  The  Papists  have  a  sort  of  place  of  council  in  the 
southern  quarter  toward  the  east,  where  their  leaders  assemble 
and  deliberate  about  various  matters  pertaining  to  their  relig- 

t)l 


it&aJ»i*i«»aiia6i»lBJhiaiaiMMMa^Ai 


962 


THE  TRUE  CHEISTIAN  RELIGION      [SurrLEMENx 


ion,  especially  about  how  to  keep  the  common  people  in  blind 
obedience  and  how  to  enlarge  their  own  dominion.    But  no  one 
who  had  been  a  pope  in  the  world  is  admitted  to  this  assem- 
bly, because  a  semblance  of  Divine  authority  is  fixed  in  the 
minds  of  such,  on  account  of  their  having  arrogated  to  them- 
selves the  Lord's  power  in  the  world.    Neither  are  any  cardi- 
nals permitted  to  enter  that  council,  because  of  their  sense  of 
pre-eminence.    Nevertheless  these  latter  assemble  together  in 
a  spacious  room  beneath  the  others,  but  after  staying  there  a 
few  days  are  taken  away,  I  was  not  permitted  to  know  where. 
There  is  also  another  place  of  meeting  in  the  southern  quarter 
towards  the  west,  where  the  business  is  to  introduce  the  credu- 
lous common  people  into  heaven.    There  they  arrange  round 
about  themselves  several  societies  which  provide  for  various 
external  delights ;  in  some  there  are  dances,  in  some  musical 
concerts,  in  some  processions,   in  some  theaters  and  scenic 
amusements ;  in  some  there  are  persons  who  by  hallucination 
produce  various  forms  of  magnificence;  in  some  there  is  mere- 
ly clownish  acting  and  jesting;  in  some  again  there  is  friendly 
conversation,  here  about  religious  matters,  there  about  civil 
affairs,  and  elsewhere  they  even  talk  lasciviously ;  and  so  on. 
Into  some  of  these  societies  they  introduce  the  credulous,  each 
one  according  to  the  kind  of  pleasure  he  prefers,  and  this  they 
call  heaven.    But  when  they  have  been  there  a  day  or  two  they 
all  become  weary  and  go  away,  because  those  delights  are  ex- 
ternal and  not  internal.    In  this  way  also  many  are  led  away 
from  the  folly  of  their  belief  about  the  power  to  admit  into 
heaven.    As  to  the  particulars  of  their  worship,  it  is  nearly 
the  same  as  their  worship  in  the  world,  consisting  in  like 
manner  of  masses  which  are  conducted  in  a  language  not  com- 
mon to  spirits  but  composed  of  high-sounding  words  which 
inspire  external  sanctity  and  trembling,  but  which  the  hearers 
do  not  at  all  understand. 

820.  All  who  go  from  the  earth  to  the  spiritual  world  are 
kept  at  first  in  the  confession  of  faith  and  religion  of  their 
o^vTi  country ;  and  as  this  is  true  of  the  Papists,  they  always 
have  a  representative  of  a  pope  placed  over  them,  whom  they 
worship  with  ceremonies  like  those  they  observed  in  the  world. 
It  rarely  happens  that  any  one  who  has  been  a  pope  in  the 


N.  820] 


THE  PAPISTS 


963 


world  is  placed  over  them  after  his  demise ;  but  one  who  filled 
the  pontifical  chair  thirty  or  forty  years  ago  was  placed  over 
them  because  he  had  cherished  in  his  heart  a  clearer  idea  of 
the  holiness  of  the  Word  than  was  generally  held,  also  that 
the  Lord  ought  to  be  worshiped.    I  was  permitted  to  talk  with 
him,  and  he  said  that  he  worshiped  the  Lord  alone,  because  He 
is  God,  and  has  all  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  according 
to  His  words  {Matt,  xxviii.  18).    He  said  that  the  invocation 
of  saints  is  an  absurdity ;  he  said  also  that  he  had  intended 
when  in  the  world  to  re-establish  such  a  church,  but  was  un- 
able to  do  so,  for  reasons  which  he  stated.    When  the  great 
northern  city  which  contained  both  Papists  and  Reformers, 
was  destroyed  on  the  day  of  the  last  judgment,  I  saw  him 
carried  out  on  a  litter  and  transferred  to  a  place  of  safety.   On 
the  borders  of  the  large  society  in  which  he  exercises  pontifi- 
cal authority  schools  are  established,  where  those  go  who  are 
undecided  about  religion ;  and  there  they  find  converted  monks 
who  teach  them  about  God  the  Saviour  Christ,  and  also  about 
the  holiness  of  the  Word,  leaving  it  to  their  own  judgment 
whether  they  will  turn  their  minds  away  from  the  methods 
of  sanctification  maintained  in  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 
Those  who  receive  instruction  are  introduced   into  a  large 
society  composed  of  those  who  have  withdrawn  from  the  wor- 
ship of  the  pope  and  the  saints ;  and  when  they  enter  that 
society  they  are  like  men  who  have  been  aroused  from  sleep 
and  are  fully  awake,  or  like  those  who  have  come  from  the  in- 
clemency of  winter  into  the  sweetness  of  early  spring,  or  like 
sailors  who  have  just  come  to  port,  and  are  then  invited  by 
those  there  to  feasts,  and  noble  wine  in  crystal  goblets  is  given 
them  to  drink.     And  angels,  I  have  heard,  sent  down  from 
heaven  to  the  host  a  plate  containing  manna,  in  form  and  taste 
like  that  which  fell  upon  the  camps  of  the  children  of  Israel 
in  the  desert,  and  this  plate  is  carried  around  to  all  the  com- 
pany, and  everyone  is  permitted  to  taste  of  its  contents. 

821.  All  those  of  the  Catholic  religion  who  in  the  form- 
er world  had  thought  more  of  God  than  of  the  papacy,  and 
from  a  simple  heart  had  done  works  of  charity,  when  they  find 
themselves  living  after  death,  and  have  l)een  taught  that  the 
Lord  Himself,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  reigns  there,  are  eas- 


,.     ^-.^t  -  — . -^.11, —  :i~&^. 


962 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


ion,  especially  about  how  to  keep  the  common  people  in  blind 
obedience  and  how  to  enlarge  their  own  dominion.  But  no  one 
who  had  been  a  pope  in  the  world  is  admitted  to  this  assem- 
bly, because  a  semblance  of  Divine  authority  is  fixed  in  the 
minds  of  such,  on  account  of  their  having  arrogated  to  them- 
selves the  Lord's  power  in  the  world.  Neither  are  any  cardi- 
nals permitted  to  enter  that  council,  because  of  their  sense  of 
pre-eminence.  Nevertheless  these  latter  assemble  together  in 
a  spacious  room  beneath  the  others,  but  after  staying  there  a 
few  days  are  taken  away,  I  was  not  permitted  to  know  where. 
There  is  also  another  place  of  meeting  in  the  southern  quarter 
towards  the  west,  where  the  business  is  to  introduce  the  credu- 
lous common  people  into  heaven.  There  they  arrange  round 
about  themselves  several  societies  which  provide  for  various 
external  delights;  in  some  there  are  dances,  in  some  musical 
concerts,  in  some  processions,  in  some  theaters  and  scenic 
amusements;  in  some  there  are  persons  who  by  hallucination 
produce  various  forms  of  magnificence ;  in  some  there  is  mere- 
ly clownish  acting  and  jesting;  in  some  again  there  is  friendly 
conversation,  here  about  religious  matters,  there  about  civil 
affairs,  and  elsewhere  they  even  talk  lasciviously ;  and  so  on. 
Into  some  of  these  societies  they  introduce  the  credulous,  each 
one  according  to  the  kind  of  pleasure  he  prefers,  and  this  they 
call  heaven.  But  when  they  have  been  there  a  day  or  two  they 
all  become  weary  and  go  away,  because  those  delights  are  ex- 
ternal and  not  internal.  In  this  way  also  many  are  led  away 
from  the  folly  of  their  belief  about  the  power  to  admit  into 
heaven.  As  to  the  particulars  of  their  worship,  it  is  nearly 
the  same  as  their  worship  in  the  world,  consisting  in  like 
manner  of  masses  which  are  conducted  in  a  language  not  com- 
mon to  spirits  but  composed  of  high-sounding  words  which 
inspire  external  sanctity  and  trembling,  but  which  the  hearers 
do  not  at  all  understand. 

820.  All  who  go  from  the  earth  to  the  spiritual  world  are 
kept  at  first  in  the  confession  of  faith  and  religion  of  their 
o^Ti  country;  and  as  this  is  true  of  the  Papists,  they  always 
have  a  representative  of  a  pope  placed  over  them,  whom  they 
worship  with  ceremonies  like  those  they  observed  in  the  world. 
It  rarely  happens  that  any  one  who  has  been  a  pope  in  the 


aghtiM8iiaiirimi~i'it»r"'aa(MSBi!dfc< 


N.  820] 


THE  PAPISTS 


963 


world  is  placed  over  them  after  his  demise ;  but  one  who  filled 
the  pontifical  chair  thirty  or  forty  years  ago  was  placed  over 
them  because  he  had  cherished  in  his  heart  a  clearer  idea  of 
the  holiness  of  the  Word  than  was  generally  held,  also  that 
the  Lord  ought  to  be  worshiped.    I  was  permitted  to  talk  with 
him,  and  he  said  that  he  worshiped  the  Lord  alone,  because  He 
is  God,  and  has  all  power  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  according 
to  His  words  {Matt  xxviii.  18).    He  said  that  the  invocation 
of  saints  is  an  absui-dity ;  he  said  also  that  he  had  intended 
when  in  the  world  to  re-establish  such  a  church,  but  was  un- 
able to  do  so,  for  reasons  which  he  stated.    When  the  great 
northern  city  which  contained  both  Papists  and  Reformers, 
was  destroyed  on  the  day  of  the  last  judgment,  I  saw  him 
carried  out  on  a  litter  and  transferred  to  a  place  of  safety.   On 
the  borders  of  the  large  society  in  which  he  exercises  pontifi- 
cal authority  schools  are  established,  where  those  go  who  are 
undecided  about  religion;  and  there  they  find  converted  monks 
who  teach  them  about  God  the  Saviour  Christ,  and  also  about 
the  holiness  of  the  Word,  leaving  it  to  their  own  judgment 
whether  they  will  turn  their  minds  away  from  the  methods 
of  sanctification  maintained  in  the  Eoman  Catholic  church. 
Those  who  receive  instruction  are  introduced  into  a  large 
society  composed  of  those  who  have  withdrawn  from  the  wor- 
ship of  the  pope  and  the  saints ;  and  when  they  enter  that 
society  they  are  like  men  who  have  been  aroused  from  sleep 
and  are  fully  awake,  or  like  those  who  have  come  from  the  in- 
clemency of  winter  into  the  sweetness  of  early  spring,  or  like 
sailors  who  have  just  come  to  port,  and  are  then  invited  by 
those  there  to  feasts,  and  noble  wine  in  crystal  goblets  is  given 
them  to  drink.     And  angels,  I  have  heard,  sent  down  from 
heaven  to  the  host  a  plate  containing  manna,  in  form  and  taste 
like  that  which  fell  upon  the  camps  of  the  children  of  Israel 
in  the  desert,  and  this  plate  is  carried  around  to  all  the  com- 
pany, and  everyone  is  permitted  to  taste  of  its  contents. 

821.  All  those  of  the  Catholic  religion  who  in  the  form- 
er world  had  thought  more  of  God  than  of  the  papacy,  and 
from  a  simple  heart  had  done  works  of  charity,  when  they  find 
themselves  living  after  death,  and  have  been  taught  that  the 
Lord  Himself,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  reigns  there,  are  eas- 


964 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


ily  led  away  from  the  superstitions  of  that  religion.  To  them 
the  transition  from  popery  to  Christianity  is  as  easy  as  to  pass 
through  an  open  door  into  a  temple,  or  to  pass  the  guards  in 
the  entrance-hall  and  enter  a  palace  when  the  king  so  com- 
mands, or  to  raise  the  face  and  look  up  to  heaven  when  voices 
are  heard  therefrom.  But  on  the  other  hand,  to  lead  away 
from  the  superstitions  of  that  religion  those  who  during  the 
course  of  their  life  in  the  world  have  rarely  if  ever  thought  of 
God,  and  who  have  entered  that  worship  merely  for  its  festiv- 
ities, is  as  difl&cult  as  to  enter  a  temple  through  closed  doors, 
or  to  pass  through  the  guards  in  the  entrance-hall  into  the 
palace  when  the  king  forbids,  or  for  a  snake  in  the  grass  to 
raise  its  eyes  to  heaven.  It  is  wonderful  that  not  one  of  those 
who  pass  into  the  spiritual  world  from  that  Catholic  religion 
see  there  the  heaven  where  the  angels  dwell.  That  religion  is 
like  a  dark  cloud  above  them  which  terminates  the  vision. 
But  as  soon  as  any  convert  comes  among  those  who  have  been 
converted  heaven  is  opened,  and  sometimes  they  behold  the 
angels  there  in  white  garments ;  and  when  they  have  passed 
the  period  of  preparation  they  are  taken  up  to  the  angels. 


THE    POPISH    SAINTS    IN    THE    SPIRITUAL    WORLD. 

822.  It  is  well  known  that  man  has  in  him  from  his  par- 
ents inherent  or  inherited  evil,  but  few  know  where  that  evil 
dwells  in  its  fulness.  It  dwells  in  the  love  of  possessing  the 
goods  of  all  others,  and  in  the  love  of  exercising  dominion; 
for  this  latter  love  is  such  that,  so  far  as  the  reins  are  given 
to  it,  it  rushes  forth  until  it  is-  aflame  with  the  lust  of  exercis- 
ing dominion  over  all,  and  finally  seeks  to  be  invoked  and  wor- 
shiped as  God.  This  love  is  the  serpent  that  deceived  Eve 
and  Adam,  for  it  said  to  the  woman, 

God  doth  know  that  in  the  day  ye  eat  of  the  fruit  of  that  tree  your 
eyes  shall  be  opened,  and  ye  shall  be  as  gods  {Gen.  ill.  4,  5). 

So  far  therefore,  as  man  rushes  into  this  love  without  restraint, 
he  turns  away  from  God  and  turns  to  himself,  and  becomes  a 


N.  822] 


THE  POPISH  SAINTS 


965 


worshiper  of  himself;  and  then  he  can  call  upon  God  from 
love  of  self  with  fervent  lips,  but  with  a  heart  cold  from  con- 
tempt of  God.  And  then  also  the  Divine  things  of  the  church 
may  serve  him  as  means,  but  dominion  being  his  end,  his  heart 
is  in  the  means  only  so  far  as  they  subserve  that  end.  Such  a 
man,  if  exalted  to  the  highest  honors,  seems  to  himself  like 
Atlas  carrying  the  terraqueous  globe  on  his  shoulders,  or  like 
Phoebus  with  his  horses  bearing  the  sun  around  the  earth. 

823.  I>ecause  of  man's  being  such  by  inheritance,  all  those 
who  have  been  made  saints  by  papal  bulls  are  removed  from 
the  sight  of  others  in  the  spiritual  world  and  kept  out  of  sight; 
and  are  deprived  of  all  intercourse  with  their  worshipers,  lest 
that  worst  root  of  evils  should  be  quickened  in  them,  and  they 
should  be  carried  away  into  fantastic  delusions  such  as  prevail 
with  demons.  Into  such  delusions  do  those  come  who,  while 
living  in  the  world,  earnestly  seek  to  become  saints  after  death, 
that  they  may  be  invoked. 

824.  iMany  from  the  papal  jurisdiction,  especially  the  monks, 
when  they  enter  the  spiritual  Avorld,  search  for  the  saints,  es- 
pecially the  saint  of  their  order,  and  are  astonished  that  they 
do  not  find  them.  But  they  are  afterward  taught  that  these 
saints  are  intermingled  either  with  those  who  are  in  heaven  or 
with  those  who  are  in  the  lower  earth  and  that  they  know 
nothing  in  either  place  about  their  being  invoked  and  wor- 
shiped ;  and  that  those  who  do  know  of  it  and  wish  to  be  in- 
voked, fall  into  delusions  and  talk  like  fools.  The  worship  of 
saints  is  such  an  abomination  in  heaven  that  when  it  is  merely 
heard  of  it  excites  horror,  because  so  far  as  worship  is  yielded 
to  any  man,  so  far  it  is  denied  to  the  Lord ;  for  in  that  case 
the  Lord  alone  cannot  be  worshiped ;  and  when  the  Lord  is 
not  alone  worshiped,  a  separation  occurs  which  destroys  com- 
munion with  Him  and  the  happiness  of  life  that  flows  from  it. 
That  I  might  learn  the  character  of  the  Popish  saints  and 
make  it  known,  as  many  as  a  hundred  of  them  who  knew  that 
they  had  been  made  saints  were  brought  forth  from  the  lower 
earth.  They  came  up  behind  me — only  a  few  of  them  in  front 
— and  I  talked  with  one  of  them  who  they  said  was  Xavier. 
While  he  was  talking  to  me  he  was  like  a  fool;  and  yet  he  was 
able  to  declare  that  in  his  own  place,  where  he  was  shut  up 


i^til^diiU^M^ 


966 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


with  otliers,  he  was  not  a  fool,  but  became  such  as  often  as  he 
thought  himself  a  saint  and  wished  to  be  invoked.  I  heard  a 
murmur  of  the  same  thing  from  those  who  were  behind.  With 
the  saints  so-called  in  heaven  it  is  different ;  they  know  noth- 
ing at  all  of  what  is  done  on  earth,  and  they  are  not  permitted 
to  talk  with  any  of  the  Papists  who  are  in  that  superstition, 
that  no  idea  of  that  thing  may  enter  into  them. 

825.  From  this  state  of  the  saints  any  one  may  conclude 
that  the  invocation  of  saints  is  a  mere  mockery;  and  I  can 
affirm,  moreover,  that  they  no  more  hear  the  invocations  ad- 
dressed to  them  on  earth  than  do  their  images  by  the  way- 
side, or  the  walls  of  the  church,  or  the  birds  building  nests  in 
its  towers.  It  is  said  by  those  who  serve  them  in  the  world, 
that  the  saints  reign  in  heaven  in  company  with  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ;  but  this  is  a  fiction  and  fabrication;  for  they  no 
more  reign  with  the  Lord  than  a  groom  does  with  his  king,  or 
a  porter  with  a  nobleman,  or  a  footman  with  a  primate.  For 
John  the  Baptist  said  of  the  Lord, 

That  lie  was  not  worthy  to  unloose  the  latchet  of  His  shoes  {Mark  i.  7; 
John  1.  27). 

What  then  can  be  said  of  such? 

826.  To  the  Parisians,  who  form  a  society  in  the  spiritual 
world,  there  sometimes  appears  a  woman  of  the  usual  height 
in  shining  raiment  and  with  a  face  that  seems  holy,  and  she 
calls  herself  Genevieve.  But  when  some  of  them  begin  to 
worship  her,  her  face  and  also  her  clothing  instantly  change, 
and  she  becomes  like  an  ordinary  woman;  and  she  rebukes 
them  for  wanting  to  worship  a  woman  who  among  her  com- 
panions is  no  more  esteemed  than  a  servant-maid,  and  is  sui'- 
prised  that  the  men  of  the  world  are  duped  by  such  nonsense. 

827.  To  this  I  will  add  this  most  notable  fact:  Mary  the 
Mother  of  the  Lord  once  passed  by  and  appeared  overhead  in 
white  raiment.  Then  pausing  a  little  she  said  that  she  had 
been  the  mother  of  the  Lord,  and  that  He  was  indeed  born  of 
her;  but  that  when  He  became  God,  He  put  off  ever3rthing  of 
the  human  He  had  derived  from  her,  and  that  therefore  she 
now  worships  Him  as  her  God,  and  is  unwilling  that  any  one 
should  acknowledge  Him  to  be  her  son,  since  in  Him  every- 
thing is  Divine. 


N.  828] 


THE  MOHAMMEDANS 


9G7 


THE    MOHAMMEDAN^S    IX    THE    SPIRITUAL    WORLD. 

828.  The  Mohammedans  in  the  spiritual  world  appear  be- 
hind the  Papists  in  the  west,  and  form  as  it  were  a  border 
around  them.  They  appear  next  behind  the  Christians  be- 
cause they  acknowledge  our  Lord  to  be  the  greatest  prophet, 
the  wisest  of  all  men,  who  was  sent  into  the  world  to  teach 
men,  and  also  that  He  is  the  Son  of  God.  In  that  world  every 
one  dwells  at  such  a  distance  from  the  central  region,  where 
the  Christians  are,  as  accords  with  their  confession  of  the 
Lord  and  of  one  God;  for  that  confession  is  what  conjoins 
minds  with  heaven,  and  determines  distance  from  the  east, 
above  which  quarter  is  the  Lord. 

829.  Because  religion  has  its  seat  in  the  highest  things  in 
man,  and  the  lower  things  in  him  have  life  and  light  from  the 
highest,  and  because  Mohammed  is  always  associated  with  re- 
ligion in  the  minds  of  Mohammedans,  some  Mohammed  is  al- 
ways kept  before  their  sight;  and  in  order  that  they  may  tuni 
their  faces  toward  the  east,  over  which  is  the  Lord,  he  is 
placed  beneath  the  Christian  center.  This  is  not  the  ]\Ioham- 
med  who  wrote  the  Koran,  but  another  person  who  tills  his 
office;  nor  is  it  always  the  same  person;  but  he  is  changed, 
formerly  it  was  a  man  from  Saxony  who  had  been  taken  pris- 
oner by  the  Algerines,  and  had  become  a  Mohammedan;  and 
having  once  been  a  Christian  he  was  sometimes  moved  to 
speak  to  them  about  the  Lord,  saying  that  He  was  not  Jo- 
seph's son  but  the  Son  of  God  Himself.  Other  Mohammedans 
afterward  succeeded  this  one.  In  the  place  where  that  repre- 
sentative Mohammedan  has  his  station,  there  appears  a  fire 
like  a  small  torch  to  distinguish  him ;  but  that  fire  is  invisible 
to  all  but  Mohammedans. 

830.  The  Mohammed  who  wrote  the  Koran  is  not  seen  at 
the  present  day.  I  was  told  that  in  former  times  he  presided 
over  them;  but  because  he  desired  to  rule  as  God  over  all 
things  pertaining  to  their  religion  he  was  ejected  from  his 
seat,  which  he  had  beneath  the  Papists,  and  was  sent  down  to 
the  right  side  near  the  south.  A  certain  society  of  Mohamme- 
dans was  once  incited  by  some  malicious  spirits  to  acknowledge 


■-.  A  A  «jiL-..^  '-•-"-'- -MiSaiimStii 


968 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


Mohammed  as  God.  To  quiet  this  disturbance,  Mohammed 
was  brought  up  from  the  lower  earth  and  shown  to  them ;  and 
at  that  time  I  also  saw  him.  He  looked  like  those  corporeal 
spirits  wlio  have  no  interior  perception,  with  a  face  inclined 
to  black.  1  heard  him  utter  these  words,  "I  am  your  Moham- 
med ;"  and  immediately  he  seemed  to  sink  down. 

831.  The  Mohammedans  are  hostile  to  the  Christians  main- 
ly because  of  the  Christian  belief  in  three  Divine  persons  and 
the  consequent  worship  of  three  Gods,  and  as  many  Creators ; 
and  still  more  hostile  to  the  Koman  Catholics,  because  of  their 
bending  the  knee  before  images ;  and  for  this  reason  they  call 
them  idolaters;  and  the  former  they  call  fanatics,  declaring 
that  they  make  God  a  three-headed  being,  also  that  they  say 
one  and  mutter  three,  and  consequently  divide  up  omnipotence, 
and  from  one  and  of  one  make  three;  therefore  they  are  like 
famis  with  three  horns,  one  for  each  God,  and  at  the  same  time 
three  for  one;  and  so  they  pray,  so  they  sing,  and  so  they 
harangue  from  their  pulpits. 

832.  The  Mohammedans,  like  all  nations  who  acknowledge 
one  God,  love  justice  and  do  good  from  religion,  have  their  own 
heaven,  but  it  is  outside  of  the  Christian  heaven.  The  Mo- 
hammedan heaven,  however,  is  divided  into  two.  In  the  lower 
they  live  uprightly  with  several  wives;  but  only  those  who 
give  up  their  concubines  and  acknowledge  the  Lord  our  Sav- 
iour, and  also  His  dominion  over  heaven  and  hell,  are  raised 
up  from  this  into  their  higher  heaven.  I  have  heard  that  it  is 
impossible  for  them  to  conceive  of  God  the  Father  and  our 
Lord  as  one,  but  that  it  is  possible  for  them  to  believe  that 
the  Lord  rules  over  the  heavens  and  the  hells  because  He  is 
the  Son  of  God  the  Father.  It  is  because  of  their  holding 
this  belief  that  it  is  granted  them  by  the  Lord  to  ascend  into 
the  higher  heaven. 

833.  That  the  Mohammedan  religion  is  received  by  more 
nations  than  the  Christian  religion,  may  be  a  stumbling-block 
to  those  who  meditate  upon  the  Divine  Providence  and  believe 
at  the  same  time  that  only  those  who  are  born  Christians  can 
be  saved.  But  the  Mohammedan  religion  is  not  a  stumbling- 
block  to  those  who  believe  that  all  things  are  of  the  Divine 
Providence.     Such  inquire  how  this  is,  and  they  find  out.    It 


N.  8331 


THE  MOHAMMEDANS 


9G9 


is  this,  that  the  Mohammedan  religion  acknowledges  the  Lord 
as  the  greatest  prophet,  the  wisest  of  men,  and  also  the  Son  of 
God.    But  as  they  have  made  the  Koran  the  only  book  of 
their  religion,  and  as   in  consequence  the  Mohammed  who 
wrote  it  resides  in  their  thoughts,  and  upon  him  they  bestow 
some  worship,  they  think  but  little  about  our  Lord.    To  make 
it  clearly  known  that  this  religion  was  raised  up  by  the  Di- 
vine Providence  of  the  Lord  to  blot  out  the  idolatry  of  many 
nations,  it  shall  be  set  forth  somewhat  in  order ;  but  first,  as 
to  the  origin  of  all  idolatries.     [2]  Previous  to  that  religion 
idolatrous  worship  was  spread  over  very  many  kingdoms  of 
the  world.    This  was  so  because  the  churches  that  existed  be- 
fore the  Lord's  3oming  were  all  representative  churches.    Such 
was  the  Israelitish  church.     The  tabernacle  there,  the  gar- 
ments of  Aaron,  the  sacrifices,  all  things  belonging  to  the  tem- 
ple at  Jerusalem,  and  even  the  statutes,  were  representative. 
And  among  the  ancients  there  was  a  knowledge  of  correspond- 
ences (which  is  also  the  knowledge  of  representatives),  the 
very  knowledge  of  knowledges.    It  was  cultivated  especially 
in  Egypt,  and  from  it  came  their  hieroglyphics.    From  that 
knowledge  the  signification  of  all  kinds  of  animals  and  all 
kinds  of  trees  was  known,  also  of  mountains,  hills,  rivers, 
and  springs,  and  of  the  sun,  moon  and  stars.    Through  that 
knowledge  they  also  had  a  knowledge  of  spiritual  things,  be- 
cause these  representations  had  their  origin  in  the  things  they 
represented,  which  were  such  as  pertain  to  spiritual  wisdom 
among  the  angels  in  heaven.     [3]   And  as  all  their  worship 
was   representative,   consisting  of  mere   correspondences,   so 
they  worshiped  on  mountains  and  hills,  as  also  in  groves  and 
gardens,  and  sanctified  fountains,  and  moreover  made  sculp- 
tured horses,  oxen,  calves,  and  lambs,  and  also  birds,  fishes, 
and  serpents,  and  placed  them  near  their  temples  and  in  the 
courts  thereof,  and  likewise  in  their  houses,  arranging  them 
in  an  order  that  was  in  accord  with  the  spiritual  things  of  the 
church  to  which  they  corresponded  or  which  they  represented 
and  therefore  signified.    After  a  time,  when  the  knowledge  of 
correspondences  had  been  forgotten,  their  posterity  began  to 
worship  the  sculptured  images  themselves  as  in  themselves 
holy,  not  being  aware  that  the  ancients,  their  forefathers,  saw 


970 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


iiotliing  holy  in  them,  but  only  that  they  represented,  in  ac- 
cordance with  their  correspondences,  what  is  holy.     [4]  Such 
was  the  origin  of  the  idolatries  that  had  filled  so  many  king- 
doms of  the  world.    To  uproot  these  idolatries,  by  the  Lord's 
Divine  Providence  it  came  to  pass  that  a  new  religion  adapted 
to  the  genius  of  the  Orientals  was  introduced,  in  which  there 
was  something  from  the  Word  of  both  Testaments,  and  which 
taught  that  the  Lord  came  into  the  world,  and  that  He  was 
the  greatest  prophet,  the  wisest  of  men,  and  the  Son  of  God. 
This  was  effected  through  Mohammed,  from  whom  that  relig- 
ion was  named.    From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  this  religion 
was  raised  up  by  the  Divine  Providence  of  the  Lord,  and  as 
before  said,  was  adapted  to  the  genius  of  the  Orientals,  in  or- 
der that  it  might  blot  out  the  idolatries  of  so  many  nations 
and  give  them  some  knowledge  of  the  Lord  previous  to  their 
entering  the  spiritual  world,  which  they  do  after  death.    And 
this  religion  would  not  have  been  received  by  so  many  king- 
doms, and  could  not  have  uprooted  their  idolatries,  if  it  had 
not  been  made  conformable  to  the  ideas  of  their  thought,  and 
especially  if  polygamy  had  not  been  permitted,  for  the  reason 
that  the  Orientals  without  that  permission  would  have  been 
inflamed  with  filthy  adulteries  more  than  the  Europeans,  and 
would  have  perished. 

834.  It  was  once  granted  me  to  perceive  the  nature  of  the 
heat  of  their  polygamic  love.    I  had  a  talk  with  one  who  had 
occupied  the  place  of  Mohammed,  and  after  some  conversation 
with  him  at  a  distance  this  substitute  sent  to  me  an  ebony 
spoon  and  some  other  things,  which  were  proofs  that  they 
came  from  him ;  and  at  the  same  time  there  were  opened  from 
various  places  outlets  for  the  heat  of  their  polygamic  love. 
From  some  of  these  this  was  felt  to  be  like  the  heat  in  bath- 
ing rooms  after  bathing,  from  some  like  the  heat  in  kitchens 
where  meats  are  boiling,  from  some  like  the  heat  in  eating- 
houses  where  strong-smelling  food  is  exposed  for  sale,  from 
some  like  the  heat  in  apothecaries  cellars,  where  emulsions 
and  such  things  are  prepared,  from  some  like  the  heat  in 
stews  and  brothels,  and  from  others  like  the  heat  in  stores 
where  skins,  leather  and  shoes  are  sold.    There  was  also  some- 
thing rank,  harsh  and  burning  in  the  heat,  arising  from  jeaL 


N.  834] 


THE  MOHAMMEDANS 


971 


ousy.  But  the  heat  in  the  Christian  heavens,  when  the  de- 
light of  their  love  is  perceived  as  an  odor,  is  fragrant  like  the 
odor  in  gardens,  vineyards,  and  rose-gardens,  in  some  places 
like  that  where  spices  are  sold,  and  in  others  like  that  of 
wine-presses  and  wine-cellars.  That  the  delights  from  loves 
in  the  spiritual  world  are  frequently  perceived  as  odors  has 
been  shown  throughout  my  Memorable  Kelations  which  follow 
the  chapters. 


THE  AFRICANS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  WORLD;   ALSO   SOMETHING  IN 

REGARD  TO  THE  GENTILES. 

835.  The  Gentiles  who  have  known  nothing  about  the  Lord 
are  seen  in  the  spiritual  world  round  about  those  who  have 
known  Him ;  yet  so  arranged  that  the  outmost  border  is  formed 
exclusively  of  those  who  are  thorough  idolaters,  and  who  in 
the  former  world  worshiped  the  sun  and  moon.  But  those  who 
acknowledge  one  God,  and  who  accept  such  precepts  as  the 
Decalogue  contains  as  the  precepts  of  the  religion  and  conse- 
quently of  their  life,  communicate  more  directly  with  the 
Christians  at  the  center ;  for  in  this  case  the  communication  is 
not  intercepted  by  the  Mohammedans  and  Papists.  The  Gen- 
tiles are  also  distinguished  according  to  their  genius  and  their 
capacity  to  receive  light  through  the  heavens  from  the  Lord; 
for  there  are  among  them  some  who  are  interior  and  some  who 
are  exterior,  which  difference  comes  partly  from  climate,  part- 
ly from  the  stock  from  which  they  have  sprung,  partly  from 
education,  and  partly  from  religion.  The  Africans  are  more 
interior  than  the  others. 

836.  All  who  acknowledge  and  worship  one  God,  the  Crear 
tor  of  the  luiiverse,  cherish  an  idea  of  God  as  being  a  Man; 
they  say  that  no  one  can  have  any  other  idea  of  Him.  When 
they  hear  that  many  cherish  the  idea  that  God  is  like  ether  or 
a  cloud,  they  ask  where  such  people  are ;  and  when  told  that 
they  are  among  the  C'hristians  they  deny  that  it  is  possible. 
P>ut  they  are  told  that  they  get  this  idea  from  God's  l)eiiig 
called  in  the  AVord  a  Spirit,  and  of  spirit  they  have  no  other 


972 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


idea  than  that  it  is  an  ethereal  substance,  or  some  kind  of  a 
cloud,  not  knowing  that  every  spirit  and  every  angel  is  a  man. 
When  a  further  inquiry  is  made  to  ascertain  whether  their 
spiritual  idea  is  similar  to  their  natural  idea,  it  is  found  to  be 
different  with  those  who  interiorly  acknowledge  the  Lord  as 
the  God  of  heaven  and  earth.    I  heard  a  certain  elder  saying 
that  no  man  could  conceive  of  a  Divine  Human ;  and  1  saw  him 
taken  among  different  Gentile  peoples,  to  the  more  and  more 
interior  of  them,  also  to  their  heavens,  and  finally  to  the  Chris- 
tian heaven,  and  their  interior  perception  of  God  was  every- 
where communicated  to  him;  and  he  observed  that  they  had 
no  other  tdea  of  Gotl  than  that  of  a  Divine  Man,  and  that  by 
no  other  God  could  man,  who  is  an  image  and  likeness  of  God, 
have  been  created. 

837.  As  the  Africans  surpass  all  other  Gentiles  in  interior 
judgment,  I  have  had  conversation  with  them  on  matters  of 
more  profound  inquiry,  and  latterly  about  God,  and  the  Lord 
the  Redeemer,  and  about  the  inner  and  outer  man.     And  as 
they  were  deliglited  with  this  conversation,  I  will  state  some 
of  the  things  relating  to  these  three  subj.ects  wiiich  they  per- 
ceived from  interior  sight.     Of  God  they  said,  that  He  cer- 
tainly did  descend  and  present  Himself  to  be  seen  by  men, 
inasmuch  as  He  is  their  Creator,  Protector  and  Guide,  and  the 
human  race  is  His;  also  that  He  sees,  surveys  and  provides 
each  and  all  things  that  are  in  the  heavens  and  on  earth,  re- 
garding their  good  as  if  it  were  in  Himself,  and  Himself  as  in 
them ;  and  this,  because  He  is  the  sun  of  the  angelic  heaven, 
which  is  to  be  seen  as  high  above  the  spiritual  world  as  the 
sun  of  the  earth  is  above  the  natural  world,  and  as  He  is  that 
sun,  He  sees,  surveys,  and  provides  each  thing  and  all  things 
that  are  beneath  Him.    And  as  it  is  His  Divine  Love  that  ap- 
pears as  a  sun,  it  follows  that  Ke  provides  both  for  the  great- 
est and  for  the  least  such  things  as  pertain  to  their  life,  and 
for  men  such  things  as  pertain  to  love  and  wisdom,  whatever 
pertains  to  love  by  means  of  the  heat  of  that  sun,  and  whatever 
pertains  to  wisdom  by  means  of  its  light.    If,  tlierefore,  you 
form  to  yourselves  an  idea  of  God  as  the  sun  of  the  universe, 
you  will  certainly  from  that  idea  see  and  acknowledge  His  om- 
nipresence, omniscience,  and  omnipotence. 


N.  838] 


THE  AFRICANS 


973 


838.  I  had  a  further  talk  with  them  about  the  Lord  the 
Saviour.    It  was  said  that  God  in  His  essence  is  Divine  love, 
and  that  Divine  love  is  like  the  purest  fire;  and  as  love  viewed 
in  itself  seeks  no  other  end  than  to  become  one  with  him 
whom  it  loves,  so  the  Divine  love  seeks  no  other  end  than  to 
unite  itself  to  man  and  man  to  itself,  even  until  It  is  in  him 
and  he  in  It.    And  since  the  Divine  love  is  like  the  purest 
fire,  it  is  evident  that  God,  being  such  a  fire,  could  not  in  the 
least  degree  be  in  man  and  cause  man  to  be  in  Him,  for  He 
would  thus  reduce  the  entire  man  to  a  most  subtle  vapor. 
But  inasmuch  as  God  from  His  very  essence  burned  with  a 
love  to  unite  Himself  with  man,  to  do  this  He  must  needs 
veil  Himself  with  a  body  adapted  to  reception  and  conjunc- 
tion.   For  this  reason  He  came  down  and  took  on  a  Human  in 
accordance  with  the  order  established  by  Him  from  the  crea- 
tion, of  the  world;  which  order  was,  that  by  means  of  a  power 
generated  from  Himself  a  Human  should  be  conceived,  car- 
ried in  the  womb,  and  born,  and  then  increase  in  wisdom  and 
love,  and  thereby  draw  near  to  a  union  with  its  Divine  origin; 
thus  God  became  Man  and  Man  became  God.    That  this  is 
true  the  Scripture  respecting  Him  (which  exists  among  Chris- 
tians and  is  called  the  Word),  clearly  teaches  and  testifies; 
and  God  Himself,  who  in  His  Human  is  called  Jesus  Christ, 
declares  that  the  Father  is  in  Him  and  He  in  the  Father,  and 
that  whosoever  sees  Him  sees  the  Father;  besides  other  things 
to  the  same  purport.    That  God,  whose  love  is  like  the  purest 
fire,  could  unite  Himself  to  man  and  man  to  Himself  in  no 
other  way  reason  also  can  see.    Is  it  possible  for  the  sun's  fire 
as  it  is  in  itself  to  touch  man,  still  less  to  enter  into  him,  un- 
less it  veils  its  rays  with  atmospheres,  and  thus  by  a  tempered 
heat  presents  itself  in  an  adapted  form  ?   Is  it  possible  for  the 
pure  ether  to  envelop  man,  still  less  enter  his  bronchial  tubes, 
unless  it  is  made  dense  with  air,  and  thus  adapted  ?    A  fish  is 
not  able  even  to  draw  breath  in  the  air,  but  only  in  an  ele- 
ment adapted  to  its  life ;  nor  indeed  is  a  king  on  earth  able  to 
administer  each  and  all  the  affairs  of  his  kingdom  in  his  own 
person  or  directly,  but  only  by  means  of  higher  and  lower 
officers,  who  together  constitute  his  royal  body.    Kor  can  a 
man's  soul  render  itself  visible  to  another,  enter  into  compan- 


■fJL...    J*. 9  -!,■  ,t*a>  ~-,£r,Ajer-^'  >-- ^-. 


.jcai8.aiSMia£^iiialEai*a-Aarf.£irf!:J 


974 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


ionship  with  him,  and  communicate  proofs  of  his  love,  except 
by  means  of  a  body.  How  then  can  God  do  so  except  through 
a  Human  of  His  own  ?  The  Africans  when  they  heard  these 
things  had  a  clearer  perception  of  them  than  others,  because 
they  are  more  interiorly  rational ;  and  each  one  favored  them 
in  accordance  with  his  perception. 

839.  Finally  we  talked  about  the  interior  and  exterior  man. 
It  was  said  that  men  who  perceive  things  interiorly  are  in  the 
light  of  truth,  which  is  the  light  of  heaven,  while  those  who 
perceive  things  exteriorly  are  in  no  light  of  truth,  because 
they  are  in  the  light  of  the  world  only;  thus  interior  men  are 
in  intelligence  and  wisdom,  but  exterior  men  are  in  insanity 
and  in  distorted  vision  (n.  345);  that  interior  men  are  spirit- 
ual because  they  think  from  the  spirit  exalted  above  the  body, 
and  therefore  see  truths  in  light;  while  exterior  men  are  sen- 
sual-natural because  they  think  from  the  fallacies  of  the  bod- 
ily senses ;  therefore  they  see  truths  as  in  a  thick  cloud,  and 
when  they  reflect  upon  them  in  themselves  they  see  fallacies 
as  truths;  that  internal  men  are  like  those  standing  on  a 
mountain  in  the  midst  of  a  plain,  or  on  a  tower  in  a  city,  or 
on  a  lighthouse  at  sea;  while  external  men  are  like  those 
standing  in  a  valley  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  in  a  vault  be- 
neath a  tower,  or  in  a  boat  at  the  foot  of  a  lighthouse,  seeing 
only  what  lies  nearest  to  them.    Moreover,  internal  men  are 
like  those  who  live  in  the  second  or  third  story  of  a  house  or 
palace,  the  walls  of  which  are  a  continuous  window  of  clear 
glass,  who  look  round  about  upon  the  city  in  its  whole  extent 
and  recognize  every  cottage  in  it;  while  external  men  are  like 
those  who  live  in  the  lowest  story,  the  windows  of  which  are 
made  of  pasted  pieces  of  paper,  who  cannot  see  even  a  single 
street  outside  of  the  house,  but  only  what  is  within  it,  and  not 
even  that,  except  by  the  light  of  a  candle  or  of  the  fire.    And 
again,  internal  men  are  like  eagles  soaring  aloft  and  seeing  all 
things  spread  out  beneath  them;  while  external  men,  on  the 
other  hand,  are  like  cocks  standing  on  a  post  and  crowing 
aloud  before  the  hens  that  are  walking  on  the  ground.    Fur- 
thermore, internal  men  perceive  that  what  they  know  com- 
pared with  what  they  do  not  know  is  like  water  in  a  pitcher 
as  compared  to  that  in  a  lake;  while  external  men  have  no 


N.  839] 


THE  AFRICANS 


975 


other  thought  than  they  they  know  everything.  The  Africans 
were  delighted  with  these  remarks,  because  from  the  mterior 
vision  in  which  they  excel  they  recognized  that  it  was  so. 

840.  Because  the  Africans  are  such,  a  revelation  has  been 
made  among  them  at  the  present  time,  which  is  spreading 
round  about  from  the  region  where  it  began,  but  has  not  yet 
reached  the  coasts.    They  keep  aloof  from  European  strangers 
who  believe  that  man  is  saved  by  faith  alone,  and  thus  by  mere 
thought  and  word,  and  not  by  will  and  deed  also;  saymg  that 
he  is  no  man  who  has  any  worship  and  fails  to  live  accordmg 
to  his  religion,  for  then  he  must  needs  become  stupid  and 
wicked,  because  he  then  receives  nothing  from  heaven.    They 
also  call  crafty  wickedness  stupidity,  because  there  is  no  life 
in  it  but  death  only.    I  have  several  times  talked  with  Augus- 
tine, who  was  bishop  of  Hippo  in  Africa,  in  the  third  century. 
He  said  that  he  is  there  at  this  time,  inspiring  them  with  the 
worship  of  the  Lord,  and  that  there  is  hope  that  this  new  gos- 
pel will  be  extended  into  the  surrounding  regions.    I  have 
heard  the  angels  rejoicing  over  that  revelation,  because  through 
it  there  is  being  opened  to  them  a  communication  with  the 
human  rational,  hitherto  closed  up  by  the  universal  dogma 
that  the  understanding  must  be  kept  in  obedience  to  the  faith 
of  the  ministers  of  the  church. 


THE   JEWS    IN    THE    SPIRITUAL    WORLD. 

841.  Previous  to  the  last  judgment,  which  took  place  in  the 
year  1757,  the  Jews  appeared  in  a  valley  in  the  spiritual  world 
at  the  left  side  of  the  Christian  center.  Afterwards  they  were 
transferred  to  the  north,  and  intercourse  with  Christians,  ex- 
cept with  those  wandering  outside  of  the  cities,  was  forbidden 
them.  In  this  quarter  there  are  two  large  cities  to  which  the 
Jews  were  taken  after  death,  and  both  of  these,  previous  to  the 
judgment,  they  called  Jerusalem,  but  after  it  by  another  name ; 
because  since  the  judgment  «  Jerusalem''  means  a  church  with 
reference  to  doctrine  wherein  the  Lord  alone  is  worshiped.  In 
their  cities  converted  Jews  are  placed  over  them  who  warn 


rtMMiMMUfliiB 


MHHMtefiHM 


976 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


them  not  to  speak  contemptuously  of  Christ,  and  who  punish 
those  that  persist  in  doing  so.  The  streets  of  their  cities  are 
filled  with  mud  ankle-deep;  and  the  houses  are  full  of  filth, 
from  which  they  smell  so  abominably  that  they  cannot  be 
approached.  I  afterward  noticed  that  others  of  that  nation 
obtained  a  place  of  abode  in  the  southern  quarter;  and  when 
I  asked  who  they  were  I  was  told  that  they  were  those  who 
made  light  of  the  worship  of  the  rest,  and  who  questioned  in 
their  minds  whether  the  Messiah  would  come,  and  who  had 
also  thought  rationally  about  various  matters  in  the  world, 
and  had  lived  accordingly.  Those  called  Portuguese  Jews 
constitute  the  greater  part  of  this  class. 

842.  Sometimes  an  angel  with  a  staff  in  his  hand  is  seen  by 
the  Jews,  above,  at  a  middle  altitude,  who  gives  them  to  be- 
lieve that  he  is  Moses.  He  exhorts  them  to  refrain  from  their 
senseless  expectation  even  there  of  a  Messiah,  since  Christ  is 
the  Messiah,  who  rides  them  and  all  men;  telling  them  that  he 
knows  this  and  also  knew  of  Him  when  he  was  in  the  world. 
When  they  have  heard  this  they  go  away.  The  greater  part  of 
them  forget  it,  but  a  few  remember  it,  and  these  are  sent  to  syn- 
agogues composed  of  converted  Jews,  and  are  instructed ;  and 
when  they  have  been  instructed,  new  clothes  in  place  of  their 
tattered  ones  are  given  them,  also  a  copy  of  the  Word  neatly 
written,  and  a  not  unhandsome  dwelling  in  the  city.  But  those 
who  do  not  receive  are  cast  down,  many  of  them  into  forests 
and  deserts,  where  they  practise  robbery  among  each  other. 

843.  In  that  world  as  in  the  former  the  Jews  traffic  in  va- 
rious articles,  especially  in  precious  stones,  which  they  obtain 
for  themselves  by  unknown  ways  from  heaven,  where  there 
are  precious  stones  in  abundance.  They  traffic  in  precious 
stones  because  they  read  the  Word  in  the  original  tongue,  and 
hold  the  sense  of  its  letter  to  be  holy,  precious  stones  corre- 
sponding to  that  sense.  That  the  spiritual  origin  of  precious 
stones  is  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word,  and  that  from 
this  arises  their  correspondence,  may  be  seen  above  in  the 
chapter  on  the  Sacred  Scripture  (n.  217,  218).  Moreover,  the 
Jews  are  able  to  imitate  these  stones  artificially,  and  to  i)ro- 
duce  the  illusion  that  they  are  genuine ;  but  those  who  do  so 
are  heavily  fined  by  their  governors. 


N.  844] 


THE  JEWS 


9<  i 


844.  The  Jews  more  than  others  are  unaware  that  they  are 
in  the  spiritual  world,  believing  that  they  are  still  in  the  nat- 
ural world.    This  is  because  they  are  wholly  external  men  and 
give  no  interior  thought  to  any  religious  subject.    Consequent- 
ly, they  continue  to  talk  about  the  Messiah  as  before,  some 
saying  that  He  is  to  come  with  David,  and  glittering  with  dia- 
dems will  go  before  them  and  lead  them  into  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan ;  and  on  the  way  will  dry  up  the  rivers  they  are  to  cross 
by  raising  His  staff,  and  that  Christians  (whom  among  them- 
selves they  also  call  Gentiles)  will  then  take  hold  of  the  skirts 
of  their  garments,  suppliantly  beseeching  permission  to  go 
with  them;  that  they  will  accept  the  rich  according  to  the 
amount  of  their  wealth,  and  that  these  also  shall  serve  them. 
In  this  belief  they  confirm  themselves  by  what  is  written  in 
Zechariah  (viii.  23);  and  in  Isaiah  (Ixvi.  20) ;  also  by  what  is 
said  of  David,  that  he  is  to  come  and  be  their  king  and  shep- 
herd (Jer.  XXX.  9',IJzek.  xxxiv.  23-25;  xxxvii.  23-26).    They 
are  utterly  unwilling  to  hear  that  by  "  David"  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  there  meant  and  by  "  the  Jews"  those  who  will  be- 
long to  His  church. 

845.  When  they  are  asked  whether  they  firmly  believe  that 
they  will  all  get  to  the  land  of  Canaan,  they  say  that  all  will 
then  go  there,  and  that  the  Jews  who  are  dead  will  then  rise 
again,  and  from  their  sepulchres  will  enter  that  land.  To  the 
reply  that  they  cannot  possibly  come  out  of  the  sepulchres,  be- 
cause they  are  already  living  after  death  they  say  that  they 
will  then  descend  and  enter  their  bodies,  and  so  live  again. 
When  told  that  the  land  cannot  hold  them  all,  they  reply  that 
it  will  then  be  enlarged.  When  told  that  the  kingdom  of  the 
Messiah,  because  He  is  the  Son  of  God,  will  not  be  on  earth 
but  in  heaven,  they  reply  that  the  land  of  Canaan  will  then  be 
heaven.  When  told  that  they  do  not  know  where  Bethlehem 
Ephratah  is,  where  the  Messiah  is  to  be  born,  according  to  the 
prediction  in  3Iicah  (v.  2),  and  in  the  Psalms  (cxxxii.  6),  they 
reply  that  the  mother  of  the  Messiah  will  nevertheless  there 
give  birth  to  Him;  and  some  say  that  wherever  she  brings 
forth  there  is  Bethlehem.  When  they  are  asked  how  the  Mes- 
siah can  dwell  with  such  wicked  people,  and  it  is  proved  by 
many  passages  in  Jeremiah,  and  especially  by  the  sons  of 
62 


978 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Sun-LEMENT 


Moses  (Deut  xxxii),  that  they  are  the  worst  of  men,  they  re- 
ply that  among  the  Jews  there  are  both  good  and  bad,  and 
that  the  bad  are  there  meant.  When  they  are  told  that  they 
sprang  from  a  Canaanitish  woman,  and  from  Judah's  whore- 
dom with  his  daughter-in-law  (Gen.  xxxviii.),  they  answer  that 
that  was  not  whoredom.  But  when  to  this  it  is  replied  that 
still  Judah  commanded  her  to  be  brought  forth  and  burnt  for 
whoredom,  they  go  away  to  consult  about  it,  and  after  consul- 
tation say  that  Judah  only  acted  the  part  of  a  brother-in-law, 
a  duty  which  neither  his  second  son,  Onan,  nor  his  third  son, 
Selah,  fulfilled.  And  to  this  they  add  that  very  many  of  them 
are  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  who  held  the  priestly  office,  and  that 
it  is  enough  that  they  are  all  from  the  loins  of  Abraham. 
"WTien  they  are  told  that  within  the  Word  there  is  a  spiritual 
sense  wherein  Christ  or  the  Messiah  is  fully  treated  of,  they 
reply  that  this  is  not  true ;  and  some  of  them  say  that  within 
the  Word,  or  in  its  depths,  there  is  nothing  but  gold;  and 
other  such  statements  they  make. 

846.  I  was  once  taken  up  as  to  my  spirit  into  the  angelic 
heaven  and  into  a  society  there;  and  some  of  the  wise  ones 
there  came  to  me  and  asked,  "  What  news  from  the  earth  P" 

I  answered,  "  The  news  is  that  the  Lord  has  revealed  mys- 
teries, which  in  excellence  surpass  all  the  mysteries  revealed 
from  the  beginning  of  the  church  even  to  the  present  time.'' 

They  asked  "What  are  they?" 

I  replied,  "They  are  the  following:  (i.)  That  in  each  thing 
and  in  all  things  in  the  Word  there  is  a  Spiritual  Sense  corre- 
sponding to  the  natural  sense;  that  by  means  of  that  sense 
the  Word  conjoins  the  men  of  the  church  with  the  Lord,  and 
also  associates  them  with  angels ;  and  that  the  holiness  of  the 
Word  resides  in  that  sense.  [2]  (ii.)  The  Correspondences  of 
which  the  spiritual  sense  consists  are  disclosed." 

The  angels  asked,  "Did  not  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
know  about  correspondences  before  this  ?" 

I  answered,  "Nothing  whatever;  these  have  been  hidden 
now  for  thousands  of  years,  that  is,  since  the  time  of  Job ;  but 
among  those  who  lived  at  that  time  and  before  it,  the  knowl- 
edge of  correspondences  was  the  knowledge  of  knowledges, 
from  which  they  had  wisdom,  because  thereby  they  had  knowl- 


N.  846] 


CONCLUDING  RELATION 


979 


edge  of  the  spiritual  things  pertaining  to  heaven  and  the 
church.  But  because  that  knowledge  was  changed  into  idola- 
trous ideas,  it  became,  by  the  Lord's  Divine  Providence,  so 
obliterated  and  lost  that  not  the  least  sign  of  it  remained 
visible.  Nevertheless  it  is  now  disclosed  by  the  Lord,  in  or- 
der that  a  conjunction  of  the  men  of  the  church  with  the  Lord 
and  their  affiliation  with  the  angels,  may  be  effected,  and  this 
is  done  by  means  of  the  Word,  wherein  each  thing  and  all 
things  are  correspondences." 

The  angels  rejoiced  exceedingly  that  it  had  pleased  the  Lord 
to  reveal  this  great  mystery,  so  deeply  hidden  for  thousands 
of  years ;  and  they  said  that  this  was  done  in  order  that  the 
Christian  church,  which  is  founded  on  the  Word,  and  which  is 
now  at  its  end,  may  again  revive  and  draw  breath  through 
heaven  from  the  Lord.  They  asked  whether  the  signification 
of  baptism  and  of  the  holy  supper,  about  which  such  different 
opinions  have  heretofore  been  held,  is  now  disclosed  by  means 
of  that  knowledge. 

I  replied  that  it  was. 

[3]  (iii.)  I  said  further  that  the  Lord  had  at  this  time  made 
a  revelation  respecting  the  life  of  men  after  death. 

The  angels  said,  "  What  about  the  life  after  death  ?  Does 
not  every  one  know  that  man  lives  after  death  ?" 

I  replied,  "  They  know  it  and  they  do  not  know  it.  They 
say  that  man  does  not  live  after  death,  but  only  his  soul,  and 
that  this  lives  as  a  spirit;  and  the  idea  they  have  of  spirit  is 
that  it  is  like  wind  or  ether;  and  they  say  that  man  does  not 
live  as  a  man  until  after  the  day  of  the  last  judgment,  when 
the  corporeal  elements  which  he  had  left  in  the  world,  although 
eaten  up  by  worms,  mice,  and  fishes,  would  be  collected  to- 
gether again,  and  again  formed  into  a  body,  and  that  in  this 
way  men  will  rise  again." 

The  angels  said,  "How  is  this?  Does  not  every  one  know 
that  man  lives  a  man  after  death,  with  the  sole  difference  that 
he  then  lives  a  substantial  man,  not  a  material  man,  as  before, 
and  that  the  substantial  man  sees  the  substantial  man,  in  the 
same  way  as  the  material  man  sees  the  material,  and  that  men 
know  no  difference  except  that  they  are  in  a  more  perfect 
state." 


ftwtamut!  iiltHi  ii  dwiMMiiiiliiii  ■~Ai*'y;nM  ir  m«  'lii' 


980 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


[4]  (iv.)  The  angels  asked,  "  WTiat  do  they  know  about  our 
world,  and  about  heacen  and  hell?^^ 

I  answered,  "  They  have  known  nothing ;  but  at  this  day  the 
nature  of  the  world  in  which  angels  and  spirits  live,  that  is, 
the  nature  of  heaven  and  of  hell,  has  been  disclosed  by  the 
Lord ;  also  that  angels  and  spirits  are  in  conjunction  with  men, 
besides  many  wonderful  things  respecting  them." 

The  angels  rejoiced  that  it  had  pleased  the  Lord  to  disclose 
such  things,  so  that  man  might  no  longer  from  ignorance  be 
in  doubt  respecting  his  immortality. 

[5]  (v.)  I  said  further,  "  It  has  been  revealed  by  the  Lord 
at  this  time  that  there  is  in  your  world  2i  sini  different  from 
that  of  our  world;  that  the  sun  of  your  world  is  pure  love,  and 
the  sun  of  our  world  pure  fire;  consequently  all  that  goes  forth 
from  your  sun,  because  it  is  pure  love,  partakes  of  life,  while 
all  that  goes  forth  from  our  sun,  because  it  is  pure  fire,  par- 
takes not  at  all  of  life ;  also  that  this  is  the  nature  of  the  dif- 
ference between  the  spiritual  and  the  natural,  which  diiference, 
hitherto  unknown,  has  also  been  disclosed.  And  all  this  has 
made  clear  the  source  of  the  light  that  enlightens  the  human 
understanding  with  wisdom,  and  of  the  heat  which  enkindles 
the  human  will  with  love.  [6]  (vi.)  And  still  further,  it  has 
been  disclosed  that  there  are  three  degrees  of  life,  and  conse- 
quently three  heavens ;  that  the  mind  of  man  is  divided  into 
those  degrees,  and  that  man  therefore  corresponds  to  the  three 

heavens." 

The  angels  asked,  "Did  not  men  know  this  before?" 
I  answered  that  they  knew  about  the  degrees  existing  be- 
tween more  and  less,  but  nothing  about  the  degrees  between 
the  prior  and  the  posterior. 

[7]   (vii.)  The  angels  asked  w^hether  anything  further  had 

been  revealed. 

I  said  that  many  other  things  had ;  in  respect  to  the  Last 
Judgment;  the  Lord,  as  being  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth; 
God,  as  being  one  both  in  Person  and  in  Essence  in  whom  is 
a  Divine  Trinity,  and  as  being  the  Lord;  a  New  Church  to  be 
established  by  Him  ;  the  Doctrine  of  that  church;  and  the  Holi- 
ness of  the  Sacred  Scripture;  that  the  Apocalypse  had  been  un- 
folded ;  an  account  had  been  given  of  the  Inhahitants  of  the 


K.  846] 


CONCLUDING  RELATION 


981 


Planets ;  also  an  account  of  the  Earths  in  the  Universe;  with 
many  other  memorable  and  wonderful  matters  from  the  spirit- 
ual world,  whereby  much  more  pertaining  to  wisdom  had  been 
divulged  from  heaven. 

847.  After  this  I  again  talked  with  the  angels,  and  told 
them  that  another  matter  still  had  been  revealed  in  the  world 
by  the  Lord. 

They  asked  what.    I  said,  "  Eespecting  love  truly  conjugial 

and  its  spiritual  delights." 

The  angels  said,  "Who  does  not  know  that  the  delights  of 
conjugial  love  surpass  those  of  all  other  loves?  And  who  can- 
not see  that  into  some  one  love  all  kinds  of  blessedness,  hap- 
piness, and  delight  that  it  is  possible  for  the  Lord  to  bestow 
may  be  gathered  together,  and  that  the  recipient  love  of  these 
is  true  conjugial  love,  since  that  love  corresponds  to  the  love 
of  the  Lord  and  the  church,  and  is  capable  of  receiving  and 
perceiving  a  full  sense  of  these  joys?" 

I  replied,  that  men  are  ignorant  of  this,  because  they  have 
not  approached  the  Lord,  and  so  have  not  shunned  the  lusts  of 
the  flesh,  and  therefore  could  not  be  regenerated;  and  love 
truly  conjugial  is  from  the  Lord  alone,  and  is  given  to  those 
who  are  regenerated  by  Him ;  and  these  are  they  who  are  re- 
ceived into  the  Lord's  New  Church,  which  is  meant  in  the 
Apocalypse  by  "the  New  Jerusalem."  And  to  this  I  added  that 
I  doubted  whether  those  in  the  world  at  this  day  are  willing 
to  believe  that  this  love  is  in  itself  spiritual,  and  therefore 
from  religion,  since  they  cherish  a  merely  corporeal  idea  of  it; 
and  therefore  are  willing  to  believe  that  since  it  is  in  accord 
with  religion,  it  is  spiritual  with  the  spiritual,  natural  with 
the  natural,  and  merely  carnal  with  adulterers. 

848.  The  angels  were  exceedingly  delighted  with  both  of 
these  conversations,  but  perceiving  a  sadness  in  me,  they  asked, 
"  Why  are  you  sad  ?" 

I  said,  "Because  these  mysteries  that  are  now  revealed  by 
the  Lord,  although  they  surpass  in  excellence  and  dignity  all 
the  knowledge  hitherto  divulged,  are  nevertheless  regarded  on 
the  earth  as  of  no  value." 

At  this  the  angels  were  astonished,  and  besought  the  Lord 
to  permit  them  to  look  down  upon  the  world ;  and  they  looked 


982 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


N.  849] 


CONCLUDING  RELATION 


983 


down,  and  behold,  mere  darkness  was  there.    And  they  were 
told  to  write  these  mysteries  on  paper  and  the  paper  would  be 
let  down  to  the  earth,  and  they  would  see  a  strange  sight.    This 
was  done,  and  behold,  the  paper  on  which  these  mysteries  were 
written  being  let  down  from  heaven,  in  its  progress  while  it 
was  still  in  the  spiritual  world  shone  like  a  star,  but  when  it 
reached  the  natural  world  its  light  waned,  and  as  it  fell  was 
darkened.    And  when  it  was  let  down  by  the  angels  into  as- 
semblies of  learned  and  accomplished  clergy  and  laymen  a 
murmur  of  many  voices  was  heard,  in  which  were  the  words, 
"  What  is  this  ?    Is  it  anything  ?    What  matters  it  whether 
we  know  these  things  or  not?    Are  they  not  mere  progeny 
of  the  brain  T'    And  the  appearance  was  that  some  of  them 
took  the  paper  and  folded  it  up  and  rolled  and  unrolled  it 
with  their  fingers,  and  that  others  tore  it  to  pieces  and  wished 
to  trample  it  under  foot.     But  they  were  withheld  by  the 
Lord  from  such  an  outrage,  and  the  angels  were  directed  to 
withdraw  the  paper  and  guard  it.    And  because  the  angels 
were  thereby  saddened,  and  thought  "How  long  shaU  this 
be  V^  it  was  said : — 

For  a  time,  and  times,  and  half  a  time  {Apoc.  xii.  14). 

849.  After  this  I  heard  a  hostile  murmur  from  the  lower 
regions,  and  with  it  these  words,  "  W^ork  miracles  and  we  will 

believe." 

I  answered,  "  Are  not  these  things  miracles  T' 

They  replied,  "  They  are  not." 

I  asked,  "What  then,  are  miracles?" 

They  said,  "  Show  and  reveal  future  events,  and  we  will 

have  faith." 

But  I  said,  "  Such  things  -are  not  granted  by  the  Lord,  be- 
cause so  far  as  a  man  knows  what  is  to  come  his  reason  and 
understanding,  with  his  prudence  and  wisdom  sink  into  ineit- 
ness  and  become  torpid  and  collapse." 

Again  I  asked,  "What  other  miracles  shall  I  work." 
Then  arose  the  cry,  "  Such  as  Moses  wrought  in  Egypt." 
And  I  replied,  "Perhaps  you  would  harden  your  hearts 
thereat,  like  Pharaoh  and  the  Egyptians." 
The  answer  was  "  No." 


Again  I  said,  "Assure  me  that  you  will  not  dance  about  a 
golden  calf  and  worship  it,  as  the  posterity  of  Jacob  did  a 
single  month  after  they  had  seen  all  Mount  Sinai  burning, 
and  had  heard  Jehovah  Himself  speaking  out  of  the  fire,  thus 
after  the  greatest  of  all  miracles."  ("A  golden  calf"  means  in 
the  spiritual  sense  the  pleasures  of  the  flesh.) 

An  answer  came  from  the  lower  regions,  "W^e  will  not  be 
like  the  posterity  of  Jacob." 

At  that  moment  I  heard  it  said  to  them  from  heaven, "  If  you 
believe  not  Moses  and  the  Prophets,  that  is,  the  Word  of  the 
Lord,  you  will  not  believe  on  account  of  miracles,  any  more  than 
the  posterity  of  Jacob  did  in  the  desert,  or  any  more  than 
they  believed  when  with  their  own  eyes  they  saw  the  miracles 
wrought  by  the  Lord  Himself  when  He  was  in  the  world." 

850.  After  this  I  saw  some  persons  ascending  from  the 
lower  regions,  from  which  these  things  had  been  heard;  and 
addressing  me  in  a  grave  tone,  they  said,  "  How  is  it  that  your 
Lord  revealed  the  mysteries  that  you  have  just  enumerated 
in  a  long  series,  to  you  who  are  a  layman,  and  not  to  some 
one  of  the  clergy?" 

To  this  I  replied,  "  Such  was  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Lord, 
who  prepared  me  for  this  office  from  my  early  youth.  Never- 
theless, I  will  ask  you  a  question  in  return ;  Why  did  the  Lord, 
when  in  the  world,  choose  fishermen  for  His  disciples,  instead 
of  some  of  the  lawyers,  scribes,  priests,  or  rabbis  ?  Discuss  this 
question  among  yourselves,  draw  your  conclusions  from  judg- 
ment, and  you  will  discover  the  reason." 

When  they  heard  this,  a  murmur  arose  among  them,  and 
then  they  became  silent. 

851.  I  forsee  that  many  who  read  the  Memorable  Kelations 
annexed  to  the  chapters  in  this  work  will  believe  them  to  be 
inventions  of  the  imagination.  But  I  affirm  in  truth  that  they 
are  not  inventions,  but  were  truly  seen  and  heard;  not  seen  and 
heard  in  any  sleeping  state  of  mind,  but  in  a  state  of  full  wake- 
fulness. For  it  has  pleased  the  Lord  to  manifest  Himself  to 
me,  and  to  send  me  to  teach  those  things  which  will  belong  to 
His  New  Church,  which  is  meant  by  "  the  New  Jerusalem"  in 
the  Apocalypse.  For  this  purpose  He  has  opened  the  interiors 
of  my  mind  or  spirit,  whereby  I  have  been  permitted  to  be  in  the 


iSsMiiiiiii^f'^miikm  n^-S^^SfSHM'li^lS^S^^S^i^^ 


984 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


spiritual  world  with  angels,  and  at  the  same  time  in  the  nat- 
ural  world  with  men,  and  this  now  during  twenty -seven  years. 
Who  in  the  Christian  world  could  have  known  anything 
about  Heaven  and  Hell,  had  it  not  pleased  the  Lord  to  open 
the  sight  of  some  one's  spirit,  and  show  and  teach  him  ?    That 
such  things  as  are  described  in  the  Memorable  Relations  do 
appear  in  the  heavens  is  made  clear  by  the  like  things  seen 
and  described  by  John  in  the  Apocalypse,  also  in  the  Word  of 
the  Old  Testament  by  the  prophets.    [i2]  In  the  Apocalypse  are 
the  followmg :  John  saw  the  Son  of  man  in  the  midst  of  the 
seven  candlesticks ;  he  saw  in  heaven  the  tabernacle,  the  tem- 
ple, the  ark,  and  the  altar ;  he  saw  a  book  sealed  with  seven 
seals ;  he  saw  this  opened,  and  horses  going  out  of  it ;  he  saw 
four  animals  round  about  the  throne ;  twelve  thousand  chosen 
out  of  each  tribe ;  locusts  ascending  from  the  abyss ;  a  woman 
bringing  forth  a  male  child,  and  fleeing  into  the  desert  on  ac- 
count of  the  dragon ;  two  beasts,  one  going  up  out  of  the  sea 
and  the  other  out  of  the  earth;  an  angel  flying  in  the  midst  of 
heaven  having  an  eternal  Gospel ;  a  sea  of  glass  mingled  with 
fire;  seven  angels  having  the  seven  last  plagues;  bowls  poured 
out  by  them  on  the  earth,  the  sea,  the  rivers,  the  sun,  the  throne 
of  the  beast,  the  Euphrates,  and  the  air;  a  woman  sitting  on  a 
scarlet  beast;  the  dragon  cast  into  a  lake  of  fire  and  brim- 
stone ;  a  white  horse ;  a  great  supper;  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth;  the  holy  Jerusalem  coming  down  out  of  heaven,  the 
gates,  walls,  and  foundations  of  which  he  describes ;  also  the 
river  of  the  water  of  life,  and  trees  of  life  bearing  fruit  every 
month;  with  many  other  things,  all  of  which  were  seen  by 
John,  and  seen  when  as  to  his  spirit  he  was  in  the  spiritual 
world  and  in  heaven.     Add  what  was   seen  by  the  apostles 
after  the  Lord's  resurrection,  and  later  by  Peter  {Acts  xi.),  and 
what  was  seen  and  heard  by  Paul ;  and  still  further  what  was 
seen  by  the  prophets  in  the  Old  Testament,  as  by  Ezeklel, 
That  he  saw  four  living  creatures,  which  were  cherubs  {Ezek.  i.  and  x.). 
A  new  temple  and  a  new  earth,  and  an  angel  measuring  them  (xl.- 

xlviii.).  ,       •     X-        +K 

He  was  carried  away  to  Jerusalem  and  saw  the  abommations  tnere, 

and  also  into  Chaldea  (viii.  and  xi.). 

[3]   With  Zechariah  like  things  occurred:— 

He  saw  a  man  ridmg  among  myrtle  trees  {Zech.  i.  8-11). 


N.  851] 


CONCLUDING  RELATION 


985 


He  saw  four  horns  ;  and  afterward  a  man  with  a  measurmg  line  in  his 
hand  (i.  and  ii.). 

He  saw  a  flying  roll  and  an  ephah  (v.  1,  6). 

He  saw  four  chariots  between  two  mountains,  and  horses  (vi.  1-8). 

Likewise  with  Daniel: — 

He  saw  four  beasts  coming  up  out  of  the  sea  {Ban.  vii.  1-8). 
He  saw  the  Son  of  man  comhig  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  whose  domm- 
ion  shall  not  pass  away,  and  whose  kingdom  shall  not  be  destroyed  (vii 

13   14). 

He  saw  the  battles  between  the  ram  and  the  he-goat  (viii.  1-27). 

He  saw  the  angel  Gabriel,  and  he  talked  with  him  (ix.). 

The  servant  of  Elisha  saw  chariots  and  hoi-ses  of  Are  round  about  Eli- 
sha,  and  saw  them  when  his  eyes  were  opened  (2  Kings  vi.  17). 

From  these  and  many  other  passages  in  the  Word  it  is  evident 
that  those  things  which  exist  in  the  spiritual  world  have  a})- 
peared  to  many,  both  before  and  since  the  Lord's  coming. 
What  marvel,  then,  tliat  they  should  be  seen  now  also,  when 
a  New  Church  is  commencing,  or  when  the  New  Jerusalem  is 
descending  from  heaven? 


A    THEOREM    PROPOSED    BY    A    CERTAIN    DUKE,    AN    ELECTOR    IN 

GERMANY,    WHO     ALSO     ENJOYED    THE     HIGHEST 

ECCLESIASTICAL    DIGNITY. 

I  once  saw  in  the  spiritual  world  a  certain  duke,  an  elector 
in  Germany,  who  also  enjoyed  the  highest  ecclesiastical  dignity, 
and  near  him  two  bishops  and  two  ministers,  and  from  a  dis- 
tance I  heard  their  conversation.  The  electoral  duke  asked 
the  four  bystanders  whether  they  knew  what  constitutes  the 
head  of  religion  in  Christendom.  The  bishops  replied,  "The 
head  of  religion  in  Christendom  \^  faith  alone  justifying  and 
saving:'  Again  he  asked,  "Do  you  know  what  lies  concealed 
within  that  faith?  Open  it,  look  into  it,  and  tell  me."  They 
replied,  "  That  there  was  nothing  concealed  within  it  but  the 
merit  and  righteousness  of  the  Lord  the  Saviour^  To  this  the 
electoral  duke  answered,  "  Is  there  not  concealed  in  it,  then, 
the  Lord  the  Saviour  in  His  Human,  in  which  He  is  called 
Jesus  Christ,  because  He  alone  in  His  Human  is  Righteous- 


t^BSlMU^ 


rijMflli 


986 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION      [Supplement 


ness  V  To  this  they  replied,  "  That  certainly  and  inseparably 
follows/'  The  electoral  duke  persisted,  saying,  "Open  that 
faith,  look  into  it  further,  examine  it  well,  and  see  whether 
there  is  not  something  else  in  it."  And  the  ministers  said, 
"  The  grace  of  God  the  Father  is  also  concealed  in  it."  To  this 
the  electoral  duke  answered,  "Obtain  a  right  conception  and 
perception  of  the  subject,  and  you  will  see  that  it  is  the  So7i\s 
grace  with  the  Father,  for  the  Son  begs  and  intercedes.  There- 
fore I  say  to  you,  since  you  confess,  revere,  and  kiss  that  faith 
alone  of  yours,  you  ought  by  all  means  to  confess,  revere,  and 
kiss  the  LokI  the  Saviour  in  His  Human  alone;  for,  as  just 
said.  He  in  His  Human  was  and  is  Righteousness.  That  in  this 
Human  He  is  also  Jehovah  and  God,  I  saw  in  the  Sacred 
Writings  from  the  following  passages : — 

Behold,  the  days  will  come,  wlien  I  will  raise  unto  David  a  righteous 
Branch,  and  He  shall  reign  as  a  King  and  prosper  ;  and  this  is  His  name 
whereby  He  shall  be  called,  Jehovah  our  Righteousness  (Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6 ; 
xxxiii.  15,  16). 

In  Paul : — 

In  Jesus  Christ  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  Divinity  bodily  {Col.  ii.  9). 

And  in  John: — 

JesCis  Christ  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life  (1  Epistle  v.  20). 

Wherefore  He  is  also  called : — 
The  God  of  faith  {Phil.  iii.  9)." 


nroEX  TO  THE  MEMOHABLE  RELATIONS 


(This  is  the  Anthor^s  Index.     The  figures  refer  to  the  numbered  paragraphs) 


I. 

I  heard  certain  new-comers  in  the  spiritual  world  talking  together  about  three  Di- 
viL  Xns  from  eternity;  and  then  a  certain  one  who  in  the  world  had  been  a  pn- 
mate^pened  the  ideas  of  his  thought  respecting  that  mystery,  saymg  that  xt  had 
bin  a  "d^tm  was  his  opin.on  that  the  three  sit  upon  high  thrones  m  ^-ven^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
Father  upon  a  throne  of  the  finest  gold,  with  a  scepter  m  His  hand    God  the  Son  at 
h!  rSht  hand,  upon  a  throne  of  the  purest  silver  with  a  crown  on  H.s  head;  and  God 
U.e  Holy  Spiri    upon  a  throne  of  shining  crystal,  holding  in  His  hand  a  dove,  m  the 
form  o    wMch  He  appeared  when  Christ  was  baptized,  with  lamps  hangmg  around 
IboTthrmt  triple  order,  glittering  with  precious  stones;  while  at  a  distance  mnu- 
merab  e  a'gels  were  standing  in  a  circle,  worshiping  and  singing  praises.     He  also 
roke  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  how  He  introduces  faith,  purifies  and  justifies.    He  said  tha 
r^ny  o    1  order  favored  his  ideas,  and  he  trusted  that  I  also  as  a  ayman  gave  .hem 
S^it     But  as  an  opportunity  to  speak  was  then  given  me.  I  said  that  from  my  ch  Id- 
hot^  i  have  cherished  the  idea  that  God  is  one.    I  therefore  explained  to  him  what 
the  trnity  involves,  and  what  is  signified  by  throne,  scepter,  and  crown,  where  these 
n  thtword  are  asc  ibed  with  God.    To  this  I  added  that  all  who  believe  in  three  D. 
le  pI!^sons  fron,  eternity  must  necessarily  believe  in  three  Gods;  and.  furthermore, 
that  the  Divine  essence  cannot  be  divided  (n.  16). 

II. 

*  XI-  1=  „K«„t  n.r,(\ that  His  Divine  is  the  Divine  Being  {Esse) 

■   ^,  '  fTd":  *„m  HsS  and  thaUt  is  ot  the  Same,  the  Itse.f.  and  Indivisible; 

eration,  are  attributes  of  one  God,  and  not  of  three  (n.  26). 

III. 

T.        •   •      .1,0*  o  vn^f  multitude  of  men  are  in  the  persuasion  that  all  things  belong 

to=:ir:s;tntrt^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

gymnasium  where  there  were  persons  of  this  kmd  I  spoke  with  a  cer        b 

rejecting  these  three  things:   (1)  Whetlier  nature  is  a  property  of  '  f^' " '^  °„"/,. 

ure;     2)  Whether  the  center  is  from  the  expanse,  or  the  expanse  -  '-"'^'7-  '•^J 

3)  kespecting  the  center  and  the  expanse  of  nature  and  fJ^^'J'^^'J^^^Zl   "is 

nature  is  the  sun  of  the  natural  world,  -<>  '^"^^^  ^^^al  worwlnd  the  expanse  it- 

lastly  it  was  shown  what  the  truth  is  (n.  35). 


i^^j^gjta^^U 


f  t  iiir  I  fiifti-f if "friT-  ■    I  ii'r-^"fr-nltiiiiriitfi«feikiaf 7Ttiiiffllrif^^-i^''«=''a4a^ 


988 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


IV. 

I  was  conducted  to  a  kind  of  theater  of  wisdom  where  angelic  spirits  from  the  four 
quarters  were  assembled  with  an  injunction  from  heaven  to  discuss  three  arcana:  (1) 
What  is  the  image  of  God,  and  what  is  the  Ukeness  of  God.  (2)  Why  is  not  man 
born  into  the  knowledge  proper  to  any  love,  when  even  the  beaets  and  the  birds  are 
born  into  the  knowledge  proper  to  all  their  loves.  (3)  What  do  the  tree  of  life  and 
the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  signify.  And  further,  they  were  to  unite 
the  answers  to  these  three  in  one  opinion,  and  refer  this  to  the  angels  of  heaven;  this 
was  done,  the  opinion  was  referred,  and  was  accepted  by  the  angels  (n.  48). 


V. 

From  evil  spirits  who  were  just  above  hell  a  sound  was  heard  like  the  roaring  of  the 
sea;  which  was  from  a  tumult  that  arose  among  them  from  their  hearing  it  said  above 
them  that  the  Almighty  God  had  bound  Himself  to  order.  A  certain  one  ascending 
therefrom,  addressed  me  sharply  on  the  matter,  saying  that  as  God  is  omnipotent  He 
is  not  bound  to  any  order.  And  on  being  questioned  about  order,  I  said:  (1)  God  is 
Order  itself.  (2)  He  created  man  from  order,  in  order,  and  for  order.  (3)  He  cre- 
ated man's  rational  mind  in  accordance  with  the  order  of  the  spiritual  world,  and  his 
body  in  accordance  with  the  order  of  the  natural  world.  (4)  Therefore  it  is  a  law  of 
order  that  man  from  his  little  spiritual  world  or  little  heaven  should  govern  his  little 
cosmos  or  little  natural  world,  just  as  God  from  His  great  heaven  or  spiritual  world 
governs  His  great  cosmos  or  natural  world.  (5)  Many  other  laws  of  order  flow 
forth  from  these,  some  of  which  are  recited.  What  afterward  befell  those  spirits  is 
described  (n.  71). 

VI. 

Concerning  the  reasoning  between  certain  Dutch  and  British  in  the  spiritual  world 
on  the  subject  of  imputation  and  predestination;  on  the  one  side,  why  God,  since  He 
is  omnipotent,  does  not  impute  the  righteousness  of  His  Son  to  every  man,  and  thus 
make  them  redeemed,  for  being  omnipotent.  He  is  able  to  make  all  the  satans  of  hell 
angels  of  heaven;  and  even,  if  it  be  His  good  pleasure.  He  can  make  Lucifer,  the  drag- 
on, and  all  the  goats,  to  be  archangels;  and  what  is  needed  for  this  but  a  little  word? 
On  the  other  side,  that  God  is  Order  itself,  and  that  He  can  do  nothing  contrary  to 
the  laws  of  His  order;  because  to  act  contrary  to  them  would  be  to  act  contrary  to 
Himself.    Also  much  beside,  about  which  they  contended  on  this  subject  (n.  72). 

VII. 

I  afterward  spoke  with  others  who  had  believed  in  predestination,  deducing  it 
from  God's  absolute  power  or  omnipotence;  saying  that  otherwise  God  would  have 
less  power  than  a  king  in  the  world  who  is  a  despot,  and  who  can  as  easily  change  the 
laws  of  justice  as  he  can  turn  his  hands,  and  can  act  without  restriction,  like  Octavius 
Augustus  and  also  like  Nero.  To  which  it  was  answered,  that  God  created  the  world 
and  each  and  all  things  thereof,  from  Himself  as  Order,  and  thus  impressed  order 
upon  them;  also  that  the  laws  of  His  order  are  just  as  many  as  are  the  truths  in  the 
Word.  Some  of  the  laws  of  order  were  then  recited, — what  they  are,  and  the  nature 
of  them,  on  God's  part,  and  also  on  man's  part.  Tliese  cannot  be  changed,  because 
God  is  Order  itself;  and  man  was  created  an  image  of  His  order  (n.  73). 

VIIL 

I  spoke  with  clergymen  and  laymen  who  had  gathered  together,  concerning  the  Di- 
vine omnipotence;  and  they  said  that  omnipotence  is  unlimited,  and  that  limited 
onmipotence  is  a  contradiction.    To  this  it  was  answered,  that  there  is  no  contradic- 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


989 


tion  in  acting  onmipotently  according  to  laws  of  justice  with  judgment.  It  is  said  in 
David  that  "Justice  and  judgment  are  the  support  of  God's  throne"  (Ps.  Ixxxix.  14); 
and  that  there  is  no  contradiction  in  acting  omnipotently  according  to  the  laws  of 
love  and  wisdom;  but  there  is  a  contradiction  in  God's  being  able  to  act  contrary  to 
the  laws  of  justice  and  love;  which  would  be  to  act  from  what  is  not  judgment  and 
wisdom;  and  such  contradiction  is  implied  in  the  faith  of  the  church  of  the  present 
day,  which  is  that  God  is  able  to  make  an  unjust  man  just,  and  endow  the  impious 
with  all  the  gifts  of  salvation  and  the  rewards  of  life.  With  much  more  concerning 
this  faith  and  concerning  omnipotence  (n.  74). 

IX. 

When  I  was  once  meditating  upon  the  creation  of  the  universe  by  God,  I  was  led  in 
the  spirit  to  certain  wise  ones  who  at  first  complained  of  the  ideas  they  had  acquired 
in  the  world  which  related  to  the  creation  of  the  universe  out  of  chaos,  and  creation 
out  of  nothing;  because  these  ideas  obscure  meditation  upon  the  creation  of  the  uni- 
verse by  God,  and  degrade  and  pervert  it.  Therefore  when  asked  for  my  opinion,  I 
replied  that  it  is  idle  to  try  to  form  any  but  a  speculative  conclusion  about  the  crea- 
tion of  the  universe,  unless  it  is  known  that  there  are  two  worlds,  the  spiritual  and  the 
natural,  and  that  in  each  of  these  is  a  sun;  and  that  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world,  in 
the  midst  of  which  is  God,  is  nothing  but  love,  and  that  from  it  are  all  spiritual 
things,  which  in  themselves  are  substantial;  while  the  sun  of  the  natural  world  is 
nothing  but  fire,  and  from  it  are  all  natural  things,  which  in  themselves  are  material. 
From  these  knowledges  it  can  be  concluded  in  regard  to  the  creation  of  the  universe, 
that  it  is  from  God,  and  how.     This  was  also  slightly  traced  out  (n.  76). 

X. 

Some  satans  of  hell  desired  to  talk  with  the  angels  of  heaven,  for  the  purpose  of 
convincing  them  that  all  things  are  from  nature,  and  that  God  is  a  mere  word  unless 
nature  is  meant.  They  were  permitted  to  ascend.  Then  certain  angels  descended 
from  heaven  into  the  world  of  spirits  to  hear  them.  When  the  satans  saw  the  angels 
they  ran  up  to  them  furiously  and  said,  "You  are  called  angels  because  you  believe 
that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  nature  is  relatively  nothing;  this  you  believe  although  it 
is  contrary  to  every  sense;  for  which  of  your  five  senses  has  a  sensation  of  anything 
but  nature?  "  After  these  and  many  other  bitter  words,  the  angels  called  to  the  re- 
membrance of  the  satans  that  they  were  then  living  after  death,  although  formerly 
they  had  not  even  believed  that  they  would  so  live;  and  then  they  caused  them  to  see 
the  beautiful  and  splendid  things  of  heaven,  and  told  them  that  these  were  there  be- 
cause all  there  believe  in  God;  and  afterward  they  caused  them  to  see  the  vile  and 
filthy  things  of  hell,  and  told  them  that  these  were  there  because  those  there  believe 
in  nature.  From  seeing  these  things  the  satans  were  at  first  convinced  that  there  is  a 
God  and  that  He  created  nature;  but  as  they  descended,  the  love  of  evil  returned  and 
closed  their  understanding  from  above;  and  when  this  was  closed  they  believed  as 
before,  that  all  things  are  of  nature,  and  nothing  of  God  (n.  77). 


XI. 

A  type  of  the  creation  of  the  universe  was  shown  me  in  a  living  way,  by  angels.  I 
was  conducted  into  heaven;  and  it  was  granted  me  to  see  there  all  things  of  the  ani- 
mal kingdom,  of  the  vegetable  kingdom,  and  of  the  mineral  kingdom,  which  were  in 
every  respect  like  the  objects  of  those  three  kingdoms  in  the  natural  world.  And 
then  they  said.  All  these  things  in  heaven  are  created  in  a  moment  by  God,  and  they 
continue  to  exist  as  long  as  the  angels  are  interiorly  as  to  their  thought  in  a  state  of 
love  and  faith;  and  this  instantaneous  creation  furnishes  a  clear  proof  of  the  creation 


990 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


991 


of  similar  things,  and  even  a  similar  creation,  in  the  natural  world,  with  the  sole  dif- 
tenceThatTatura^  things  invest  spiritual  things,  and  that  this  clothmg  was  pro- 
dded by  G^i  for  the  sake  of  generations  one  from  another,  by  which  creation  is  per- 
petuated Consequently,  the  creation  of  the  universe  ^'^^^^^I'eL^  Ti^l'^ulZ 
to  that  in  which  it  is  effected  every  moment  in  heaven.  Nevertheless,  all  the  nox 
Lus  ^nd  h^eous  things  in  the  three  kingdoms  of  nature  (which  are  enumerated), 
were  not  created  by  God,  but  sprang  up  along  with  hell  (n.  /8). 

XIL 

In  a  conversation  relating  to  the  creation  of  the  univ-erse.  with  ««"^.«  ^^^«  ^^^^^ j^; 
the  world  had  been  celebrated  for  learning,  these  spoke  from  the  same  ^^eas  that  they 
h^  formerly  entertained.     One  of  them  said  that  nature  created  itself;  another 
thl  nat^;  gathered  its  elements  into  vortices,  and  that  by  the  collision  of  these  the 
earth  was  formed;  and  a  third  that  the  origin  of  all  things  was  chaos  which  in  extent 
Ta^  ea^ledT^^^^^    part  of  the  universe;  and  that  first  there  burst  forth  therefrom 
t^n^rTst  elements   of  which  the  sun  and  stars  were  formed;  and  afterwards  those 
et  pure  oTXh  the  atmospheres  were  formed;  and  at  last  the  grosser  matters,  o 
whlh  the  terraqueous  globe  was  formed.    To  the  question.  "What  was  the  ongm  o 
human  souls"^^^^^^^  answered,  that  the  ether  gathered  itself  into  httle  mdividual 
Ses  and  that  these  infuse  themselves  into  those  who  are  about  to  be  born,  and 
make  tLrsouls;  and  that  after  death  these  globules  fly  away  to  their  former  com- 
Tnv  in  the  etL  and  afterward  return  intoothers  according  to  the  doctrine  of  metem- 

delusions  (n.  79). 

xni. 

^::::^^:^^^'^^c  heaven  U  the  at™o,phe.c  ^^^^^^^ 

he  was  inrettutt  soon  aa  he  turned  and  went  away  he  was  as  .nsanc  as  before 

(n.  80). 

XIV. 

I  saw  by  night  an  ignis  fatuus,  often  called  a  dragon,  falling  toward  the  earth.    I 

replied  that  he  v,  as  cast  ao  y  ^^  angelic  heaven 

IT"  Thaf  G<^ThrF  rhVal Cson  a"  ote  aTsoul  and  body  are  one,  and  that 
beheves  that  God  the  lather  ana  r  ^^^^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^^^ 

they  prove  th,s  by  n>any  thmgs  f"™  '^^  ^Vor  .^  ^  ^^^^^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^^^ 

that  the  soul  of  a  son  is  from  *«J*  *>"  °"7' *",  .^  ,..4,,^  indeed  had  confessed  in 
and  from  it  the  likeness  ,s  m  the  ^^-r^  ^°f.  ^ffcetuele  Confession  of  the  mouth 
heaven,  as  before  on  earth,  that  God  is  one,  »«  "^^  "  .  ,  ;    ,  ,,,^1  he 

s  ;i;  ssr:'f  tJ  i=r!,;:  =S  ;Ht-'  sziTi 


the  same  sort  of  dust,  which  was  a  mixture  of  sulphur  and  iron.  One  of  these  repre- 
sented the  faith  and  the  other  the  charity  of  the  church  of  the  present  day.  both  beau- 
tifully clothed;  but  the  garments  were  induced  by  fantasies.  And  because  they  were 
made  of  dust,  when  the  rain  descended  from  heaven  both  of  them  began  to  effervesce 
and  burn  (n.  110). 

XV. 

In  the  spiritual  world  it  is  unlawful  to  say  anything  except  what  one  thinks;  if  he 
does,  the  hypocrisy  is  distinctly  manifest  to  the  ear.  In  hell,  therefore,  no  one  can 
utter  the  name  Jesus,  because  Jesus  signifies  salvation.  In  this  way  an  experiment 
was  made  to  ascertain  how  many  in  the  Christian  world  at  this  day  believe  that 
Christ  even  as  to  His  Human  is  God.  Therefore,  when  many  of  the  clergy  and  laity 
were  assembled,  it  was  proposed  that  they  say  "Divine  Human;"  but  there  were 
scarcely  any  who  were  able  to  draw  forth  from  the  thought  these  two  words  at  once, 
and  so  to  utter  them.  It  was  proved  in  their  presence  by  many  things  out  of  the 
Word,  that  the  Lord  even  as  to  His  Human  is  God  as  by  the  following:  {Matt,  xxviii. 
18;  John  i.  1,  2,  14;  xvii.  2  Col.  ii.  9;  1  John  v.  20;  and  in  other  places  also);  still 
they  were  not  able  to  utter  the  words  Divine  Human;  and.  what  seemed  surprising, 
neither  were  the  Evangelicals  able  to  do  this,  although  their  orthodoxy  teaches  that 
in  Christ  God  is  Man  and  Man  is  God;  and  still  more,  neither  could  the  monks,  al- 
though they  most  devoutly  adore  the  Body  of  Christ  in  the  Eucharist.  From  all  this 
it  was  ascertained  that  Christians  at  the  present  day  for  the  most  part  are  interiorly 
either  Arians  or  Socinians;  and  that  these,  if  they  adore  Christ  as  God,  are  hypocrites 
(n.  111). 

XVI. 
An  altercation  about  a  little  book  entitled,  A  Brief  Exposition  of  the  Doctrine  of  the 
New  Church,  published  by  me  at  Amsterdam;  and  especially  about  this  doctrine  in 
it,  that  not  God  the  Father,  but  the  Lord  God  the  Redeemer  is  to  be  approached  and 
worshiped.  It  was  argued  that  on  the  other  hand  it  is  said  in  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
*'  Our  Father,  Who  art  in  the  heavens,  hallowed  be  Thy  name;  Thy  kingdom  come, " 
and  that  consequently  it  is  God  the  Father  who  is  to  be  approached.  I  was  summoned 
to  end  this  strife;  and  I  then  showed  that  God  the  Father  cannot  be  approached  in 
His  Divine,  but  only  in  His  Human;  and  as  the  Divine  and  Human  in  Him  are  one 
Person,  that  the  Lord  is  that  Father.  This  also  was  proved  by  the  Word;  both  by 
the  Word  of  the  Old  Testament,  where  the  Son  of  God  is  called  Father  of  Eternity, 
and  in  many  places  called  Jehovah  the  Redeemer,  Jehovah  our  Righteousness,  and 
the  God  of  Israel,  and  from  many  passages  in  the  Word  of  the  New  Testament;  conse- 
quently when  the  Lord  the  Redeemer  is  approached,  the  Father  is  approached;  and 
then  His  name  is  hallowed,  and  His  kingdom  comes.     With  much  beside  (n.  112). 

xvn. 

I  saw  an  army  on  red  and  black  horses,  with  the  faces  of  all  the  riders  turned  to  the 
horses'  tails,  and  with  the  hinder  part  of  the  head  turned  towards  the  horses'  heads; 
they  were  crying  out  for  battle  against  those  who  were  riding  on  white  horses.  This 
ludicrous  army  was  from  the  place  called  Armageddon  (Apoc.  xvi.  16),  and  consisted 
of  those  who  in  youth  had  become  imbued  with  the  dogmas  relating  to  justification 
by  faith  alone,  but  who  afterwards,  when  they  had  been  promoted  to  prominent  of- 
fices, had  rejected  all  things  pertaining  to  faith  and  religion  from  the  internals  of 
their  minds  to  the  externals  of  their  bodies,  where  at  last  they  disappeared.  A  de- 
scription of  those  who  were  seen  in  Armageddon;  and  it  was  heard  that  they  wished 
to  meet  and  contend  with  the  angels  of  Michael;  which  was  permitted,  although  at 
some  distance  from  that  place.  The  contention  was  about  the  meaning  of  these 
words  in  the  Lord's  Prayer:  "Our  Father,  Who  art  in  the  heavens,  hallowed  be  Thy 


^-*'"-"-  -^A...«iiBj»j;tiiiaIiM!UtSa>-3^|aiia«^^ 


992 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


name-  Thy  kingdom  come."  It  was  then  said  by  the  angels  of  Michael  that  the 
LoM  the  Redeemer  and  Saviour  is  Father  to  all  in  the  h--^' ^^^^^J^.^^^f^^ 
that  the  Father  and  He  are  one;  that  the  Father  is  m  Him.  and  He  m  the  Father,  and 
tha  Le  tha  sees  Hi,n  sees  the  Father;  that  all  things  of  the  Father  are  in  Him;  also 
tha     t  IS  the  wm  of  the  Father  that  men  should  believe  in  the  Son.  and  that  those  who 

of  the  vanquished  Armageddons  were  cast  into  the  abyss  mentioned  m  Apoc.  ix..  and 
some  of  them  were  banished  into  a  desert  (n.  113). 

XVIII. 
I  was  in  a  temple  in  which  there  were  no  windows,  but  a  large  opening  in  the  roof. 

K         fn    he    Diritual  world  and  in  the  natural  world,  and  that  without  it  no  flesh 

TtTat  He^a^ed  sentence  of  •'-"-7  "--^-^rr  H  To^^Hr^^i    h^^ 

Son  ,00k  that  — '■-J^„",™^to  HH  Divtne-^^^^^^  is  love  and  mercy; 

anfl  bv  intercession  brought  llim  DacK  10  nis  i^iv  mot  ,  ^     ,,      .r>A\ 

^'di  many  other  thu.g,,  which  it  is  scandalous  to  attr.bute  to  God  (n.  134). 

XIX. 

The  sun  of  the  spir.ua.  worM  was  seen,  wherein  is  Jehovah  0«.;n^His  Human. 

Presently  *•>- J-  --/r  d!::;    d    ccoSlrt^lte  forms  of  the  minds  there, 
into  the  world  of  »pir.ts  it  ».i.  cliangea  ^  ^  ^  j^^„  ^y  this 

""■*  '"C'  ;tt  :rrror :l     Itf/allThi'^ranoTher  w,.  r^edeemed  all,  and  a 
S  Xo"s  In  ..""s;  also  that  there  is  one  who  imputes,  -"  -;-^"  "'^l- 

four  are  attributes  01  ine  nuiua  „n„roached  bv  man.  med  ation  means 

out  the  Human  cannot  -PP™-!;."^."- ""J,  ^f^.^'on  lans  that  it  mediates  per- 
that  the  Human  ,s  the  '"^"■"«''''-^^^'  '''"' '"^"^  °"  Lrcifully  opened  for  every 
-r;i^br  UZZfZ  ^n:  tirris'also  for  sinners;  and  all  these 
through  the  Human  (n.  135). 

^■\.^r^  f  hPv  were  discussing  what  is  meant  where  it  is  said 

I  entered  Y^Z^'^ZTiieZs  a    tL  r  ght  land  cff  the  Father.     Concerning  this 

of  the  Son  of  God.  that  He  sits  at  ^he     g  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^^^^^  ^.^^ 

there  were  various  opinions    yet  it  was  ^'^^  «P'"'"        supposed  that  it  was  done  on 
thus-  but  they  were  discussing  why  it  was  so.    borne  supposea  mai, 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


993 


account  of  redemption;  some  that  it  was  from  love;  some,  that  He  might  be  a  coun- 
selor; some,  that  He  might  have  honor  from  the  angels;  some,  because  it  was  given 
Him' to  reign  instead  of  the  Father;  some,  that  His  right  ear  may  hear  those  for 
whom  He  intercedes.  They  further  discussed  whether  it  was  the  Son  of  God  from 
eternity  who  sits  thus,  or  the  Son  of  God  born  in  the  world.  Having  heard  these 
things.  I  raised  my  hand,  requesting  that  I  might  be  permitted  to  say  something,  and 
to  tell  what  is  meant  by  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  I  said  that  it  is  the  omnipo- 
tence of  God,  by  means  of  the  Human  which  He  assumed  that  is  meant;  forby  means 
of  this  He  wrought  redemption,  that  is,  subjugated  the  hells,  created  a  new  angelic 
heaven,  and  established  a  new  church.  That  this  is  meant  by  sitting  at  the  right 
hand.  I  proved  from  the  Word,  in  which  "the  right  hand  "  signifies  power;  and  after- 
wards it  was  confirmed  from  heaven,  by  the  appearance  of  a  right  hand  over  them, 
from  the  power  of  which  and  the  terror  therefrom  they  all  became  almost  lifeless 

(n.  136). 

XXI. 

I  was  conducted  in  the  spiritual  world  to  a  certain  synod  at  which  were  assembled 
celebrated  persons  who  lived  before  the  Nicene  council,  and  who  were  called  Apos- 
tolic Fathers;  also  men  renowned  in  the  ages  after  that  council;  and  I  saw  that  some 
of  the  latter  appeared  with  beardless  chins,  and  in  curled  wigs  of  women's  hair;  but 
all  the  former  with  bearded  chin,  and  in  natural  hair.  In  front  of  them  stood  a  man, 
a  judge  and  critic  of  the  writings  of  the  present  century,  who  began  by  a  kind  of 
lamentation,  saying,  "A  man  from  the  laity  has  risen  up.  who  has  dragged  down  our 
faith  out  of  its  sanctuary,  which  yet  is  a  star  shining  day  and  night  before  us;  but 
this  is  done.because  that  man  is  blind  to  the  mysteries  of  that  faith,  and  does  not  see 
in  it  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  and  thus  not  the  wonders  of  its  justification;  and 
yet  that  faith  is  a  faith  in  three  Divine  persons,  and  thus  in  the  whole  Deity;  and  be- 
cause he  has  transferred  his  faith  to  the  second  Person,  and  not  even  to  Him,  but  to 
His  Human,  it  cannot  be  otherwise  than  that  naturalism  should  flow  from  it." 
Those  who  lived  after  the  Nicene  council  favored  his  speech,  saying, that  it  is  impossi- 
ble that  there  should  be  any  other  faith,  or  from  any  other  source.    But  the  Apos- 
tolic Fathers,  who  had  lived  before  that  age.  being  indignant,  related  many  things 
which  are  said  in  heaven  respecting  the  Nicene  and  Athanasian  faith,  which  may  be 
seen  [in  the  text].    But  because  the  president  of  the  council  was  affiliated  m  spirit 
with  that  writer  in  Leipsic,  I  addressed  him.  and  showed  from  the  Word  that  Christ, 
even  as  to  the  Human,  is  God;  and  also  from  the  dogmatic  book  of  the  Evangelicals 
called  Formula  Concordice,  "That  in  Christ  God  is  Man,  and  Man  God;"  as  also 
that  the  Augsburg  Confession  especially  approves  of  the  worship  of  Christ;  besides 
other  things;  at  which  he  was  silent,  and  turned  away.    Afterwards  I  spoke  with  a 
certain  spirit  who  was  affiliated  with  an  eminent  man  in  Gottenburg,  who  defiled  the 
worship  of  the  Lord  with  a  still  greater  reproach.     But  at  length  both  of  these 
slanders  were  declared  to  be  lies  craftily  invented  _to  turn  away  men's  wills  and 
deter  them  from  the  holy  worship  of  the  Lord  (n.  137). 

XXIL 
There  appeared  a  smoke  ascending  from  the  lower  earth,  and  it  was  said  that 
smokes  are  nothing  else  than  falsities  collected  together.  And  then  certain  angels 
were  seized  with  a  desire  to  ascertan  what  the  falsities  were  that  thus  smoked;  and 
they  descended,  and  found  four  crowds  of  spirits,  two  of  which  were  of  the  learned 
and  unlearned  of  the  clergy,  and  two  of  the  learned  and  unlearned  of  the  laity,  who 
were  all  proving  to  each  other  that  an  invisible  God  is  to  be  worshiped,  and  that 
the  worshipers  then  secure  holiness  and  a  hearing.  It  is  otherwise  when  a  visible 
God  is  worshiped.  Holiness  and  a  hearing  from  an  invisible  God  they  proved  by 
various  things;  for  which  reason  they  acknowledge  three  Gods  from  eternity,  who  are 

63 


i^Wi^itffHi'nllirTI    |f-,|  ■■■-'-J-.^.'"'--' ■'"■■•  ■■«'*'<«^'-— -■■''-'■■'»■■-■' 


994 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


invisible  But  it  was  shown  that  the  worship  of  an  invisible  God,  and  still  more  of 
three  invisible  ones,  is  no  worship.  To  confirm  this,  Socinus  and  Arius  with  some  of 
their  followers,  all  of  whom  had  worshiped  an  invisible  Divinity,  were  brought  forth 
from  below;  and  when  these  spoke  from  the  natural  or  external  mind,  they  said  that 
there  is  a  God,  although  He  is  invisible;  but  when  their  external  mind  was  closed, 
and  the  internal  mind  was  opened,  and  from  that  mind  they  were  compelled  to  avow 
their  belief  respecting  God,  they  said,  "What  is  God?  We  have  neither  seen  His 
shape  nor  heard  His  voice.  Wliat  then  is  God.  but  a  figment  of  reason  or  nature? 
But  they  were  taught  that  it  had  pleased  God  to  descend  and  assume  tlie  Human, 
that  they  might  see  His  shape  and  hear  His  voice.    But  this  was  said  to  them  in  vam 

(n.  159). 

XXIII. 

First  concerning  the  stars  in  the  natural  world;  that  perhaps  they  were  of  the 
same  number  as  the  angelic  societies  in  heaven,  since  every  society  there  sometimes 
shines  like  a  star.    Afterwards.  I  spoke  with  the  angels  about  a  certain  way  that  ap- 
pears crowded  with  innumerable  spirits,  that  it  is  the  way  by  which  all  who  depart 
out  of  the  natural  world  pass  into  the  spiritual  world.    1  went  in  company  with  an- 
gels towards  that  way,  and  we  called  from  that  way  twelve  men,  and  asked  them 
what  they  believed  about  heaven  and  hell  and  a  life  after  death.    And  because  they 
were  recently  from  the  world,  and  did  not  know  but  what  they  were  still  in  the  nat- 
ural world,  they  answered  from  the  idea  which  they  brought  with  them.    The  First, 
That  all  who  Uve  a  moral  life  go  to  heaven;  and  as  all  do  live  a  moral  life  no  one  goes 
to  hell      The  Second,  That  God  rules  heaven,  and  the  devil  rules  hell;  and  because 
they  are  opposite,  one  calls  good  what  the  other  calls  evil;  and  that  the  man  who  is  a 
dissembler,  because  he  sides  with  both,  can  live  equally  under  the  dominion  of  the 
one  and  of  the  other.    The  Third,  That  there  is  no  heaven,  and  no  hell.    "Who  has 
come  thence  and  told  us?  "     The  Fourth,  That  no  one  is  able  to  come  back  and  tell, 
because  man.  when  he  dies,  is  either  a  ghost  or  a  wind.     The  Fifth,  That  we  must 
wait  till  the  day  of  the  last  judgment,  and  then  it  will  be  told,  and  you  will  know  all 
about  it     But  when  he  said  this  he  laughed  in  his  heart.    The  Sixth,  "  How  can  the 
soul  of  man,  which  is  only  a  wind,  re-enter  its  body  that  has  been  eaten  up  by  w-orms, 
or  be  clothed  with  a  skeleton  that  has  either  been  dried  up  or  has  crumbled  into 
dust*?"    The  Seventh,  That  men  can  no  more  live  after  death  than  beasts  and  birds, 
are  not  these  equally  rational?    The  Eighth,  "  I  believe  that  there  is  a  heaven,  but  I 
do  not  believe  that  there  is  a  hell,  because  God  is  omnipotent,  and  is  able  to  save 
all  "  The  Ninth,  That  God,  because  He  is  gracious,  cannot  send  any  one  into  eternal 
fire      The  Tenth,  That  no  one  can  go  to  hell,  because  God  sent  His  Son,  who  has 
made  expiation  for  all,  and  taken  away  the  sins  of  all.    What  can  the  devil  do  against 
that^    The  Eleventh,  who  was  a  priest,  That  those  only  are  saved,  who  have  attained 
to  faith,  and  that  election  is  according  to  the  will  of  the  Almighty.     The  Twelfth, 
who  was  a  politician.  "I  do  not  say  anything  about  heaven  and  hell;  but  let  the 
priests  preach  about  them,  that  the  minds  of  the  common  people  may  be  kept  bound 
by  an  invisible  bond  to  the  laws  and  rulers."     On  hearing  these  things  the  angels 
were  astonished;  but  they  waked  up  the  twelve  by  teaching  them  that  they  were  al- 
ready living  after  death;  and  they  conducted  them  into  heaven,  but  they  did  not 
stay  there  long,  because  it  was  found  that  they  were  merely  natural,  and  that  from 
this  the  hinder  part  of  their  heads  was  hollow;  concerning  which  hollowness  and  the 
cause  of  it,  something  is  lastly  said  (n.  160). 

XXIV. 

There  was  heard  a  noise  like  that  of  a  mill,  and  following  the  noise  I  saw  a  house 
full  of  chinks,  to  which  there  was  an  entrance  opening  under  ground,  and  in  it  a  man 
collecting  from  the  Word  and  books  many  things  concerning  justification  by  faith 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


995 


alone;  and  at  his  side  copyists  were  writing  his  collections  upon  paper;  and  when 
asked  what  he  was  now  collecting,  he  said,  "This,  that  God  the  Father  ceased  to  be 
gracious  towards  the  human  race,  and  that  He  therefore  sent  the  Son  to  make  expia- 
tion and  propitiation."  To  which  I  answered,  that  it  is  contrary  to  Scripture  and 
contrary  to  reason,  that  God  could  fail  of  grace,  for  this  would  be  also  failing  of  His 
essence,  and  thus  He  would  not  be  God.  And  when  I  demonstrated  this  even  to  con- 
viction, he  grew  warm,  and  ordered  his  copyists  to  cast  me  out.  But  when  I  had 
gone  out  of  my  own  accord,  he  threw  after  me  a  book  that  he  happened  to  lay  hand 
upon;  and  that  book  was  the  Word  (n.  161). 

XXV. 

There  was  a  discussion  among  spirits  whether  one  can  see  any  genuine  truth  in  the 
Word  unless  he  goes  immediately  to  the  Lord  who  is  the  Word  itself.  But  as  some 
objected  to  this  an  experiment  was  made;  and  therein  those  who  went  to  God  the 
Father,  did  not  see  any  truth;  but  all  who  went  to  the  Lord  saw.  During  this  dis- 
cussion some  spirits  ascended  from  the  abyss  (see  Apoc.  ix.),  where  they  discuss  tlie 
mysteries  of  justification  by  faith  alone,  saying  that  they  go  to  God  the  Father  and 
see  their  mysteries  in  clear  light.  But  it  was  answered  that  they  see  them  in  fatuous 
light,  and  that  they  have  not  even  a  single  truth;  at  which,  being  nettled,  they 
brought  forth  from  the  Word  many  things  which  were  true;  but  they  were  told  that 
while  these  were  true  in  themselves,  they  were  falsified  in  them.  That  this  was  so, 
was  proved  by  their  being  led  into  a  house  where  there  was  a  table  upon  which  light 
from  heaven  flowed  directly;  and  they  wore  told  to  write  those  truths  which  they  had 
brought  forth  from  the  Word  upon  paper,  and  lay  it  upon  that  table;  and  when  this 
was  done,  the  paper  on  which  the  truths  had  been  written  shone  like  a  star;  but  when 
they  came  up  and  fixed  their  gaze  upon  it.  the  paper  appeared  blackened  as  if  by 
soot.  Afterwards  they  were  led  to  another  similar  table,  upon  which  lay  the  Word 
encircled  with  a  rainbow;  and  when  a  certain  champion  of  the  doctrine  of  faith  alone 
touched  this  with  his  hand  there  was  an  explosion  as  if  from  a  gun.  and  he  was  cast 
into  a  corner  of  the  room,  and  la}-^  as  dead  for  half  an  hour.  From  all  this  they  were 
convinced  that  all  the  truths  that  they  had  from  the  Word  were  true  in  themselves 
but  falsified  in  them  (n.  162). 

XXVI. 

There  are  climates  in  the  spiritual  world,  as  in  the  natural  world;  thus  also  there 
are  northern  zones  where  are  snow  and  ice.  On  one  occasion,  being  brought  thither 
in  spirit.  I  entered  a  temple  then  covered  over  with  snow,  illuminated  within  by 
lamps,  and  behind  the  altar  there  was  seen  a  tablet,  upon  which  was  written  this,  The 
Divine  Trinity.  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  who  are  essentially  one,  but  personally 
three.  And  I  heard  a  priest  preaching  about  four  mysteries  of  faith,  respecting  which 
the  understanding  is  to  be  kept  under  obedience  to  faith,  which  may  be  seen  [in  the 
text].  After  the  discourse,  the  hearers  thanked  the  priest  for  his  sermon  so  rich  in 
wisdom.  But  when  I  asked  them  whether  they  understood  anything,  they  answered, 
"We  took  in  everything  with  full  ears;  why  do  you  ask  whether  we  understood?  Is 
not  the  understanding  benumbed  by  such  matters?"  To  this  the  priest  who  was 
present  added,  "Forasmuch  as  you  have  heard  and  have  not  understood,  you  are 
blessed,  for  thereby  you  have  salvation. "    And  other  things  (n.  185). 


XXVII. 

The  human  mind  is  divided  into  three  regions,  like  the  heaven  in  which  angels 
dwell;  and  in  those  who  love  truths  because  they  are  truths  theological  matters  have 
their  seat  in  the  highest  region  of  the  mind;  and  under  these,  in  the  middle  region, 
moral  subjects,  and  beneath  these  in  the  lowest  region,  political  subjects;  and  the 


090 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


various  sciences  constitute  the  door.  But  theological  matters  with  those  who  do  not 
love  truths  have  their  seat  in  the  lowest  region,  and  mingle  themselves  there  with 
what  is  man's  own.  and  thus  with  the  fallacies  of  the  senses;  and  for  this  reason  some 
cannot  perceive  theological  principles  at  all  (n.  18G). 

XXVIIL 

I  was  brought  to  a  place  where  those  were  who  are  meant  by  "the  false  prophet '' 
in  the  Apocalypse;  and  1  was  invited  by  those  there  to  see  their  temple.    I  foU^^^fJ 
and  saw  it.  and  in  it  the  image  of  a  woman  clad  in  a  scarlet  robe,  holding  in  her  right 
hand  a  golden  coin,  and  in  her  left  a  chain  of  pearls;  but  these  appearances  were  pro- 
duced through'  fantasy.     But  when  the  interiors  of  my  mind  were  opened  by  the 
Lord  instead  of  the  temple  there  was  seen  a  house  full  of  chinks;  and  instead  of  the 
womln  there  was  seen  a  beast,  such  as  is  described  in  the  Apocalypse  (xiiu  2);  and 
under  the  floor  there  was  a  bog,  in  which  lay  the  Word,  deeply  concealed.    But  pres- 
ently, an  east  wind  springing  up.  the  temple  was  carried  away,  and  the  bog  was  dried 
up.  and  the  Word  lay  exposed;  and  tlien,  by  the  light  from  heaven,  there  appeared 
there  a  tabernacle  like  that  of  Abraham  when  the  three  angels  came  and  foretold  to 
him  the  birth  of  Isaac;  and  afterwards,  light  being  sent  forth  from  the  second  heaven 
instead  of  the  tabernacle  there  appeared  a  temple  similar  to  that  of  Jerusalem;  and 
after  this  a  light  shone  upon  it  from  the  third  heaven,  and  then  the  temple  disap- 
peared   and  the  Lord  alone  was  seen  standing  upon  the  foundation  stone  where  the 
Word  was     But  because  an  overpowering  sanctity  then  filled  their  minds,  this  light 
was  withdrawn,  and  in  place  of  it  light  from  the  second  heaven  was  let  in.  which 
caused  the  previous  view  of  the  temple  to  return,  and  also  that  of  the  tabernacle 
within  it  (n.  187). 

XXIX. 
There  was  seen  a  magnificent  palace,  in  which  there  was  a  temple,  and  in  this  seats 
were  placed  in  triple  order.    In  it  there  was  a  council  convoked  by  the  Lord,  in  which 
they  were  to  deliberate  concerning  the  Lord  the  Saviour,  and  concerning  the  Holy 
Spirit     When  as  many  of  the  clergy  were  present  as  there  were  seats,  they  began  the 
council.    And  because  they  were  to  consult  in  regard  to  the  Lord,  the  first  proposi- 
tion was.  Who  assumed  the  Human  in  the  virgin  Mary  ?    And  then  the  ange    stand- 
ing beside  the  table  read  before  them  what  the  angel  Gabriel  said  to  Mary.     The  Holy 
Spirit  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Most  High  ^^[^^11  ^--''f^^^f-//^^; 
and  the  holy  thing  that  shall  be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God    {Luke 
i  35-  and  also  from  Matt.  i.  20.  25);  and  many  other  things  from  the  Prophets,  that 
Jehovah  Himself  was  to  come  into  the  world,  and  that  Jehovah  Himsel    is  called 
Saviour.  Redeemer  and  Righteousness;  from  which  it  was  concluded  that  Jehovah 
Himself  assumed  the  Human.     Another  deliberation  concerning  the  Lo^d    was. 
Whether  the  Father  avd  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  are  not  thus  one,  as  soul  and  body  are 
one-  and  this  was  proved  by  many  passages  in  the  Word,  and  also  from  the  creed  of 
represent  church;  from  which  it  was  concluded  that  the  soul  of  the  Lord  is  from 
God  the  Father,  and  consequently  that  His  Human  is  Divine;  and  that  the  Human 
to  be  approached  that  the  Father  may  be  approached,  since  by  means  of  it  Jeho^  ah 
God  sent  Himself  into  the  world,  and  made  Himself  seen  before  the  eyes  of  men,  and 
thus  accessible.    This  was  followed  by  a  third  deliberation  concerning  the  Holy 
Spirit;  and  then  first  the  idea  respecting  three  Divine  persons  from  etermty  was  d    - 
carded,  and  it  was  proved  from  the  Word  that  the  Holy  Divine,  which  is  called    he 
Holy  Spirit,  goes  forth  out  of  the  Lord  from  the  Father.    At  length,  from  the  delib- 
fratCs  of    his  council,  this  conclusion  was  reached.  That  in  the  Lord  the  Saviour 
there  is  a  Divine  Trinity,  namely,  the  Divine  from  which  (a  ^.o)  which  is  ca^le.1  the 
Father,  the  Divine  Human  which  is  called  the  Son.  and  the  Divine  going  forth. 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


997 


which  is  called  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  that  therefore  in  the  church  God  is  one.  When 
the  council  was  ended,  splendid  garments  were  given  to  those  who  sat  in  it  and 
they  were  conducted  to  the  new  heaven  (n.  188). 

XXX. 

I  saw  in  a  certain  stable  large  purses,  in  which  there  was  silver  in  great  abundance, 
and  near  them  young  men  as  guards;  in  the  next  room,  modest  virgins  with  a  chaste 
wife;  and  also  in  another  room,  two  little  children;  and  at  last  a  harlot  and  dead 
horses.  And  afterwards  I  was  taught  what  each  of  those  things  signified;  and  that  by 
them  was  represented  and  described  the  Word  as  it  is  in  itself  and  as  it  is  at  this  day 
(n.  277). 

XXXI. 

Writing  was  seen,  such  as  there  is  in  the  highest  or  third  heaven,  which  consisted 
of  inflected  letters  with  little  curves  turning  upwards;  and  it  was  said  that  the  He- 
brew letters  in  the  most  ancient  time  were  somewhat  like  these,  when  they  were 
more  curved  than  they  are  at  this  day,  and  that  the  letter  h,  which  was  added  to  the 
names  of  Abram  and  Sarai.  signifies  the  infinite  and  the  eternal.  They  explained  be- 
fore me  the  sense  of  some  words  in  Psalm,  xxxii.  2,  from  the  letters  or  syllables  alone 
there,  which  is,  That  the  Lord  is  merciful  even  to  those  who  do  evil  (n.  278). 


XXXII. 

Before  the  Isra^jlitish  Word  there  was  a  Word,  the  prophetical  books  of  which 
were  called  Enunciations,  and  the  historical,  the  Wars  of  Jehovah;  and  besides  these, 
also  one  called  the  book  of  Jasher;  which  three  are  mentioned  in  our  Word;  and  this 
ancient  Word  was  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  Syria,  Mesopotamia,  Arabia,  Assyria,  Chal- 
dea.  Egypt.  Tyre.  Sidon.  and  Nineveh;  but  because  it  was  full  of  such  correspondences 
as  remotely  signify  celestial  and  spiritual  things,  which  gave  occasion  for  idolatries, 
this  Word,  through  Divine  Providence,  disappeared.  I  have  heard  that  Moses  tran- 
scribed from  this  Word  the  things  which  he  related  concerning  the  Creation,  Adam 
and  Eve.  the  Flood,  and  Noah  and  his  three  sons,  but  no  further.  And  I  was  told  in 
the  spiritual  world  by  the  angels  from  Great  Tartary  that  this  same  Word  is  still 
preserved  among  that  people,  and  that  they  draw  from  it  the  precepts  of  their  faith 
and  life  (u.  279). 

XXXIII. 

On  account  of  the  distinction  between  spiritual  and  natural,  or  what  is  the  same, 
between  the  substantial  and  the  material,  those  who  are  in  the  spiritual  world  cannot 
be  seen  by  those  wlio  are  in  the  natural  world,  nor  conversely;  thus  spirits  and  angels 
cannot  be  seen  by  men,  nor  men  by  spirits  and  angels.  From  this  is  the  fact  that 
spirits  and  angels  have  altogether  a  different  language,  different  writing,  and  also 
different  thought  from  what  men  have.  That  this  is  so,  was  made  evident  by  living 
experience,  which  was  done  by  their  going  in  turn  to  their  associates,  and  returning  to 
me,  and  thus  comparing.  In  this  way  it  was  discovered,  that  there  is  not  even  one 
word  of  spiritual  language  that  is  like  any  word  of  natural  language;  and  that  their 
writing  consists  of  syllables,  each  of  which  involves  a  meaning  pertaining  to  the  sub- 
ject; and  that  the  ideas  of  their  thought  do  not  fall  into  the  ideas  of  natural  thought. 
The  cause  of  these  differences  is.  that  spirits  and  angels  are  in  principles,  but  men  in 
derivatives;  or  that  the  former  are  in  prior  things  which  as  causes  are  the  origin  cf 
posterior  things,  and  that  men  are  in  posterior  things  from  those  that  are  prior.  It 
was  said  that  there  is  a  like  difference  between  the  languages,  writings,  and  thoughts, 
of  the  angels  of  the  third  heaven  and  those  of  the  angels  of  the  second  (u.  280). 


998 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


XXXIV 

on  the  state  of  „.en  after  death.  '"  .--\:t:Lrtran  of  ^ J^ 
fi^^ed  the^se^e.  '■'^''^'f ;-;;",,7:;:r;art  ^.f^e  eo,„,«o,..y  re.useUateU  the 
things  were  observed:   (1)  I'or  the  mo  i  p  ^^^,.       ^^^  ^j^^ 

th.d  day  after  deat,.  aad  t^en  tHeV    "  -^^^  rer^dLe^etween  heave..  a..d 

Twhrhis-XttrMof  .pfnt,  ^j:::^^:;:^^::::^'^!^^ 

societies,  and  thus  their  characters  are  '«'^'="'''""^-  *^^^^,X  (5)  After  the  prepa- 
are  prepared  for  heaven,  and  the  ev.l  and  ""'"'""'^^'/^f  :  ^^j,,,,  ,„  ,ome  society 
.at.on,  which  continues  for  so.ne  years,  a  way  -  J™;  ,^";.  f,  «:^.,,,,  besides  n,a..y 
in  heaven  where  they  are  to  hve  for  ever  ^"  "^"^^  ^-^  'j^";  ^.^  ,,  j,  „,„a  „.at  those 
Z::  ri-re  ^Z^:^:^:^^  ::t:iL.  ^.^  and  tho.  who  are  in 
evils  of  life  are  called  devils  (n.  281). 

XXXV 

Fro.  the  >ower  earth,  which  is  next  abovJ  heiU  ,;;-;',:::;t;irbeTni;ius^ 
^„„  Uarnea,  O  W  u^ser  and  ^^^JS:^ts""o\.e  piace  where  they 
learned,  and  wise  persons  .n  hell.  I  descend^,  a  ^^^  .^  .^  ^^^^^^ 

were  crying.  "O  ho.  ius^  "  and  I  saw  ^---  '^'/^JJ^^dVnts  to  the  favor  of  any 
iudges  who  could  skillfully  P^^'^f'^^^'l^^tt^uely  arbitrary  ju.lgments;  and 
one  whatever;  and  that  thus  the.r  '"f^"™\'.J^f;,^^^  ^ed  out  lor  a  long  distance, 
when  the  sentences  were  carr.ed  out  to  <'>^  «''''°*^^^^^^^^  j^^t  .^eh  are  unable  to 

-O  how  iust "  Concerning  these  .he  ''"^^  '/''^^^^^dges  were  cast  into  hell, 
see  any  least  particle  of  what  « '";\-^^^r„;,X,'''i;a  Ltead  of  iud.ing,  they  were 
and  their  books  were  turned  .nto  pla>  '"S  «""  ■  ^  j^„,,^a  the  faces  of  harlots, 

assigned  to  the  task  of  preparing  pa,,  t,  wUh  wh.ch  they 
and  thus  turned  them  into  beaut.es  (...  33.). 

XXXVI. 

.terwards.wentto.epla.w^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

ji^^g^rsi^rt;::^  .^^^^^^^^^^^ 

iect  whatever;  thus  they  "7''' '""^^t,,  'r  Ze^s  a  Oo<l.  That  I  might  know  for 
so  they  also  argue  concerning  God.  •*'«"'"  '""=  ,,^,„  t,,e  question.  What  kind  of 
certain  whether  their  character  -s  such  I  put  l^'^-'l^^  ..  „  „„,t  be  co..sid- 
religion  is  necessary  for  the  -•--■"><>'  ^\^IZ  „„«  religion  is  more  efficacious 
ered  (I)  Whether  relig.on  .s  ^7""."^-„ '''  ^,^,  ,  f,,  and  thus  whether  there  is  a..y 
than  another.  (3)  Whether  «>7 '^;7,,:  .^  rAnd  then  they  began  to  <.iscuss  the 
salvation.  (4)  Is  there  a  he^™"/"f  ^  '"^" '^^y  .^at  this  required  so  n.uch  invest.- 
first,  Whether  religion  -^  anything    .A°d  theyja.d  ^^^  ^^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^,^_ 

gation  that  it  could  not  be  finished  '"^;/^^^°\^  l^^;,^  ,  replied  that  in  the  mean 

Lt  it  could  not  be  finished  '"^^'""'^L^^/,tm  they  discussed  this  first  point  so  skill- 
time  they  would  be  without  religion     But  stiU  t     y  ^^^^^^  __    ^  ^^  ^^^^  ,_^.  ,^^  ^„. 

fully  that  the  company  standing  by  ".e^.  afterwards  they  are  sent  out  into 

gels,  that  such  ^-^-l^JZ::ZlZi^^'^^'^^^  -'»"« *>"'  "•-'-''-  '-  '''' 
deserts,  where  among  themselves  iney  k 

XXXVII. 

u^,«  T  hPfird  the  crv,   '0  how  wise!"  and 

I  went  on  further  to  the  third  -'"P*"''' ''.^J^J  ^  whether  truth  is  truth  or  not. 

I  found  assembled  there  those  who  "«  ""^bl^t^see  w  ^^^  ^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^^ 

and  yet  are  able  to  make  ^^-^^'[  ^^^'^^IZZ.io^  answers  to  propositions. 
ConfirmeTB.    That  they  were  such.  1  also  saw  iro 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMOKABLE  RELATIONS 


999 


as  that  they  could  make  it  true  that  faith  is  the  all  of  the  church,  and  afterwards  that 
charity  is  the  all  of  the  church,  and  also  that  faith  and  charity  together  are  the  all  of 
the  church;  and  because  they  confirmed  whichever  of  these  they  liked,  and  adorned 
them  with  appearances  so  that  they  shone  like  truths,  therefore  the  by-standers 
cried,  "O  how  wise!"  Afterwards  some  ludicrous  things,  also,  were  proposed  to 
them,  that  taey  might  make  them  true;  for  they  say  that  there  is  nothing  true,  except 
what  man  makes  true.  The  ludicrous  things  were  these:  that  light  is  darkness,  and 
aarkness  light;  and  also  that  a  crow  is  white,  and  not  black;  which  two  they  made  to 
appear  as  wholly  true.  The  arguments  for  these  may  be  seen  in  the  text.  I  was  told 
by  the  angels  that  such  do  not  possess  a  single  grain  of  understanding,  since  all  that 
is  above  the  rational  with  them  is  closed,  while  all  below  the  rational  is  open;  and  by 
this  man  can  confirm  whatever  lie  pleases;  but  cannot  see  any  truth  to  be  truth 
therefore,  this  does  not  belong  to  a  man  of  understanding,  but  it  does  belong  to  him 
to  be  able  to  see  that  truth  is  truth  and  that  falsity  is  falsity,  and  to  confirm  it 
(n.  334). 

XXXVIII. 

I  spoke  with  spirits  who,  in  the  natural  world,  had  been  famed  for  erudition,  who 
were  disputing  among  themselves  about  connate  ideas,  whether  men  have  any,  as 
beasts  have;  and  then  a  certain  angelic  spirit  thrust  himself  in  and  said,  "  You  are 
disputing  about  goat's  wool.  Men  have  no  connate  ideas,  neither  have  beasts."  At 
which  words  all  were  enraged.  But  afterwards,  opportunity  to  speak  being  given,  he 
spoke  first  concerning  beasts,  saying,  "They  have  no  connate  ideas;  for  the  reason 
that  they  do  not  think,  but  only  act  from  instinct,  which  they  have  from  their  nat- 
ural love,  which  makes  in  them  something  analogous  to  a  will,  and  this  flows  imme- 
diately into  the  senses  of  their  body  and  excites  that  which  agrees  with  and  favors 
the  love;  and  yet  ideas  are  predicable  only  of  thought. "  That  beasts  have  sensation 
only  and  not  thought,  he  confirmed  by  various  things,  especially  by  the  wonderful 
things  which  are  knowTi  respecting  spiders,  bees,  and  silk-worms,  saying,  "Does  a 
spider  think  in  its  little  head,  when  it  forms  its  web,  that  the  web  is  to  be  so  woven 
for  the  sake  of  such  or  such  uses?  Does  a  bee  think  in  its  little  head,  '  From  these 
flowers  I  will  suck  honey,  and  from  these  I  will  gather  wax,  out  of  which  I  will  build 
compact  rows  of  little  cells,  and  in  these  I  will  put  honey  in  abundance  that  it  may 
be  suflScient  also  for  the  winter? '  besides  other  things.  Does  the  silkworm  think  in 
its  little  head,  '  Now  I  will  betake  myself  to  spinning  silk,  and  when  I  have  spun  it  I 
will  fly  forth  and  sport  with  my  companions,  and  provide  for  myself  posterity?'  be- 
sides like  things  with  beasts  and  birds. "  Concerning  men  he  said,  that  every  mother 
and  nurse,  and  the  father  also,  know  that  new-born  infants  have  no  connate  ideas, 
and  that  they  have  no  ideas  at  all  until  they  have  learned  to  think,  and  that  then 
ideas  arise  and  are  produced  according  to  every  kind  of  thought  which  they  have  im- 
bibed by  instruction;  and  that  this  is  so  becau.'^e  man  has  nothing  born  in  him  except 
a  capacity  to  know,  to  understand  and  to  be  wise,  and  an  inclination  to  love  not  only 
himself  and  the  world,  but  also  the  neighbor  and  God.  Tliese  things  Leibnitz  and 
Wolfe  heard  at  a  distance;  and  Leibnitz  favored,  but  Wolfe  did  not  (n.  335). 

XXXIX. 

Once  a  certain  angelic  spirit  illustrated  what  faith  and  charity  are,  and  what  their 
conjunction  effects.  He  illustrated  it  by  comparison  with  light  and  heat,  which 
meet  together  in  a  third;  because  the  light  in  heaven  in  its  essence  is  the  truth  of 
faith,  and  the  heat  there  in  its  essence  is  the  good  of  charity;  therefore  as  light  with- 
out heat,  such  as  there  is  in  winter-time -in  the  world,  strips  the  trees  of  leaves  and 
fruits,  so  is  faith  separated  from  charity;  and  as  light  conjoined  to  heat,  such  as  there 
is  in  spring-time,  vivifies  all  things,  so  is  faith  conjoined  with  charity  (n.  385). 


LaifcgttrtatiaMMMM^i^liAidfaatiiBBM&^jiS 


1000  INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 

XL. 

Two  angels  descended,  one  from  the  eastern  heaven  where  love  prevails,  and  the 
other  from  the  southern  heaven,  where  wisdom  prevails,  ar  d  rpoke  concerning  the 
essence  of  the  heavens,  whether  it  is  love  or  wisdom;  and  they  agreed  that  it  is  love 
and  wisdom  therefrom;  consequently,  that  the  heavens  were  created  by  God,  from 
love  by  means  of  wisdom  (n.  386). 

XLI. 

After  that,  I  entered  a  garden,  where  1  was  led  around  by  a  certain  spirit,  and  at 
length  to  a  palace  which  was  called  the  Temple  of  Wisdom.  This  was  four-square, 
the  walls  of  crystal,  the  roof  of  jasper,  the  substructure  of  various  precious  stones. 
And  he  said  that  no  one  can  enter  it  who  does  not  believe  that  what  he  knows,  under- 
stands, and  is  wise  in,  compared  with  what  he  does  not  know  and  understand  and  is 
not  wise  in,  is  relatively  so  little  that  it  is  scarcely  anything.  And  because  I  believed 
this,  it  was  granted  me  to  enter;  and  it  was  seen  that  the  whole  of  it  was  built  to  be  a 
form  of  light.  In  that  temple  I  related  what  I  had  lately  heard  from  the  two  angels 
about  love  and  wisdom;  and  they  asked,  "  Did  they  not  also  speak  of  a  third,  which  is 
use?  "  And  they  said  that  love  and  wisdom  apart  from  use  are  merely  ideal  entities, 
but  that  in  use  they  become  real,  and  that  it  is  the  same  with  charity,  faith,  and  good 
works  (n.  387). 

XLII. 

One  of  the  spirits  of  the  dragon  invited  me  to  see  the  delights  of  his  love;  and  he  led 
me  to  something  like  an  amphitheater,  upon  the  seats  of  which  sat  satyrs  and  harlots. 
And  then  he  said,  "Now  you  shall  see  our  sport. "  And  he  opened  a  door,  and  let  in, 
as  it  were,  calves,  rams,  kids,  and  lambs;  and  presently  through  another  door  he  let 
in  lions,  panthers,  tigers,  and  wolves,  which  rushed  upon  the  flock,  tearing  them  ami 
slaughtering  them.  But  all  these  things  which  were  seen  were  induced  by  means  of 
fantasies.  Having  seen  this  I  said  to  the  dragonist,  "After  a  while  you  will  see  this 
theater  turned  into  a  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone. "  The  sport  being  finished,  the 
dragonist  went  out,  attended  by  his  satyrs  and  harlots,  and  saw  a  flock  of  sheep; 
from  which  he  inferred  that  one  of  the  Jerusalemite  cities  was  near  by;  on  seeing 
which,  he  was  seized  with  the  desire  to  take  it  and  cast  out  the  inhabitants;  but  be- 
cause it  was  surrounded  by  a  wall,  he  planned  to  take  it  by  stratagem.  And  then  he 
sent  one  skilled  in  incantation,  who  being  admitted  spoke  craftily  with  the  citizens 
about  faith  and  charity;  especially  as  to  which  of  them  is  the  primary,  and  whether 
charity  contributes  anything  to  salvation.  But  the  dragonist.  enraged  at  the  answer, 
went  out  and  gathered  together  many  of  his  crew,  and  began  to  besiege  the  city;  but 
when  he  was  endeavoring  to  reach  and  invade  it.  fire  out  of  heaven  consumed  them, 
according  to  what  is  foretold  in  the  Apocalypse  (xx.  8,  9)  (n,  388). 


XLin. 

A  paper  was  once  sent  down  from  heaven,  in  which  there  was  an  exhortation  to 
acknowledge  the  Lord  the  Saviour  as  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  according  to  His 
words  (Matt,  xxviii.  18).  But  two  bishops  who  were  there  were  consulted  as  to  what 
should  be  done.  They  said  that  the  paper  should  be  sent  back  to  heaven  from  which 
it  came.  When  this  was  done  that  society  sank  down,  but  not  very  deep.  The  next 
day  some  ascended  therefrom  and  told  what  lot  they  had  met  with  there;  also  that 
they  went  to  the  bishops  there  and  reproved  them  for  their  advice,  and  that  they  had 
talked  much  about  the  state  of  the  church  ^t  this  day,  and  had  censured  the  doc- 
trine of  the  bishops  regarding  the  Trinity,  of  justifying  faith,  of  charity,  and  other 
things  which  pertained  to  their  orthodoxy,  and  asked  them  to  discard  those  doc- 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


1001 


trines  because  they  were  contrary  to  the  Word;  but  to  no  purpose.  And  because 
they  called  their  faith  dead  and  diabolical,  according  to  James  in  his  Epistle,  one  of 
the  bishops  took  off  the  miter  from  his  head,  and  laid  it  down  upon  the  table,  saying 
that  he  would  not  resume  it  until  the  scoffing  of  his  faith  had  been  avenged.  But  then 
a  monster  appeared  coming  up  from  below,  like  the  beast  described  in  the  Apocalypse 
(xiii.  1,  2).  which  took  up  the  miter  and  carried  it  away  (n.  389). 

XLIV. 

I  went  to  a  certain  house  where  those  assembled  were  arguing  one  with  another, 
whether  the  good  which  a  man  does  in  the  state  of  justification  by  faith  is  the  good  of 
religion  or  not.  There  was  an  agreement  that  by  the  good  of  religion  the  good  which 
contributes  to  salvation  is  meant.  But  the  opinion  of  those  prevailed  who  said  that 
no  good  that  is  done  by  man  contributes  anything  to  salvation;  since  no  voluntary 
good  of  man  can  be  conjoined  with  what  is  free,  because  salvation  is  bestowed  freely, 
neither  can  any  good  from  man  be  conjoined  with  the  merit  of  Christ,  by  which  alone 
is  salvation  possible;  neither  can  the  operation  of  man  be  conjoined  with  the  opera- 
tion of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  does  all  things  without  the  aid  of  man.  From  which  it 
was  concluded  that  good  works,  even  in  the  state  of  justification  by  faith,  contribute 
nothing  to  salvation;  but  faith  only.  On  hearing  these  things,  two  gentiles  who  stood 
at  the  door  said  to  each  other,  "These  men  have  no  religion.  Who  does  not  know 
that  to  do  good  to  the  neighbor  for  God's  sake,  thus  from  God  and  with  God,  is  reli- 
gion?" (n.  390). 

XLV. 

I  heard  the  angels  lamenting  that  there  is  such  spiritual  destitution  at  this  day  in 
the  church  that  they  know  nothing  else  than  that  there  are  three  Divine  persona 
from  eternity,  and  that  faith  alone  saves;  and  about  the  Lord  they  know  only  the 
historical  facts;  and  that  they  are  profoundly  ignorant  of  the  things  that  are  taught 
in  the  W^ord  respecting  the  Lord,  His  oneness  with  the  Father,  His  Divinity  and 
power.  And  they  said  that  a  certain  angel  had  been  sent  down  by  them  to  discover 
whether  there  was  such  destitution  at  this  day  among  Christians;  and  that  he  asked 
a  certain  one  what  his  religion  was.  He  answered,  that  it  was  faith.  Then  he  asked 
him  about  redemption,  regeneration,  and  salvation.  He  answered  that  they  were 
all  matters  of  faith;  and  also  in  regard  to  charity  that  it  is  in  faith;  also,  whether  any 
one  can  do  good  from  himself.  Afterwards  the  angel  said  to  him,  "You  have  an- 
swered like  a  man  playing  but  one  note  on  a  flute;  I  hear  only  faith;  but  if  you  know 
nothing  else  but  that,  you  know  nothing.  "  Then  he  led  him  to  his  companions  in  a 
desert,  where  there  was  not  even  grass.    Besides  more  (n.  391). 


XLVI. 

I  saw  five  gymnasia  encompassed  by  different  kinds  of  light,  and  with  many  others 
1  entered  into  the  first,  which  was  seen  in  flame-colored  light.  Many  were  assembled 
there,  and  the  president  proposed  that  they  should  declare  their  opinions  respecting 
charity;  and  when  they  had  begun,  the  first  said  that  in  his  opinion  charity  is  moral- 
ity inspired  by  faith.  The  second,  that  it  is  pity  inspired  by  commiseration.  The 
third,  that  it  is  doing  good  to  every  one,  both  virtuous  and  vicious  alike.  The  fourth, 
that  it  is  to  serve  by  every  means  one's  relatives  and  friends.  The  fifth,  that  it  is  giv- 
ing alms  to  the  poor  and  assisting  the  needy.  The  sixth,  that  it  is  building  hospitals, 
infirmaries,  and  orphans'  homes.  The  seventh,  that  it  is  to  endow  temples  and  to  do 
good  to  their  ministers.  The  eighth,  that  it  is  the  old  Christian  brotherhood.  The 
ninth,  that  it  is  to  forgive  every  one  his  trespasses.    Each  of  them  fully  confirmed  hit 


1002  INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 

opinion:  which  confirmations  cannot  be  recited  because  they  are  many  they  may 
Xrl  e  be  seen  in  the  Memorable  Relation  itself.  After  th.s  there  was  g.ven  me  an 
op^rtunUy  to  express  my  opinion;  and  I  said  that  charity  ,s  to  act  w,  h  judgment 
from  a  love  of  justice,  in  every  employment  and  office  but  from  a  love  de"ved  from 
no  other  sour  J  than  the  Lord  the  Sav.our;  and  after  th.s  had  been  demonstrated  I 
added  that  all  those  things  which  had  been  said  before  respectmg  charity  by  the 
le  celebrated  men  were  eminent  examples  of  charity  when  done  w.th  judgment 
from  justice:  and  because  justice  and  judgment  are  from  no  other  source  than  the 
i^rd  the  Saviour,  they  are  to  be  done  by  man  from  H,m.  Tins  was  approved  by 
most  of  them  in  their  internal  man.  but  not  as  yet  m  the  external  (n.  459). 

XIA'II. 
At  a  distance  there  was  heard  something  like  the  gnashing  of  teeth,  and  mingled 
wifh  this  a  kind  of  beating;  and  I  went  toward  the  sounds,  and  saw  a  small  house 
taU  o^re^s  plastered  together:  and  instead  of  the  gnashing  of  teeth  and  the  sound 
of  knock'^  I  heard  within,  in  thelittle  house,  disputes  about  faith  and  char.ty  wh.ch 
:  them  sfhe  essential  of  the  church.    And  those  who  were  '- ""'"™"f' .    Z  t 
theirTrguments,  saying  that  faith  is  spiritual  because  it  is  from  God,  but  char.ty 
^Ira Ttecause  it  is  from  man.    On  the  other  hand,  those  who  were  for  char  ty  sa^d 
that  charity  is  spiritual  and  faith  is  natural  unless  it  .s  conjoined  to  charity.    To 
thl  thCa  certain  syncretist  wishing  to  settle  the  dispute  added  to  this   he  proo 
thrtlith  is  spiritual  and  charity  only  natural      But  it  was  said  ~°-^^* '^^^ 
two  kinds  spiritual  and  natural,  and  that  in  the  man  who  lives  from  the  Lo'd  .t  is 
sprritual-moral  but  in  the  man  who  does  not  live  from  the  Lord  .t  .s  natural-moral, 
such  as  exists  with  the  evil  and  sometimes  with  the  spirits  m  hell  (n.  460). 


XLvm. 

In  spirit  I  was  brought  into  a  certain  garden  in  the  southern  quarter,  and  saw  cer- 

tain  ™  "tting  there  under  a  laurel,  eating  figs.    I  asked  them  how  they  under- 

tL  thrman  can  do  good  from  God,  and  yet  do  it  altogether  as  if  from  himself. 

Z  they  aZered  that  God  works  good  inwardly  in  man;  but  if  man  does  ,t  from 

to  own  w^and  from  his  own  understanding,  he  defiles  it  so  tbat  ,t  is  no  longer  good_ 

ButTo  tWs  I  said  that  man  is  only  an  organ  of  life;  and  that  it  he  beheves  ,n  the  Lord 

he  llergood'f  himself  from  the  Lord;  but  if  he  does  not  believe  in  the  Lord   and 

stil  mire,  if  he  does  not  believe  in  any  God,  he  does  good  of  himsel   f™-"  h^ll   and 

f„    hTthat  the  Ix,rd  has  given  to  man  freedom  of  choice  in  acting  rom  the  one  or 

rom  the  other     That  the  I  ord  has  given  this  freedom  was  proved  from  the  Word 

nThat  He  commanded  man  to  love  God  and  the  neighbor,  to  P"]"™  'h»  «°.od 

m  tnat  ne  coium^  ^     commandments  that  he 

L^rd     When  this  had  been  said,  I  gave  them  twigs  from  a  vme.  and  the  twigs 
their  hands  put  forth  grapes.    And  more  beside  (n.  461). 

XLIX. 

I  saw  a  splendid  dock-yard.  and  in  it  vessels  large  and  small,  -<>  on  benches^there 

Sifrr-th-h^'bts-^ri-^^^^^^^^ 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


1003 


their  elegant  discourse  and  also  gave  them  presents.  When  these  things  had  been 
seen  an  angel  explained  what  they  signified;  namely,  that  there  are  men  in  the  world, 
and  as  many  spirits  from  the  world  after  death,  who  say  that  in  those  who  have  ac- 
quired faith  God  does  not  look  at  anything  that  they  think  and  do,  but  only  looks  at 
the  faith  which  he  has  stored  up  in  the  interiors  of  their  minds;  and  that  these  same 
persons  bring  forth  before  the  congregations  in  temples,  holy  things  from  the  Word 
just  as  others  do,  but  this  they  do  from  the  greater  head  which  appears  as  a  man,  into 
which  they  then  insert  the  little  one,  or  draw  it  into  the  body.  The  same  per.son.s 
afterwards  were  seen  in  the  air  in  a  vessel  flying  with  seven  sails,  and  those  in  it  were 
decorated  with  laurels  and  purple  garments,  and  they  cried  out  that  they  were  the 
chief  of  the  wi.se  of  all  the  clergy.  But  the  things  seen  were  images  of  pride  flowing 
from  the  ideas  of  the  minds  of  such.  And  when  they  were  upon  the  earth  I  spoke 
with  them,  first  from  reason  and  afterwards  from  the  Sacred  Scripture;  and  by 
many  means  I  proved  that  their  doctrine  was  unsound,  and,  being  contrary  to  the 
Sacred  Scripture,  was  from  hell;  but  the  arguments  by  which  I  proved  this  were  too 
extended  to  be  set  forth  here,  but  may  be  seen  in  the  Relation  itself.  Afterwards 
they  were  seen  in  a  sandy  place,  in  garments  of  rags,  and  girt  about  the  loins  with 
network  like  fishers'  nets,  through  which  their  nakedness  was  visible;  and  at  last 
they  were  sent  down  into  a  society  bordering  on  that  of  the  Machiavelians  (n.  462). 


An  assembly  was  called  together  which  sat  in  a  circular  temple,  in  which  at  the 
sides  there  were  altars,  and  near  these  the  members  of  the  assembly  sat;  but  there 
was  no  president;  therefore  each  one  of  him.self  ru.shed  forth  into  the  midst  and  spoke 
out  the  feelings  of  his  mind.  A  discu.ssion  began  about  Freedom  of  Choice  in  spiritual 
things.  The  first  speaker,  rushing  forth,  cried  out  that  man  has  no  more  freedom  of 
choice  in  tho.se  things  than  Lot's  wife  when  turned  into  a  statue  of  salt;  the  second, 
that  he  has  no  more  than  a  beast  or  a  dog;  the  third,  that  he  has  no  more  than  a  mole, 
or  than  a  bird  of  night  in  the  day-time;  the  fourth,  that  if  man  had  freedom  of  choice 
in  spiritual  things  he  would  become  a  maniac  and  believe  himself  to  be  as  a  God  who 
can  regenerate  and  save  himself.  The  sixth  read  from  a  book  of  the  Evangelical, 
called  Formula  Concnrdice,  that  man  has  no  more  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual 
things  than  a  stock  or  a  stone,  and  that  he  has  no  ability  whatever  to  understand 
think,  or  will  in  respect  to  these  things,  or  even  to  adapt  and  accomodate  himself  to 
receive  what  is  spiritual;  besides  other  things  (of  which  above,  n,  464).  When  this 
had  been  said,  and  there  was  also  given  me  an  opportunity  of  .speaking,  I  said,  "  What 
else  is  man,  without  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things,  than  a  brute?  And  with- 
out it,  of  what  use  is  anything  theological?"  But  to  this  they  replied,  "Read  our 
theology,  and  you  will  not  find  therein  anything  spiritual;  you  will  find  this  so  con- 
cealed within  that  not  even  a  shadow  of  it  appears.  Therefore,  read  what  our  theol- 
ogy teaches  respecting  justification,  that  is,  the  remission  of  sins,  regeneration,  sanc- 
tification  and  salvation;  you  will  not  see  there  anything  spiritual,  because  spiritual 
things  flow  in  through  faith,  without  any  consciousness  on  man's  part.  It  has  al.'^o 
removed  charity  far  from  what  is  spiritual,  and  repentance  also  from  contact  with  it. 
And  besides,  as  to  redemption,  it  attributes  to  God  purely  natural  human  properties, 
as  that  He  included  the  human  race  under  a  universal  damnation;  that  the  Son  took 
that  damnation  upon  Himself,  and  thus  propitiated  the  Father;  and  what  else  are  in- 
tercession and  mediation  with  the  Father?  From  all  this  it  is  clear  that  in  all  our 
theology  there  is  nothing  spiritual,  and  not  even  what  is  rational,  but  merely  what  is 
natural  below  them."  But  then  suddenly  a  thunderbolt  was  heard  from  heaven, 
and  the  assembly,  seized  with  terror,  rushed  forth,  and  each  fled  to  his  own  home 
(n.  503). 


1004  INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 

LI. 

I  talked  with  two  spirits,  one  of  whom  loved  good  and  truth,  and  the  other  evil 
and  falsity;  and  I  found  that  both  enjoyed  the  same  ability  to  think  rationally.  But 
when  the  one  who  loved  evil  and  falsity  was  left  to  himself.  I  saw  a  kind  of  smoke 
that  arose  from  hell  and  extinguished  the  lucidity  which  was  above  his  memory;  but 
when  the  one  who  loved  good  and  truth  was  left  to  himself.  I  saw.  as  it  were,  a  gentle 
flame  descending  from  heaven  and  illuminating  the  region  of  his  mind  above  the 
memory,  and  from  that  the  things  below  it.    Afterwards  I  spoke  with  the  one  who 
loved  evil  and  falsity  respecting  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things;  and  at  the 
mere  mention  of  it  he  fired  up  and  cried  out  that  no  one  can  move  his  foot  or  hand  to 
do  any  spiritual  good,  or  his  tongue  and  lips  to  speak  any  spiritual  truth,  and  thus 
that  he  cannot  even  adapt  and  accomodate  himself  to  receive  any  such  thing.     He 
said   "Is  not  man  in  such  things  dead,  and  merely  passive?    How  can  what  is  dead 
or  merely  passive  do  good  and  speak  truth  of  itself?    Does  not  our  church  so  speak?  " 
But  the  other,  who  loved  good  and  truth  spoke  thus  respecting  freedom  of  choice  m 
spiritual  things:  "Without  it  wliat  would  the  whole  Word  be,  or  what  tlie  church, 
what  religion,  what  the  worship  of  God,  thus  what  the  ministry?     And  from  the 
light  of  my  understanding,  I  know  that  man  without  that  spiritual  freedom  would 
not  be  man  but  a  beast;  for  man  is  man  and  not  a  beast  because  of  that  freedom;  and 
moreover,  man  without  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things  would  have  no  life  after 
death   thus  no  eternal   life,  because  no  conjunction  with  God;    therefore,  to  deny 
this  is  the  part  of  those  who  are  insane  in  spiritual  things. "    Afterwards  there  was 
seen  an  appearance  of  a  fiery  serpent  upon  a  tree,  which  handed  fruit  therefrom  to 
him  who  denied  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things;  and  when  this  had  been  eaten  a 
smoke  appeared  ascending  from  hell,  which  extinguished  the  light  ui  the  higher  part 
of  his  rational  mind  (a.  504). 

LII. 

There  was  heard  a  grating  sound  like  that  of  two  mill-stones  grinding  on  each 
other-  and  I  went  up  to  where  the  sound  began  and  saw  a  house  in  which  were  many 
little  cells  and  in  these  the  learned  of  this  age  were  sitting  and  confirming  justifica- 
tion by  faith  alone;  and  going  up  to  one.  I  asked  what  he  was  now  studying.  He 
answered,  ''Concerning  the  Act  of  Justification  which  is  the  head  of  all  things  of  doc 
trine  in  our  orthodoxy."  And  I  asked  whether  he  knew  any  sign  by  which  to  tell 
when  justifying  faith  enters,  and  when  it  has  entered.  And  he  said,  that  this  is  done 
passively,  and  not  actively.  To  which  I  replied.  "  H  you  take  away  what  is  active  m 
it,  you  also  take  away  receptivity;  and  thus  that  act  would  be  a  purely  ideal  thing, 
such  as  is  called  a  figment  of  reason,  thus  nothing  more  than  the  state  of  Lot  s  wife, 
composed  of  mere  salt  which  tinkles  when  scratched  by  a  scribe's  pen  or  fingernail 
The  man  growing  warm  picked  up  a  candlestick,  to  throw  it  at  me;  but  the  light 
going  out  suddenly  he  threw  it  at  his  companion  (n.  505). 


LIII. 

There  appeared  two  flocks,  one  of  goats  and  the  other  of  sheep:  but  when  they 
were  viewed  closelv,  in  place  of  goats  and  sheep  men  were  seen;  and  it  was  perceived 
that  the  flock  of  goats  consisted  of  those  who  make  faith  alone  saving,  and  the  flock 
of  sheep  of  those  who  make  charity  and  faith  together  saving.  To  the  inquiry  why 
they  were  there,  those  who  were  seen  as  goats  said  that  they  were  sitting  as  a  council 
becau'^e  it  had  been  disclosed  to  them  that  the  saying  of  Paul,"  That  man  is  justified 
by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law  (Rom.  iii.  28)"  is  not  rightly  understood;  be- 
cause by  "faith"  here  is  not  meant  the  faith  of  this  day.  but  faith  in  the  Lord  the 
Saviour-  and  by  "the  deeds  of  the  law"  are  not  meant  the  deeds  of  the  law  of  the 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS  1005 

Decalogue,  but  the  deeds  of  the  Mosaic  law  which  were  rituals;  which  also  was  shown. 
And  they  said  that  they  had  concluded  that  faith  produces  good  works  as  a  tree  pro- 
duces fruit.  This  teaching  was  favored  by  those  who  constituted  the  flock  of  sheep. 
Then  an  angel,  standing  between  the  two  flocks,  cried  out  to  the  flock  of  sheep,  "Do 
not  listen,  for  they  have  not  receded  from  their  former  faith. "  And  he  divided  the 
flock  of  sheep  into  two.  and  said  to  those  on  the  left,  "Join  yourselves  to  the  goats; 
but  I  tell  you  that  a  wolf  is  coming  which  will  carry  them  off  and  you  with  them. " 
Then  it  was  asked  how  they  understood  that  faith  produces  good  works  as  a  tree 
produces  fruit;  and  it  was  found  that  their  perception  concerning  the  conjunction  of 
faith  and  cliarity  was  altogether  different  from  that  comparison,  and  thus  that  it 
was  a  fallacious  mode  of  speaking.  When  these  tilings  were  understood,  the  flocks 
of  sheep  reunited  themselves  into  one  as  before,  to  which  some  of  the  goats  joined 
themselves,  confessing  tliat  charity  is  the  essence  of  faith,  and  that  thus  faith  sepa- 
rate from  charity  is  only  natural,  but  conjoined  to  it  it  becomes  spiritual  (n.  50G). 

LIV. 

A  discourse  with  angels   concerning  the  three  loves,  which  are  universal    and 
therefore  with  every  man;  which  are.  Love  of  the  neighbor,  or  the  Love  of  uses,  which 
m  Itself  is  spiritual;  the  Love  of  the  world,  or  the  Love  of  possessing  wealth,  which  in 
Itself  IS  material;  and  the  Love  of  self,  or  the  Love  of  ruling  over  others,  which  in  it- 
self is  corporeal;  and  that  when  these  three  loves  are  rightly  subordinated  in  man, 
he  is  truly  man;  and  that  they  are  rightly  subordinated  when  love  of  the  neigh- 
bor forms  the  head,  love  of  the  world  the  body,  and  love  of  self  the  feet;  it  is 
altogether  otherwise  when  they  become  fixed  in  man  in  a  contrary  order.    And  it 
was  shown  what  man  is  when  the  love  of  the  world  forms  the  head,  and  what  he  is 
when  love  of  self;  that  then  he  is  an  inverted  man;  and  in  respect  to  the  interiors  of 
his  mind  is  a  wild  beast,  and  in  respect  to  his  exteriors  and  the  body  is  an  actor.  Af- 
ter this  there  was  seen  a  certain  devil  ascending  from  below,  having  a  dusky  face 
with  a  white  circle  around  the  head;  and  he  said  that  he  was  Lucifer,  although  he 
was  not;  and  that  in  his  internals,  he  was  a  devil,  but  in  his  externals  an  angel  of 
light:  and  he  declared  when  in  externals  he  was  moral  among  the  moral,  rational 
among  the  rational,  and  even  spiritual  among  the  spiritual;  and  that  when  he  was  in 
the  world  he  had  preached;  and  that  then  he  accursed  evil  doers  of  every  kind   and 
this  is  why  he  was  called  "Son  of  the  morning;  "  and.  what  he  himself  wondered  at, 
when  he  was  in  the  pulpit  he  had  no  other  idea  than  that  it  was  as  he  spoke;  but 
otherwise  when  he  was  out  of  the  temple.    This  he  said  because  in  the  temple  he  was 
in  his  externals  and  then  in  the  understanding  only,  but  out  of  the  temple  in  his 
internals  and  then  in  the  will;  and  thus  he  was  raised  into  heaven  by  his  understand- 
mg  while  his  will  drew  him  down  into  hell;  but  that  the  will  prevails  over  the  under- 
standing, because  it  disposes  the  understanding  according  to  its  beck  and  nod.  After 
this  the  devil  who  pretended  to  be  Lucifer  fell  down  into  hell  (n.  507). 

LV. 

There  was  seen  a  round  temple,  the  roof  of  which  was  crown-shaped,  its  walls  con- 
tinuous windows  of  crystal,  its  door  of  a  pearly  substance.  In  it  there  was  a  pulpit, 
on  which  was  the  Word  enveloped  in  a  sphere  of  light.  In  the  center  of  the  temple 
was  a  sanctuary,  before  which  was  a  veil,  at  that  time  raised,  where  stood  a  cherub 
waving  a  sword  in  his  hand.  When  this  had  been  seen  it  was  explained  to  me  what 
each  particular  signified;  which  may  be  seen.  Above  the  gate  there  was  this  inscrip- 
tion. Now  it  is  permitted;  which  signified,  that  now  it  is  permitted  to  enter  under- 
..tandingly  into  the  mysteries  of  faith;  and  it  was  given  me  to  perceive  that  it  was 


/^i^i?j;Si^^Ii^^e^?fE::f^.65^S=^ 


1006  INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 

exceedingly  dangerous  to  enter  with  the  understanding  into  dogmas  of  faith  which 

^^rllf  iniuigence  and  thus  in  falsities,  and  stUl  more  to  confirm  these  from 

Z  WoTd;  therefore!  by  the  Divine  Providence  the  Word  had  been  taken  away  from 

Jhe  Rom^n  Catholics,  and  with  Protestants  it  had  been  closed  by  the.r  dogma  that 

he  understanding  is  to  be  kept  under  obedience  to  their  fa.th.    But  because  the 

dogmas  of  the  New  Church  are  aU  from  the  Word,  it  is  perm.tted  t<>  eater  'nto'hese 

wUhTe  understanding,  because  they  are  continuous  truths  from  the  Word,  and  also 

shine  before  the  understanding.    This  was  what  is  meant  by  the  wntmg  above    he 

gate   Now  U  is  permuted,  and  by  the  veil  of  the  sanctuary  bemg  raised,  w,  hm 

which  the  cherub  stood.    After  this  there  was  bro..ght  to  me  a  paper  from  an  mfant 

who  w^=m  angel  in  the  third  heaven,  on  which  was  written.  Enter  hereafter  .^o 

TZZries  of  the  Word  which  has  been  heretofore  shui  up;  /or  the  vart^cu^ar  tr^ 

therein  are  so  many  mirrors  of  the  Lord  (.n.  508). 

LVI. 
I  was  seized  with  a  grievous  disease,  from  the  smoke  that  came  in  from  the  Jeru- 
salem which  is  called  Sodom  and  Egypt  Upoc.  xi.  8);  and  I  was  seen  by  tho^  who 
werrin  that  city  as  dead;  and  they  said  one  to  another  that  I  was  not  worthy  of 
burial  just  as  it  is  said  concerning  the  two  witnesses  in  the  same  chapter  m  the  Apoc- 
Xp»e'.-  and  meanwhile  I  heard  blasphemies  in  abundance  from  tie  e.t.zensoa  ac- 
count of  my  having  preached  repentance,  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.    But 
Z\  judgment  came  upon  them.  I  saw  that  the  whole  city  fell  down  and  was  over- 
flow«l  with  waters;  and  afterwards  that  they  were  running  about  among  the  lieaps 
of  Itones  and  lamenting  on  account  of  their  lot;  when  their  belief  was  that,  by  the 
fii  h  of   keTr  church  they  were  born  again  and  were  thus  righteous.    But  It  was  said 
to  them  that  they  were  anything  else  than  such,  since  they  had  never  performed  any 
actual  repentance;  and  were  therefore  unaware  of  any  damnab  e  evil  in  themselves. 
Tlterwrrds  it  was  said  to  them  from  heaven,  that  faith  in  the  Lord  and  repentance 
are  the  two  means  of  regeneration  and  salvation;  and  that  this  '^  very  we.l  known 
from  the  Word,  and  still  further,  from  the  Decalogue,  baptism,  and  the  holy  supper; 
concerning  which  see  the  Relation  (n.  567). 


LVII. 

All  who  after  death  come  into  the  spiritual  world  at  first  are  kept  in  the  externals 
in  which  they  were  in  the  natural  world;  and  because  most  men  who  are  m  externals 
fve  morally  frequent  churches  and  pray  to  God.  they  believe  that  they  wHl  cer- 
taTnW  come  nto  heaven.  But  they  are  taught  that  every  man  after  death  gradually 
luTs  off  tte  external  man,  and  the  internal  man  is  opened,  and  then  the  man  is  known, 
afhet  n  h  milf,  since  man  is  man  from  his  will  and  understanding,  and  not  merely 
from  Ic  ion  and  speech;  and  from  this  it  is  that  man  can  in  externals  appear  ike  a 
shZ  although  inTternals  he  is  like  awolf.  and  that  he  is  such  in  h,s  internal  man 
unUs^  he  examines  the  evils  of  his  will  and  of  his  intention  therefrom,  and  repents  of 
them;  with  more  besides  (n.  568). 

LVIII. 

Every  love  breathes  forth  delight.  In  the  natural  world  the  delight^  from  loves 
are  but  little  felt,  but  in  the  spiritual  world  they  are  clearly  felt;  and  there  they  are 
Sometime,  turned  into  odors;  and  the  nature  of  the  delights  is  then  perceived  and 
':^X:elZytXor.-,  ani  the  delights  from  the  love  of  good,  such  as  are  m  the 
heavens,  are  perceived  as  fragrance  in  gardens  and  ilower-beds;  and  on  the  other 
hand  the  delights  from  the  love  of  evil,  such  as  are  in  hell,  are  perceived  as  the  pun- 
gent  and  feUd  smells  from  stagnant  waters  and  from  cesspools;  and  because  they  are 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS  1007 

so  opposite  the  devils  are  tortured  when  they  are  sensible  of  any  sweet  odor  from 
m-smellmg  odors  from  hell.    That  it  is  so.  was  confirmed  by  two  examples.     This  is 

Jehovah  That  H^'T^""  '^"''"'^  ''""  '^"^^""^  ''^^^''  ^"^  ^^^^  ''  -  -^^  of 
Jehovah  that  He  smelled  a  sweet  savor  from  the  burnt-offerings;  and  on  the  other 

hand,  why  it  was  commanded  the  sons  of  Israel  that  they  should  carry  unclean 
things  out  of  their  camps,  and  that  they  should  bury  their  e-xcrements;  for  the" 
(n  569r'''"  "'  ^"^  '^'  ^""'  ""'"^^  ^'  ^^^  ^^-P^  represented  hell 

LIX. 
A  certain  novitiate  spirit,  who  in  the  world  meditated  much  upon  heaven  and 
hell,  desired  to  know  the  nature  of  each;  and  it  was  said  to  him  from  heaven  /^ 
quue  what  dehght  ^«.  and  you  will  know."  Therefore  going  away  he  inquir^-  b\^ 
among  spirits  merely  natural  he  inquired  in  vain.  But  he  was  led  to  three  coi^'ani^ 
in  succession;  to  one  where  they  searched  out  ends  and  were  therefore  called  wi!! 
doms;  to  another  where  they  investigated  causes,  and  were  therefore  called  intelli- 
gences;  and  to  a  third  where  they  inquired  into  effects,  and  were  therefore  called 

from1h.Tr  'l-t    il '    ''''"  ^'  ""'  '""^^^*  '^"'  ^^^^^ ^^^^^'  ^P-^^-  -^  —  l^as  S 
rom  the  delight  of  his  love;  and  that  the  will  and  thought  cannot  move  a  step  except 

from  a  delight  in  some  love;  and  this  is  to  every  one  that  which  is  called  good-  and 
hen  iTr^H^*/"'  delight  of  heaven  is  a  delight  in  doing  good,  and  tt  de"f 
hell  a  delight  in  doing  evil.  That  he  might  be  further  taught,  a  devil  providentially 
ascended,  and  there  before  him  described  the  delights  of  hell,  that  they  were  the 
delights  of  revenge,  fornication,  plunder  and  blasphemy;  and  these  when  perceived 

^:ZstZ\:.\^o]:^'''^  ^'  '^^^^^^  ^^'  ^'^^^^^^^  ^^  ^^"^^  themthedehghts  of 

LX. 

A  company  of  spirits  was  seen  praying  to  God  that  He  would  send  angels  to  teach 

them  about  various  things  pertaining  to  faith,  inasmuch  as  in  most  things  they  Tere 

in  doubt,  because  churches  so  differ  one  from  another,  and  all  their  ministers  say 

Believe  us;  we  are  the  ministers  of  God.  and  we  know."    And  angels  appeared 

whom  they  questioned  in  regard  to  charity  and  faith,  repentance,  regeneration.' 

whfch  thVrT       "^       'I"  ""'•  ""^  ^"P*""  ^^  '''^  ^^^^  «"PP-'  -b-t  each  o 
which  the  angels  gave  such  answers  as  fell  into  their  understanding;  saying  further 

that  whatever  does  not  fall  into  the  understanding  is  like  what  is  sown  in  die  sand 

which,  however  It  may  be  watered  by  the  rain,  still  withers  away;  and  the  under- 

standing  when  closed  against  religion,  no  longer  sees  anything  in  the  Word  from  the 

hght  therein  from  the  Lord;  and  even  if  the  Word  is  read  he  becomes  more  and  more 

blind  in  the  thmgs  of  faith  and  salvation  (n.  621). 


LXI. 

How  man  when  prepared  for  heaven,  enters  it;  namely,  that  after  preparation  he 
sees  a  path  that  leaas  to  the  society  in  heaven  in  which  he  is  to  live  to  eternity  and 
near  the  society  there  is  a  gate  which  is  opened;  and  when  he  has  entered  an  exami- 
nation IS  made  whether  he  has  in  him  the  same  light  and  the  same  heat,  that  is  the 
same  good  and  truth  as  are  in  the  angels  of  that  society.  When  this  is  determined 
he  goes  about  and  inquires  where  his  house  is;  for  there  is  for  each  novitiate  angel  a 
new  house.  When  this  is  found  he  is  received  and  numbered  as  one  among  them. 
But  those  who  have  not  in  them  the  light  and  heat,  that  is,  the  good  and  truth  of 
heaven,  have  this  hard  lot.  that  when  they  enter  they  are  miserably  tortured,  and 
because  of  the  torture  cast  themselves  down  headlong.    This  happens  to  them  be- 


.■"-:fl43-;4»M.L»*»J* 


lOQg  INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 

cause  of  the  sphere  of  the  light  and  heat  of  heaven,  in  the  opposite  of  which  they  are; 
and  afterwards  they  no  longer  desire  heaven,  but  are  affUiated  with  their  like  in 
heU  From  this  it  is  clear  that  it  is  idle  to  believe  that  gaining  heaven  is  merely  an 
admission  from  favor,  and  that  those  who  are  admitted  enter  into  ^l^e  fruition  of  the 
^ys  there,  like  those  in  the  world  who  are  admitted  mto  a  house  where  there  is  a 
wedding  (a.  622). 

LXII. 
Many  who  believe  that  heaven  is  a  mere  matter  of  admission  from  grace,  and  after 
admi  Jon  there  is  eternal  joy,  were  permitted  to  ascend  into  heaven;  but  because 
C  could  not  endure  the  light  and  heat,  that  is,  the  faith  and  love  there,    hey  ca.st 
hemselves  down  headlong;  and  they  appeared  to  those  who  stood  below  hke  dead 
horses.    Among  those  who  stood  below  and  who  thus  saw  them,  were  boys  with  their 
master-  and  he  taught  them  what  their  appearing  like  dead  horses  signified,  and  who 
Za^are  who  so  appear  at  a  distance,  saying  that  they  are  those  who  when  they  read 
the  Word  think  materially  and  not  spiritually  about  God,  the  neighbor,  and  heaven; 
and  that  those  think  materially  about  God  who  think  about  essence  from  person, 
and  in  regard  to  the  neighbor  about  his  quality  from  the  face  and  .peech,  and  in   e- 
™rd  to  heaven  about  the  state  of  love  there  from  place;  but  those  flunk  spiritually 
who  think Tcod  from  essence,  and  from  essence  of  person;  of  the  neighbor  from  his 
quality;  and  from  quality  of  his  face  and  speech;  and  of  heaven  from  the  state  of  love 
there  and  of  place  from  that.    And  afterwards  he  taught  them  that  a  horse  signifies 
Understanding  of  the  Word;  and  because  the  Word  with  those  who  think  spin.ually 
when  they  read  it  is  a  living  letter,  so  such  appear  at  a  distance  as  hvmg  horses; 
Tnd  on  the  other  hand,  because  the  Word  with  those  who  'hmk  materially  when 
they  read  it  is  a  dead  letter,  so  those  at  a  distance  appear  as  dead  horses  (n.  623). 

LXIII. 
An  angel  was  seen  descending  from  heaven  into  that  world  with  a  POP*'' '"  W' 
hand  u,K.n  which  was  written  Ihe  marriage  »/  ffood  and  truth,  and  it  was  seen  that 
to  heav^  the  paper  shone,  but  to  its  descent  gradually  less  and  less,  until  neither 
rte  nZr  nor  the  angel  was  seen,  except  before  some  unlearned  ones  who  were  sim- 
1-hearted.  To  thei  the  angel  explained  what  the  marriage  of  good  and  truth  in- 
volves  n^ely,  that  all  and  each  of  the  thmgs  in  the  whole  heaven  and  m  the  whde 
woVld  contain  the  two  together,  because  in  the  Lord  God  the  Creator  good  and  ruth 
make  one-  and  therefore  nothing  is  anywhere  possible  which  by  itself  is  good,  nor 
rythingwWch  by  itself  is  true;  consequently  in  each  and  everything  'bere  is  arriar- 
ri^  o"  good  and  truth,  and  in  the  church  a  marriage  of  chanty  and  faith,  since 
charity  pertains  to  good  and  faith  to  truth  (n.  624). 

LXIV. 
■When  I  was  in  profound  thought  about  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord  I  saw 
heaven  fromfte  east  to  the  west  luminous,  and  heard  a  ^'""fif  !»"  ^"Vt..„  Old 
oHhe  I^rd^by  the  angels,  but  from  the  Word,  both  the  prophetic  Word  of  the  Old 
Te  L^t  an^  the  ApLo.ic  Word  of  the  New  Testament.  Tb^^f  V,^™-'^- 
by  which  the  glorifications  were  made  may  be  seen  m  the  Relation  (n.  625). 

LXV. 
In  the  north-eastern  quarter  there  are  Places  of  inslruclion;  and  those  who  in- 
terior y  receive  instruction  there  are  called  disciples  of  the  Lord.    Once  -hen  in  the 
s^Vrit.  I  asked  the  teachers  there  whether  they  knew  the  un.versals  of  heaven  and 


INDJiX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


1009 


the  universals  of  hell;  and  they  answered  that  the  universals  of  heaven  are  three 
loves,  the  love  of  uses,  the  love  of  possessing  the  goods  of  the  world  from  the  love  of 
performing  uses,  and  true  marriage  love;  and  that  the  universals  of  hell  are  three 
loves  opposite  to  those  three,  namely,  the  love  of  ruling  from  the  love  of  self,  the 
love  of  possessing  the  goods  of  others  from  the  love  of  the  world,  and  scortatory  love. 
It  is  described  afterwards  what  the  first  infernal  love  is,  which  is  the  love  of  ruling 
from  the  love  of  self;  that  it  is  such  with  the  laity  that,  when  loose  rein  is  given  to  it, 
they  wish  to  rule  over  all  things  of  the  world,  and  with  the  clergy,  that  they  wish  to 
rule  over  all  things  of  heaven.  That  such  a  hallucination  possesses  those  who  are  in 
that  love  was  proved  by  the  like  in  hell,  where  such  are  together  in  a  certain  valley, 
who  find  enjoyment  for  their  minds  in  the  hallucinations  that  they  are  emperors  of 
emperors,  or  kings  of  kings;  and  elsewhere  that  they  are  gods;  and  it  was  seen  that 
at  the  sight  of  these  latter,  the  former,  whose  minds  were  so  elated,  fell  upon  their 
knees  and  worshiped.  Afterwards  I  spoke  with  two,  one  of  whom  was  the  prince  of 
a  certain  society  in  heaven,  and  the  other  was  the  high-priest  there;  who  said  that 
with  those  in  that  society  there  are  magnificent  and  splendid  things,  because  their 
love  is  not  from  the  love  of  self,  but  from  the  love  of  uses;  and  that  they  are  sur- 
rounded by  honors  and  that  they  accept  them  not  for  the  sake  of  themselves,  but  for 
the  sake  of  the  good  of  obedience.  I  then  asked  them,  "How  can  any  one  know 
whether  he  does  uses  from  the  love  of  self  or  the  world,  or  from  love  of  uses  since 
uses  are  performed  from  all  these  loves?  Let  it  be  supposed  that  there  is  a  society 
consisting  of  satans  only  and  a  society  consisting  of  angels  only,  and  I  can  imagine 
that  the  satans,  from  the  love  of  self  and  the  world,  would  perform  as  many  uses  in 
their  society  as  the  angels  would  in  theirs.  Who.  then,  can  know  from  which  love 
the  uses  are?  "  To  this  the  prince  and  priest  replied  that  satans  perform  uses  for  the 
sake  of  reputation,  that  they  may  be  raised  to  honors  and  acquire  wealth,  but  angels 
perform  uses  for  the  sake  of  uses.  And  the  latter  are  distinguished  from  the  former 
especially  by  this,  that  all  who  believe  in  the  Lord  and  shun  evils  as  sins  perform 
uses  from  the  Lord,  and  thus  from  the  love  of  uses;  but  all  who  do  not  believe  in  the 
Lord  and  do  not  shun  evils  as  sins  perform  uses  from  themselves  and  for  the  sake  of 
themselves,  thus  from  the  love  of  self  or  the  world  (n.  661), 


LXVI. 

I  entered  a  certain  grove  and  saw  two  angels  talking  with  each  other.  I  drew 
near  them  and  they  were  speaking  of  the  lust  of  possessing  all  things  of  the  world; 
and  it  was  said  that  many  who  in  actions  appear  moral  and  in  conversation  rational 
are  in  the  madness  of  that  lust,  and  that  that  lust  is  turned  into  hallucinations  with 
those  who  let  their  minds  dwell  in  ideas  concerning  it.  And  because  every  one  in  the 
spiritual  world  is  permitted  to  delight  himself  in  his  hallucination,  provided  he  does 
no  evil  to  another  there  are  even  congregations  of  such  in  the  lower  earth;  and  as  it 
was  known  where  they  were,  we  descended  and  went  to  them;  and  we  saw  that  they 
were  sitting  at  tables,  upon  which  there  was  an  abundance  of  gold  coin,  and  they 
said  that  this  was  the  wealth  of  all  in  the  kingdom;  but  it  was  only  a  vision  of  the 
imagination  which  is  called  a  hallucination,  whereby  such  an  appearance  was  created. 
But  when  they  were  told  that  they  were  insane,  they  turned  away  from  the  tables 
and  confessed  that  it  was  so;  but  because  they  were  exceedingly  delighted  by  the 
vision,  they  could  not  help  returning  again  and  again,  and  indulging  the  allurements 
of  their  senses.  To  this  they  added,  that  if  any  one  deprives  another  of  his  goods, 
or  otherwise  harms  him,  he  falls  down  into  a  kind  of  prison  under  them,  and  is  kept 
there  at  work  for  food,  clothing,  and  some  little  pieces  of  money;  and  if  they  also  do 
evil  there,  they  are  deprived  of  these  and  punished  (n.  662). 

64 


1010 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


LXVII. 


A  dispute  was  heard  between  an  ambassador  of  a  kingdom  and  two  priests,  whether 
intelligence  and  wisdom,  and  thus  also  prudence,  are  from  God  or  from,  man.  The 
ambassador  insisted  that  these  are  from  man,  but  the  priests  that  they  are  from  God; 
nevertheless  it  was  perceived  by  certain  angels  that  the  priests  inwardly  in  them- 
selves believed  the  same  as  the  ambassador,  namely,  that  intelligence  and  wisdom, 
and  prudence  therefrom,  are  from  man.  That  this,  therefore,  might  be  made  clear, 
the  ambassador  was  requested  to  lay  aside  the  garments  of  his  ofl&ce,  and  to  put  on 
the  garments  of  the  sacerdotal  ministry,  and  when  this  was  done  the  ambassador 
began  to  prove  by  many  things  that  all  intelligence  and  also  prudence  are  from  God. 
And  afterwards  the  priests  also  were  asked  to  lay  aside  their  garments,  and  to  put  on 
the  garments  of  ministers  of  state;  and  when  this  was  done  the  priests  spoke  from 
their  interior  selves,  saying  that  all  intelligence  and  prudence  are  from  man.  They  so 
spoke  because  a  spirit  thinks  himself  to  be  such  as  his  dress  is.  After  this  the  three 
became  hearty  friends;  and  as  they  conversed  together  they  went  the  way  that 
tended  downwards;  but  afterwards  I  saw  them  brought  back  (n.  GG3). 

LXVIII. 

First  those  are  treated  of  who  in  the  Word  are  called  the  elect;  and  it  is  known 
that  they  are  such  as  are  found  after  death  to  have  lived  a  life  of  charity  and  faith, 
and  who  are  separated  from  those  who  have  not  lived  that  life;  thus  the  elect  mean 
those  who  are  then  elected  and  prepared  for  heaven.  Therefore  to  believe  that  only 
some,  before  their  birth  or  after  it,  are  elected  and  predestined  to  heaven,  and  not  all, 
since  all  are  called,  would  be  to  accuse  God  of  impotence  and  also  of  injustice  (n.  G64). 

LXIX. 

It  was  said  in  heaven,  by  a  certain  new-comer  that  no  one  in  the  Christian  world 
knows  what  conscience  is;  and  because  the  angels  did  not  believe  this,  they  said  to  a 
certain  spirit  that  he  might  call  together  with  a  trumpet  the  intelligent,  and  ask 
them  whether  they  know  what  conscience  is.  And  it  was  so  done;  and  they  came, 
and  among  them  there  were  statesmen,  scholars,  physicians,  and  priests.  First,  the 
ito'esmen  were  asked  what  conscience  is.  They  answered  that  it  is  a  pain  arising 
from  fear  anticipated  or  actual,  of  the  loss  of  honor  or  wealth;  or  from  a  hypochon- 
driacal humor  arising  from  undigested  substances  in  the  stomach;  and  more  besides. 
Afterwards,  they  asked  the  scholars  what  they  knew  about  conscience.  They  an- 
swered that  it  is  a  sadness  and  anxiety  infesting  the  body  and  from  that  the  head,  or 
the  head  and  from  that  the  body,  from  various  causes,  especially  from  applying  the 
mind  to  one  thing  only,  which  is  done  especially  when  the  reigning  love  suffers;  giv- 
ing rise  sometimes  to  hallucinations  and  deliriums,  and  with  some  to  a  kind  of  brain 
sickness  in  religious  matters,  which  is  called  remorse  of  conscience.  Next  the  phy- 
sicians were  asked  what  conscience  is.  And  they  said  that  it  is  only  a  pain  arising 
from  various  diseases,  which  they  enumerated  in  abundance;  also  that  they  had 
cured  many  by  means  of  drugs.  The  diseases  from  which  the  pains  called  those  of 
conscience  spring  may  be  seen  enumerated  in  the  Relation.  Finally  the  priests  were 
asked  what  conscience  is.  They  said  that  it  was  the  same  with  the  contrition  that 
precedes  faith,  and  that  they  had  cured  it  by  the  gospel;  moreover,  that  there  are 
conscientious  persons  of  every  religion,  true  as  well  as  fanatical,  who  make  to  them- 
selves scruples  about  matters  of  salvation,  also  about  indifferent  matters.  The  an- 
gels from  hearing  these  things  perceived  it  to  be  true  that  no  one  knew  what  con- 
science is;  therefore  they  sent  down  one  from  themselves  to  teach.  He  standing  in 
the  midst  said  that  conscience  is  not  a  pain,  as  they  had  all  imagined,  but  is  a  life 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


1011 


according  to  religion;  and  that  that  life  is  especially  in  those  who  are  in  the  faith  of 
charity;  and  that  those  who  have  conscience  speak  from  the  heart  what  they  speak, 
and  do  from  the  heart  what  they  do.  This  he  illustrated  by  examples.  So,  when  it 
is  said  of  any  one  that  he  has  a  conscience,  it  is  meant  that  he  is  upright;  and  con- 
versely. When  all  this  had  been  said,  those  who  had  been  called  together  divided 
themselves  into  four  bodies;  those  who  understood  and  favored  the  words  of  the 
angel  passed  over  into  one;  those  who  did  not  understand  but  still  favored,  into 
another;  those  who  had  no  wish  to  understand,  saying  to  each  other,  "What  have 
we  to  do  with  conscience?"  passed  over  into  a  third;  and  those  who  scoffed,  saying, 
"  What  is  conscience  but  a  breath  of  wind?  "  passed  over  into  the  fourth.  After  this 
the  two  latter  bodies  were  seen  to  go  aside  to  the  left,  and  the  two  former  to  the 
right  (n.  GG5). 

LXX. 

I  was  led  to  a  place  where  the  ancient  Sophi  dwelt  who  had  been  in  Greece,  which 
place  they  called  Parnassium;  and  I  was  told  that  at  times  they  send  out  some  to 
fetch  new-couiers  from  the  world  that  they  may  inquire  about  wisdom,  how  it  is  at 
this  day  on  earth.    Then  two  Christians  were  found  and  brought,  who  were  presently 
asked,  "  What  news  from  earth?  "    And  they  answered  that  this  was  new  there;  that 
they  had  found  human  beings  in  the  woods,  perhaps  left  there  in  early  childhood; 
and  that  they  appeared  from  the  face  to  be  men,  and  yet  they  were  not  men;  and 
that  from  this  it  was  concluded  in  the  world  that  man  is  no  more  than  a  beast,  ex- 
cept that  he  can  articulate  sound,  and  thus  speak;  and  that  a  beast  could  in  like 
manner  become  wise  if  endowej^  with  the  ability  to  make  articulate  sounds;  besides 
more.    The  Sophi  from  hearing  these  things  drew  many  conclusions  respecting  wis- 
dom, what  changes  it  had  undergone  since  their  times;  especially  from  this,  that 
they  do  not  now  know  the  distinction  between  the  state  of  man  and  that  of  a  beast, 
nor  even  that  man  is  born  merely  the  form  of  a  man,  and  becomes  man  by  instruc- 
tions and  such  a  man  as  the  kinds  of  instruction  he  receives;  that  he  becomes  wise 
from  truths,  unwise  from  falsities,  and  inwardly  a  wild  beast  from  evils;  and  that  he 
is  born  merely  a  capacity  to  know,  understand,  and  become  wise,  in  order  that  he 
might  be  a  subject  into  which  God  might  inspire  wisdom,  from  the  first  degree  of  it 
to  the  highest.     They  said  further  that  they  understood  from  the  new-comers  that 
wisdom  which  in  their  time  was  in  its  rise,  is  at  this  day  setting.    Afterwards  they 
instructed  the  new-comers  how  it  is  that  man,  created  a  form  of  God,  could  be  turned 
into  the  form  of  the  devil.   But  concerning  all  this  the  Relation  may  be  seen  (n.  G92). 

LXXI. 

There  was  again  a  meeting  appointed  in  the  place  where  the  ancient  Sophi  were, 
since  they  had  heard  from  those  sent  out  by  them  that  they  had  found  three  new- 
comers from  the  earth,  one  a  priest,  another  a  politician,  and  a  third  a  philosopher; 
these  were  brought  and  were  presently  asked,  "  What  news  from  earth?  "  And  they 
replied,  "This  is  new;  we  have  heard  that  a  certain  man  says  that  he  speaks  with 
angels  and  spirits;  and  he  relates  many  things  concerning  their  state  and  among 
them  that  man  lives  a  man  after  death  as  much  as  before,  with  this  difference  only, 
that  he  is  then  clothe<l  with  a  spiritual  body,  but  before  with  a  material  body."  On 
hearing  which  they  asked  the  priest  what  he  had  thought  about  those  things  on 
earth.  He  replied  that  because  he  had  believed  that  man  was  not  to  live  again  as  a 
man  before  the  day  of  the  last  judgment,  he  with  the  rest  of  his  order  were  of  the 
opinion  that  the  things  the  man  told  were  visions,  and  afterwards  fictions,  and  that 
at  last  he  was  in  doubt.  Then  he  was  asked  whether  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
could  not  see  from  reason  that  man  lives  a  man  after  death,  and  thus  dissipate  the 
paradoxical  notions  concerning  the  state  of  souls  in  the  mean  time,  which  are,  that 


1012 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


souls  meanwhile  are  flying  about  like  winds  in  the  universe,  continually  awaiting 
the  last  judgment  that  they  may  be  combined  with  their  bodies;  which  lot  would  be 
worse  than  the  lot  of  any  beast.    To  this  the  priest  replied  that  they  talk,  but  they 
do  not  convince;  and  that  they  ascribe  the  combining  or  re-uniting  of  souls  with 
their  bodies  and  skeletons  in  the  sepulchre  to  the  omnipotence  of  God;  and  when 
they  name  omnipotence  and  also  faith,  all  reason  is  exiled.    Afterwards  the  politi- 
cian being  questioned  concerning  the  things  heard,  replied  that  in  the  world  he  could 
not  believe  that  man  would  live  after  death,  since  all  of  man  lies  dead  in  the  grave, 
and  thus  he  thought  that  that  man  saw  specters  and  believed  them  to  be  angels  and 
spirits;  but  that  now  for  the  first  time  he  was  convinced,  by  his  very  senses,  that  ho 
lives  a  man  as  before,  and  that  he  was  therefore  ashamed  of  his  former  thoughts. 
The  philosopher  related  nearly  the  same  things  concerning  himself,  and  concerning 
others  of  his  school;  saying,  moreover,  that  he  referred  those  things  which  he  had 
heard  respecting  the  things  seen  and  heard  by  that  man,  to  a  place  among  the  opin- 
ions and  hypotheses  which  he  had  collected  from  the  ancients  and  moderns.     On 
hearing  these  things  the  Sophi  were  astonished,  especially  that  Christians,  who  are 
in  light  above  others  from  revelation,  should  be  in  such  thick  darkness  respecting 
their  life  after  death;  when  yet  they  and  the  wise  men  of  their  time  knew  about  and 
believed  in  that  life;  saying  further  that  they  had  noticed  that  the  light  of  wisdom 
had  lowered  itself  since  that  age  from  the  interior  of  the  brain  even  to  the  mouth 
under  the  nose,  where  it  appears  as  a  brightness  of  the  lip,  and  in  consequence  the 
speech  of  the  mouth  appears  like  wisdom.     To  this  one  of  the  tyros  added,  "  How 
stupid  are  the  minds  of  those  who  now  dwell  on  the  earth!     Would  that  the  disci- 
ples of  Heraclitus  who  laughed  at  everything  and  the  disciples  of  Democritus  who 
wept  at  everything  were  here,  and  we  should  hear  both  great  laughter  and  great 
weeping. "  After  this  there  were  given  to  the  new-comers  plates  of  copper  on  which 
hieroglyphics  were  engraved  and  they  departed  (n.  693). 


LXXII. 

New-comers  from  the  world  were  found,  and  were  brought  to  the  city  under  Par- 
nassium,  and  were  asked,  "  What  news  from  earth?  "  And  they  answered  that  in  the 
world  they  had  believed  that  after  death  there  would  be  rest  from  all  kinds  of  labor, 
and  yet  they  had  heard,  when  they  were  coming  hither,  that  there  are  here  adminis- 
trations, offices  and  employments,  as  in  the  former  world,  and  thus  that  there  is  not 
rest.  To  this  the  wise  ones  there  replied,  "Thus  you  believed  that  now  you  are  to 
live  in  mere  idleness,  and  yet  idleness  produces  a  languid,  torpid,  stupid  and  sleepy 
state  of  the  mind,  and  from  that  of  the  whole  body,  and  this  is  death  and  not  life. " 
And  then  they  were  led  about  in  the  city,  and  to  the  administrators  and  workmen; 
on  seeing  which,  they  wondered  that  there  should  be  such  things,  since  they  had 
believed  that  there  would  be  some  empty  place  in  which  souls  were  to  live  until  the 
new  heaven  and  new  earth  came  into  existence.  They  were  also  taught  that  all  the 
things  that  here  appear  before  the  eyes  are  substantial  and  are  called  spiritual;  and 
that  all  things  in  their  former  world  are  material  and  are  called  natural;  and  that 
there  is  this  difference  because  they  are  from  different  origins;  namely,  that  all 
things  in  this  world  exist  and  subsist  from  a  sun  which  is  pure  love,  and  all  things  in 
that  world  exist  from  a  sun  which  is  pure  fire.  They  were  also  taught  that  in  this 
world  there  are  not  only  administrations,  but  also  pursuits  of  every  kind,  and  also 
writings  and  books.  The  new-comers  were  delighted  with  what  they  were  taught, 
and  when  they  were  going  away,  some  virgins  came  with  pieces  of  needle-work  and 
embroidery  made  with  their  own  hands,  and  gave  these  to  them;  and  they  sung 
before  them  an  ode  in  which  they  expressed  in  angelic  melody  the  affection  for  use- 
ful labor  and  its  charms  (n.  694). 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS  1013 

LXXIII. 

1  was  introduced  into  an  assembly  where  some  of  the  ancient  philosophers  were 
present,  and  was  asked  what  they  knew  in  my  world  about  influx.  To  which  1 
answered,  that  the  only  influx  they  knew  about  was  that  of  the  light  and  heat  of  their 
sun  into  the  things  which  are  of  nature,  both  into  animate  and  into  inanimate  things; 
and  that  they  knew  nothing  about  the  influx  of  the  spiritual  world  into  the  natural 
world,  although  from  that  influx  are  all  the  wonderful  things  which  are  beheld  both 
in  the  animal  kingdom  there,  and  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  (these  were  in  part  re- 
counted). And  because  they  are  ignorant  of  tiiis  influx,  they  confirm  themselves  m 
favor  of  nature,  and  become  naturalists,  and  at  length  atheists  (n.  695). 

LXXIV. 

I  spoke  with  the  followers  of  Aristotle,  Descartes,  and  Leibnitz,  concerning  physi- 
cal influx,  occasional  influx,  and  pre-established  harmony,  and  heard  how  each  con- 
firmed his  hypothesis;  but  as  they  were  able  to  look  into  that  subject  only  with  an 
understanding  subordinated  to  confirmations,  and  not  superior  to  them,  they  ended 
the  dispute  by  lot,  which  came  out  in  favor  of  spiritual  influx,  which  to  some  extent 
coincides  with  occasional  influx  (n.  696). 


LXXV. 

I  was  taken  into  a  certain  gymnasium  in  which  the  young  were  initiated  into 
various  things  pertaining  to  wisdom,  and  this  was  done  by  the  discussion  of  some 
subject  which  was  there  proposed  by  the  president;  and  the  subject  then  under  dis- 
cussion was.  What  is  the  soul,  and  what  is  its  nature?    There  was  a  desk  into  which 
those  who  were  to  answer  ascended.    And  presently  one  ascended,  who  said  that  no 
one  since  the  creation  of  the  world  had  been  able  to  find  out  what  the  soul  is  and 
what  its  nature  is;  but  since  it  was  known  that  there  is  a  soul  in  man,  man  had  sought 
to  know  where  it  is.    There  was  one  who  held  that  it  has  its  seat  in  man  in  a  certain 
little  gland  which  is  called  the  pineal  gland,  which  is  situated  between  the  two  brains 
in  the  head;  and  that  at  first  he  had  believed  this;  but  as  it  was  rejected  by  many, 
he  afterwards  receded  from  this  view.    After  this  the  second  ascended,  and  said  that 
he  believed  the  seat  of  the  soul  to  be  in  the  head,  because  the  understanding  is  there; 
but  as  he  was  unable  to  conjecture  where  in  the  head  it  resided,  he  acceded  now  to 
the  opinion  of  those  who  said  that  its  seat  is  in  the  three  ventricles  of  the  brain;  now 
to  the  opinionof  those  who  said  thatit  is  in  the  striated  bodies  there;  now  to  the  opinion 
of  those  who  said  that  it  is  in  the  medullary  or  the  cortical  substance,  and  now  to  the 
opinion  of  those  who  said  that  it  is  in  the  dura  mater;  adding  that  he  would  leave  it 
to  every  one  to  think  what  he  liked.    The  third  ascending  said  that  the  seat  of  the 
soul  is  in  the  heart  and  thence  in  the  blood;  and  this  he  confirmed  from  the  Word 
where  it  is  said,  heart  and  soul.     The  fourth  next  ascending  said  that  from  his  child- 
hood he  had  believed  with  the  ancients  that  the  soul  is  not  in  one  part  but  in  che 
whole,  because  it  is  a  spiritual  substance,  of  which  place  cannot  be  predicated,  but 
impletion;  and  further,  as  soul  and  life  mean  the  same  thing,  the  life  is  in  the  whole. 
The  fifth  ascending  said  that  he  believed  the  soul  to  be  something  pure,  like  ether 
or  air,  and  that  he  believed  this  because  it  is  supposed  that  the  soul  would  be  such 
after  it  had  been  separated  from  the  body.    But  the  wise  ones  in  the  orchestra,  per- 
ceiving that  none  of  them  knew  what  the  soul  is,  requested  the  president,  who  had 
proposed  the  problem,  to  descend  and  teach.    He  therefore  descending,  said,  "The 
soul  is  the  very  essence  of  man;  and  because  an  essence  without  a  form  is  not  any- 
thing, the  soul  is  the  form  of  man's  forms;  and  this  form  is  the  truly  human  form, 
in  which  wisdom  with  its  perceptions  and  love  with  its  affections  universally  reside; 
and  as  you  believed  in  the  world  that  you  would  be  souls  after  death,  you  are  now 


1014 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS 


yourselves  the  souls; "  besides  more.  And  this  was  confirmed  by  this  declaration 
in  the  Book  of  Creation,  "Jehovah  God  breathed  into  the  nostrils  of  Adam  the  soul 
of  lives,  and  man  became  a  living  soul"  {Gen.  ii.  7)  (n.  697). 

LXXVI. 

There  was  seen  an  angel  with  a  trumpet,  with  which  he  called  together  those 
celebrated  for  erudition  among  Christians,  that  they  might  tell  what  they  had  be- 
lieved in  the  world  concerning  the  joys  of  heaven  and  eternal  happiness.    This  was 
done  because  it  had  been  said  in  heaven  that  no  one  in  the  Christian  world  knew 
anything  about  them.    And  after  about  an  hour  there  were  seen  six  companies  com- 
ing from  the  learned  Christians,  who  were  asked  what  they  had  known  about  the 
joys  of  heaven  and  eternal  happiness.     The  first  company  said  that  they  had  be- 
lieved them  to  be  merely  an  admission  into  heaven,  and  then  into  its  festive  joys, 
as  one  is  admitted  into  a  house  where  there  is  a  wedding  and  into  its  festivities.  The 
second  company  said  that  they  had  believed  them  to  be  most  cheerful  companion- 
ship and  the  sweetest  conversations  with  angels.     The  third  company  said  that  they 
had  believed  them  to   be  feastings  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob.     The  fourth 
company  said  that  they  had  believed  them  to  be  paradisal  delights.    The  fifth  com- 
pany, that  there  would  be  supreme  dominion,  boundless  wealth,  and  more  than  royal 
magnificence.     The  sixth  company,  that  there  would  be  a  glorification  of  God  and  a 
festival  enduring  to  eternity.        Therefore  that  these  learned   ones  might   know 
whether  those  things  which  they  had  believed  to  be  the  joys  of  heaven  were  so,  it 
was  granted  them  to  enter  into  those  their  joys,  each  company  by  itself,  that  they 
might  learn  by  living  experience  whether  those  joys  were  imaginary  or  real.    This 
takes  place  with  most  of  those  who  come  from  the  natural  world  into  the  spiritual 

(n.  731-733). 

And  then  presently  the  company  that  had  thought  the  joys  of  heaven  to  be  most 
cheerful  companionship  and  sweetest  conversations  with  angels,  were  let  into  the 
joys  of  their  imagination;  but  because  they  were  external  joys  and  not  internal, 
after  some  days  they  were  affected  with  weariness  and  departed  (n.  734). 

Afterwards  those  who  had  believed  that  the  joys  of  heaven  are  feasts  with  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob,  were  let  into  like  things;  but  because  they  perceived  that 
such  joys  were  only  external  and  not  internal,  they  became  weary  and  went  away 

(n.  735). 

The  same  was  done  with  those  who  had  believed  that  the  joys  of  heaven  and 
eternal  happiness  consist  in  supreme  dominion,  boundless  riches,  and  more  than 
royal  magnificence  (n.  736). 

Also  with  those  who  had  believed  that  heavenly  joys,  and  consequently  eternal 
happiness,  are  paradisal  delights  (n.  737). 

Afterwards  with  those  who  had  believed  that  heavenly  joys  and  eternal  happi- 
ness are  a  perpetual  glorification  of  God,  and  a  festival  enduring  for  ever.  These 
were  finally  taught  what  is  meant  in  the  Word  by  the  glorification  of  God  (n.  738). 

Finally,  the  same  was  done  with  those  who  had  believed  that  they  would  enter 
into  heavenly  joys  and  eternal  happiness  if  only  they  were  admitted  into  heaven; 
and  that  they  would  then  have  joys  like  the  joys  of  those  who  enter  into  the  house  of 
a  wedding,  and  join  in  the  festivities  there.  But  when  they  were  shown  by  living 
experience  that  there  are  no  joys  in  heaven  except  for  those  who  have  lived  the  life 
of  heaven,  that  is,  a  life  of  charity  and  faith,  but  instead,  heaven  is  a  torture  to  those 
who  have  led  an  opposite  life,  they  withdrew  and  affiliated  themselves  with  their 

like  (n.  739). 

Because  the  angels  perceived  that  as  yet  no  one  in  the  natural  world  knows  what 
the  joys  of  heaven  are,  and  thus  what  eternal  happiness  is,  the  angel  with  the  trum- 
pet was  told  to  choose  ten  from  those  who  had  been  called  together,  and  introduce 


INDEX  TO  THE  MEMORABLE  RELATIONS  1015 

them  into  a  society  of  heaven,  that  they  might  see  with  their  eyes  and  perceive  with 
their  minds  what  heaven  is  and  what  the  joys  there  are;  and  so  it  was  done.    And 
when  they  had  been  admitted,  it  was  granted  them  first  to  see  the  magnificent  palace 
of  the  prince  there  (n.  740).    Then  the  paradise  near  it  (n.  741).    Afterwards,  the 
prince  himself  and  his  great  men  in  splendid  garments  (n.  742).     Then,  bemg  m- 
vited  to  the  table  of  the  prince,  they  saw  such  an  entertainment  as  no  eye  had  ever 
seen  on  earth;  and  at  the  table  they  heard  the  prince  give  instruction  respectmg 
heavenly  joys  and  eternal  happiness,  that  they  consist  essentially  in  internal  blessed- 
ness   and  from  this  in  external  enjoyments;  and  that  internal  blessedness  derives 
its  essence  from  an  affection  for  use  (n.  743,  744).    After  dinner,  by  command  of  the 
prince  some  wise  men  of  the  society  were  sent  for,  who  taught  them  fully  about  the 
nature  and  source  of  internal  blessedness,  which  is  eternal  happiness;  and  that  this 
causes  external  enjoyments  to  be  joys;  besides  more  concerning  all  these  thmgs 
(n.  745,  746).     After  this  they  were  permitted  to  see  a  wedding  in  that  heaven, 
(of  which  n.  747-749).     And  finally,  to  hear  preaching  (n.  750,  751).     When  they 
had  seen  and  heard  all  this,  full  of  knowledge  concerning  heaven  and  joyful  in  heart 
they  descended  (n.  752). 

LXXVII. 

Revelation  is  here  treated  of.    It  has  pleased  the  Lord  to  manifest  Himself  to  me, 
and  to  open  the  interiors  of  my  mind  and  to  enable  me  thereby  to  see  the  thmgs 
which  are  in  heaven  and  hell;  and  thus  He  has  disclosed  mysteries  which  in  excel- 
lence and  dignity  surpass  all  mysteries  hitherto  disclosed.     They  are  as  follows, 
(i  )  That  in  each  thing  and  all  things  of  the  Word  there  is  a  Spiritual  Sense,  which 
does  not  appear  in  the  sense  of  the  letter;  and  that  consequently  the  Word  was 
written  by  means  of  the  correspondences  of  spiritual  things  with  natural.     Cu.) 
The  Correspondences  themselves,  what  they  are  has  been  explained,     (lu.)  There 
has  also  been  a  revelation  concerning  the  Life  of  men  after  Death,     (iv.)  Also  re- 
specting Heaven  and  HeU,  what  the  one  is  and  what  the  other  is;  also  respecting 
Baptism  and  the  Holy  Supper,    (v.)  Respecting  the  Sun  in  the  spiritual  world,  that 
it  is  pure  love  from  the  Lord  who  is  in  the  midst  of  it,  the  light  preceding  from  which 
is  wisdom,  and  the  heat  proceding  from  which  is  love;  thus  that  faith  and  charity 
are  from  it;  and  that  all  things  that  go  forth  from  it  are  spiritual  and  thus  alive; 
also  that  the  sun  of  the  natural  world  is  pure  fire,  and  therefore  all  thmgs  that  are 
from  the  sun  are  natural,  and  thus  dead,    (vi.)  That  there  are  three  Degrees  hitherto 
unknown,     (vii.)  And  furthermore,  matters  have  been  revealed  relating  to  the  Last 
Judgment-  the  Lord  the  Saviour  as  the  God  of  Heaven  and  Earth;  the  New  Church 
and  its  Doctrine;   the  Inhabitants  of  the   Planets,   and   the  Earths  in  the   Universe 
(n.  846).    (viii.)  Also  respecting  Conjugial  Love;  that  with  the  spiritual  it  is  spiritual 
with  the  natural  it  is  natural,  and  with  adulterers  it  is  carnal  (n.  847).     (ix.)  The 
angels  discerned  by  inquiry  that  although  these  mysteries  are  more  excellent  than 
any  mysteries  hitherto  disclosed,  still  at  this  day  they  are  regarded  by  many  as  of 
no  account  (n.  848).     (x.)  A  murmur  was  heard  from  some  in  the  lower  earth  that 
they  would  not  believe  those  things  unless  Miracles  were  done;  but  the  answer  was 
made  that  they  would  no  more  believe  through  miracles  than  did  Pharaoh  and  the 
Egyptians;  or  no  more  than  the  posterity  of  Jacob  when  they  danced  about  the  golden 
calf  in  the  desert;  or  no  more  than  the  Jews  when  they  saw  the  miracles  done  by  the 
Lord  Himself  (n.  849).     (xi.)  Finally,  why  the  Lord  revealed  these  mysteries  to 
me,  and  not  rather  to  some  one  of  the  ecclesiastical  order  (n.  850). 

The  things  contained  in  the  Memorable  Relations  which  follow  the  chapters  are 
true;  and  like  things  were  seen  and  heard  by  the  prophets  before  the  coming  of  the 
Lord,  and  like  things  by  the  apostles  after  His  coming,  as  by  Peter.  Paul,  and  espe- 
cially by  John  in  the  Apocalypse;  which  things  are  set  forth  (n.  851). 


SM^ama  UOiiitvA^Mii^tMiilllMUaa^vAtM^ 


INDEX  OF   SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


Note. — In  this  Index: 

Full-faced  figures 1,  3,  designate  verses  fully  quoted. 

Italic  figures 1,  S,  designate  verses  given  in  substance. 

Figures  in  parentheses.  .  .(1,  3),  indicate  verses  merely  referred  to. 


GENESIS. 

i.   10,12,  18,21,  25 490 

26,  27 34,  48  (2) 

26,27 20 

27 3G4 

28-30 46 

31 490 

ii.  2,3 46 

7....  48  (3),  470  (6),  697(11) 
Index  Mem.  Rel.  Ixxv. 

7 364 

Chap,  cit 643  (2) 

iii.   4.  5 822 

5  ....  48  (17).  380  (4),  470  (4) 

6,18 498  (2) 

^2 48  (4) 

^5,  24 260 

Chap,  cit 643  (2) 

iv.   14,  15 466 

16,17 466 

V.   1 48  (2),  48  (4) 

(21-24) 202 

14-17 687(2) 

121 

754 

276 

635 

264 

715 


IX. 

xi. 


xni. 
xiv. 


1-9 

(1-9) 

2,4. 

10 

18 

18,  19 

18-20 264 

16 755 

9,  10, 11 675 

21 755 

10,  seq 451 

12,  13 24  (2) 

14 727 

27 727 

Chap,  cit 845 

xli.   8 156 

xlviii.    5,  11 247 

(11) 706(2) 

11 708 


XV. 

xvii. 

xviii. 

xxi. 

xxviii. 

xxix. 

xxxvii. 

xxxviii. 


xlix. 


EXODUS. 

iii.   13,  14,  15 19 

vii.    Chap,  cit 635 

viii.   Chap,  cit 635 

ix.   Chap,  cit 635 

X.   Chap,  cit 635 

xii.   7,13,22 706  (3) 

xiv.    Chap,  cit 635 

^viL,   10,  11,15 284 

12,  13,  20-23 284 

16-18 284 

Chap,  cit 691  (3) 

XX.   2-17 284 

3 9  (2),  291 

(3).  4,  5,  (6) 291 

7 297,  682 

8,  9,  10 301 

305 

309 

313 

317 

321 

325 

106 

299 

004 

706 

285 

730 

284 

(16,  21,  22) 323 

17-21  284 

18-21 260  (2) 

22 260  (2),  284 

(30) 707 

Chap,  cit 284 

xxvi.    1.31 260(2) 

1,31,36 220 

33 284 

Chap,  cit 284 

xxviii.   6, 15,  17-19.  20,  21.  29,  30 

218 

(1017) 


12... 
13... 
14... 
15... 

16  ... 

17  ... 

6 

21  ... 
1,2  .. 
3,8.. 

A,  10. 

(7.8) 
XXV.   16  . . . 


XXI. 

xxiii. 
xxiv. 


i-^.  hfc-iiaw:!as^aarjg>w£ifiiNlt^feii^^^ 


1018 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


EXODUS  iCarUinued). 

xxix.   1,4    670 

12,  16,20,21 706  (3) 

XXX.   18-21 670 

xxxi.   3 156 

(7.  18) 323 

18 284 

xxxii.    12,14 226  (2) 

(15,  16) 323 

15,16 284 

xxxiii.   5 689 

18,  19,  20,  21,  22,  23  ...  691 

(18-23) 786 

20 124 

20-23 28 

^0...107(3).  135(4),  370,  787 

xxxiv.   13 264 

15 314 

28 286,325 

29-35 284 

XXXV.    5,21,29 495 

xxxvii.  9 260  (2) 

xl.    12, 670 

17-28 284 

20 284 

(20) 323 

(23) 707 

30-32 670 

38 284 

LEVITICUS. 

i.   5,11,  15 706  (3) 

ii.    (1-11) 707 

iii.   2,8,13 706(3) 

11,16 707 

iv.   6,7,17,18 706(3) 

25,30,34 706  (3) 

vi.    14,  s^Q 2^^ 

14,  18,  seq 506  (3) 

14-21 707 

vii.    / 288 

7,11 288 

(9-13) 707 

37 506  (3) 

37 288 

viii.    6 670 

15,24 706(3) 

X.    6 223 

xi.   32 670 

46,  m 506  (3) 

46,  seq 288 

xii.    1-3 675 

7 506  (3) 


LEVITICUS  ^Continued). 

7 288 

xiii.   69 606  (3) 

69 288 

xiv.   2,  32,  54,  57 288,  506  (3) 

8,9 670 

XV.   6-12 670 

32 506  (3) 

32 288 

xvi.   2-14  seq 284 

4,24 670 

12-15 706(3) 

(13) 323 

xvii.    6 706  (3) 

11,14 697(6) 

15,16 670 

xix.    23 675 

23,24 468 

XX.   6 314 

xxi.    6,  5,  17,  21 707 

xxii.    6,7 707 

xxiv.    6-9 707 

(5-9) 707 

NUMBERS. 

ii.  Chap,  cit 284 

iv.    (7) 707 

v.    29,  50 506  (3) 

29-30 288 

vi.    1-21 223 

13,  21 506  (3) 

13,21 288 

vii.    89 2bO  (2).  284 

viii.    6,  7 670 

ix.    15-23 284 

X.    S3 285 

35,36 284 

35,36 382 

xi.    Chap,  cit 810 

xiv.   14 284 

18 226  (2) 

21 780 

xvii.    (4,  7,  10) 323 

xviii.    17 706(3) 

xix.   2 288,  506  (3) 

14 288,  506  (3) 

xxi.    14,15 265 

14,  15,27-30 279(3) 

(14,  15,  27-30) 265 

27-30 265  (2) 

Chap,  cit 279 

xxii.    (13,  18) 264 

40 264 


\mm>iv  mmtrtwi'mv  nmifaiffisi  ■warii^gtHtl 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


1019 


NUMBERS  {Contimied). 

xxiu.   1,2,14,29,30 264 

(3,  5,  8,  16,  26) 264 

7,18 265 

19 226  (2) 

xxiv.    (1,  13) 264 

3,15 265 

(6) 467  (3) 

^7  264 

XXV.    1-3".'.'.''.'. 264 

xxviii.    2 707 


XXX. 

xxxi. 
xxxii. 


XXXlll. 


DEUTERONOMY 
S3 


1. 
iv. 


V. 


284 

// .284 

IS 286,  325 

13,23 285 

285 

284 

291 


2,3 

6-21 

7 

11 

12,  13,  14 
16 


DEUTERONOMY  [jContinued). 

6        675  (2) 

9,11,12,26 288,506(3) 

(7,  8) 264 

(14) 706  (2) 

Chap,  cit 845 

13-17 247 

21 51 

26,  (27) 776 

28 190 

xxxiv.    9 156 

JOSHUA. 

iii.   1-17 284 

II 285 

iv.    5-20 284 

V.    Chap,  cit 675 

vi.    1-20 284 

X.    12,  13 265 

12,  IS 279(3) 


297 


VI. 


vu. 

viii. 

ix. 


17... 
18... 
19  ... 
20... 
21... 
22-26 

4 

4,5 


XI. 

All. 


XVI. 

xvii, 

xviii. 

xxi. 

xxiii. 

xxiv, 

xxvi. 


< 
301 
305 
309 
313 
317 
321 
325 
284 
6(3) 
.  81 

6 297,  369  (2),  697  (6) 

5 264 

3 707,  709 

9  285 

lo'.\ 284 

4 286 

(4)       325 

5  ..'.'. 284 

12 697  (6) 

16 675  (2) 

13 697  (6) 

3 264 

6,  11,  13,  14,  18 298 

27 706  (3) 

2,6,11,15,16 298 

15-19 288.  506  (3) 

15-19 129 

23 132 

12,13 569  (5) 

16 521  (2) 

16 226  (2) 

16        697  (6) 


JUDGES. 

xvi.    17 

29 


223 
627 


1  SAMUEL. 

iii.    1-8 211 


V.  4 


630 


11    12 691  (4) 

Chap,  cit 203,  284 

vi.   3-5,  seq 595 

19 691  (4) 

Chap,  cit 203,  284 

XV.   29 226  (2) 

XX.   5, 12-42 211 

2  SAMUEL. 

i.    17,18 265 

17,18 279  (3) 

V.    / "27 

vi.    1-19 284 

^  284 

6,7... 691(4) 

7 284 

xix.    12,  13 727 

xxiii.    3,4 109  (2),  764  (2) 

1  KINGS. 

vi.    7,29,30 221 

19,  seq 284 

29,  32,  35 260  (2) 

vii.   23-29 670 

(48)  ,.... 707 


iAs^Mb^^Uai£&Bi!!^«'^^£>i& 


.::^imt^sijxJL^... 


1020 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


1  KINGS  iC&rUinued). 


vui. 


XVll. 

xviii. 

XX. 


284 

284 

285 

211 

211 

35,38 130 


3-9 
2,. 
£1  , 
21  . 
54. 


2  KINGS. 

ii.   2,23,24 223 

iv.   38-41 148 

vi.    17 851(3) 


2  CHRONICLES. 
vi.  41 


284 


JOB. 


1. 

ii. 

ix. 

xii. 

xxvi. 

PSALMS. 


(6) 729 

(1) 729 

(30-31) 671 

7,  8,  9 307 

8,9 770(2) 


1. 
ii. 


V. 

xviii. 


XIX. 


XXll. 

xxiv. 
xxxi. 
xxxii. 


xli. 
xliv. 

xlv. 


PSALMS  (Continued). 


2,  3 4G8 

6.  8 101 

7 30  (3) 

7,  12 101,  342  (2),  384 

6 322 

9,  10 200(3) 

10,11 776(2) 

35 136  (4) 

44 251 

1.2 780 

14 83,  188  (3),  294 

(14) 637 

9 583 

8,10 116(3) 

5 83 

2 156 

(2).  278,  Index  Mem,  Rel.  xxxi, 

xxxiii.   6 87,  224 

10 251 

XXXV.   19 262,  288 

xxxvi.   6 51 

xxxvii.   6 51 

(14) 93 

14 251 

22,  23 310 

3,5 86 

3,5,6,7 116(2) 

9,  13,  14,  15 748  (3) 


xlvi. 
xlvii. 

11. 


lii. 

liv. 

Iv. 

lix. 

Ix. 

Ixvii. 

Ixviii. 


Ixxi. 
Ixxii. 

Ixxiv. 
Ixxviii. 


Ixxx. 

Ixxxii. 

Ixxxv. 
Ixxxix. 


xc. 

xcvi. 
xcix. 

cii. 

civ'. 


cvi. 

cviii. 

ex. 


cxi. 
cxiv. 
cxix. 


5 764 

3,  8,  9 251 

9 495 

2,7 671 

8 252 

10 573,  773 

10,12 143 

11 158 

17 156 

8 4{)8 

6 495 

18 303 

(5) 93 

7 247 

(2),  3,  4 251 

4 776 

(8) 93 

34 776  (2) 

6 583 

2 51 

13,  14,  15  (16) 706  (5) 

14 45 

8 15(5 

9 247 

41 93 

1 2()0  (3) 

15,17 136(4) 

6 262 

6 288 

8-10 303 

14 51 

14 Index  Mem.  Rel.  viii. 

29 288 

30,37 262 

4 30  (3) 

11 252 

1 260  (3) 

18 573,  773 

2 59 

16 468 

28,  30 573,  773 

4,5 251 

8 247 

1 101 

i 102 

1.2 136(4) 

3 764  (2) 

4 264,  715 

4 262,  288 

(9) 730 

7 583 

7,  164 51 


INDEX  OF  SCKIPTUKE  PASSAGES 


1021 


PSALMS  (Continued). 


I  ISAIAH  (Continued). 


(2,  3) 322 

(1-7) 782  (4) 

5,  6,  7,  8 764 

7,8 83 

2 116(3) 

6 845 

7,  5 284.  382 

(4-6) 782  (4) 

exxxix.    8 "" 

cxlviii.    1,  3,  7,  9,  10,  11,  12  ...  .  307 
7,9 468 


cxx. 
cxxii. 
cxxx. 

cxxxii. 
cxxxii. 

cxxxviii. 


ISAIAH. 

i. 


11. 

iii. 
iv. 


4 93.  251 

4,  15 329(4) 

4,15,  16,  17, /5....  459(12) 

16 671 

16,17 483(2) 

16    17    18 

*329  (3).  435  (4),  536  (3) 

21 51 

27 51,  95 

19 124  (2) 

19,21 691(2) 

(9) 782  (5) 

2,3 782(4) 

4 671 

5 776  (2) 

5 213 

V.    1 354(2) 

(1.  2.  4) 708 

16 51 

19 93 

30 761  (3) 

(1-3) 780 

14 82 

(22) 761  (3) 

2 270 

2,3 251 

6..82(2),98,  101,112,  113(8), 
116  (3).  137(11),  180,  188(6), 
294,  303,  307,  583,  625  (4).  786 

7 30  (3),  95 

7 51 

14,15 628 

5,6 251 

20 93 

22.  23 755 

1,  2,  4,  5 139  (2) 

1,2 188(10) 

1,5,6,7,8,9,10...  789(2) 
1,  5,  6,  8,  9,  10 354  (3) 


VI. 

vii. 

viii. 

ix. 


XI. 


xi.    10 

xii.    3 

6 

xiii.    (6),  9,  13,  (22) 


251 
190 
.  93 
689 


xiv. 


xvu. 

xviii. 
xix. 

XX. 

xxi. 

xxii. 

xxiv. 

XXV. 


XXVI, 


XXVll 


XXV  111 


-  XXIX. 


XXX 


xxxu. 

xxxiii. 


(6,  9,  13.  22) 82  (2) 

9,  10.  11 198 

21 45 

Chap,  cit 754 

6 251 

12 276 

(21) 310 

29 487  (4) 

Chap,  cit 507  (4),  754 

(6)   93 

6,7 93 

7 251 

1 776 

11,13 .635 

23,25 200 

2,3 130 

3 211 

(10.  17) 93 

11.12 764 

(5,  12) 689 

13 252 

(15) 93 

21,23 198 

(23) 782  (4) 

3 251 

6 708 

7 251 

9.-82(2),  188  (2),  294,  625  (4) 

(9) 637 

(8,  13) 298 

9 143 

18 583 

(21) 310 

1  182  (3) 

6,7 310 

7,8 132(3) 

8  683 

15 322 

22 755 

19 93 

(23) 93 

9 322 

11,  12 93 

(25)  26 109  (3) 

26 641  (4) 

17,18 303 

5 

11 


51 
156 


MaftraBt»jtfftrtiffiiitfj«iaMiMaii!aiiattai;-i>^^ 


1022 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


1023 


ISAIAH  {Continued). 


XXXlll. 

xxxiv. 

XXXV. 

xxxvii. 
xl. 


xli. 


xlii. 


20 782  (4),  789 

1 251 

11,  13,  14,  15 675 

10 : 252 

(32) 782  (4) 

3 81 

3.5 82(2).  780 

3,5,  10,  11 188(2),  294 

5.  (5),  20,  // 625(4) 

(3,5,10.11) 637 

10 84 

10,11 82(2) 

16 93 

20 »'>73,  773 

25 298 

/ 188(10) 

(1).  6,  (7).  8 82(2) 


773 
251 
285 
730 
780 


xliii. 


xliv. 


xlv. 


xlvi 
xlvii 


5 

6 

6 

(6) 

6,  8 

13 116(3) 

(1).  3 93 

1,7 573,773 

9 251 

11 83,  188(3X294 

13 116(3) 

14 93,  294 

14 83,  188  (3) 

(14) 637 

(14\  15 93 

2 583 

6.-6  (3),  83,  102  (3),  188  (3), 
294,  625  (4) 

6 13,19 

(6) 261 

(6.  24) 637 

24 21,83,  188(3).  294 

24 13 

24,26 782(3) 

12,18 773 

14 6  (3) 

14,  15 188(3),  294 

14,  15,  21,  22 21 

21 6  (3) 

21,22 83 

21,  (22) 188  (3),  294 

3 583 

4 83.  93,  188  (3),  294 

(4) 637 

Chap,  cit 754 


ISAIAH  {Continued). 

xlviii.    11 780 

(12) 102  (3) 

13 136  (4) 

17 83,  93,  188  (3),  294 

(17) 637 

xlix.  7 93,  294 

7 83,  188  (3) 

(7,  26) 637 

(8) 730 

8,9 285 

22 251 

26  .  .  .  83,  188  (3),  294.  625  (4) 
1.    1 306 

li.'   3 252,  467  (3) 

11 252 

lii.    1,  2,  6,  9 782  (3) 

7 303 

liii.    / 84 

4,  6,  11 130  (2) 

12 104 

Chap,  cit 130  (2),  302 

5.  .83,93,1 13(7),  188(3).625(4) 

5.  (8) 294 

8 • 83,  294 

8 188(3) 

1 708 

4  (5) 251 

3 93 

3 314 

15 156 

2 51 

8 780 

(11) 467(3) 

5 487  (5) 

5 185  (8) 

16,  17.20 116(2) 

19,  20 139(2) 

19,20 188(10) 

21 139  (2) 

Ix.    1 780 

9 93 

16 83,  188  (3),  294 

(16) 637 

Ixi.    1 139  (2) 

1 188  (10) 

3 156 

(11) 467(3) 

Ixii.   1-4,11 789(3) 

1-4,  11,  12 782  (2) 

8 136  (4) 

Ixiii.    1 95 

1-9 116 


liv. 


Iv 


Ivii. 


Iviii. 


lix. 


ISAIAH  {Continued). 

Ixiii.   9 92 

10,11 158 

16...83,  112,  113(8),  188(3), 
(6),  294,  .307 

16 299 

(16) 583,  637 

Chap,  cit 302 

Ixv.    17,  18 107.773,781 

17-19.  25 782(2) 

18 573 

(21-23) 304 

(23) 302 

Chap,  cit 303 

Ixvi.   7-10 583 

10 252 

(10-14) 782  (4) 

(18) 780 

(20) 844 

Chap,  cit 303 


JEREMIAH. 

i.    (4.7,  11-14,  19) 


158 


ii.    (1-5,  9,  19,  22.  29.  31)  .  .   158 

13 190 

22 671 

iii.    (1,  6,  10,  12,  14,  16)  ....  158 

6,8 314 

17 782  (4),  789 

iv.    (1,  13,  9.  17,  27) 158 

2 51 

4 675  (2) 

4,  14 675  (3) 

(9) 689 

14 671 

27 755 

(31) 310 

V.    (1) 782  (5) 

1,7 314 

(11,  14,  18.  22,  29) 158 

vi.    (6.  7) 782  (5) 

(6,  9,  12,  15,  16,  21.  22)  .  158 
22,  (23) 251 

vii.    (1.  3.  11.  13,  19-21)   .  .    .158 

2-4,  9-11 329  (3),  5.36  (3) 

(3) 93 

(17,  18,  seq.) 782  (5) 

(32) 689 

34 252 

34 252 

viii.    (1,  3,  12,  13) 158 

6-8,  seq 782  (5) 

10 322 


JEREMIAH  {Continue). 


ix.    (3,  7,  9,  13,  15,  17,  22.  24,  25) 

158 

(10,  11,  13,  seq.) 782(5) 

15 93 

24 51 

X.    (1,  2,  18) 158 

xi.    (1,  3,  6,  9,  11,  17,  18,  21,  22) 

158 

(3) 93 

15 727 

16,  (17) 468 

xii.    (3) 310 

(14-17) 158 

xiii.    (1.  6,  9,  11-15,  25) 158 

(9,  10,  14) 782  (5) 

(12) 93 

27 314 

xiv.    (1,  10,  14,  15) 158 

(16) 782  (5) 

XV.    (1-3,  6,  11,  19,  20) 158 

xvi.    (1,  3,  5,  9,  14,  16) 358 

9 252 

(9) 93 

xvii.    (5,  19-21,  24) 158 

8 468 

11 527  (2) 

13 190 

xviii.    (1,  5,  6,  11,  13) 158 

xix.    (1,  3,  6,  12,  15) 158 

(3,  15) 93 

XX.    (4) 158 

xxi.    (1.4,7,8,  11,  12.  14)  ....  158 
xxii.    (2,  5.  6.  11,  16,  18,  24,  29,  30) 

158 

S,  13,  15 ." 51 

xxiii.    (2) 93 

(2,  5,  7,  12,  15,  24,  29,  31,  38) 

158 

5 51 

(5) 459  (16) 

5,  6  ....  82  {2),  95,  137  (11), 

188  (3),  294,  625  (4).  Theorem 

at  end  of  book. 

14 314 

(14) 782  (5) 

(14,  32) 322 

23,24 30  (3) 

xxiv.    (3,  5,  8) 158 

(5) 93 

XXV.    (1.  3.  7-9,  15,  27-29,  32).  .  158 

10 252 

10 252 


ri><&^'-'*'"^''-^''--  ■     ■    -' <»   -J>^.— .aAJ:.      ■■■ 


...-a.^.^^.^^»«.  lu-f..,.  nnrriitlinrt-fiHi iWfSli 


1024 


INDEX  OF  SClUrTURE  PASSAGES 


JEREMIAH  {Continued). 

XXV.    14 440 

(14) 643 

(15,  27) 93 

xxvi.    (1.  2.  18) 158 

xxvii.    (1.  2.  4.  8.  11.  IG.  19.  21.  22) 

158 

xxviii.    (2,  12.  14,  IG) 158 

xxix.    (4.  8,  9,  16.  19-21,  25,  30-32) 

158 

(4,  8,  21.  25) 93 

23 314 

XXX.    (1-5,8,10-12.17,18)  ...  158 

(2) 93 

(9) 844 

xxxi.    (1,  2,  7,  10,  15-17,  23.  27.  28. 

31-38) 158 

9      190.  247 

(12) 467  (3) 

20 247 

(23) 93 

31-34 730.  789  (2) 

33,34 354(3) 

xxxii.    (1.  6.  14,  15.  25,  26,  28.  30.  36, 

42,  44) 158 

(14,  15,  36) 93 

19  376.  483  (2) 

19 440 

(19) 643 

41 697  (6) 

xxxiii.    (1.  2,  4,  10-13.  17.  19,  20.  23. 

25) 158 

(4) 93 

10,11 252 

10,11 252 

(15) 459  (16) 

15,  16..  82  (3),  95,  137  (11), 

188  (3),  294,  625  (4),  Theorem 

at  end  of  book. 

xxxiv.    (1.2,4.8,  12,  13,  17,  22).  158 

(2,  13) 93 

xxxv.    (1,  13,  17-19) 158 

(13,  17-19) 93 

xxxvi.    (1,  6,  27,  29.  30)   158 

xxxvii.    (6,  7,  9) 158 

(7) 93 

xxxviii.    (2,  3,  17) 158 

(17) 93 

xxxix.    (15-18)   158 

(16) 

xU   (1) 

xlii.    (7,  9,  15,  18,  19) 

C9,  16.  18) 


JEREMIAH  (Continued). 


93 
158 
158 
,  93 


xlUi.    (8.  10) 

(10) 

xliv.    (1.2,7,11,24-26,30) 

(2,  7,  11,  25) 

xlv.    (2,  5) 


.  158 
..  93 
o  158 
.,  93 
,  158 

xlvi.    (1^23,25,28) 158 

5,10 11G(2) 

(10,  21) 689 

xlvii.    (1) 158 

(4) 689 

xlviii.    (1) 93 

(1,  8,  12.  30,  35,  38,  40,  43,  44, 

47) 158 

(26) 683 

45,  46 265  (3) 

xlix.    (2.  5-7.  12,  13.  16.  18,  26,  28. 

30,  32,  35,  37.  39) 158 

(8.26) 689 

1.    (1.  4,  10.  18,  20.  21.  30,  31,  33., 
35,  40) 158 

(18) 9cl 

34  83,  188  (3 ) 

34.'... 294 

(34) 637 

39 4.3 

Chap,  cit 754 

5 93 

(25,  33,  36,  39,  52,  58)  .  .  15S 
(33) 93 


li. 


LAMENTATIONS. 

i.    (8,9.17) 782(M 


IV. 


21 


252 


EZEKIEL. 

i.    Chap.  cit.  157.  260  (3),  851  (2) 

iii.    12,14 
iv.    1-15 


157 

lao 


Vll 

viii 


13,  16,  17 130  (2) 

Chap,  cit 782  (5) 

9.seq 296(3) 

V.   9,  seq 782  (5) 

6.  7,  10 7-54 

1.57 

93 


3,  seq 

(4) 

Chap,  cit 851(2) 

ix.    (3) 93 

Chap,  cit 260  <3) 

X.    (19.  20) 93 

Chap.  cit.  157.  260  (3),  851  <:2) 
xi.   1,  24 157 


19 


705 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


1025 


EZEKIEL  (Continued). 

xi.    19 143 

(22) 93 

Chap,  cit 851  (2) 

xii.   3,7,11   130 

(18.  19) 782  (5) 

xiiK    (5) 689 

3 156 

(6-9) 322 

XV.    (6-8) 782  (5) 

xvi.    (1-63) 782  (5) 

16,  16,  26,  28,  32,33 314 

(45) 306,  583 

(46,  48) 782  (5) 

xvii.    (2-8) 290 

24 468 

xviii.   6 51 

31 143,  156,  601 

xix.    (10) 306 

XX.    32  . . 156 

47 468 

xxi.   7 156 

(29)   322 

xxiii.    (1-49) 782  (5) 

2,3,6,7,11,14,17 314 

xxvi.    26 705 

xxviii.    4,  12,  13 467 

12,  13 219 

12,  13,  14,  16 260  (3) 

13,  15 773 

XXX.    (2,  3,  9) 689 

16 583 

xxxi.    3,  8,  9 467  (2) 

8 635 

(15) 82  (2) 

18 467  (2) 

xxxii.   7,  8 198 

xxxiii.    14.  16,  10 51 

xxxiv.    (11,  12) 689 

23,  24 171 

(23-25) 844 

xxxvi.    15 251 

26 705 

26,  27 143,601 

xxxvii.   1-14 534,  594 

(9) 310 

11 594 

12-14 594 

(23-26) 844 

xxxviii.    (14.  16.  18,  19) 689 

xxxLx.   17-21 705,  706  (5) 

xl.  2 157 

Chap,  cit 157,  851  (2) 

65 


EZEKIEL  (Continued). 

xVi.    18-20 260  (2) 

Chap,  cit 157,  851  (2) 

xUi.   Chap,  cit 157,  851  (2) 

xliii.    (2) 93 

5 157 

Chap,  cit 157,  851  (2) 

xUv.    (2) 93 

Chap,  cit 157,  851  (2) 

xlv.   Chap,  cit 157,  851  (2) 

xlvi.    Chap,  cit 157,  851  (2) 

xlvii.    Chap,  cit 157.  851  (2) 

xlviii.    Chap,  cit 157,  851  (2) 

DANIEL. 

ii.   3 156 

31-36 275.  609 

31-47 754 

36 788 

43 761  (2) 

43,  44 625 

44 788 

Chap,  cit 760 

iii.    1-7,  seq 754 

iv.   13,23 93 

23 644 

v.   11,  12 156 

Chap,  cit 754 

vi.    (8-28) 754 

8-28 292 

vii.   l,seq 157  (2),  851  (3) 

(1-14) 764 

1,2,7,13 157(2) 

3 788 

7,23 761(3) 

9 ...  223 

(13) 776 

13,  14 .  .  Page  following  Title, 

113(7),  416,  625(2)788 

13,14 851  (3) 

(13,  14) Title  Page,  791 

14 251 

14 262,  288 

Chap,  cit 760 

viii.   l,seq 157  (2),  851  (3) 

2 157  (2) 

2-14 537 

14,  26 764 

ix.  21 157  (2) 

25,27 782(5) 

27 179,  378,  755,  761  (2) 

27 181.  758 

Chap,  cit 851(3) 


1026 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


DANIEL  {Continued). 

1,7,8 157(2) 

1 652  (2) 

3 ^^ 

(4) 788 


X. 

xii. 


AMOS  {Continued). 


ROSEA. 


1. 


11. 


2^9 130 

Chap,  cit 247  (4) 

2,  (5) 306 

(2,  5) 

19 •• 


583 
51 


ui.   2,  3. 


IV. 


V. 


VI. 

vii. 

be. 

xi. 
xii. 

xiii. 


130 

Chap,  cit 247  (4) 

9 376,  643 

9"  440 

lo'.'.'.'.. 314 

12 156 

3 247  (3) 

5 314 

4  * '  * ' '  * 156 

6,  9,  11,  (12-14).:...  247(2) 

4 247  (2) 

10 247  (3) 

10 314 

1  318 

dV:'.*. 322 

3 247  (2) 

8 247  (4) 

(1) 322 

1 247  (3) 

4 6  (3).  83,  188  (3) 

4 21.  294 

(4) 637 

(12).  13 583 


JOEL. 


1. 


u. 


82(2) 
. .  252 
.  .  198 
..  689 


V, 

vi. 
viii. 

ix. 


24 

12 

(3,  9,  13) 

11 

2.  (3)  .  . . 
(14) 


...  51 
. . . .  51 
...689 

. . .  707 

62 

467  (3) 


OBADIAH. 
5 


ui. 


(15) 

16 

1.  2.  10 

h2,ll 

(1.2.11) 82(2) 

9 '318 

10,81 620 

17      251 

Ib'. 620 

(1,  14.  18) 82  (2) 

15 198 

17,  18.  20 782  (3) 

17-21 789 


JONAH. 


AMOS. 


V.  (13.  18,  20) 82  (2).  689 

(18),  20 761(3) 


1. 

iii. 
iv. 


17 
9  . 
2  . 


318 


211 
226 
226 


MICAH. 


n. 
iv. 


V. 

vi. 
vii. 


11 156 

1,  2,  (8) 782  (4) 

4 304 

5'.".'.'.". 298 

2 845 

12      322 

Q  51 


NAHUM. 


111. 


(1) 
4    . 


322 
314 


HABAKKUK. 
3  ... 


111. 


93 


ZEPHANIAH. 

(7-18) 82  (2).  689 

(15) 761(3) 

18 755 

9 251 

(9) 92; 

5 764 

14, 15,  17,  20 782  (3) 


1. 


11. 


111. 


HAGGAL 


ii.    12 


727 


1. 


ZECHARIAH. 

6         376,  483  (2) 

6 44.) 

(6) 643 

8,8eq 157  (2),  851  (3) 

J8      157(2) 

l,5  8eq 157(2) 

10.11 82  C2) 


u. 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


102: 


111. 
iv. 

V. 

vi. 
vii. 

viii. 


25ECHARIAH  {Continued). 

t,  8eQ 157  (2) 

i,seq 157(2) 

3,  11,  12 468 

1,6 157  (2).  851  (3) 

l,8eq 157  (2).  851  (3) 

IS 527  (2) 

S  (20-23) 782  (3) 

19 252 

22 251 

(23) 844 

11 706 

// 285 

(11) 730 

13 247 

7 247 

4.6.(7) 310 

1 143 

(3.  6-10) 782  (4) 

1 190 

(1,  4-21) 82  (2) 

7.  8,  9 789 

(8,  11,  12,21) 782(4) 

9 6  (3),  188  (3),  625  (4) 


IX. 


MATTHEW  {Continued). 


X. 

xi. 
xii. 

xiii. 
xiv. 


MALACHI. 

(7) 


1. 


111. 


IV. 


11-13 

1 

1.2.. 

mk    •   •    •    • 

(4)  .. 
5.6.. 


. . .  707 
.  .  .  298 
92,  285 
...688 
...  689 
782  (4) 
...  688 


u. 

iii. 


MATTHEW. 

i.   20,25 140,188(2) 

^0,  25 82(3) 

(20,  25)  Index  Mem.  Rel.  xxix. 

22,23 82  (2) 

25 683 

1,2,9-11 205 

8 113  (7) 

6,6 688 

6 677  (4) 

7 689 

8 483  (2) 

10 468 

11 144 

11 684,  690 

13-17 668 

(13-17) 684 

16 95 

16 144 


111. 


IV. 


V. 


VI. 


vu. 


via. 


IX. 


lOf  Xi •••••••■•••••••••    xo^ 

(17) 188  (2) 

3,6 342(3) 

4 239 

16 270 

17 628 

17,23 113(7) 

3 156.  226  (4) 

10 96 

11,12 440 

17.  (18) 262 

18 262.  278 

18,19 581 

(19).  20 96 

21,  22 309 

27,  28 313 

(27),  28. 326 

43-45 409 

45 364  (2),  491 

45 43  (2) 

1 440 

2,5 452 

9 112,  113  (5),  299 

9.  10 Index  Mem.  Reh 

xvi.  xvii. 

19,20 318 

22 403  (2) 

24 383,  536  (3) 

S3 416 

1,2 226(5) 

7 459  (4) 

7.8 226(3) 

12 411.444 

15 381  (5) 

15,  16 590 

16,  17.  (18) 435  (4) 

(16-21) 468 

19.  (20) 722  (2) 

19.  (20,  21) 376 

19 106 

22,  23 518,681 

22,  £3 567(4) 

24.26 347  (3),  375 

11 724 

26 123  (5) 

(29) 342  (2) 

15 783 

15 252 

(15) 307 

17 784 

35 113(7) 


•jMnntur^iaiiSte^i^SaL'i 


1028 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


MATTHEW  {Continued). 


12-14 
22... 
39... 

AO 


303 
682 
532 
.  92 


XI. 


xu. 


AU42 440 

6  113(7) 

(11) 572 

27 111(4),  113  (7),  370 

27  135(4) 

l_Q 301 

g  \ 301 

lO^H.'. 301 

22-32 137  (12) 

(28) 572 

30 137(12) 

Z\^  32 299 

31,32... 138.299 

33 468.  483  (2) 

34,35 653 

39  314 

A6'50  '. 102 

48-50 306 

xiii.   3.4 375 

3-9,23,  43 376 

4,5 527(2) 

14,15 7 

14.15 232 

23 347.  483  (2) 

24-30 532 

24-30,  39,  40 784 

SO ^3 

SO,  40,  41 38  (3) 

30,  (39).  40 755 

31,32 290 

5i.  32 499(2) 

33 211 

38 ^6 

(38) 729 

^9  96.  755 

61 '.['.'.'.'.'. 129 

xiv.    33 342(2) 

XV.  2,11,17-20 671 

(18.  19) 675  (3) 

24 92 

xvi.  4 314 

13.16-18 342(2) 

16 224 

16-18 379  (2) 

18 224  (4) 

27 376,  483  (2),  643 

27 440 

27,28 113(7) 


XV  a. 


xviu. 


XIX. 


XX. 


XXI. 


MATTHEW  {Continued). 

1-6 222 

(2,  seq.) 261 

C 342 

(5) 188  (2),  776 

Chap,  cit 85 

11 142 

20 298,  459  (10).  682 

21,22 409,539 

28 226  (7) 

(29) 729 

(1-13) 708 

1-16 462  (10) 

28 709 

11 129 

(19) 106.  676 

21,22 226(3) 

(33-44)  483 (3) 

43 483  (2) 

(43) 572 

1-9 358 

11-13 380(4).  686 

34-39 357,  722  (2) 

37,  39,  40 287.  483  (3) 

36-37 293 

37 297,  697  (6) 

37-39 369  (2) 

4^.42-46 102(2) 

8 459(11) 

(8.  9) 583 

8-10 226  (6) 

g 306 

13,15,25 452 

23 347  (3) 

25,  26....  215  (2).  326,435(4) 

517.  671 

26,26 670 

26-28 673 

(37-38)   782  (5) 

Chap,  cit 331  (4) 


xxu. 


XXUl. 


xxiv.   2 


174 


3  755,  764  (3) 

3,30 121(2) 

Z,30,31   757 

9,  (10) 682 

11,  15,  21 179 

j^2  434 

14|l5:;;;!!^ 378 

15 758,  782  (5) 

16 755,  761  (2) 

16,21,22,29 761 

15,21,29 384 

15,28 634 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


1029 


xxiv. 


XXV. 


MATTHEW  (^Continued). 

(15,  30) 788 

21 179,  181 

21-22 182,  598 

(22) 772 

22 758 

29 176 

29 181 

29,  30 271,764(3) 

29-31 198 

30 776,  780 

(30) 776 

30,32 625  (2),  757 

(30.31) 182 

31 791 

37,  (39).  44,  (46)  ....  764  (3) 
Chap.  cit.  -.116.  (4).  135(6).  [ 

180,  757 

1,  seq 748  (3) 

1-12 199 

1-12 527(2),  719 

1,2,10 687 

(3) 676 

14-SO 413.462(10) 

(14-31) 483(3) 

26 527  (2) 

31,  34-36,  4t>,  41  .  .  .  .  643  (2) 

81,  seq 536 

34 440 

(34) 729 

41,  seq 536 

26 707 

26-28 703,704,  716 

27,28 706,730 

28 285 

29 708 

34 211 

39-44 211 

(39-44) 104 

39,42,44    704 

48,  49,  57,  69,67  ....   130  (3) 

52,  54,  56 262 

61 211 

63,64 136  (4),  342  (2) 

64 776 

Chap,  cit 708 

1,  2,  30,  34,  36,  38,  69.. no  {"i) 

29,34,iO 342  (3) 

(40,  43,  54) 342  (2) 

43 342  (2) 

46 104.  105.  126 

1        211 

1-8 170 


xxvu. 


XXVIU. 


MATTHEW  {Continued). 

xxviii.   1,6 130  (3) 

3 686 

18 104.  Ill  (4).  113(7), 

137  (6),  354  (2) 

18....  98.  133.  175.  379  (3), 

389.  459  W6).  608.  615,  637, 

781,  798,  (5),  820 

(18). . . .  796  (3),  Index  Mem. 

Rel.  XV.  xliii. 

19 164 

19 668,  677  (3) 

20 139(4).  188(11), 

755.  761  (2) 
27,28 730(3) 

MARK. 

i.    (1) 342  (2) 

4 528 

4  seq 690 

4,5 668 

5 677  (4) 

7 825 

8 144 

8-11 684 

(9) 684 

10 144 

10,11 164,  342 

13 123  (4) 

14,  IS 528 

14,15 113(7) 

15 581 

(35) 104 

ii.    19,20 252,  783 

(19,  20) 307 

22 784 

23,  28 301 

28 301 

iii.    (1-9) 301 

(11) 342(2) 

31-36 102 

33-35 306 

iv.   30-32 499  (2) 

31,32 290 

38,39 123  (5) 

vi.   2 301 

4 129 

12 528,  581 

(46) 104 

vii.   /.  2.  3.  4.  14.  15 671 

6 452.  517 

viii.   35 113(7) 

38 314 


1030 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


MARK  {Continued). 

ix.  1,47 113(7) 

2 261 

7 342 

Chap,  cit 85 

IS..  29,  30 113(7) 

46 709 

xi.   10 113(7) 

13 527  (2) 

xii.   29 6  (3) 

29,  30 81 

30,33 697  (6) 

36-37 102  (2) 

xiii.    (11) 146 

26 121  (2),  764  (3) 

(26) 182 

31 190 

Chap,  cit 180,  757 

xiv.   21.  49 262 

22 707 

22-24 703,  704,  716 

24 706 

(24) 730 

26 708 

S2-39 104 

36 704 

61,62 342  (2) 

(62) 776 

Chap,  cit 708 

XV.   28 202 

34 104 

(39) 342  (2) 

xvi.  2,9 764  (2) 

6,6 170 

15 573 

16 113(7),  687 

16 685 

19 *. .  136 

LUKE.       . 

i.   14 252 

19 113(7) 

31,  32,  34,  36  .  .  .  188  (2),  342 

32,34,  36 Ill  (5),  538 

32,35 92,  083 

34,  35 82(3) 

34,35 98 

36....  93,  112  (5).  140,  158, 
164,  Index  Mem.  Rel.  xxix. 

36 88 

41 168 

67 158 

76 81,  688 


LUKE  {Continued). 

ii.  10,11 113  (7) 

22 288,  506  (3) 

26 158 

30,  31,  32 85  (2),  251 

40,  52 89 

46,  47 89 

ill.   5,  8 528 

3,  16 690 

7 689 

8,  9 483  (2) 

(8),  9 722  (2) 

9 106 

16 144,  684,  689 

21,  22 144.342 

(21,  22) 684 

iv.    16-21 262 

16-22,  32 89 

16,31,32 301 

18 139(2),  188(10) 

24 129 

43 113(7) 

(43) 572 

V.    (16) 104 

34,36 252,  783 

(34,  35) 307 

37,  38 784 

vi.   1-6 301 

6 301 

(6-12) 301 

(12) 104 

20 226  (4) 

(20) 572 

23,36 440 

31,32 411 

33-36 439 

37 226  (5) 

43,44 468 

44 373 

45 373 

46 681 

46-49 483  (2) 

47-49 375 

vii.   16 129 

22 113  (7) 

27 688 

viii.   1 113(7) 

(1,  10) 572 

15 147 

20,21 102 

21 306,  376,  483  (2) 

23,24 123  (5) 

(28) 342  (2) 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


103: 


LUKE  {Continued) 

ix.  (11.  60,62) 572 

28 261 

Q2 777 

(34.35) 776 

36 342 

(60) 113  (7) 

Chap,  cit 85 

X.  6,6 303 

9,11 113(7) 

18 116(3) 

25-28 287 

26-28 293,  722  (2) 


27 


411 


27 297,  697  (6) 


30 


378 


XI. 


Xll. 

xiii. 


30-37 410  (3) 

34 403  (2) 

34 

44 

(40) 

5 

6-9 


147 
452 
182 
528 
106 


10 


301 


XIV. 


XV. 

xvi. 


(10-18) 301 

18,19 290 

26,27 567  (4).  723 

33  129 

(1-7)"".'.'.".".'.' 301 

12-14 440 

(12-14) 425 

7 528 


13 


437 


17 262,278,288,341 

17        581 

19' 595  (2) 

19,20 215(3) 

26      475  (3).  651 

26 455  (2) 

31  500 

xvii.  (2)':::;; 505(3) 

20,21 113(7) 

(21) 572 

34 761 

8  384,  764  (3) 

10 142 

(13-25) 483  (3) 

13-26 462  (10) 

20 527  (2) 

(41-44) 782(5) 

41-44 102(2) 

1-3 459  (9) 

(20-22) 782  (5) 


XVIU. 

xix. 


XX. 

xxi. 


XXI. 


xxn. 


LUKE  {Continued) 

27 121  (2),  764  (3) 

(27) 182,  776 

31 113(7) 

Chap,  cit 180,  757 

18 113  (7),  708 

19 704.  707.  709 

19,20 703,704.710 

20 706 

(20) 730 

S7 262 

(41-44) 104 

69 136  (4) 

70  .., 342  (2) 

Chap,  cit 708 

(28-30) 782  (5) 

1-3 170 

4 68C* 

25,  26,  27 262 

26 128 

31 777 

37.  39 109 

39 170 

44.  (45) 262 

44 288.  506  (3) 

47  528 

47 581 


XXlll. 

xxiv. 


JOHN. 


1. 


(1)  .. 
1  ... 

1  (2). 


. . .  777 

351  (4) 
.  .  .  261 
...  384 


1,  (2.  3).  4 190 

(1.  2.  14)  Index  Mem.  Rel.  xv. 

1,3,4,  10,14 50 

1,  3,  10 76  (5),  224 

1,  3.  14 85.  716 

1,4 39.358.474 

1.4.9.14 780 

1,6,9 269 

1,9 59 

1,14....  3.111(8).  112.140, 
354  (2),  777,  786 

3,10 87 

(3.  10) 224 

(4.  seq.) 761  (2) 

(4),  9 85  (2) 

4 261 

9 354  (2) 

9.' 176 

(9) 776  (3) 

12      298,  682 


i^ti^aAe.k±s!^^£3ii 


1032 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


JOHN  (Continued). 

i.  (12,  13) 729 

14 261 

(14) 637 

14,18 342(2) 

18 107  (3),  153  (2),  787 

i«....  98,  135  (4),  137  (11), 
339  (2),  683 

(18) 188  (2) 

26,  26,  31-33 689 

25,26,33 690 

27 825 

32 164 

32,33 144 

33 684 

34 342  (2) 

45 288,  506  (3) 

49 349  (2) 

ii.  3,4 102 

19,  21 221 

19 211 

23 682 

iii.  3,  6,  6 572 

3,  6,  6 577 

5 144 

(11) 323 

15,  16 337 

(15)  16 107  (2),  483  (3). 

722  (4) 

16,  16,  36. .  .  159  (7),  608,  637 

16 137(11).  342(2),  683 

(16) 188  (2) 

17,  18 652,772 

(17),  18 682 

(17.  18) 226  (7) 

17,34 92 

18  ....  107  (2),  298,  337,  342, 

(2),  384 

(18) 652 

19,21 85  (2) 

21 377 

26 689 

27 8,  162,  439,  663  (2) 

27 359 

29 252,  783 

(29) 307 

34,  36 188(10) 

35  Ill (4) 

36.  113(7),  153(3),  379(3),  716 

36...  2(2),  107  (2),  337.  384, 

483  (2)  (3),  722  (4) 

36 798(7) 

Chap,  cit 615 


JOHN  (Continued). 

iv.  6, 10,  (11)  14 190 

14 239 

(34) 104 

36 483 

36 440 

V.  9-19 301 

(9-19) 301 

19-27 342  (2) 

21 358 

23,24,  36-38 92 

(24,  29) 652 

25 342  (2) 

26  .25(4),  40,  358,  461(3),  474 

26 21,  153(3) 

(26) 718 

29 483  (2),  643 

29 440 

(30) 104 

37  .  .  107  (3),  153  (2),  370,  787 
37 135  (4),  339  (2) 

vi.  27 239.  707 

27,  32,  33,  35,  41,  47-51, 
53-56 703 

28,  29 107  (2).  337 

29,39,40,  44,67 92 

33 358 

33,  35 107(2) 

35 337 

35,  37 358 

40  .  .2(3),  107(2),  337,  483  (3) 
40.  .   608,  637,  722  (4),  798  (7) 

(45) 288 

46 107  (3).  370 

46 339  (2) 

47 107  (2) 

47,  48 337 

48,61,68 707 

53-58  706  (2) 

51 494,  707 

61 716 

51,  56 716 

56 100,  368,  371.  372,  725 

66 113(8),  146,727 

(56) 787 

(63) 199.572 

63 153  (3),  190,  214  (2). 

239.  358,  618  (2) 

68 190 

69 342  (2) 

vii.  16,  18,28,  29 92 

22,23 288,506(3) 

(22,  23) 301 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


1033 


vn. 


viu. 


JOHN  (Continued). 

24 226  (5) 

2Y 358 

37,38'^'!!.  107  (2),  190,  337 

38,  39 149 

39 140,  153,  188 

39 1^^ 

(40,  41) 129 

43    49 288 

5  .' 288,  506  (3) 

12        358,  474 

12,    107  (2) 

(12) 761  (2) 

(13-19) 323 

16 652 

16,18,29,42 92 

19 98,  107  (3) 

24 107  (2),  337.  384 

'  (26-28) 104 

31-36 495 

36 106 

39  188  (10) 

44 310 

44 322 

56,58 109(2) 

ix.    4 "61 

/  92 


JOHN  (Continued). 

3,6.36 215  (4) 


XI. 


51 85  (2) 

(14,  16) 301 

31 376,  483  (2),  722  (2) 

(35) 342  (2) 

41 107  (3),  322 

1,  2,  9-11 538 

1,8,9 133 

1,9 174,380 

1,9 370,  (2) 

/  (9) 177  (4),  457 

1,10 318 

3,11 300 

S,  4.  5 682(2) 

10 310,  358 

11,17 131 

15,17 709 

18 126 

30 112.  188(6) 

50..98,  111,  (6).  136,  (3),  379, 
(3),  716,  798  (5) 

(30) 583 

34 262,  288 

(36) 342  (2) 

(36),  38 99 

38 371 

38 379  (3) 


xn. 


xia 


XIV 


(4.  27) 342  (2) 

It 215(4) 

25 358 

(25) 461  (3) 

25,  26..  107  (2),  337.  483  (3), 

722  (4) 

26  26 608,  637 

(52)   729 

2 215  (4) 

24 762 

27,  28 128 

28 112,299 

31 116(3) 

32      652 

34  .  . 262,  288 

(35) 776  (3) 

35,  36,  (46) 85  (2) 

(35,  36.  46) 761  (2) 

36 107  (2),  337 

36,  46 618  (3) 

44,  45 188(6) 

45         107  (3).  370  (2) 

45 113(8) 

(45) 307 

46 107  (2),  354  (2) 

46 176 

47,48 652,772 

(47,  48) 226  (7) 

(49   50) 104 

17  '. 347  (3).  376,  483  (2) 

18 262 

20       98,  107  (3) 

31,32 128 

(.33) 729 

34,35 357 

6..  25  (4),  85(2),  107(2),  112, 

188  (6),  190,  354  (2),  358,  474 

e 140,  162,  339  (2) 

(6) 161,  323,  777 

6-11 538.  798  (5) 

6-15 159(7) 

6,7,  8eq 370(2) 

6,  7.  5 795 

6,  7.  9 787 

(6,  19) 461  (3) 

7  107 

8,9,11 307 

7-t2 339  (2) 

7,seq 379(3) 

(7).  9 180 

(8,  9) 583 


^^  ^'^'-"^^-- - 


1034 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


JOHN  (Continued). 

xiv.  8,  9,  10 294 

8-11 Ill  (6).  188  (6) 

9 112,  113(8) 

9 98 

10 112 

(10) 104 

10,  11 99,371 

10,  11 136  (3),  379  (3) 

10,  11,  seq 716 

(11),  20 153  (3) 

13-14 153,  299 

15-21,23 376 

16-19 139  (3) 

18,  20,  28 188(11) 

19 358 

20 368,  370  (2),  371, 

458,  787 
20 107  (2),  113  (8),  146 

20,  21,  23 231 

21 369  (2),  483  (2) 

21,  23 329  (4),  359,  458 

21,  (23) 339  (3) 

(21-24) 341 

26...  139  (3),  153  (2),  188  (10) 
27 303,  599 

XV.   1-5 107  (2) 

1-7 642 

1 ,  seq 354 

(1,  6) 708 

4 70 

4,5 100.  Ill  (9),  368,  371, 

374  (3),  439,  462  (10),  725,  787 

4,S 113(8).  146 

4,  5,  6 120  (3) 

4-6 524  (3) 

5 8.  354  (2),  359.  459 

(16),  663  (2) 

5 539 

6,  6 584 

5,6 106 

6 38  (3),  370  (2),  653 

7 226  (3) 

7 349 

8 483,  738  (4) 

8.  (16) 376 

(9) 357 

13 709 

14,  16 483(2) 

25 262,  288 

26 139  (3),  153,  188  (10) 

26 153 

(26) 323 


JOHN  (Continued). 

xvi.  7 139  (3),  153,  188  (10) 

8,9 337,  384 

8-11 51 

11 116(3) 

13 139  (3) 

13-15 153 

14,  15 139(3),  188(10) 

15 188  (6) 

15 98,  110  (5),  153  (3), 

379  (3),  716 

26,  27 154(6) 

(27) 357 

28 3 

S3 116(3),  303 

xvii.  1 371 

1,  (5) 128 

2 104,111  (4^,354(2) 

2 98,  113(7),  637 

(2)  .  .  .  .  Index  Mem.  Rel.  xv. 

6,  26 298 

(9,  15,  20) 104 

10 99,  188  (6),  371 

12 262 

21 99 

(21),  22,  23,  26 787 

£1-23,  26 43  (3) 

22,  23,  (26) 370  (2) 

23 107  (2) 

xviii.  9 262 

11 704 

(37,  38) 323 

xix.  7 342  (2) 

15 637 

84 262 

(25-27) 306,  307 

26,  27 102 

28 262 

30 262 

34 130 

36,  37 262 

XX.  11-16 170 

19,  21,26 303 

22 140,  146,  153,  188(10) 

31.  .298,  337,  342  (2),  358,  682 
(31) 188(2) 

xxi.  (15-17) 211 

22,  23 764(3) 

THE  ACTS. 

i.  9,10,11 764  (4) 

11 121  (2) 

22 690 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


1035 


THE  ACTS  (Continued). 


n. 

iii. 

vi. 

viii. 

ix. 

X. 

xi. 

xvi. 

xvii. 

xviii. 

xix. 

XX. 

xxvi. 


146 
528 
528 

378 


3,4 

38 

19 

(5) 

(9,  seq.) 3/8 

37         342  (2) 

20 342  (2) 

gj' 690 

Chap,  cit 851  (2) 

30,  31 33^ 

30 ^28 

690 

'  '  '  ' 690 

..4.  107  (2),  137  (6), 

175.  338.  528 

20 ^^^ 


GALATIANS  (Continued). 

ii.   16 33^ 

on  338 

(20)     .  .  .  . 342  (2) 

311 


26  . 
3-6 
21. 


1. 
ii. 


111. 


EPISTLfi   TO   THE   ROMANS. 

(4)      342  (2) 

5,6 376 

5,6 643 

e    506  (2) 

13 376,  506  (2) 

22,  26 338 

27-31 506  (2) 

28.  .  338,  Index  Mem.  llel.  liii. 

28 288,  506  (2) 

(28) 338 

19-21 687 

4,5 372 

8-10 330.  444 

8-11 506(4) 


via. 

xii. 
xiii. 


1  CORINTHIANS. 

16,17 374(3) 

2\,26 704 

2J 372 

13  ...  506  (4),  722  (2).  796  (5) 


111. 

xi. 

xii. 

xiii. 


111. 

V. 

vi. 


6 338,  675  (2) 

17 


327 
15 675  (2) 


16 


687 


EPHESIANS. 

23 372 

2t,22 374(3) 

4-6,  12,  13 379 

(13) 342  (2) 


1. 

ii. 

iv. 


PHILIPPIANS. 

iii.   9  .  .  .  . 
9 


2  CORINTHIANS. 

i.    (19) 342  (2) 

V.    10 376,  506  (2),  643 

16,  17 601 

(16,  17) 573 

27  687 

vi.   le'.'.W. 374(3) 

GALATIANS. 

ii.   14,16 288,506(2) 

(14,  15) 338 

16,  16 338 


338.  354  (2) 

Theorem  at  end  of  book 


COLOSSIANS. 

ii.   9..  109.  Ill  (8).  137  (6),  294, 

Theorem  at  end  of  book 

5..  101,  110  (5),  169,  175,  188 

(12),  379   (3),   638,   655,  683, 

798  (7) 
(9) Index  Mem.  Rel.  xv. 

1  TIMOTHY. 

vi.   16 59,  176 

2  TIMOTHY. 

iii.   15 338 

Epistle  cit 378 


HEBREWS. 

(14) 342  (2) 

(5-10) 715 

6 311 

(6) 342  (2) 

(20) 715 

(1,  10,  11,  15.  17,  20,  21)  715 

(3)  342  (2) 

(29) 342  (2) 


IV. 
V. 

vi. 


Vll. 


X. 


EPISTLE   OF   JAMES. 

i.  14,15 327 

22  376 

(17-26)*.":!'.! 506(2) 

17,20 453 

21,  23 643(3) 


11. 


«^i^<l3l^ffl-' -.*■-=■ 


iShiL-j  icr.'irrrihWiwWwiiiiSii^MB^Jliiiiaffi^ 


1036 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


INDEX  OF  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


1037 


2  PETER. 

ii.   9,  10 327 

1  JOHN. 

iii.   8 342  (2) 

24 371,  458 

iv.    (13) 371 

15.  .  .342  (2),  368,  371,  379  (2) 

20,  21 458 

V.   7 164 

(10) 342  (2) 

12,  13 338 

13 342  (2) 

20.  .3,   85    (2),  101,   109,    HI 
(8),    137     (C),    342    (2),    354 

(2),    722    (4),    726,    777. 

Theorem  at  end  of  book. 

20,  21 294,  560 

20.  AW,   150,    175,  358,  367, 

638,  655,  683,  798  (7).  Inde.x 

Mem.  Rel.  xv. 

APOCALYPSE. 

i.    (5),  6-9.  10-13 625  (2) 

(7) 776 

8,  (11) 102(3) 

8,11 19 

(8,  11,  17) 261 

8,17 13 

10 157  (3) 

(12-16) 85 

(13-16) 261 

13,  17 102(3) 

14 223 

17 225,  641  (5) 

Chap,  cit 187  (4) 

ii.    (2,  3) 302 

(2),  4,  5 528 

3 682 

(6) 378 

7 467  (3),  606 

7 48  (16) 

7.  11,  17,  26 610 

(8) 261 

13,  16 528 

(16) 137  (12) 

(18) 342  (2) 

(19),  22,  (23) 528 

iii.   4 298,  682  (2),  686 

4,12 300 

(7,  14)     323 

6,  12.  21 610 

(14) 672,  573,  777 


APOCALYPSE  {Continued) 

iii.   15,  16 437 

16,  16 651 

15,  19 528 

(18) 137(12) 

20 100,  285,  359,  371,  720 

20 462  (10) 

(20) 725 

iv.    6,8eq 260  (3) 

V.   6 311 

9 251 

vi.    6-8 179 

9-11 119(3) 

12 620 

15,  16 641(4) 

15,  16,  (17) 124  (2) 

16 691  (2) 

vii.    14 706  (3) 

(14) 686 

17 190 

viii.    7 635 

8 635 

12 635 

ix.    /-// 162,635 

2 113(8),  462(5) 

2,3 634 

2,8eq 110(7) 

(4,  5) 310 

11 628 

11 182(3),  310 

17 157(3) 

Chap,  cit Index  Mem. 

ReL  xvii.  xxv. 

X.    11 251 

xi.   4 468 

(7) 310 

7,  seq 179 

8 311,567,635 

Index  Mem.  Rel.  Ivi. 

13 567  (5) 

15 113(7),  788 

(15) ! 791 

19 285 

Chap,  cit 567 

xii.   7.11 706(3) 

9,  12,(13) 182(2) 

(10) 113(7) 

11,17 149 

12 619  (5) 

13-17 207 

14 848 

Chap,  cit 121  (2),  179, 

312,  648  (3) 


APOCALYPSE  {Continued). 
xiu.    (1.2) 


XIV. 


389  (7) 

Index  Mem.  Rel.  xliii. 

^ 176,  187 

Index  Mem.  Rel.  xxviii. 

8  .  107,  311,  652  (2) 

1/'::::;:: i^s 

(14.15) 389(7) 

^     •  661  (3) 

.121(2),  179,  187 
144 

"!'....  748  (3) 


APOCALYPSE  {Continued). 


cit. 


XV. 


XVI. 


16  .. 

Chap 
/  ... 

(6)'.'... 759  (2).  796j:3) 

8. 

9  . 

12 

1Q  ....  376,483(2) 

*•.::•.■.■.■.;. «« 

776 

179 

........  188  (10) 

158 

635 


314 

661  (3) 
.  .  .  338 


(14) 

19,  20 

4 

4 

3  *.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  •  •  *  ••  •  187  (4),  635 

f  a?  ...  179,  635 

\\\'.'.'.'.'. 113 

Index,  Mem.  Rel.  xvii. 

635 

cit.  ......  179,  761(3) 


(16). 


21  ... 
Chap. 


xvu. 


1,2 


XVIU. 

xix. 


314 

3'         157  (3) 

g 107,  652  (2) 

I4//.' 196(2) 

H 

Chap,  cit 
Chap,  cit 

2 

(7) 


724 

[[\ 754 

754 

314 

[ 790 

79  307,  783 

'     ■  ■  "        686 

791 

149 


8 
9 
10 


11-18 196.207 


14 


686 


XX. 


17,18 '05 

19 207 

635 

. . '. 661  (3) 

\ 384 

»;  9.. !.!.'. 388(8) 

(8  9). .  Index  Mem.  Rel.  xlii. 
iO 182  (2).  635 


20 

4. 
7,8 


XXI. 


XX.   12,13 643 

12.13 376 

j2    13 440 

1^'  isW 107,652(2) 

I    2     "81 

i[2 118,182(2) 

A    2)  Title  Page 

1-6.:::: 687 

1,2,  3,  9,  10 625(3) 

1.2.5 107 

1.  2,  5,  9,  10.  .  Page  foUowmg 

Title 

2  307,  783 

2:9'.'.:.'. 252 

(2.  9) '90 

187 


3 

(3) 


789  (2) 

3.  24.  25 790 

(6)  102  (3),  261 

9,10:. 307 

9,  10 783 

IQ 157  (3) 

11.12.16.21 197 

14.  17.  19.  20 217 

(16) J^^ 

17-20 137  <^5) 

17-21 217 

22  187 j4) 

23.  24 780 

(24,  26) 789 

26 652(2) 

27 _107 

Chap,  cit 353,  .  68,  ,  82, 

789  (2) 
...  190 

'"''''-  ]■; ::;:: 687 

2      ■  467  (3) 

2,"l4 48(16) 

g  59 

6.7."  12  '.".'.. 764(4) 

g    j^  625  (2) 

li              ...  376,  483  (2),  643 
12,'l3 102(3) 

(12,  13) 261 

IQ 
13 ^^ 

15  764  (2) 

le    17    764(4),  783 

16*,  17,20 625(3),  790 

1 y  .........  ^O^ 

20,*21.:.':.';.'.".'--    -764(4) 

Chap,  cit 182 


tJ^^^ftMUAUk^ 


BjeaASA^'iaiafrf  "j 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 

FOR 

The  Teue  Cheistiai^  Religioe"* 


The  numbers  following  each  reference  designate  the  paragraphs  as  numbered  by 
SweHenlZg  Ind  the  numbers  in  parentheses  refer  to  the  sub-dms.oas  as  given  m 
the  Swedenborg  Concordance. 

ACTIVITY. 

Life  is  the  inmost  activity  of  love  and 
wisdom,  471;  the  activity  of  love  is  what 
gives  the  sense  of  delight,  570(5). 


ABADDON. 
See  Apollyon. 

ABOMINATION    OF    DESOLATION 

Means  the  infestation  of  truths  by  fal- 
sities, 180;  its  operation  in  the  Christian 
world,  181;  see  135(6). 

ABSURDITIES. 
See  Order,  90. 

ACCOMMODATION 

On  God's  part  was  that  He  became 
man,  370(3);   see  Conjunction,  370(3). 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT  (THE) 

Of  God  from  a  knowledge  of  God  the 
very  soul  of  theology,  5;  see  11;  a  life 
according  to  God's  commandments,  is 
an  acknowledgment  of  God,  22(2).  When 
man's  acknowUdgment  is  merely  from 
the  thought  of  the  understanding  he 
comes  to  the  Lord  with  only  half  of 
his  mind,  151;  how  the  acknowledgment 
which  is  called  faith  is  effected,  231;  see 
342;  see  795. 

ACT. 

What  act  is  in  its  essence,  387(6);  con- 
cerning the  a£t8  of  repentance,  510. 

ACTION. 

In  all  action  there  is  an  active  and  a 
passive,  576;  every  action  of  man  goes 
forth  from  his  will,  593;  see  420;  see  778. 


ADAM 

Was  at  liberty  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life 
and  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil,  341;  see  479,  643(2);  by  Adam 
and  Eve  is  meant  the  Most  Ancient 
Church,  466;  see  520;  explanation  of 
the  story  of  Adam  and  Eve  from  the 
spiritual  sense  of  the  Word,  469;  see 
470(2);  the  sin  of  Adam  was  a  desire  to 
become  as  God,  498(2);  see  663. 

ADAPTED. 

See    Spiritual    Sense,    85(2),    and 
Natural  Sense,  85(2). 

ADULTERERS 

Are  those  who  violate  the  church,  122; 
meaning  of  the  commandment  "Thou 
shalt  not  commit  adultery,"  236(2); 
what  adultery  is  in  intention  as  well  as  in 
act,  313,  316.  What  spiritual  aduUery  is, 
314;  in  the  celestial  sense  to  commit 
aduUery  means  to  deny  the  holiness  of 
the  Word  and  profane  it,  315;  how  adul- 
terers appear  in  the  spiritual  world,  316; 
why  those  who  have  spurious  faith  are 
called  adulterers,  380;  the  conjunction 
of  evil  and  falsity  is  adultery,  398(7). 

ADVENT. 

The  state  of  the  church  before  the 
Lord's  AdverU  likened  to  evening,  109, 
109(2). 


*  Compiled  by  Ludlow  S.  Smyth. 


(1039) 


-v^»...-g;i. aa»ijisM«;^it&'awaiarfi)SBa<fciia;Sjt-j!Ha.  *. j-.'-^Sii 


1040 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


AFFECTIONS. 

See  Lusts.  328;  thought  is  the  form 
of  affection,  386(2);  see  387(4). 

AFRICANS. 

Many  of  the  Africans  believe  in  one 
God,  9(2);  position  of  African8  in  the 
church,    268;    the    Africans    are    more 
interior   than   the  other  Gentiles,   835; 
what   some   Africans   told   Swedenborg 
in  regard  to  God,   the  Redeemer,  and 
man,   837,    838.    839;   the  Africans   are  ! 
internal  men,   840;  they  are  being  in-  ^ 
spired   with   the   worship  of  the   Lord,   ' 
and  there  is  hope  that  this  new  gospel 
will  be  extended  into  the  surrounding 
regions,  ib. 

ALPHA   AND   OMEGA. 
Why  God  is  so  called,  19(2). 

ALPHABET. 

In  the  spiritual  world  every  letter  is 
significative  of  some  meaning,  280(4). 

ALTERNATE   RECIPROCATION. 
See  Reciprocal,  371(4);  examples  of, 

371(5). 

ANCIENT   CHURCH. 

760,  762,  786.  All  the  ancient  churches 
were  churches  representative  of  spiritual 
things,  201;  the  men  of  the  Most  An- 
cient Church  talked  with  the  angels  by 
means  of  correspondences,  202;  see 
Adam,  466;  men  of  the  Most  Ancient 
Church  at  its  end  believed  that  God 
transferred  Himself  into  man,  470(5); 
the  two  ancient  churches  worshiped  an 
invisible  God.  786. 

ANCIENT   PEOPLE 

Worshiped  one  God,  9(2);  it  was  a 
matter  of  dispute  among  the  ancients 
whether  faith  or  charity  came  first, 
336;  among  the  ancients  there  was  a 
knowledge  of  correspondences,  833(2); 
see  202,  846(2). 

ANCIENT   WORD. 
See  Word. 


their  speech  closes  at  the  end  of  a  sen- 
tence in  a  oneness  of  cadence  8(2);  an 
angel  who  is  in  Divine  truths  can  put  to 
flight   a   troop    of    infernal    spirits,   87; 
angels  direct  their  attention  to  a  man's 
works,  96;   "angel"  means  in  the  orig- 
inal   "one   sent,"   92;    without  the   re- 
demption   the     angels    could    not    have 
continued   in   a  state   of    integrity,    II. 
(118-120);  see    Natural    Sense,    234, 
235;  a    spiritual    angel    draws   out    the 
spiritual  sense  of  the  Word,  and  a  celes- 
tial angel  the  celestial  sense,  237;  angels 
gain  all  their  wisdom  through  the  Word; 
242;   celestial  angels  are  in  good  of  love, 
and    spiritual    angels    are    in    truths   of 
wisdom,    ib.;  every    one    is    instructed 
after   death   by    angels,    255;  angels   of 
the  highest  heaven  appear  at  a  distance 
like  little  children,   277;  how  novitiate 
spirits  become  angels,  281(3)(4);  angels 
know  no  other  father  and  mother  than 
God  and   the  church,  306;  all  the  wis- 
dom of  the  angels  is  from  the  marriage 
of  good  and  truth,  398(4);  the  delight 
of  the  angels  is  to  do  good  to  the  neigh- 
bor, 440;  angels  call  the  denial  of  free- 
dom  of  choice   madness,  482(3);    were 
it  not  for  the  Lord's  coming  the  angels 
could  not  have  long  continued  in  their 
integrity,  579(2);  concerning  those  who 
can  counterfeit  angels  of  light,  590;  the 
angels,  from  a  single  action  of  man  can 
perceive    what    his  will  is    and    from  a 
single  word    what  his  thought   is,  593; 
see   778;  an    angel   can  do    no   evil  to 
any  one,  651;  see  Baptism,  677(5);  see 
Sun,  691(2);  angels  cannot  think  of  any 
kind  of    blood,   nor    do   they   think    of 
the  Lord's  passion,  but  only  of  Divine 
truth   and   of   the    Lord's   resurrection, 
706(4);  the  happiness  of  angels,  735(6); 
every   angel   in    whatever   direction    he 
turns  his  body   and   his    face  looks  to 
the  Lord  before  him,  767. 


ANIMALS 

Seen  in  the  spiritual  world  are  not 
animals  but  correspondences  of  the 
affections,  506;  see  66,  78.    See  Beasts. 


ANGELS 

Cannot   utter   the   word   Gods,   8(2); 
what  angels  are,   29(2),   118,   121,  240; 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1041 


ANTICHRISTS. 
174. 


APOCALYPSE  (THE) 

Treats  of  the  present  character  of  the 
Christian  Church  and  the  establishment 
of  a  new  church,  116(4). 

APOLLYONS 

Are  those  that  destroy  the  church  by 
a  total  falsification  of  the  Word,  182(3); 
310;  see  628. 

APOSTLES. 

See  Disciples;  how  the  Apostles  re- 
ceived the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  154; 
the  faith  of  the  Apostles  was  no  other 
than  a  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
338;  the  Apostles  present  while  Sweden- 
borg was  writing  on  saving  faith,  339(3); 
the  Apostles  had  no  idea  that  the  church 
would  separate  faith  from  charity,  355; 
see  356. 

APOSTLES'  CREED. 
175,  636. 

APOSTOLIC  CHURCH 

Followed  command  to  use   the  name 
Lord,  81;  a  Trinity  of  persons  was  un-    \ 
known  in  the  Apostolic  Church,  V.  (174-    | 
176);  see   636;   all    in    the  then  Chris-   j 
tian  world  acknowledged  that  the  Lord    | 
Jesus    Christ    is    God,    637;    the    faith    ! 
imputative    of   Christ's    merit    was    un- 
known in  the  Ajmstolic  Church,  639.  See 
Christian  Church. 

APPEARANCES 

Of  truth,  256,  257,  258;  appearances 
in  the  spiritual  world,  29,  462(2),  739. 

APPLICATION 

On  God's  part  is  perpetual  to  far  as 
man  applies  himself  in  return,  370(3); 
see  Conjunction,  370(3). 

APPROACH. 

In  proportion  as  man  approaches 
God,  does  God  approach  man,  89;  by 
the  Human,  Jehovah  may  be  approached, 
107;  see  176,  641,  700,  838;  illustrated 
by  the  way  men  approach  each  other, 
107. 

ARCANA. 

The  angels  call  that  an  arcanum 
which  has  not  before  been  disclosed  to 

66 


the  world,  153(3);  arcana  revealed  by 
the  Lord  still  are  regarded  on  earth  as 
of  no  value,  848;  see  846. 

ARIANISM. 

See  Christian  Churches,  94;  Arian 
faith,  137(11),  339;  see  380,  038,  795. 

ARISTOTLE. 

692,  696;  his  contribution  to  theology. 
9(3);  how  he  obtained  his  knowledge, 
273. 

ARIUS. 

137(11),  159(6),  174,  381,  632.  638. 

ARK  (THE) 

Signifies   the   Wortl,    260(2);  miracles 
wrought  by  means  of  the  ark,  283. 

ARM  (THE) 

Compared  to  the  Divine  Human,  84. 

ARMAGEDDON. 

Inhabitants  of  this  place  fight  against 
those  who  belong  to  the  New  Church, 
113;  what  the  Armageddons  signify, 
113(4). 

"ARM   OF   JEHOVAH" 

In  the  Word  means  the  Human  of  the 
Lord,  84. 

ASHUR. 

See  Assyria. 


ASIA. 

In  many  of  the  kingdoms  of  Asia  the 
knowledge  of  correspondences  existed 
and  was  cultivated,  202;  there  was  in 
Asia  an  ancient  Worel,  266;  position  of 
Asiatics  in  the  church,  268. 

ASIATICS 

Believe  in  one  God,  9(2). 

ATHANASIAN   CREED. 

The  teaching  of  the  Athanasian 
Creed  respecting  God,  98,  26,  101,  112 
(4),  172,  632;  how  far  it  agrees  with  the 
Word,  98;  from  the  Nicene  trinity  and 
Athanasian  trinity  together  a  faith  arose 
by  which  the  whole  Christian  Church 
has  been  perverted,  VI. (177,  178). 


1 


1042 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


ASSYRIA 

Signifies     the     ratioual,     200(3);  see 
also  247(2);  467. 

ATHEIST. 

The  condition  of  an  cUheist,  in  the 
spiritual  world,  12(10);  atheists  who  are 
in  the  glory  of  fame  from  self-love,  and 
thereby  in  the  pride  of  self-intelligence 
may  enjoy  a  loftier  rationality  than 
many  others,  507(6);  they  speak  with 
full  persuasion  of  the  certitude  of  their 
delusion.  759(3);  atheism  has  begun  to 
take  root  in  the  interior  rational  mind, 
771;  how  man  may  become  an  atheist, 
612. 

ATMOSPHERES. 

The  three  atmospheres,  32(8);  spiritual 
atmx>8ph€res,  76(3),  641. 

AUGSBURG   CONFESSION, 

The  teaching  of,  111(10);  see  640(2). 

BABYLON 

Has  exalted  itself  to  such  a  degree  as 
to  transfer  the  Lord's  Divine  power  to 
itself,  754;  see  759. 

BALD. 

In  the  spiritual  world  they  who  de- 
spise the  Word  become  bald,   223;  see 

74(4). 

BAPTISM 

Signifies    regeneration    and    purifica- 
tion, 144;  see  510,  530,  567(8),  621(11), 
674;  in  itself  baptism  is  a  mere  ceremony 
667;  see    685;  viewed    in    the    spiritual 
sense  of  the  Word  it  is  one  of  the  holiest 
things    of    worship.    667;  baptism    was 
commanded,  668;  without  a  revelation 
by  means  of  the  spiritual  sense  there 
would  be  nothing  but  scattered  conjec- 
tures about  the  uses  of  baptism,   669; 
this  is  now  disclosed  for  the  New  Church 
for  its  use  in  the  worship  of  the  Lord, 
ib.;  see  846(2);  why  washings  were  com- 
manded the  children  of  Israel,  670,  671; 
see  Christiajj  Church,  670;  the  washing 
of  man's  spirit  was  meant  by  the  jjashing 
of  his  body,  671;  vmless  man'?  internal 
is  purified  from  evils  and  falsities  bap- 
tism has  no  efficacy,  673;  see  685;  why 
baptism   was    commanded   in   place   of 


circumcision,  674,  675  (3);   baptism  was 
given  solely  as  a  sign  and  memorial  that 
the  recipients  were  to  be  purified  from 
evils,   676;  baptism  is  introduction  into 
the   Christian   Church,    677;  that   it   is 
merely  a  sign  of  introduction  into  the 
church  is  made  clear  by  the  baptizing  of 
infants,    677(2);  not    only    are    infants 
baptized  but  all   who  are   converted  to 
the  Christian  religion,  677(3);  why  John 
baptized  in  Jordan,  677(4);   infants  are 
introduced  by  baptism  into  the  Christian 
heaven,  and  angels  are  appointed  over 
them,  677(5);  see  678,  680;  when  t^hese 
guardian    angels    leave    them,    677(5); 
what  might  happen  without  this  sign  of 
baptism,  678;  the  second  use  of  baptism 
is  to  know  and  acknowledge  the  Lord, 
681;  the  first  use  is  a  mere  name  unless 
the  second  follows,  ib.;  this  receiving  the 
name  of  Christian  by  baptism  means  to 
hear   and   obey   the   Lord's   command- 
ments, 682(2);  the  third  and  the  essen- 
tial use  of  baptism  is  that  man  may  be 
regenerated,    684;  the    Lord    was    bap- 
tized not  only  that  He  might  institute 
baptism,  but  also  because  He  glorified 
His  Human,  ib.;  the  three  uses  of  baptism 
cohere  as  a  unit,  685;  see  Holy  Spirit. 
686;  see  John  the  Baptist,   688,   689, 
690;  the   baptism   of   Christians   at   the 
present  day  represents  the  cleansing  of 
the  internal  man  which  is  regeneration, 
690;  those  who  were  baptized  with  the 
baptism  of  John  became  internal  men 
when  they  received  faith  in  Christ  and 
were  baptized  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  ib.; 
baptism  and   the  holy  supper  are  like 
two  gates  through  which  man  is  intro- 
duced to  eternal  life,  721. 

BASIS. 

What  it  is,  2ia 

BATTLE. 
See  Combat. 

••BEARING   INIQUITIES," 
The  meaning  of,  130(3). 

BEASTS 

Have  no  ideas,  335(2);  through  their 
brains  the  spiritual  world  flows  into 
their    bodily    senses    immediately,    and 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1043 


through  them  determines  their  actions, 
335(6);  see  48;  difference  between  man 
and  beasts,  417;  the  freedom  of  beasts, 
491  496(2),  499;  beasts  are  organs  cre- 
ated to  receive  light  and  heat  both  from 
the  natural  and  spiritual  world,  473. 

BEES. 

127,  335(3). 

BEGINNINGS 

Of  space  and  time  are  from  God,  31. 

BELIEF 

In  the  Lord  is  to  have  practical  con- 
fidence that  He  saves,  2(3);  what  be- 
gets  a  kind  of  belief,  77(5);  belief  m  the 
Lord  is  not  merely  acknowledgmg  Him 
but  also  doing  His  commandments,  151. 

BIRTH. 

In  the  Word  natural  births  mean  spir- 
itual births,  583. 

BLASPHEMY 

Of  the  Spirit  means  blasphemy  against 
the  Divinity  of  the  Lord's  Human,  and 
against  the  holiness  of  the  Word,  299; 
in  the  celestial  sense  bearing  false  wit- 
ness means  blaspheming  the  Lord  and 
the  Word,  323. 

BLOOD 

Signifies  the  truth  of  wisdom  and 
faith,  367(5);  see  Holy  Supper,  705; 
see  706. 


BODY  (THE) 

Is  from  the  mother,  103;  see  82;  the 
body  acts  of  itself  from  the  soul,  154(6); 
see  156;  all  things  in  the  human  body 
correspond  to  spiritual  things,  201;  the 
body  is  only  an  additional  external, 
401(9);  see  224,  454;  the  church  and 
heaven  constitutes  the  Lord's  body,  728; 
effects  of  release  from  the  body  after 
death,  569. 

BONDAGE. 

The  freedom  which  is  from  hell  is 
bondage,  495;  to  one  who  is  in  infernal 
freedom  spiritual  freedom  appeiars  as 
bondage,  ib.;  see  507 


BORDER. 

A  kind  of  border  from  the  purest 
things  of  nature  retained  by  man  after 
death,  103;  relative  position  of  this  bor- 
der with  a  good  man  and  an  evil  man,  ib. 

BORN   OF  GOD. 
572,  584,  692,  729. 

BOWS 

Mean  truths  combating,  86,  247. 

BRAIN. 

The    organization    of,     160(8),    224, 
351(3),  564,  577,  697. 

BREAD 

Means   Divine   good,    372;  see   Holy 
Supper,  705. 

BRIDE. 

In  the  Word  bride  means  the  Lord's 
Church,  122,  252;  a  bride  constantly  car- 
ries something  of  the  image  of  the  bride- 
groom in  the  sight  of  her  spirit,  767(4). 

BRIDEGROOM 

In  the  Word  means  the  Lord,  199,  252. 


BURIAL   OF   THE   LORD 

Signified    the   rejection   of   what   re- 
mained  from  the  mother,  130(3). 

BUSINESS. 

The  love  of  business,  when  final,  is 
spiritual  because  of  its  use,  801. 

CALVIN. 

137(2),  154,  486;  Calvin  in  the  spirit- 
ual world,  798  (whole  no.). 

CALVINISM. 

See  Christian  Churches,  94. 

CANAAN 

Land  of,  represented  the  church,  675 

CATECHISM. 

See  Commandments. 

CATHOLICS. 

See  Roman  Catholics. 


aateathiiiBir"--^ — =...  ■■-■ 


1044 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


CAUSE. 

The  cause  is  the  all  in  the  effect,  420; 
principal  cause  and  instrumental  cause, 
442;  concerning  cause  and  effect,  374(2); 
see  End.  236(4). 

CELESTIAL. 

Whatever  goes  forth  from  the  Lord's 
Divine  love  is  called  the  Divine  celes- 
tial, 195;  relation  of  celestial  wisdom  to 
spiritual  wisdom,  280(6). 

CELESTIAL  SENSE. 

See  Spiritual  Sense.  Naked  goods 
are  in  the  celestial  sense  of  the  Word. 
215;  thecelestiol  sense  has  relation  chiefly 
to  the  Lord,  248;  and  again  to  Divine 
good,  ib. 

CHAOS. 
76.  79. 

CHARITY. 

The   two  particulars  of  faith   which 
are  matters  of  charity,  3(2).  every  good 
of  the  church  pertains  to  charity,   38; 
see  Love.  329(4);  charity  is  first  in  end 
and  therefore  is  actually  first.  336(2); 
living  well  is  charity,  340;  how  natural 
charity  is  converted  into  spiritual  char- 
ity,   ib.;  man    can    acquire    for   himself 
charity,  357;  but  of  himself  only  natural 
charity,  359.  360;  see  Faith.  362-367; 
the  life  of  the  Divine  love  is  the  essence 
of   charity,    365;  see    712.      See   Faith. 
367(2);  see  Faith.    372;  charity  is   will- 
ing well,   and   belongs   to   the   internal 
man.  374.  410.  421;  see  Faith,  375;  if 
charity  is  without  truths  of  faith  it  re- 
ceives no  nourishment.    377;  charity   is 
the  complex  of  all  things  pertaining  to 
the  good  that  a  man  does  to  his  neigh- 
bor, 392;  the  good  of  charity  is  spirit- 
ual heat.  392(2);  charity  without  faith 
is  not  charity,  392(3);  see  450;  charity 
has  something  in  common  with  love  of 
uses,   of   the   world,    and   of   self.    394; 
charity  in  external  form  merely  presents 
the  show  of  charity,  421;  see  424;  charity 
itself  is  acting  justly  and  faithfully,  422; 
charity  may  be  defined  as  doing  good 
to  the  neighbor  daily  and  continually, 


423;  only  he  who  worships  the  Lord  and 
acts  from  Him  when  acting  from  him- 
self,   attains   to   spiritual   charity,    423; 
difference  between  tne  obligations  and 
benefactions  of  charity,  425;  those  who 
make  charity  itself   consist  in  benefac- 
tions must  needs  claim  merit  for  these 
works,     ib.;   genuine     charity    proceeds 
from  those  who  are  imbued  with  char- 
ity because  of  the  justice  and  judgment 
in    the    works,    ib.;  advantages    of    the 
benefactions  of  charity,   426;   but  they 
are  not  those  proper  acts  of  charity  that 
are  meant  in  the  Word  by  good  works. 
427;  they  should  be  practised  in  accord- 
ance with   genuine  charity,   428;  differ- 
ence between  the  benefactions  of  charity 
and  the  duties  of  charity,  429;  the  pub- 
lic duties  of  charity,  430;  the  domestic 
duties  of  charity,  431;  the  private  duties 
of  charity,  432;  the  diversions  of  charity, 
433.  434;  in  the  primitive  church  there 
were  social  gatherings  which  were  gath- 
erings of  charity;  but  since  then  there 
have  been  no  such  gatherings.  434;  the 
first  thing  of  charity  is  not  to  do  evil  to 
the   neighbor;  and   to  do  good   to  him 
holds   the   second   place,    435;  see  437; 
man   enters   fully   into   the  exercise  of 
charity  when  he  believes  that  good  in 
itself  is  from  the  Lord.  442;  when  the 
Lord,   charity,   and   faith  are  not  con- 
joined charity  is  either  spurious,  hypo- 
critical or  dead,  450;  charity,   not  con- 
joined with  faith  in  one  God  is  spurious, 
451;  what  hypocritical  charity  is,   452; 
dead  charity  is  the  charity  of  those  whose 
faith  is  dead.  453;  when  it  is  no  charity 
at    all,    ib.;  there    is    a    conjunction    of 
love  to  God  and  love  towards  the  neigh- 
bor with  those  who  are  in  charity,  456; 
conjunction    with    God    is    effected    by 
charity  because  God  cannot  do  good  to 
men  immediately,  457(3);  what  spiritual 
charity  is,   459,  (13)  (14)  (15)  (16)  (17); 
the  first  thing  of  charity  is  to  shun  evils, 
535;  the   works   of   charity   done   by  a 
Christian  and  those  done  by  a  heathen 
appear   in   outward   form   to  be   alike, 
654;  the  faith  is  what  determines  their 
quality,    i6.;how    those    who    have    to 
some  extent  lived  a  life  of  charity  in  the 
world  are  prepared  for  heaven,  802(3). 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1045 


CHASTITY. 

What  true  chastity  is,  316. 

CHERUBS. 

The  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word 
as  a  guard  is  signified  by  cherubs,  260; 
see  208,  220,  508,  776. 

CHILDHOOD 

Idea  of  God.  9;  the  effect  of  teaching 
a  child  the  doctrine  of  a  Trinity  of  per- 
sons, 23(2). 

CHINESE. 

Statement  concerning  them,  279(4). 

CHRIST 

Means  the  Divine  truth.  85(2);  from 
His  kingly  office  the  Lord  is  called 
Christ,  114;  the  name  Christ  means 
everything  of  salvation  through  doc- 
trine, 298;  the  body  of  Christ  is  Divine 
good  and  Divine  truth,  372;  see  379;  the 
church  constitutes  the  body  of  Christ, 
608;  without  faith  in  Christ  the  external 
man  cannot  become  internal,  690. 

CHRISTIAN. 

He  who  wishes  to  be  truly  a  Christian 
ought  to  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
the  living  God,  342(3);  a  man  cannot  be 
a  Christian  more  than  in  name  unless  he 
acknowledges  and  follows  the  Lord.  681; 
see  682(2). 

CHRISTIAN   CHURCH. 

In  its  infancy  in  time  of  the  Apostles, 
4:  its  dementia  followed  because  of  the 
idea    of    a    Trinity  of   persons,  ib.;  its 
doctrines  teach  that  God  is  one,  7;  but 
men   have    not   believed    this    in    their 
hearts,  ib.     Christian    churches    at    this 
day  believe  that  God  begat  a  Son  from 
eternity,   82;    in  the  Christian  churches 
to-day  it  is  customary  to  call  the  Lord 
the  son  of  Mary,  94;  how  this  has  been 
brought  about,  ib.;  wherein  this  contra- 
dicts    the     Word,     ib.;  the    enormities 
which  have  flowed  from  it,  ib.;  how  it 
changes  the  use  of  the  Church,  ib,;  be- 
lief of  Christian  churches    to-day  in  re- 
gard to  the  Lord's  merit  and  righteous- 
ness, 95;  see  also  96;  what  the  Christian 


churches  consider  to  be  the  essential  act 
of  redemption,  95;  the  fundamental  er- 
ror of  the  church,  VII.(132,  133);  see  786; 
how  the  church  becomes  natural  instead 
of  spiritual.  133.  296(3);  the  idea  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in   the  church  to-day.  153; 
Christians  of  the  primitive  church  were 
too  simple  to  have  the  knowledge  of  cor- 
respondences  disclosed    to    them.    206; 
error  of  the  Christian  Church  in  regard 
to  faith.   338;  see  371(3),   378.   379(3); 
see   391;  reciprocal   conjunction   is   un- 
known in  the  Christian  Church,  371(3); 
charity  of  the  present  church  is  spurious, 
451;  the  present  church  stands  opposed 
to  freedom  of  choice,  463;  see  616;  why 
the  Word  has  been  kept  as  closed  in  the 
present    Christian    churches,    508(3) (4); 
teaching    of    the    Reformed    Christian 
Church  concerning  contrition  as  repen- 
tance, 512;  why  it  was  adopted  in  place 
of    repentance.    514;  regeneration    does 
not  follow  the  faith  of  the  present  church, 
577;  see  616;  if  the  faith  of  the  present 
1   church  were  to  continue  religion  would 
be  a  matter  of  the  mouth  and  lungs  only, 
582;  in  the  church  to-day  it  is  believed 
that  faith  constitutes  the  internal  man, 
591;  therefore  there  is  no  knowledge  of 
regeneration  in  the  present  church,  ib.; 
see  605,  616;  concerning  the  spheres  in 
the  spiritual  world  that  flow  forth  from 
the  Christendom  of  to-day  and  propa- 
gate themselves,  619,619(2)(3)(4)(5)(6); 
see  Imputation,   626;  see  Merit,   627; 
the  consummation  of  the  present  church 
is  described  in  much  the  same  way  as 
the  devastation  of  Egypt  is  described, 
635;  see  New  Church,  647;  the  faith  of 
the  church  to-day  is  a  faith  in  a  God 
invisible,  inaccessible,  and  incapable  of 
conjunction    with   man  647(2)  (3)  (4); 
other  points  in  the  faith  of  the  present 
church,    647(5)(6)(7)(8);  from   the   doc- 
trine of  the  imputation  of  the  Lord's 
merit  and   righteousness  as  a   root  all 
the  dogmas  of  the  present  church  have 
sprung  up  as  offshoots.  649;  the  ChHs- 
tian  Church  such  as  it  is  in  itself  is  just 
now  in  its  very  beginning.  668;  the  for- 
mer church  was  Christian  in  name  only, 
not  in  fact  and  essence,  ib.;  when  the 
Lord  came  into  the  world  He  instituted 


■''^•■"'•'■''•'-''''''-■'■"•^■'^■HitiiSniyilitittf^ 


1046 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


a  church  all  things  of  which  were  to  be 
internal,  670;  of  all  the  representatives 
of  the  former  church  He  retained  but 
two,  baptism  and  the  holy  supper,  ib.; 
see  Baptism,  677;  the  Christian  Church 
aa  it  is  to-day  is  consummated,  758;  it 
is  the  fourth  church,  760,  762;  see  786; 
its  two  epochs,  and  its  three  progres- 
sions, 762;  Christian  churches  depend 
for  life  upon  the  Word,  777;  see  Spirit- 
ual. Sense,  846(2). 

CHURCH. 

The  church  is  dead  when  it  does  not  ac- 
knowledge one  God,  10;  whoever  does  not 
acknowledge  a  God  is  excommunicated 
from  the  church  and    condemned,  VII. 
(14);  God  is  the  all  of  the  church,  14;  the 
church  and  the  angelic  heaven  make  one, 
ib.;  with  those  who  acknowledge  several 
Gods  there  is  no  coherence  in  the  things 
relating  to  the  church,  VIII.   (15);  the 
order  in  which  the  church  has  been  es- 
tablished by  God,  55;  from  His  omipo- 
tence  God  instituted  the  church,  74(4); 
Christian  Church  was  founded  solely  up- 
on the  worship  of  Jehovah  in  the  Hu- 
man, 94;  the  church  would  otherwise  be 
destroyed,    ib.;  the    church    established 
after  the  Lord's  coming  able  to  see  Di- 
vine truths  in  light,    109;  the  redemp- 
tion was  a  preparation  for  a  new  church, 
1.(115-117);  the  church  constitutes  the 
external  of  which  heaven  is  the  internal, 
119;  on  the   idea   of  God  and   the   idea 
of  redemption,  which    makes  one  with 
salvation,  everything  pertaining  to  the 
church  depends,  133;  the  end  of  a  church 
is  the  worship  of  God,  152;    such  as  is 
a    church's   faith    such    is  its  doctrine, 
177(2);   see    178;     a    church  in    Divine 
truths  from  the   Lord  has  power  over 
the  hells,    hence    the   Lord's   words   to 
Peter  {Matt.  xvi.  18),  224(4);  what  the 
church  is   when   the    understanding   of 
the  Word  is  destroyed,  247  (2)  (3)  (4);  in 
the  Lord's  sight  the  church  on  earth  is 
as  a  single  man,   268;  who  are  in  the 
church,  ib.;  position  of  Christians  in  the 
church,  ib.;  all  churches  before  the  Lord's 
coming  were  representative  and  typical, 
291;  the  church  is  the  mother,   306;  in 
the  celestial  sense  mother  is  the  New 


Church,  307;  all  things  pertaining  to  the 
church    relate   to   love   or    charity    and 
faith,  336;  with  those  who  do  not  con- 
fe':3  that  the  Lord  is  the  Son  of  God,  the 
church  is  not,   342(2);    the  church  is  a 
church  from  its  truths  of  faith,  354;  the 
church  constitutes  the  body  of    Christ, 
372;  every  good  and  truth  of  the  church 
is   propagated  by  the  marriage  of  the 
Lord  and  the  church,  380;  all  things  of 
the  church  have  relation  to  good  and 
truth,    398(2);  see   Neighbor,    415;  the 
church  must  not  be  apart  from  religion; 
484;  the  communion   called  the  church 
consists  of  all  men  in  whom  the  church 
is,  and  the  church  enters  into  man  when 
he  is  becoming  regenerate,   and  every 
one  becomes  regenerate  by  abstaining 
from  and  shunning  the  evils  of  sin,  510, 
511;  after  redemption  the  Lord  estab- 
lishes  what   pertains   to   the  church   in 
man,  and  makes  him  to  be  a  church  in 
particular,  599;  the  church  on  earth  is 
arranged  by  the  Lord  according  to  all 
the  varieties  of  the  love  of  good,  646; 
there  have  been  several  churches  and  in 
the  course  of  time  they  have  all  been 
consummated  and  new  one"  have  arisen, 
753;  man  is  a  church  and  in  general  con- 
stitutes the  church,  756;  see  767;  in  the 
church    there    is    what    is    general    and 
what   is  particular,    775;   every   church 
made  up  of  those  who  see  by  confirma- 
tions   seems    to   itself   to   be   the   only 
I   church  that  is  in  the  light,   759;   there 
have  been  in  general  four  churches  on 
!   earth,  760,  762;   see  786;  in  the  Lord's 
\  sight  the  church  is  seen  as  a  single  man, 
j   762;  the  spiritual  things  of  a  church  take 
on  their  quality  through  the  existence 
'   of  thei--  opposites,  763;  see  Marriage, 
783;  all  churches  depend  upon  a  knowl- 
edge and  acknowledgment  of  one  God 
i    with  whom  the  man  of  the  church  can  be 

conjoined,  786. 
i 
I   CIRCUMCISION. 

See  IsRAELiTisH  Church,  674;  cir- 
cumcision signifies  purification  from 
evils,  674,  675;  circumcision  was  given 
solely  as  a  sign  and  memorial  that  the 
recipients  were  to  be  purified  from  evils, 
676. 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1047* 


CLERGY. 

The  instruction  of,  in  the  spiritual 
world,  138;  enlightenment  and  instruc- 
tion from  the  Divine  operation  are  com- 
municated especially  to  the  clergy,  146; 
see  155,  405;  the  clergy  and  the  New 
Church,  784. 

CLOUDS   OF   HEAVEN 

{Matt,  xxiv.)  signify  the  sense  of  the 
letter  of  the  Word,  198,  271,  776,  780; 
also  the  cloud  in  which  Jehovah  de- 
scended upon  Mount  Sinai,  776(2);  the 
Lord  will  not  appear  in  a  cloud  of  heaven 
in  Person,  777. 

COMBAT. 

The  nature  of  the  combat  which  the 
Lord  waged  against  hell,  124(2);  see  301; 
man  is  not  sensible  of  the  conflict  during 
reformation  and  regeneration  except  as 
in  himself  and  as  remorse  of  conscience, 
596(2);  see  302;  it  is  the  Lord  and  the 
devil  that  are  fighting  in  man,  ib.;  it 
takes  place  in  the  spiritual  world,  ib.; 
see  Reformation,  610. 

COMFORTER  (THE). 

The  meaning  of  this  term  as  applied 
to  the  Lord,  139(3)(4);  the  Comforter  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  are  the  same,  153(2). 

COMING   OF   THE    LORD. 
See  Lord,  and  Second  Coming. 

COMMANDMENTS  (TEN). 

See  Man,  96;  why  they  were  promul- 
gated in  so  miraculous  a  way,  282,  283, 
444;  the  commandments  were  the  first- 
fruits  of  the  Word,  283;  they  are  in  a 
brief  summary  the  complex  of  all  things 
of  religion,  ib.;  or  all  things  of  doctrine 
and  life,  287,  see  290;  through  them 
there  is  conjunction  of  the  Lord  with 
man  and  of  man  with  the  Lord,  285, 
287;  see  458;  the  ten  commandments 
must  needs  be  explained  according  to 
the  natural,  the  spiritual,  and  the  celes- 
tial senses  of  the  Word,  289.  Meaning 
of  the  first  commandment  in  the  natural 
sense,  291-293;  in  the  spiritual  sense, 
294;  in  the  celestial  sense,  295;  meaning 
of  the  second  commandment  in  the  nat- 


ural sense  297;   in  the    spiritual  sense, 
298;  in  the  celestial  sense,  299;  meaning 
of  the  third  commandment  in  the  natural 
sense,  301;  in  the  spiritual  sense,  302;  in 
the    celestial    sense,     303;     meaning   of 
the  fourth  commandment  in  the  natural 
sense,  305;  in  the  spiritual  sense,  306, 
in  the  celestial  sense,   307;  meaning  of 
the  fifth  commandment   in   the  natural 
sense,   309;  in  the  spiritual  sense,   310; 
in  the  celestial  sense,  311;  meaning  of 
the  sixth  commandment  in  the  natural 
sense,  313;  in  the  spiritual  sense,  314; 
in  the  celestial  sense,  315;  meaning  of 
the  seventh  commandment  in  the  natu- 
ral sense,  317;  in  the  spiritual  sense,  318; 
in  the  celestial  sense,  319;  meaning  of 
the  eighth  commandment  in  the  natural 
sense,  321;  in  the  spiritual  sense,  322; 
in  the  celestial  sense,   323;  meaning  of 
the  ninth  and  tenth  commandments  in 
the  natural  sense,  325,   326;  these   two 
commandments  have  relation  to  all  the 
preceding    ones,   325,  326;  meaning    of 
these  two  commandments  in  the  spiritual 
sense  and  celestial  sense,  327;  eight  of 
the  commandments  show  that  so  far  as 
evil  is  removed  so  far  man  looks  to  good, 
330;  thus  the  commandments  contain  all 
things  of  love  to  God  and  love  towards 
the  neighbor,  ib.;  see  444;  see  456,  458; 
they  contain  the  precepts  of  civil  soci- 
ety, and  natural  moral  life  as  well  as 
spiritual    precepts,    444;    he    who   tres- 
passes against  one   commandment    tres- 
passes against  all,  523;  how  this  state- 
ment   is    to    be    understood,    ib.;    the 
relation  of  the  commandments  to  repent- 
ance, 530. 

COMMUNION. 

15,  347.  416,  IX.(607-610). 

COMPARISONS 

In  the  Word  are  at  the  same  time  cor- 
respondences, 215. 

CONCEPTION. 
110(3),  584,  585. 

CONFESSION 

After  examination  will  be  that  man 
sees,   recognizes  and   acknowledges  his 


■"  -  -  -  •-- -^tfM^la^1lafe?^ql^ft.^^^ilallaa^.^jl 


1048 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


evUs  and  finds  himself  to  be  a  miserable  j 
sinner,  539;  there  is  no  need  for  man  to  ! 
enumerate  his  sins  before  the  Lord,  ib.;  i 
concerning  natural  confession,  i6., 502(2);  , 
confession  should  be  made  before  the  i 
Lord  the  Saviour,  and  then  supplica-  , 
tion,  539;  the  confession  of  the  Lord  and 
of  one  God  conjoins  minds  with  heaven, 
828. 

CONFIDENCE 

In  the  Saviour  is  the  Esse  of   New 
Church   faith,    344. 

CONFIRM. 

Human  ingenuity  can  confirm  wliat- 
ever  it  will,  621(12);  see  334,  758. 

CONFIRMATION. 

The  effect  of  confirming  belief,  110(2); 
see  398(9);  confirmation  enters  the  will, 
255;  the  confirmation  of  falsity  is  the 
denial  of  truth,  758. 


CONFIRMER. 

Memorable  Relation  concerning  ron- 
firmers  who  make  whatever  they  wish 
seem  true,  334. 

CONFLICT. 
See  Combat. 

CONJUGIAL. 

Concerning  marriage  or  conjugial  love, 
805,  847;  see  746(4). 

CONJUNCTION. 

How  charity  and  faith  are  conjoined; 
also   Lord  and  man,   3  (2);  see    43  (3) 
(4).  234,  309  (whole  no.).  666  (3);  see 
Order,  89;  conjunction  to  be  full  must 
be     always     reciprocal,     99;  reciprocal 
conjunction,    effected    by    mutual    ap- 
proach,   is   internal,    ib.;  conjunction   of 
the  Lord  and  man  is  effected  recipro- 
cally and  i.^utually,   100;  see  718,  726; 
in  every  Divin.-^  work  there  is  good  con- 
joined with  truth,  248;  how  conjunction 
is  effected  with  God  by  means  of  the  ten 
commandments,  287;  see  456;  if  man  is 
merely  natural-rational  and  also  natu- 
ral-moral there  is  a  conjunction  of  God 
with  man,  but  not  conjunction  of  man 


with  God,  369(3);  there  must  be  accom- 
modation   before    there   is   application; 
and   there  must   be  accomo<iation   and 
application  both  together  before  there  is 
conjunction,  370(3);   the   reciprocal  con- 
junction of  Lortl   and  man  is  a  mutual 
conjunction,  371(6);  spiritual  conjunction 
is  effected  solely  by  means  of    charity 
and  faith,  372;  see  457(3).  458;  see  484, 
576;  conjunction    with    God    would    be 
denied  if  it  were  denied  that  man  is  a 
receptive  form,   472(3);   reciprocal  con- 
junction with  God  is  the  cause  that  man 
is  man.  504(7);  man's  action  in  harmony 
with  the  Lord's  action  is  meant  by  co- 
operation, 576;  the  conjunction  between 
men  and  spirits  is  by  means  of  affections. 
607;  see    613;  see  Holy    Suppkr,    725; 
all  conjunction  is  effected  by  love.  727(3); 
see  LoVK,  786;  conjunction  of  God  with 
man  is  possible  only  through  worship  of 
one  visible  God.  787;  tlicre  is  conjunc- 
tion with  the  invisible  God  through  the 
visible,   ib. 

CONNATE   IDEAS. 

Memorable  Relation  concerning  con- 
nate ideas,  335;  see  Man,  335(7);  man 
is  born  destitute  of  connate  ideas,  480. 

CONQUEST. 

Divine  Human  illustrated  by  the 
need  of  physical  instruments  for  con- 
quest, 84. 


CONSCIENCE. 

Concerning  various  false  ideas  of  con- 
science, 665  (whole  no.);  mental  pain  is 
not  conscience  but  temptation,  666; 
conscience  is  a  spiritual  desire  to  act  in 
accordance  with  whatever  pertains  to 
religion  and  faith,  ib.;  examples  of  con- 
science, 666(2);  all  who  have  conscience 
say  and  do  whatever  they  say  and  do 
from  the  heart,  600(3);  a  more  perfect 
conscience  may  exist  with  those  who 
have  more  of  the  truths  of  faith  than 
others,  ib.;  a  true  conscience  is  the  seat 
of  man's  spiritual  life  itself  for  there  his 
faith  is  conjoined  with  charity,  ib. 

CONSOCIATION 

With  spirits,  14,  137,  239,  305,  607. 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1049 


CONSONANTS. 


Use  of  consonants  in  the  writings  in 
heaven,  278. 

CONSUMMATION   OF   THE   AGE 

Mentioned  in  Matthew,  means  the  end 
of   the   present   church,    182;    see   755. 
757;  the  spiritual  interpretation  of,  198; 
in    the  consummation   of  the  age  there 
will   be   no   faith,  384;   the   consumma- 
tion  of    the    church    takes    place  when 
there  is  no  Divine  truth  left  m  it,  753; 
when  truth  is  consummated  in  a  church 
good  is  also  consummated  there,  ib.;  the  | 
consummation  of  the  age  is  the  last  time 
of  the  church.  755;  the  fact  that  a  church 
is  consummated  cannot  be  recognized  by 
natural  light,  759(3);  the  last  time  of  the 
Christian  Church  the  very  night  in  which 
former  churches  have  come  to  an  end, 
761;  the  formation  of  the  New  Church 
takes  place  at  the  consummation  o]  the 
age,  784. 

CONSTANTINE   THE   GREAT. 
632,  636,  637. 

CONTACT. 

See  Human  (Divine),  84. 

CONTRITION. 

See  Christian  Church,  512;  the  con- 
trition that  is  declared  to  be  necessary 
to  faith  has  nothing  in  common  with  re- 
pentance, 513;  it  is  of  no  consequence, 
514;  unless  it  is  true  repentance  it  is 
nothing  but  a  freak  of  the  imagination, 
515;  see  Temptation,  597. 

CONVERSION. 

Man  is  constantly  held  in  a  state  of 
possible  repentance  and  conversion,  720; 
see  642. 


CO-OPERATION. 
See  Conjunction. 

CORPOREAL-SENSUAL. 

Those  are  corporeal-sensual  who  have 
turned  away  from  all  thought  of  a  Di- 
vine, 12(4). 

CORRESPONDENCE. 

There  is  a  correspondence  between 
things    in     the    spiritual     and     natural 


world,    75(5);  effect   of   correspondences 
in  each  world,  78(3)(4);  the  Word  was 
written  purely  by  correspondences,  194, 
201;  see  771;  the  Lord  when  in  the  world 
spoke  by  correspondences,  199;  what  cor- 
respondence is  was  very  well  known  m 
ancient   times,  201;   Divine  things  pre- 
sent themselves    in  the    world  in  corre- 
spondences, ib.;  correspondences  are  rep- 
resentations    of    things    spiritual    and 
I   celestial  in  things  natural,  204;  why  the 
knowledge  of  correspondences  has  been 
I   at  this  day  revealed,  207;  correspondence 
I   exists   that   heaven    may   be   conjoined 
with  the  church  on  earth,  238. 

COUNTRY. 

Why  men  should    love  their  country, 

305;  see  414. 

COVENANT  (THE). 

Why  the  ten  commandments  are 
called  the  Covenant,  285;  see  456;  cove- 
nants are  made  for  the  sake  of  love, 
friendship,  affiliation,  and  conjunction, 
285;  the  Lord's  Wood  is  a  covenant,  730. 

CREATION. 

The  end  of  creation  was  an  angelic 
heaven   from   the   human   race.    13;  see 
66;  the  created  universe  is  a  complex  of 
uses  looking  to  this  end.   13(2);  see  67; 
creation  is  from  Divine  love  through  the 
Divine  wisdom,   13(3);  sec   37,    76,    87; 
God  in  created  things,   30(2);  the  cause 
of  creation,  46,  47;  creation  of  the  uni- 
verse, 75,  78 (3)  (4);  created  things  are  in 
themselves  finite,  470 (2)  (4);  what  things 
are  not  creatable,  but  organs  receptive 
of  them  are  creatable,  472;  it  is  from  the 
order  of  creation  that  wherever  there  are 
actives  there  are  also  passives,  472(2); 
see  Freedom  of  Choice,  489;  God  did 
not  create  evil,  490;  creation  could  not 
have  taken  place  without  some  kind  of 
freedom  of  choice  in  both  animate  and 
inanimate  things,  499;  without  order  no 
creation  was  possible,  500;  in  every  cre- 
ated thing  there  is  an  internal  and  an 
external,  595. 


CRUCIFIXION  (THE) 

Signified  the  destruction  and  profana- 
tion of  the  Word,  130(3);  see  311. 


s^u&i 


1050 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1051 


••CROWN"  (THE) 

Means  the  Lord's  dominion,  16(2). 

CROWN  OF  THORNS. 
130(3). 

DAGON 

Represents  the  religion  of  the  Philis- 
tines, 203;  see  71,  283,  614. 

DAMNATION 

Of  the  race  threatened  before  the 
Lord's  coming.  3;  see  122.  579;  what 
candemna  a  man  is  living  wickedly  and 
confirming  falsities  to  such  an  extent  as 
to  destroy  genuine  truths,  254;  man 
causes  his  own  damnation,  366(3);  see 
629;  life  from  hell  is  spiritual  death, 
471;  what  it  is  to  be  damned,  531;  see 
536(2);  see  Reformation.  571;  see 
Lord.  651;  when  faith  is  conjoined  to 
evil  the  verdict  is  for  eternal  death,  655. 

DARKNESS. 
271,  635. 

DAVID 

In  the  Word  means  the  Lord,  171. 

"DAY   OF   JEHOVAH" 

Means  the  Lord's  coming,  82(2),  198, 
761. 

DEATH. 

138,  281,  369,  447,  568,  792,  793. 

DECALOGUE. 

See  Commandments  (Ten). 

DECISION 

Signifies    the    full    consummation    of 
truth  and  good,  755. 

DECREE  (THE) 

In  Psalms  ii.  7,  is  a  prophecy  about 
the  Lord  who  was  to  come,  101. 

DEED 

And  intention,  309. 

DEGREES. 

Their  progression   and   independence, 
32(8);  how  degrees  were  constituted,  33, 


34;  creation  by  degrees,  33;  there  are 
three  degrees  of  life,  42;  see  239.  608,  609, 
846(6);  the  human  mind  is  divided  mto 
three  degrees,  69;  the  three  degrees  of 
height  in  each  world.  75(4);  men  knew 
nothing  formerly  about  the  degrees  be- 
tween the  prior  and  the  posterior  846(6). 

DELIGHT 

Is  the  all  of  life,  570(5)(6)(7);  see  622, 

737. 


DESCARTES. 
696. 

DESOLATION 

Signifies  the  consummation  of  truth, 
755;  see  180. 

DEVASTATION 

Signifies  the  consummation  of  good, 
755;  see  635. 

DEVILS 

Are  those  who  have  confirmed  in  them- 
selves evils,  80(4);  see  Satans,  80(4);. 
difference    between   devils    and    satans, 
281(12);  devils  are  spiritual  murderers, 
310.  312;  when  the  natural  is  inwardly 
in  the  spiritual,  the  man  in  his  internaU 
I  is  a  devil,  361(3);  every  devil  can  under- 
stand truth  when  he  hears  it,  but  ha 
cannot  retain  it.  388(7);  the  sphere  of 
injernal  spirits  joins  itself  with  the  sen- 
sual things  of  man  from  behind,  402(8); 
the  ability  to  understand  truth  and  to 
will   it   is   given    even    to    devils,    481; 
devils  have  rationality  from  the  glory 
of  the  love  of  self.  507(6);  see  Combat. 
596(2);  see  Imputation.  650;  where  the 
devil  is  there  also  are  evil  and  falsity 
therefrom.  713;  an  evil  spirit  turns  away 
from  the   Lord   and   looks  to  his  own 
love,  767(2). 

DIABOLICAL   LOVE 
Is  the  love  of  self,  45. 

DIGNITIES. 

The  love  of  self  is  chiefly  a  love  of 
dignities,  403. 

DISCIPLES    (THE   TWELVE) 

Sent  through  the  spiritual  world,  4, 
108;  see  791;  the   Disciples   were  com- 


I 


manded  to  use  the  name  Lord,  81;  by 
the  twelve  Disciples  is  meant  the  church 
in  respect  to  all  the  truths  and  goods 
which  it  has  from  the  Lord  through  the 
Word,  226(7);  how  the  Disciples  saw 
the  Li)rd  in  His  glorified  Human,  777; 
see  793.     See  Apostles. 

DISPOSITION 

Is  from  the  affection  of  the  will's  love, 
and  that  which  disposes  is  the  delight  of 
that  love,  155;  see  8. 

DIVIDE. 

What  is  divided  does  not  become 
more  simple  but  more  manifold  because 
it  approaches  nearer  to  the  infinite, 
280(6). 

DIVINE  (THE) 

Cannot  be  divided,  82(3);  in  every- 
thing Divine  there  is  a  first,  a  middle, 
and  a  last,  210;  what  is  from  God  is  not 
caUed  God  but  is  called  Divine,  25(2); 
it  is  not  in  space  although  God  is  omni- 
present. 30;  the  celestial  Divine,  the 
spiritual  Divine  and  the  natural  Divine, 
195;  the  Divine  Itself,  23,  193. 


DIVINE   ATTRIBUTES. 

26,  623(4)  (5). 

DIVINE   HUMAN. 
See  Human. 

DIVINE   NATURAL. 

The  Lord's  glorified  Human  is  the 
Divine  Natural,  109;  this  explained  by 
reference  to  His  resurrection,  ib.;  the 
Lord  having  put  on  also  the  Divine 
Natural,  enlightens  both  the  internal 
spiritual  man,  and  the  external  natural 
man.  109(3). 

DOCTRINE. 

Faith  is  the  first  principle  and  doc- 
tnnals  are  derivatives.  177(2)(3);  with- 
out doctrine  the  Word  is  not  understood, 
1.(226-228);  see  245;  those  who  read 
the  Word  without  doctrine  are  in  ob- 
scurity respecting  all  truth,  228;  doc- 
trine should  be  drawn  from  the  sense  of 


the  letter  of  the  Word  and  confirmed  by 
it,  II.  (229-230);  see  231;  not  doctrine 
but  a  faith  and  life  in  accordance  with 
doctrine  that  establishes  the  special 
church  in  the  individual  man,  245;  see 
287;  see  Man.  274;  dociHnals  of  the  New 
Church.  508(5);  the  spiritual  sense  of 
the  Word  only  illustrates  and  corrobo- 
rates doctrine,  230. 

DOGMAS. 

508(3)  (4). 

DOMINANT. 

Man  is  wholly  such  as  that  which  is 
1  dominant  in  his  life;  and  this  cannot  be 
changed  after  death,  399(4). 

DORT  (SYNOD  OF). 

487(2),  634,  759(2),  798(3).  803. 

DOVES 

Are  correspondences  of  the  affections, 

144. 

DRAGON  (THE) 

In  the  Apocalypse  means  those  who 
are  in  the  faith  of  the  present  church, 
182(2)  648;  meaning  of  the  dragon's 
persecuting  the  woman,  207;  see  also 
312,  388,  619. 


DUAL. 

Explanation   of   dual   expressions   in 
the  Word,  250. 

DUTCH. 

The  Dutch  have  spiritual  light  more 
deeply  and  fully  joined   in  with  their 
natural  light  than  others,  800;  their  po- 
sition in  the  spiritual  world.   i6.;  with 
the  Dutch  business  is  their  final  love  and 
money  a  mediate  subservient  love.  801; 
the  Dutch  cling  more  firmly  than  others 
to  the  principles  of  their  religion,  802; 
they  separate  themselves  from  any  in- 
tuition of  truth,  ib.;  how  they  are  pre- 
pared for  heaven,  ib.,  802(2);  the  gar- 
ments  of  the  Dutch  in  the  spiritual  world, 
804;  the  cities  of  the  Dutch  in  the  spirit- 
ual world.  805. 

EARTH  (THE) 

Signifies  the  church,  585(4). 


if..-ji.  •:i--^^AStie^^ji,sBlsiis^'i 


1052 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


EARTHQUAKE. 
Signification  of,  179. 

EAT. 

By  eating  is  meant  appropriating, 
466,  702,  709,  716,  728. 

EDOM 

Signifies  the  natural,  200. 

EFFECTS 

Are  produced  in  the  external  man, 
374.     See  Cause. 

EFFLUX. 

Influx  adapts  itself  to  efflux,  814. 

EGYPT 

Signifies  the  scientific,  200(3);  see 
also  247(2);  see  Christian  Church, 
635;  Egypt  means  a  church  that  was  in 
its  beginning  pre-eminent,  635;  knowl- 
edge of  representatives  cultivated  in 
Egypt,  833(2). 

ELECT  (THE). 
198. 

ELECTION 

486,  628,  664 

ELIAS 

Or  Elijah  means  the  prophetical 
Word,  222,  261. 

ELISHA 

Represented  the  church  as  to  doc- 
trine from  the  Word,  223. 

END. 

In  every  complete  tiling  there  is  a 
trine  called  end,  cause  and  effect,  32(7), 
46,  67,  210;  where  ends,  cause  and  effect 
reside,  236(5);  see  374,  387(3);  that  evil 
is  excused  or  condemned  which  the  end 
excuses  or  condemns,  523;  the  first  and 
last  ends  contain  in  them  the  mediate 
ends,  152;  he  who  loves  the  end  also 
loves  the  means,  13,  43. 

ENERGIES. 
See  Operation. 


ENGLISH. 

Position  of  the  English  nation  in  the 
spiritual  world,  807;  the  better  ones 
have  an  interior  intellectual  delight,  ib.; 
they  acquire  this  from  their  freedom  of 
thought,  ib.;  the  English  are  lovers  of 
their  country,  808;  the  cities  of  the 
English  in  the  spiritual  world,  809,  811; 
the  English  preachers  in  the  spiritual 
world,  809,  810;  812;  the  two  kinds  of 
theology  of  the  English,  812. 

ENJOYMENT. 

See  Love,  and  Delight. 

ENLIGHTENMENT. 

When  the  internal  spiritual  in  man 
and  the  external  natural,  are  simultan- 
eously enlightened,  man  is,  as  it  were,  in 
the  light  of  day,  109(2);  see  also  Shad- 
ow, 109(3);  Divine  Natural,  109(3); 
enlightenment  of  the  Word  is  from  the 
Lord,  155,  176,  231. 

ENOCH 

Collected  correspondences  from  the 
men  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church,  202. 

EPHRAIM 

Signifies  the  understanding  of  the 
Word   in  the  church,  247. 

EPICURUS. 
693. 

EQUILIBRIUM. 

There  is  not  a  substance  in  the  created 
universe  that  does  not  tend  to  equilib- 
rium in  order  that  it  may  be  in  freedom, 
496(4);  man  is  in  spiritual  equilibrium, 
383,  475,  478. 

ESSE. 

Nothing  can  exist  in  the  created  uni- 
verse that  does  not  derive  its  esse  from 
God,  19;  unless  esse  is  substance  it  is  a 
figment  of  the  reason,  20. 

ESSE  (DIVINE). 

It  is  impossible  to  define  the  Divine 
Esse,  18;  uncreate  and  infinite,  ib.;  the 
Divine  Esse  must  be  in  all  things,  ib.; 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1053 


the  Divine  Esse  is  called  Jehovah,  1.(19); 
the  Divine  Esse  is  at  once  Esse  and  Ex- 
islere  in  itself.  III.  (21,  22);  as  God  is 
Esse  in  itself.  He  is  Love  in  itself,  Wis- 
dom in  itself,  and  Life  in  itself,  21;  it  is 
impossible  for  the  Divine  Esse  and  Exis- 
tere  in  itself  to  produce  another  Divine 
which  is  Esse  and  Existere  in  itself,  IV. 
(23);  see  25,  26;  see  Jehovah,  81. 

ESSENCE 

Has  no  quality  except  from  form, 
367(3);  to  think  of  essence  from  person 
is  to  think  of  essence  also  materially, 
while  to  think  from  essence  of  person  is  to 
think  of  person  also  spiritually,  623(5). 

ESSENCE  (DIVINE). 

Distinction  between  the  Esse  of  God 
and  the  Essence  of  God,  36;  love  itself 
and  wisdom  itself  constitute  the  Divine 
Essence,  I.  (37);  God  as  He  is  in  His  es- 
sence could  not  come  near  to  hell  to  con- 
quer it,  124. 

ESSENTIALS. 

The  general  and  particular  essentials 
in  one  thing  make  one  essence,  166. 

ETERNITY. 

In  relation  to  times  God's  infinity  is 
called  eternity,  IV.  (31);  to  angels  the 
eternity  of  God  means  His  Divinity  in 
respect  to  His  Existere,  31(2);  man  can- 
not think  of  God's  eternity  as  antecedent 
to  time,  ib.;  the  eternity  of  God  is  not  an 
eternity  of  time,  31(3);  see  illustration 
of  eternity,  32(3);  eternal  life  can  be 
granted  only  by  an  eternal  God,  32(7); 
see  This  Day,  101;  the  eternal  is  infinite 
as  to  time,  415. 

EVENING 

In  the  Word,  109,  764. 

EVANGELICAL   CHURCHES. 
The  faith  of,  101. 

EVIL. 

Divine  omnipotence  cannot  go  forth  to 
a  contact  with  anything  evil,  but  merely 
sustains  its  existence,  56;  how  God  per- 


ceives the  quantity  and  quality  of  all 
evil,  61,  62;  man  has  all  the  less  power 
against  evil  because  he  is  born  into  evil, 
68;  also  329(2);  see  Omnipotence,  68; 
evil    blots    out    truth    and    introduces 
falsity,  77(3);  evils  pertain  not  solely  to 
the  external  man,  but  also  to  the  inter- 
nal, 326;  evils  must  be  put  away  before 
the  good  that  a  man  does  becomes  good 
in  the  sight  of  God,  329(3);  so  far  as 
one  shuns  evils  as  sins  so  far  he  does 
good  from  the  Lord,  330;  man  ought  to 
shun  evils  as  sins  as  if  from  himself,  if  .; 
if  one  shuns  evils  for  any  other  reason 
than  because  they  are  sins  he  does  not 
shun   them,   ib.;  good   and   evil  cannot 
exist  together,  331;  man  ought  to  purify 
himself  from  evils  and  not  wait  for  the 
Lord  to  do  this  without  his  co-operation, 
331(4);  the  life  of  God  in  all  its  fulness 
is  in  evil  men,  366(2);  with  the  evil  there 
is  no  faith,  X. (382-384);  those  who  deny 
God  cannot  receive  good  from  any  other 
source  than  what  is  their  own  which  is 
the  lust  of  the  flesh,  382;  those  who  have 
no  regard  for  the  Divine  commandments 
are  practically  evil,  ib.;  evil  belongs  to 
hell,    383;  also   to   hatred    towards   the 
neighbor,  435(2);  evil  is  firmly  seated  in 
every  man's  will  from  his  birth,  435;  see 
520,  567(6);  so  far  as  it  is  not  put  away 
the  good    that  he    does  is  impregnated 
with    that    evil,    435;   see    435(4),  436; 
no  one  is  able  to  purify  himself  from 
evils  by  his  own  power,  438;  evils  may 
be    breathed    into    the    good,    but    not 
goods  into  the  evil,  448;  the  friendship  of 
love  among  the  evil  is  intestine  hatred, 
455 (3)  (4);  it   is   the   same,    in  different 
degrees,    with    those    who    have   led    a 
civil  moral  life  but  have  not  curbed  the 
lusts  residing  in  the  internal,  455 i;  see 
Freedom  of  Choice,  490;  evil  was  in- 
troduced by  man  himself,  490;  the  doing 
of  evil  in  both  the  spiritual  and  the  nat- 
ural world  is  restrained  by  laws,  498(2); 
evils  would  destroy  the  whole  human 
race  if  the  fear  of  legal  penalties  did  not 
restrain  men,  498(3);  he  who  denies  and 
rejects  the  idea  of  sin  gives  no  thought 
to    anything    that    is    called    sin,    523; 
those  who  have  removed  some  evils  are 
kept  in  the  purpose  to  refrain  from  other 


1.^^  -     ,.BJLjMSh^&S^fttSi*iati 


1054 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1055 


evils,  ib.;  when  the  committing  of  evil 
is  not  the  confirmation  of  it  in  man,  tb.; 
see  End,  523;   lo  man  in  the  Christian 
world  can  be  without  recognition  of  sm, 
525;  evil   of   sin   is   no   other   than   evil 
against  the  neighbor,  and  evil  against  ; 
the  neighbor  is  also  evil  against  God,   ; 
which  is  sin,  ib.;  the  recognition  of  «tn 
effects  nothing  unless  a  man  exammes  \ 
the  actions  of  his  life,  ib.;  inna  are  not  j 
abolished    but    removed,    539;  the    evil  ■ 
that  a  man  does  see,  recognize  and  ac- 
knowledge,    remains,    564;  if    evils    are 
dismissed   from   any   other   purpose   or 
end  than  from  religion  they  are  done  so  , 
only  that  they  may  not  appear  before 
the  world,  5G6;  he  who  does  not  shun 
evU  is  in  evil,  567(4);  evils  have  their 
seat  in  the  natural  man.  574;  the  evils 
into  which  man  is  born  are  generated 
in  the  will  of  the  natural  man,  58/;  evil  | 
cannot  fight  from  itself  but  by  means  of  . 
falsities,    596;    every   evil    is    composed  ^ 
of  innumerable  lusts,  611;  see  Heaven, 
622(2);  evil  and  a  faith  in  the  one  true  I 
God    cannot    exist   together,    657;  the  | 
good  that  an  evil   man  does  is  in  itself  ; 
evil,  ih.;  see  Good.   763;   with  the  evil 
every  evil  is  an  image  of  his  ruling  love,   j 
767(2). 

EXAMINATION. 

The  need  of  self-examination,  526;  see 
530-  who  those  are  who  are  not  capable 
of  self-examination,  527;  nature  of  those 
who  are  capable  of  it  but  do  not  do  it 
527(2)(3);  he  who  has  not  examined 
himself  finally  ceases  to  know  what 
damning  evil  or  saving  good  is,  564. 

EXHORTATION  (THE) 

To  the  holy  supper,  722(3);  see  812. 

EXINANITION. 

The  Lord's  state  of  exinanition  de- 
scribed, 104.  105.  110(4). 

EXISTERE. 

God  is  not  only  Esse  but  also  Existere, 
21;  why,  ib.;  Divine  Existere,  see  Esse 
(Divine).  IV.(23);  see  624. 


EXPIATION. 

What  it  signifies.  135(5). 


EXTERNAL. 

In  all  of  man's  will  and  thought  there 
is  an  internal  and  external,  147;  the  ex- 
ternal  chooses  from   the   internal   only 
such  as  are  suited  to  its  use,  154(5);  the 
external  man  is  cleansed  by  means  of  the 
internal,  331(4);  see  340(2)(3);  the  exfer- 
nal  is  in  the  world  and  its  light,  401(2); 
see  806;  a  holy  external  and  a  profane 
internal  do  not  accord,  519;  concerning 
a  moral  life  in  externals,  568,  568(2)(3) 
(4);  the  external  man  is  his  action  and 
words     592;  the    external    is    estimated 
from   the   internal,    595(4);  by   victory 
over    the   external    man    man    becomes 
spiritual,  597;  there  are  in  man's  externa/ 
1   three  things  corresponding  to  the  three 
I    things  of  the  internal.  712. 

I   FABLES. 

I        171,  201,  202,  275.  693. 

'   FACULTIES. 

The  various  faculties  of  man.  48,  70. 
335,  601,  658,  718.  719.  729. 


FAITH. 

Particulars   of   faUh   on   man's   part, 
(32);    faith   is   from  God.  8;    see   712; 
faUh  is  to  see  spiritually  that  God  is, 
2'>(2)-  every  truth  of   the  church  per- 
tains'to  faith,  38;  by  faith  men  learn 
that    the    Lord   is    He   in   whom    they 
ought  to  believe,  107(2);  see  also  108; 
such  as  is  a  church's  faith  such  is  its 
doctrine.   177(2)(3);  the  faith  of  every 
church   is    like    the  seed    from    which 
all  its  dogmas  spring.   178;  everything 
that    flows    forth   from    faUh    is   called 
true.  336;  see  347(2);  faith  is  not  fau'h 
unless  it  is  conjoined  with  charity,  ib.; 
see  654;   faith    is    fiist    in    time  but  is 
not  actually  first,  336(2);  see  Charity 
336(2);    saving     faith    is    faith    in    tlie 
Lord    God   the   Saviour     Jesus   Chri»t, 
I   (337-339);  see  379.   655;  every  doc- 
trine of  the  church  that  will  teach  and 
point  out  the  way  to  salvation  depends 
on    faUh,   338;   faith   in   a  visible  Gotl 
enters  into  man.  for  faUh  in  its  essence 


is   spiritual    but    in  its    form    is  natu- 
ral. 339;  merely  natural    faith    is  only 
persuasion  o^  Knowledge,  ib.;  see  384; 
faith   in   an   invisible   God    is   actually 
blind,   339(2);  the  sum  of  faith  is  that 
he  who  lives  well  and  believes  rightly  is 
saved  by  the  Lord,  II.  (340-342);  how 
natural  faith  is  converted  into  spiritual 
faith,  340;  man  acquires  faith  by  going 
to  the  Lord,  learning  truths  from  the 
Word,    and   living   according   to   them. 
111.(343-348);  see  356,  358;  faith  enters 
into  all  parts  and  each  part  of  a  system 
of  theology,  343;  the  general  principles 
which  the  New  Church  teaches  respect- 
ing its  faith,   344;    the   constituents  of 
merely  natural  faith  thus  spurious  faith, 
meretricious  faith,  blind  faith,  wander- 
ing  faith,    purblind    faith,    hypocritical 
faith,   visionary   faith;    each    explained, 
345,  346;  faith  is  from  the  Lord,  and  in 
the  Lord.  347;  the  three  things  of  faith, 
going  to  the  Lord,  learning  truths  from 
the   Word,    living   according    to    them, 
must    be    conjoined    to    make    saving 
faith,  348;  what  faith  is  like  when  they , 
are  separated,  ib.;  truth  is  the  essence 
of  fait\;  therefore  as  the  truth  is,  such 
is  the  faith,  348;  see  353;  an  abundance 
of    truths    cohering,    as    in    a    bundle, 
exalts  and  perfects  faith,  IV.  (349-354); 
see  379;  in  every  one  in  whom  there  are 
truths  from  the  Word,  the  Lord  causes 
truths  to  shine  and  thus  become  truths 
of  faith,  349;  according  to  the  abundance 
and  coherence  of  truths  faith  is  perfected, 
352.  353;  see  365;  faith  without  charity 
is  not  faith,   neither  has  it  life  except 
from  the  Lord.  V. (355-361);  see  367(2), 
385;  unless  man  were  able  to  acquire 
faith  for  himself,  all  that  is  commanded 
in  the  Word  respecting  faith  would  be 
useless,  356;  man  of  himself  is  unable  to 
acquire    for    himself    any    but    natural 
faith,  359;  by  means  of  it  he  prepares 
himself  to  be  a  receptacle  of  the  Lord, 
ib.;  when  man  is  in  spiritual  faith  he  is 
also  in  natural  faith,  360(3);  the  Lord, 
charity,  and  faith  make  one;  and  if  they 
are  divided,  each  perishes.VI. (362-367); 
the  life  of    the   Divine  wisdom    is   the 
essence  of  faith,  365;  charity  is   the  es- 
sence of  faith,  and  faith   is   the  form   of 


charity,   367(3);   see  386(3),   442;   faith 
is  conjunction  with  God  by  means  of 
truths,  369(3);  reciprocal  conjunction  of 
the  Lord  and  man  is  effected  by  means 
of    charity    and    faith,    372;    thus    con- 
joined   it    produces   a   spiritual-natural 
charity  and  faith,  ib.;  charity  and  faith 
are  only  mental  and  perishable  imless 
they  are  determined  to  works,  375,  376; 
there  is  a  true  faith,  a  spurious  faith,  and 
a  hypocritical /aif/i,  IX. (378-381);  unless 
faith  is  faith  in  God  it  is  no  faith,  379(2); 
see  453;  not  all  who  approach  the  Lord 
have  faith  in  Him;  for  true  faith  is  both 
internal  and  external,   379(4);   it  must 
be  faith  in  one  God,  ib.;  what  spurious 
faith    is,    380;    hypocritical   faith    is   no 
faith,  381;  faith  belongs  to  heaven  be- 
cause  all   truth   is   from   heaven,    383; 
evil  by  means  of  falsities  extinguishes 
faith,  ib.;  those  who  reject  the  Lord  and 
the  Word  have  no  faith,  although  they 
live  morally,  and  speak  rationally  about 
faith,  384;   faith   is  the  complex  of    all 
things  pertaining   to   the   truth   that  a 
man  thinks  respecting  God  and  things 
Divine,  392;  if  faith  alone  could  regener- 
ate man  the  internal  would  be  like  a 
waste,  582;  faith  is  not  possible  without 
truths,    618(2);    the   necessity  of  intel- 
lectual faith,  621  (2)  (3)  (4);  see  Impu- 
tation 626;  see  Charity,  654;  faith  in 
the  one  and  true  God  causes  good  to  be 
good  in  internal  form  also,  655. 

FALLACIES. 

The  origin  of  fallacies  in  the  church; 
57;  see  254. 

FALSE  WITNESS. 

Meaning  of  the  commandment  "  Thou 
shalt  not  bear  false  witness,"  236(4); 
321-324. 

FALSITIES. 

How  God  is  omniscient  with  regard 
to  falsities,  62;  those  who  are  in  falsities 
of  doctrine  have  no  communication 
with  heaven  through  the  Word,  209(4); 
condition  of  those  who  confirm  falsities 
by  the  Word,  162,  232,  233,  254,  255, 
281  (whole  no.);  how  men  may  be  de- 
livered from  falsities,  254,  255;  truth  fal- 


^i 


^laii 


'^''-•^•^'^■— '"jiflefeliifesii 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1057 


1050 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


sified   takes  away  communication  with 
heaven    258;  those  who  teach    what  is 
^area;espintual  thieves.  320;  to  pur- 
posely persuade   oneself   that     als^tyJ 
Llief  is  true  belief  is  bearing  false  wit- 
ness   322;   those    who    confirm    falsities 
have  a  sort  of  backward  sight,  but  no 
forward  sight.  334(8);  ialsity  that  is  not 
the   falsity    of    evil   may  ^e    joined    t^ 
good,    398(8);    evil   canno      fight   from 
itself    but  by  means  of    falsities,   596, 
see  Truth    763. 

FANTASY. 


80.  187.  339.  462.  662.  819. 

FATHER. 

Description  of  how  the  soul  from  the 

father    descended    from    generation    to 

4.-   „    in'^ir''^  (3V  how   the  change 
generation.  103(-)  K^),  » 

of   type   may   be   effected.    103(-). 


FESTIVITIES 

In  heaven.  735(5).  745   (whole  no.). 

FINITE. 

Every  created  thing  is  finite;  and  the 
Infinite  is  in  finite  things.  28.  29;  V  • 
n-l  34)'  God  first  rendered  His  in- 
finiiy  finite  by  means  of  substances 
emitted  from  Himself.  33;  the  Infinite 
cannot  create  anything  but  what  is 
finite,  470(4). 

FIRE 

Signifies    love,  good  or    evil,  35(12). 
159.  455,  684.  686. 

FIRST  AND  THE  LAST  (THE). 
Meaning  of.  84.  102.261. 


FLESH 

Signifies  the  good  of  love   and  char- 
ity.  367(5);   see  Holy  Supper.    .Oo. 


FATHER  (AS  APPLIED  TO  GOD). 

imaginary  description  of  the  ^«'^;^ 
as  a  separate  God,  15.  J «;  why  the  Lord 
called   Jehovah    His   Father     82(3).    by 
the  Father  the   Divine  good   is  meant. 
88;  no  one  can  see  the  Father  etc     ex- 
cept through  the  Divine  Human.  94;  how 
^e  Lord  united  Himself  to  f^J-^^^' 
and   the   Father   to   the   Lord    Himself 
VI     (97-100);    the    Father   co-operated 
with  the  Human  in  the  acts  of  redemp- 
tion. 97;  whosoever  believes  in  the  Son 
^L-es  \n  the  Father,   107(3);  by  the 
Father  should  be  understood  the  Divine 
from  whom.  172(3);  God  is  the  Father 
in  the  Human.  180;  God  is  the  Father 
306-  in  the  celestial  sense  father  means 
the' Lord  Jesus  Christ.  307;  see  Lord 
370-  if  the  Father  should  draw  near  to 
man.   or  man   to   Him.   --"  7"  ^  ^fj 
consumed.    370;  an    essential   t-'ith   c.f 
faith  is  that  the  U.rd  is  «-  -thj^od 
the  Father,  379(3);  man   is   not   to  ap 
proach  the  Father,  538. 


FEASTS. 

Concerning  feasts  which  are  diversions 
of  charity,  and  their  spiritual  meaning. 
433;  see  727 


FOOD 

In  the  spiritual  world.  281  (7)(9)(10). 
'735;  heavenly  food  in  its  essence  is  no 
other   than  love,   wisdom,  and  jise  to- 
gether.  735(6). 


FORGIVENESS. 


The  Lord  forgives  to  every  one  his 
sins,  409;  why  it  is  not  necessary  to 
supplicate  forgiveness  of  sms.  oJJ. 
i  veness  of  sins  is  not  their  being 
rootJd  out  but\heir  removal,  and  thiis 
their  separation,  614;  see  Regenerv- 
TION,  614. 


FORM 

Itself    is    the    verily    Human    Form, 
that  is  that  God  is  verily  Man,  20;  ^ee 
also  28;   the  part  which    form  plays   m 
the  Divine    order.  52;   concerning   sub- 
stance and  form,  ib,  wisdom  from  love 
constitutes  form,  53;  God  is  substance 
itself  and  form  itself,  ib.;  form  is  no^  a 
subsistent   entity  except  from  essence. 
367(3). 

FORMULA  CONCORDIiE. 

101      112(3).     137(7);     the    teachmg 
of   the   Formula   Concordi<s   concer^mg 


God's  grace,  356;  Formula  Concordi^ 
on  freedom  of  choice,  463,  464  (whole 
no  )■  see  484;  Formula  Concordi(B  on 
lip'-infession,  516;  Formula  Concordia 
and  predestination,  798(10). 

FORSAKEN. 

Why  the  Lord  exclaimed,  "  My  God, 
My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me?  " 
105;  see  126. 


FREEDOM  OF  CHOICE. 

Man   in   acquiring   knowledges   exer- 
cises his  freedom  of  choice,   24(2);  God 
touches  man's  freedom  of  will  but  does 
not  violate  it,  74(3);  see  Regeneration, 
105;  Reformation,  105;  see  106;  it  is 
from  this  freedom  of  choice  that  man  is 
capable  of  reformation,  154(4);  freedom 
of  choice  is  granted  in  order  that  recip- 
rocal   conjunction    may    exist,    371(2); 
man's  equilibrium  between  heaven  and 
hell   constitutes  his   freedom   of   choice, 
383;     see     Christian     Church,     463; 
Formula     Concordiae     on     freedom     of 
choice,   464   (whole  no.);    the  origin   of- 
freedom    of    choice    is    in    the    spiritual 
world,  475;   man  is  kept  midway  be- 
tween heaven  and  hell  so  that  he  may 
have  freedom  of  choice,   477,   478;   man 
would  be  like  beasts  if  his  freedom  to 
do  were  equal  to  his  freedom  to  think, 
478(3);    he    who    accepts    the    spiritual 
things  of  the  church  restrains  his  free- 
dom of  choice,  ib.;  he  is  led  by  the  Lord 
away  from  lusts  and  evil  pleasures,  ib.; 
'  some  general  things  showing  that  man 
has  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things, 
479;  some  particulars  which  prove  that 
man  has  freedom  of  choice,  480;  a  man 
breathes  from  a  freedom  of  choice  both 
in  things  natural  and  in  things  spiritual. 
ib.;  also  481;  man  would  have  no  freedom 
of    choice    in    civil,    moral,    or    natural 
things  if  he  had  none  in  spiritual  things, 
482;  from  spiritual  freedom  man  has  a 
perception  of  what  is  good  and  true,  ib.; 
freedom  of  choice  may  be  called  the  living 
effort  in  man.  482(2);  without  freedom  of 
choice  •  in    spiritual    things    the    Word 
would  be  of  no  use,  483;  without  freedom 
of  choice  salvation  would  be  impossible, 
485;  see  502;  man  could  not  have  been 
07 


created  as  to  be  a  man  without  giving 
him  freedom  of  choice,  489;  unless  free- 
dom of  choice  had  been  given  to  man 
God  would  have  been  the  cause  of  evil, 
490;  see  Predestination  490;  that  which 
is   received   by   man   with   freedom   re- 
mains with  him,  493.  496;  but  only  the 
spiritual  things  of  the  Word  and  church 
which  man  imbibes  from  love,  494;  how 
freedom    of    choice    in    spiritual    things 
descends     into     freedom     of     choice     in 
natural    things,    ib.;    how    it    may    be 
turned  into  merely  natural  freedom,  ib.; 
see    Bondage,    495;    why    freedom    of 
choice   resides   in   the   will   and   under- 
standing. 497,  498;  see  Creation.  499; 
!  how  God  could,  in  one  day,  lead  all  men 
I  to  believe  in  the  Lord  if  man  did  not 
have  freedom  of  choice,  500;  if  man  had 
no  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual  things 
he  would  be  but  a  brute,  503(6);  with- 
out freedom  of  choice  no  man  can  repent. 
509;  or  be  regenerated,  615. 


FREE  WILL. 

See  Freedom  of  Choice. 

FRENZY 

Has  invaded  all  churches  on  account 
of  a  confused  belief  in  a  Trinity  of 
persons,  4(2). 

FRIENDSHIP. 

A  friendship   of  love  means   interior 
friendship,    446;    difference   between    it 
and  external  friendship,  ib.;  friendship  in 
the   spiritual   world   is   interior,    or   be- 
tween  those   of   interior   likeness.    447; 
interior  friendships   contracted    in    the 
world,  are  detrimental  in  the  spiritual 
world  when  one  is  in  evil  and  the  other 
in  good,  448;  different  with  those  who 
love  the  good  in  another,  449;  but  see 
Internal.   449;   the  friendship  of  love 
among   the  evil   is   intestine  hatred  of 
each  other,  454,  455;  see  44. 


FRUIT. 

State  of  regeneration  likened  to  a 
plant  bearing  fruit,  106;  fruits  corre- 
spond to  the  various  kinds  of  good,  t6.; 
see  462(10). 


s^eSi^^ 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1058 

GABRIEL. 
300. 


GARDEN  OF  EDEN 

Signifies  v.isdom  and  intelligence 
from  the  Word,  219;  see  200,  461,  466, 
467,  606. 

GARMENTS 

Signifies  truths,  686,  815;  those  in 
the  spiritual  world  who  are  in  Divine 
truths  have  white  garments,  804;  gar- 
ments in  the  spiritual  world,  742;  the 
garments  of  the  Lord  which  were 
divided    after    His    crucifixion,    130(3). 

GENERAL. 

Particulars  adapt  themselves  to  their 
own  general,  and  the  general  arranges 
them  in  a  harmonious  form,  47;  see  60; 
what  is  general  and  what  is  particular 
are  together  in  every  single  thing,  775. 

GENESIS. 

First  chapters  of  Genesis  transcribed 
from  the  ancient  Word,  279(4). 

GENTILES 

Of  every  cult  are  averse  to  Chris- 
tianity solely  on  account  of  its  belief  in 
three  Gods,  183;  the  means  for  regen- 
eration are  given  to  Gentiles  in  their 
religions,  580(3);  see  107(3);  the  posi- 
tion of  the  Gentiles  in  the  spiritual 
world,  835;  see  Man  (as  applied  to 
God),  836;  ancient  Gentiles,  9(3),  275, 
624. 

GEOMETRY. 

32(8).  387(5). 

GERMANS. 

Germany  as  an  empire,  813;  the  result 
of  their  despotic  government,  814;  the 
nation  is  little  devoted  to  matters  of 
judgment  but  rather  to  matters  of 
memory,  ib.;  their  state  in  the  spiritual 
world,  ib.,  815;  the  German  clergy  in 
the  spiritual  world,  815;  the  people  of 
Hamburg  are  nowhere  now  gathered 
together  in  the  spiritual  world,  816, 


t 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1059 


GLORIFICATION. 

See  Human  (The  Divine),  94;  what 
the  Lord's  glorification,  is,  97;  see  110(4), 
105,  126,  128;  its  distinction  from 
redemption,  126;  state  of,  described, 
104;  when  the  Lord  was  in  that  state, 
ib.;  the  Lord  glorified  His  Human  in  the 
same  manner  in  which  He  regenerates 
man,  105;  see  684;  see  also  Passion 
OF   THE   Cross,   95;    see   Exinanition. 

GLORY. 

When  glory  is  predicated  of  the  Lord 
it  signifies  Divine  truth  united  to 
Divine  good,  128;  glory  {Matt,  xxiv.) 
signifies  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word, 
198,  271;  see  776,  780. 

GOATS. 
95. 

GOD 

Is    love  and    wisdom,  3;   the   Scrip- 
ture and  all  doctrines  of  the  Christian 
churches  teach  that  God  is  one,  1.(6,  7); 
see  also  111.(9,  10);  God  cannot  be  seen 
by  any  creature,  6;  see  691;  the  deriva- 
tives of  God  which  are  like  draperies  of 
Him,  6;  nevertheless  God  beams  forth  to 
man  like  light  through  crystalline  forms, 
6(2);  men  differ  in  their  ideas  of  God, 
IV. (11);  some  of  the  crude  ideas  of  God, 
11(2);  a  man's  knowledge  of  God  is  his 
mirror   of   God,    11(3);    see   also    13(4); 
God    cannot    turn    Himself   away   from 
man,  56;  see  490;  no  one  but  God  can 
resist  evils  and  their  falsities,  68;  worse 
than  incredible  to  say  that  the  one  God 
begat  a  Son  from  eternity  and  that  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  each  one 
of  whom  singly  is  God,  is  one  God,  82; 
knowledges  respecting  God  prepare  man 
for  conjunction  with  Him,  89;  on  a  right 
idea  of  God  the  whole  body  of  theology 
hangs,  163;  by  God  is  meant   the   Lord 
in  respect  to  the  Divine  truth  of  the 
Divine    wisdom,    253;    development  of 
those   who   had   known   nothing  about 
God,  274;  how  one  is  able  to  think  of 
God  from  eternity,  280(10);  what  class 
of  men  do  not  in  heart  acknowledge  any 
God,  293;  why  the  »aroe  of  God  must  b« 


used   continually   in   holy   thmgs,    29*; 
the    name    of    God    means    everythmg 
which    the    church    teaches    from    the 
Word,  298;  God  cannot  but  save  those 
who  live   according   to   His   command- 
ments   and    have    faith    in    Him,    341; 
impossible  for  God  to  save  any  one  who 
lives    wickedly    and    therefore    believes 
falsely,  ib.;  ideas  of    Gi>fi  which  follow 
from  a  belief  in  predestination,  486(3), 
487,  488,  489;  see  Christian  Church, 
647(2)  (3)  (4). 

"GOD  OF  ISRAEL" 

Means  Jehovah  God  as  to  His  Human, 
101. 

GOG 

Signifies  external  worship  apart  from 
internal,  200(3). 

GOLD 

In  the  Word  signifies  good.  203,  205; 
that  is  internal  good,  595(4),  609. 


GOODS 

Should  be  done  because  they  are  of 
God  and  from  God,  3(2);  all  good  that 
is  in  itself  good  is  from  God,  8;  God  is 
good  itself  because  good  is  of  love,  38; 
see  651;  what  it  is  which  gives  life  to 
good,  38;   see  239;  every  kind  of    good 
gives  itself  form   by   means  of  truths, 
38(3);  as  God  wills  only  what  is  good  He 
can  do  nothing  but  what  is  good,  56;  His 
omnipotence  must  go  forth  and  operate 
within  the  sphere  of  the  extension  of  the 
good,  ib.:  see  Jehovah  God    85;  Divine 
good  alone  inadequate  to  effect  redemp- 
tion, 86;    compared  to    the    round  hilt 
of  a  sword,  ib.;  ineffectiveness  of  good 
apart  from  truth,  87;  although  God  de- 
scended as    Divine    truth,  He    did  not 
separate  therefrom  the  Divine  good,  88; 
see  Use,  96;   Divine  good  has  relation 
to  the  priestly  office,    114;   no  man  is 
in  good  from  himself,  but  all  good  is  from 
the  Lord,  121(3);  see  163;  power  of  good 
224;  he  who  wills  and  does  only  what  is 
good  becomes   that    good,   263;    Divine 
good  in  its  heat  is  in  the  interior  senses 
of  the  Word,  289;  see  Will,  397;  good 


desires  to  be  conjoined  to  truth,  398(5); 
there  is  spiritual  good  and  natural  good, 
398(6);  the    good  that  a  man  does  by 
means  of  his  body  proceeds  from  his 
spirit,  or  out  of  his  internal,  435(3);  so 
far  as  one  does  not  will  evil  he  wills  good, 
437;  see  Evil,  448;  everything  that  goes 
forth  from  the  Lord  is  good,  but  it  may 
be  turned  into  evil  by  the  spirits  in  hell, 
492;  all  who  do  good  from  religion,  not 
only  Christians,    but   even   pagans   are 
saved,    536;    after    death    they    reject 
falsities  and  accept  with  pleasure  what 
belongs  to  the  New  Church,  ib.;  those 
who  do  good  from  natural  goodness  only 
and    not    also    from    religion    are    not 
accepted  after  death,  537;  Divine  good 
is  the  being  of  God's  substance,  624(3); 
spiritual  goodness  belongs  to  the  spirit 
born     anew    from    the    Lord   537;  see 
Faith,  655;  see  Love,  658(2);  nothing 
that  is  proper  and  good  in  any  virtue 
can  pass  by  successive  steps  to  what  is 
improper  and  evil,  but  only,  to  its  least 
phase   until   it   perishes,    745(5);    when 
there  is  no  genuine   truth  no  genuine 
good    is    possible,    but    merely    natural 
good,    753,   754;  good   is   the  essence  of 
truth,   753;    good  takes  on    its    quality 
through    the   existence    of    evil    as    an 
opposite,  703. 


GOOD  WORKS. 

Man  should  lead  himself  into  charity 
by  means  of  good  works,  71(2);  charity 
and  faith  are  together    in    good  works, 
VIII.  (373-377);  good  works   are   doing 
I    well  from    willing  well,   and   belong  to 
I   the   external   man,  374;   see    421;  illus- 
■■   trations  of  how   charity  descends  into 
1  good    works,    374(3) (4);  good   works    are 
!   produced  by  charity  and  faith  together, 
j   377;  living  well  naturally  is  understood 
at  this  day,   but  not  living  well  spirit- 
ually   393;  charity  and  good  works  are 
distinct,  421;  such  as  charity  and  faith 
are  together,  such  are  works,  442;  how 
natural   good   work9   become    interiorly 
spiritual,  654. 

GOTSCHALK. 

798(2)(3). 


:--mjl..<,aw.  ...:.■  .i 


lOGO 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


GRACE. 

If  grace  were  to  depart  from  God  there 
would  be  an  end  to  the  human  race, 
161(2);  the  teaching  of  the  Evangelical 
churches  and  Reformed  churches  con- 
cemmg  God's  grace,  356;  see  486;  faith 
in  God's  grace,  440. 

GRAND   MAN. 

The  whole  angelic  heaven  together 
with  the  church  on  earth  is  in  the  Lord's 
sight  like  one  man,  119;  see  32(6),  65, 
613.  739(8);  see  Hell,  32(6);  in  the 
Lord's  sight  the  church  is  seen  as  a 
single  man,  762. 

GREECE. 

The  knowledge  of  correspondences 
was  carried  into  Greece  but  was  there 
turned  into  myths,  202,  275. 

GREEK   CHURCH. 
153(3);  760. 

GRIEF. 

The  grief  which  God  takes  away,  126. 

H. 


Signification  of  the  letter  H,  278. 

HABIT. 

Disusage  makes  a  man  old  in  his 
halnts,  561;  habit  in  repentance,  562; 
habit  makes  a  second  nature,  563;  every 
one  becomes  imbued  with  the  end  he 
has  in  view  and  the  habit  arising  there- 
from, ib. 

HAIR 

Signifies  intelligence  from  Divine  truth 
in  things  outmost  or  last,  223. 

HAND. 

The  right  hand  of  God  signifies  om- 
nipotence, 136(5);  the  two  hands  are 
the  outermosts  of  man,   462(9). 

HARLOT 

Signifies  falsification,  277. 

HATRED. 

Evil  belongs   to  hatred  towards  the 
neighbor,  435(2);  among  those  who  have 


confirmed  themselves  in  evil  there  is  in- 
testine hatred,  455(4);  see  593,  612; 

HEAD 

Signifies  the  intelligence  that  men 
have  from  the  Lord  through  Divine 
truth,  223;  see  160(8),  565. 

HEART    (THE) 

Corresponds  to  love,  37(2);  or  to  the 
will,  87;  see  143,  154,  367,  371,  577,  601; 
what  societies  in  heaven  are  in  the  prov- 
ince of  the  heart  and  lungs  269;  their 
effect  on  other  societies,  ib. 

HEAT    (THE) 

That  goes  forth  from  the  sun  of  the 
spiritual  world  is  in  its  essence  love, 
37(2);  see  39,  360,  365,  385,  392,  585; 
natural  heat  serves  as  a  covering  ami 
auxiliary  to  spiritual  heat  to  enable  it  to 
pass  over  to  man,  75(2);  see  35;  it  is  by 
heat  that  the  bodily  parts  are  adapted  to 
receive  freely  those  things  to  which  the 
love  aspires,  496(3). 

HEATHEN. 

Many  of  the  gods  of  the  heathen  were> 
simply  men,  292. 

HEAVEN 

And  the  church  act  as  a  one,  like  the 
internal  and  external  man,  I.;  see  380^ 
how  heaven  is  arranged  in  societies,  15; 
447,  622,  646,  739(8);  heaven  represents 
one  Divine  man,  32(6);  the  entire  heaven 
is  in  the  sight  of  God  like  one  man,  65, 
268,  269;  there  is  a  plenary  correspond- 
ence between  heaven  and  man,  65;  heav- 
en constitutes  the  internal  of  which  the 
church  is  the  external,  119;  heaven  con- 
sists  of   men   from   the   earth,    119(3); 
condition  of  the  heavens  at  the  Lord's 
first  coming,  121;  every  one  is  allotted 
his  place  in  the  heavens  in  accordance 
with  his  idea  of  God,   163;  see  621(7^; 
when  heaven  is  closed  man  either  sees 
nothing  of  truth  or  is  spiritually  insane, 
208;  there   are   three  heavens,   celestial, 
spiritual,  and  natural,  212;  see  580(2), 
608,  609;  love  to  the  Lord  and  to  the 
neighbor    constitute    heaven    in    man. 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1061 


399(7);  so  far  as  man  turns  away  from 
hell  so  far  he  turns  towards  heaven,  437; 
to  think  about  getting  into  heaven,  and 
that  good  ought  to  be  done  for  that  rea- 
son is    not  to  regard  reward  as  an  end 
440;  what  heaven  is,  455;  the  regenerate 
man  is  in  the  heat  and  light  of  heaven, 
005;  see  Man,  007;  all  who  are  in  heaven 
look  toward  the  Lord,  613;  see  795,  799; 
man  as  to  the  other  nature  which  he  ac- 
quires by  the  second  birth  is  a  heaven  in 
miniature,  613;  in  heaven  the  idea  of  God 
is  that  He  is  the  Lord  the  Saviour,  621 
(7);  concerning  those  who  have  been  pre- 
pared for  heaven,  622;  those  who  are  in 
evils  may  ascend  to  heaven  by  permis- 
sion, 622(2);  see  652(2);  it  is  the  belief 
of  the  present  day  that  to  be  received 
into  heaven  is  a  matter  of  mercy  only, 
622(3);  see  Lord  652(3);  the  universals 
relating  to  heaven  661(3);  distinction  in 
the   heavens    between    those   who  have 
been  regenerated  by  Divine  good  and  by 
Divine  truth,  686;  how  regeneration  is 
represented  in  heaven,   687;  concerning 
employments,  etc.  in  heaven,  694(3) (4) 
(5)(6)(7);  concerning  worship  in  heaven, 
695;   concerning   joy  and  happiness  in 
heaven,   732-752;  see    particularly    734 
(3).  735(5)(6),  736(3)(4),  737(4)(5),  738 
(4)(5),  739(7)(8),  744(2)(3),   746(3);  in 
heaven  place  is  not  place  but  an  appear- 
ance of  place,  739(7);  man  by  creation 
is  a  lesser  likeness  of  the  great  heaven, 
739(8);  concerning  some  who  were  ele- 
vated into  heaven  for  instruction,  740- 
752;  the  universe  was  created  for  no  other 
end  than  the  formation  from  men  of  an 
angelic  heaven,  773;  all  that  is  magnifi- 
cent in  heaven  is  from  the  light  that  goes 
forth  from  the  Lord,  780;  the  worship 
of    saints    is    such    an    abomination    in 
heaven  that  when  it  is  merely  heard  of 
it  excites  horror,   824;  at  this  day  the 
nature  of  heaven  has  been  disclosed  by 
the  Lord,  846(4). 

HEBREW    LETTERS. 
241,  278. 

HELL. 

How  the  Lord  removed  hell  from  man, 
and  holds  it  under  obedience  to  Himself, 


2(2);  when  man  enters  into  communion 
with  hell,   14(2)(3);  heU  represents  one 
monstrous   devil,    32(0);  why    those   in 
hell  do   not   acknowledge   God,    45;  all 
hell  is  like  a  single  gigantic  monster,  68; 
hell   could   have   been   subjugated   only 
through  Divine  truth  from  the  Word, 
86;  when  the  Lord  was  in  the  world  He 
conquered  the  hells,  116;   see  117;    con- 
dition  of   the  liells  at   the   Lord's  first 
coming,    121;    see   579;    at    His   second 
coming,  121(2);  see   123;  the  nature  of 
hell,    123;   what  would  happen  to  man 
if  hell  were  not    kept    in    subjugation, 
123(5);  see  Man,  274;  those  who  reject 
faith  and  charity  think  from  hell,  360(3); 
evU  belongs  to  hell,  383;  love  of  self  and 
of    the   world    constitute   hell    in   man, 
399(7);  see   Heaven,  437;   an  evil  man 
goes  to  the  society  in  hell  where  his  rul- 
ing  love  prevails,   447;   see   646;   what 
hell  is,  455;  the  unregenerate  man  is  in 
!  the  heat  and  darkness  of  hell,  005;  see 
Man  607;    man  is  from  birth   a  hell  in 
miniature,  612;  see   739(8);   all  who  are 
in  hell  turn  their  faces  from  the  Lord 
613;  the  three  universals  relating  to  hell, 
661(3);  those  who  do  not  acknowledge 
the  Lord  after  instruction  are  cast  down 
to  hell,  795;  those  who  have  confirmed 
themselves   in   falsities  and   those  who 
have  lived    an   evil    life    do  not  suffer 
themselves   to  be  instructed  and  asso- 
ciate themselves  with  their  like  in  hell, 
799;  at  this  day  the  nature  of   hell  has 
been  disclosed  by  the  Lord,  846(4). 


HEREDITARY  EVIL. 

How  it  acts  in  man,  154(4);  see  659, 
822;  it  is  from  parents,  but  man  may 
accede  to  or  withdraw  from  it,  469;  see 
520,  521;  the  hereditary  evils  into  which 
man  is  born  have  arisen  principally 
from  love  of  ruling  and  of  possessing, 
498(2);  see  Judgment,  521(2);  heredi- 
tary evils  are  broken  only  by  regenera- 
tion, 521(3);  otherwise  it  is  increased 
by  successive  parents,  ib. 

HERESIES 

A  belief  in  three  Divine  persons  is  ths 
only  source  of  the  heresies  concerning 
God,  23;  how  heresies  liave  been  drawn 


1062 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


from  the  Word,  254;  heresies  themselves 
do  not  condemn  men,  ih.;  the  various 
heresies  of  the  Christian  Church.  378(2); 
causes  of  same,  378(3);  charity  may  be 
joined  to  any  heretical  behef,  but  the 
quality  of  charity  is  changed  in  accord- 
ance with  the  faith,  450;  see  451;  here- 
sies are  permissions,  479;  heresies  have 
flowed  chiefly  from  such  as  were  sensual, 
402(10). 

HIEROGLYPHICS 

Of  the  Egyptians  were  nothing  but 
correspondences,  201,  205,  833. 

HOLINESS. 

The  difference  between  a  holiness  that 
is  merely  declared,  and  a  holiness  that 
is  seen,  701(4). 

HOLY  OF   HOLIES. 
220. 

"HOLY   ONE   OF   ISRAEL." 
93,  253. 

HOLY   SPIRIT. 

Imaginary  description  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  as  a  separate  God,  15,  16;  rightly 
the  Holy  Spirit  means  the  operations  of 
the  Divine  omnipresence,  16(2);  see  138, 
172(3),  188;  "the  Holy  Spirit  the  Com- 
forter" means  the  Divine  truth,  85(2); 
see  684;  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Divine 
truth  and  also  the  Divine  energy  and 
operation  proceeding  from  the  one  God, 
I.  (139-141);  the  Lord  Himself  is  the 
Holy  Spirit,  139;  what  it  means  to  send 
the  Holy  Spirit,  153  (whole  no.);  tlie 
Holy  Spirit  first  was,  when  the  Lord 
had  come  into  the  world,  158;  see  Lip- 
Confession,  516;  to  baptize  with  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  with  fire  means  that 
the  Lord  regenerates  man  by  the  Divine 
truth  of  faith  and  the  Divine  good  of 
love,  686. 

HOLY   SUPPER, 

Why  it  was  instituted,  238;  all  are 
forewarned  that  before  they  can  wor- 
thily approach  the  holy  supper  they  must 
repent  of  their  sins,  530;  see  567(7)(8); 
by  the  holy  supper  man  is  conjoined 
with    the    Lord    and    introduced    into 


heaven,  not  with  the  bread  and  wine, 
but  with  the  love  and  faith  of  the  man 
who  has  repented,  621(13);  see  Chris- 
tian Church,  670;  without  a  knowledge 
of  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  it  can- 
not be  known  what  the  holy  supper  in- 
volves and  effects,  698,  701;  see  846(2); 
the  need  of  a  spiritual  interpretation  of 
the  holy  supper,  699;  the  institution  of 
the  holy   supper,    703;  the   Lord's  doc- 
trine  concerning   the  bread   and   wine, 
ib.;  the  flesh  and  bread  mean  the  Lord 
in  respect  to  the  Divine  good  of  love, 
and  the  good  of  charity,  705;  see  706, 
707,  708,  709,  710,  730;  the  blood  and 
wine  mean  the  Lord  in  respect  to  the 
Divine  truth  of  wistlom,  and  the  truth 
of  faith,  705;  see  706,  707,  708,  709,  710, 
730;  the  holy  supper  involves  the  Lord, 
His  Divine  good,  and  His  Divine  truth; 
hence    it    contains    the    universals    and 
particulars  of  heaven  and  the  church, 
711;  how  the  Lord  is  wholly  present  in 
the  holy  supper,  716;  the  holy  supper  is 
a  spiritual  eating,  ib.;  the  whole  of  the 
Lord's  redemption  is  in  tlie  holy  supper, 
717;  see  728;  with  both  the  worthy  and 
the  unworthy  the  Lord  is  present  in  the 
holy  supper,  719;  with  those  who  come 
unworthily  His  presence  is  only  His  uni- 
versal presence,  719(2);  the  holy  supper 
is  introduction  into  heaven,  721;  if  one 
comes  to  the  holy  supper  without  ac- 
knowledging God   he   profanes  it,   722; 
after  the  acknowledgment  of  God  char- 
ity is  the  .second  means  which  enables 
one  to  come  to  the  holy  supper  worthily, 
722(2);   faith  in  the  Lord   is  the  third 
means,     722(4);  these    three    essentials 
must   be  of   man's   interior,    723;  those 
who  come  to  the  holy  supper  worthily 
are  conjoined  with  the  Lord,  725;  they 
come  to  the  holy  supper  like  a  signature 
and  seal  that  they  are  sons  of  God,  728; 
see  730. 

HOMOGENEOUS 

Affection  conjoins,  and  heterogeneous 
affection  separates,  622(3). 

HORSE 

Signifies  understanding  of  the  Word, 
113(3):  see  623,  623(2),  776(2). 


ifiifniri'B  rtrtiliaiiaiiJihiliiliirif  in-i  rtirifMii'l 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1063 


HOSEA 

Treats  entirely  of  the  falsification  of 
the  genuine  understanding  of  the  Word, 

247(4). 

HUMAN. 

God  came  into  the  worid  by  means  of 
a  human  which  He  took  on  through  the 
virgin  Mary,  92;  when  He  became  God 
the  Lord  had  put  off  everything  of  the 
human  He  had  derived  from  His  mother, 
827. 

HUMAN  (DIVINE). 

The  Lord's  Hum^n  is  Divine  truth,  3; 
the  Human  has  life  in   itself,   40;  God 
could  not  by  His  omnipotence  have  re- 
deemed   men    unless    He    had    become 
Man,  73(3);  the  Divine  Human  was  not 
the  Divine  Esse,  81;  Jehovah  assumed 
the  Human  in  accordance  with  His  Di- 
vine order,   111.(89-91);   the    Human  is 
actually  the  Son    of    God,  92;  see  102, 
538;  the  Human  enabled  God  who  is  in 
inmost  things   to  pass  over  to  outmost 
things,    84;  see    125;  in    respect    to   the 
Lord's  Human   He  was  an   infant   like 
other  infants,  a  boy  like  other  boys,  etc., 
89;  but  with  a  difference,  ib.;  how  the 
Lord  glorified  His  Human,  94;  see  Arm, 
84;  "Arm  of  Jehovah,"  84;   Father, 
94;  Glorification,    105;  Jehovah,    81, 
1.(82-84);    Redeemer,    81;    false    con- 
ceptions of  the  Hum^n,  90;  it  was  not 
in  respect  to  His  Divine  but  in  respect 
to  His  Human  that  the  Lord  suffered, 
120;  the  soul  of  His  Human  is  the  Divine 
of  the  Father,  and  the  Human  is  His 
body,    154(6);  there   is   no   conjunction 
with  God  with  those  who  do  not  ap- 
proach   God    in    His    Human,    457;  see 
Baptism,  684;  the  Lord's  Divine  cannot 
be  separated  from  His  Humnn,  716;  it 
is  in  respect  to  His  Human  that  the  Lord 
is  the  Redeemer,    717;  since   the   Lord 
ascended  into  heaven  He  is  in  His  glori- 
fied  Hum^n,    111;    before  the  assump- 
tion of  the  Human  God  was  not  visible, 
787;  He  is  visible  through  His  Human- 
ity, ib.;  it  is  the  Lord  the  Saviour  in 
His   Human   who   is   to   be   worshiped. 
Theorem  at  end  of  book. 


HUMAN  THOUGHT 

Can  take  in  only  what  is  created  and 
finite,  18. 

HUMILIATION. 

See  Exinanition,  104;  in  reforma- 
tion man  is  in  a  state  of  humiliaiion, 
106;  Lord's  humiliation,  110(4). 

HUSBAND. 
41(3),  377. 

HYPOSTATIC   UNION 

Does  not  exalt  the  Human  of  the 
Lord  to  Divinity,  94;  see  137(10),  174. 

HYPOCRISY. 

How  it  originates.  111.  340(2);  see 
381,  517.  518,  592;  the  hypocrite  is  the 
lowest  natural  for  he  is  sensual,  381(2). 

IDEA. 

Spiritual  ideas  30;  see  111(5) (6).  280 
(5);  a  man  can  think  only  from  ideas 
drawn  from  such  things  as  belong  to 
space  and  time.  31(2);  see  280(6)(9) 
(10);  where  there  is  no  thought  there 
are  no  ideas,  335(7);  ideas  are  fixed  in 
the  mind  and  remain  as  they  have  been 
accepted  and  confirmed,  351(2). 

IDENTICAL. 

No  two  things  are  identical,  32. 

IDOLATRIES. 

Knowledge  of  correspondences  per- 
ished when  the  representative  things  of 
the  church  were  turned  into  idolatries, 
204;  see  11(2),  205,  275,  291,  833. 

IMAGES. 

The  ancients  made  images  corre- 
sponding to  heavenly  things,  but  not 
for  worship,  205;  when  these  images  be- 
gan to  be  worshiped,  ib. 

IMAGE  AND  LIKENESS  OF  GOD. 

Why  men  are  so  called,  20;  the  infi- 
nite Divine  is  in  men  as  in  its  im^es,  34; 
when  man  becomes  truly  an  im^e  of 
God,  34(2);  see  41(2),  692;  the  less  per- 
fect images,  34(2);  when  man  is  no  more 


1064 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1065 


an  image  of  God  but  like  some  animal, 
ib.;  why  God  made  man  in  His  image, 
46;  see  65,  74;  Memorable  Relation  con- 
cerning the  image  of  God,  48;  every 
good  of  love  is  an  image  of  the  Lord, 
767. 

IMMENSITY. 

In  relation  to  spaces  God's  infinity  is 
called  immensity,  IV.  (31);  to  angels  the 
immensity  of  God  means  His  Divinity 
in  respect  to  His  Esse,  31(2);  man  can- 
not think  of  God's  immensity  as  antece- 
dent to  space,  ib.;  see  illustration  of 
immensity,  32(3). 

IMMORTALITY. 

Man  Uvea  after  death,  792;  see  621;  the 
Lord  at  this  time  has  made  a  revelation 
respecting  the  life  of  men  after  death, 
846(3);  it  is  the  spirit  or  internal  man 
which  lives  after  death,  156;  man  re- 
stored after  death  to  the  morning  of  his 
life  and  develops  to  eternity,  766. 

IMMUTABLE. 

Divine  order  is  immutable,  105. 

IMPUTATION. 

See  Predestination,  72,  73;  impu- 
tation has  reference  to  those  who  know, 
107(3);  discussion  concerning  imputa- 
tion in  Memorable  Relation,  134;  the 
conclusions  that  follow  from  the  idea  of 
im,pv4,ation  without  freedom  of  choice, 
485;  see  489,  514,  581,  616,  630;  in  the 
present  church  faith  and  imputation 
make  one,  626;  it  is  taught  in  the  pres- 
ent church  that  justification  and  salva- 
tion are  effected  by  God  the  Father 
through  the  arbitrary  imputation  of  the 
merit  of  Christ  His  Son,  628;  see  644, 
645;  why  this  is  a  double  imputation, 
629;  see  631;  there  is  an  imputation  of 
good  and  evil  which  is  the  imputation 
meant  in  the  Word  where  it  is  men- 
tioned, 643;  see  647(6);  there  is  also  an 
imputation  of  faith,  643(3);  how  the 
imputation  of  good  and  evil  are  effected 
after  death,  646;  see  New  Church,  647; 
the  true  and  false  doctrines  of  imputa- 
tion cannot  exist  together,  648,  649;  see 
Christian  Church,  649;  the  Lord  im- 


putes to  man  good;  the  devil  imputes  to 
him  evil,  650;  thought  is  not  imputed  to 
man,  but  will,  658(6);  imputation  cor- 
responds to  the  estimate  and  price,  660; 
through  this  the  value  of  the  church 
may  be  estimated,  ib.;  of  the  ministry 
of  the  church,  ib.;  of  worship,  660(2); 
of  government,  ib.;  imputation  is  to  the 
essential,  not  to  the  formal,  ib. 

INCARNATION. 

Redemption  could  not  have  been  ac- 
complished except  by  God  incarnated, 
V.(124,125). 

INCLINATION 

To  evil,  469,  521,  612,  659. 

INFANTS. 

Those  who  die  in  infancy  are  educated 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Lord,  and  are 
saved,  521(2);  see  661;  see  Baptism, 
677(5);  see  729;  infants  in  heaven,  306; 
how  thought  is  formed  and  ideas  exist 
with  infants,  335(7). 

INFINITE. 

Immensity  and  eternity  are  included 
in  infinity,  27;  God  is  Infinite  because 
He  is  Being  and  Existence  in  Himself, 
1.(28);  the  human  mind  is  incapable  of 
seeing  the  infinity  of  God,  28;  sufficient 
to  acknowledge  Him  from  finite  things 
in  which  He  is  infinitely,  ib.;  God  is 
Infinite  because  He  was  before  the  world 
was,  11.(29);  the  infinity  of  God  can  be 
seen  by  enlightened  reason  in  very  many 
things  in  the  world,  V.(32);  infinite 
variety  impossible  except  from  an  infin- 
ity in  God,  32. 

INFLUX. 

There  is  an  influx  from  God  into  man 
that  there  is  one  God,  11.(8);  see  also 
9;  how  this  influx  may  be  perverted, 
8(3) (4);  see  also  9,  11;  the  Divine  in- 
flux into  the  outmosts  of  nature,  12 
(5)(6)(7)(8);  concerning  influx  of  the 
spiritual  world  into  the  natural  world, 
695(2) (3) (4) (5);  see  Efflux,  814;  the 
Lord  inflows  into  the  whole  universe, 
641(2);  the  Lord's  influx  into  man,  633, 


364.  365,  366,  457,  458;  influx  of  the 
spiritual  world  into  animals,  335(3)  (4) 
(5)  (6);  if  it  were  denied  that  man  is  a 
form  receptive  of  love  and  wisdom 
from  God,  influx  would  also  be  denied, 
472(3). 

INGENUITY. 

Human  ingenuity  can  confirm  what- 
ever it  will,  even  until  it  seems  to  be 
actually  true,  621(12). 

INIQUITY. 

To  bear  iniquities  does  not  mean  to 
take  them  away,  130. 

INMOST. 
56,  70(2). 

INSTINCT 

Of  animals,  145,  335;  see  also  508. 

INSTRUCTION 

Follows  from  enlightenment,  percep- 
tion and  disposition  as  an  effect  from 
causes,  155;  instruction  is  the  first  period 
of  man's  life,  443(2);  instruction  of  the 
clergy,  146;  instruction  after  death,  138, 
255;  man  without  instruction,  692(4). 

INSTRUMENTAL  (THE) 

And  the  principal  together,  473,  576. 

INTELLIGENCE. 

By  education  every  one  is  exteriorly 
in  intelligence,  662(2);  intelligence  is  the 
light  of  life,  41(2);  it  is  from  the  Lord, 
276,  350,  401(8),  663;  it  resides  in  the 
understanding,  658;  according  to  the  af- 
fection for  knowledges  every  one  has 
intelligence,  694(6). 

INTENTION. 

Whatever  pertains  to  the  intention 
pertains  also  to  the  will,  and  so  essen- 
tially to  the  deed,  309;  see  313,  523,  532, 
658(4). 

INTERCESSION. 

Absurdity  of  the  idea  of  the  inter- 
cession of  the  Son,  90;  see  135. 


INTERCOURSE 

Between  the  soul  and  body,  154(6). 

INTERNAL. 

It  is  the  internal  that  makes  the  man, 
14(4),  156,  676;  in  all  of  man's  will  and 
thought  there  is  an  internal  and  exter- 
nal,   147;  see   785;  the  internal  acts   in 
and  into  the  external,  154(5);  see  340(2) 
(3),  462;  when  the  body  is  cast  off  the 
internal  is  in  a  complete  human  form, 
156;  see  340(3);  see  595(2);  the  external 
acts  as  one  with  the  internal  only  when 
lusts  have  been   removed,   326;  in  the 
internal  the  quality  inwardly  lies,  373; 
love  to  God  and  to  the  neighbor  open 
the  internal  man;  love  of  self  and  the 
world   close   it,    399(8);  with   the  good 
man  the  internal  is  in  heaven;  with  the 
evil  man  it  is  in  hell,  401(2);  the  internal 
spiritual  man  viewed  in  himself  is  an 
angel  of  heaven,  401(4);  the  interiors  of 
his  mind  are  elevated  towards  heaven, 
401(5);  but  with  those  who  are  natural 
the    interiors    are    turned    towards    the 
world,  ib.;  see  401(6)(7);  no  one  is  able 
to  explore  the  interiors  of  the  mind  of 
those  with  whom  he  associates  or  deals, 
449;  see    Christian    Church,    591;  the 
internal  man  pertains  to  the  will    592; 
the  external  is  estimated  from  the  in- 
ternal, 595(4);  if  the  internal  man  were 
reformed  and  not  the  external  also  it 
would    have   no  means   of   determining 
itself  to  doing  good,  600;  there  are  three 
things  in  man  in  respect  to  his  internal, 
712. 

ISRAEL 

Means  in  the  Word  the  spiritual 
church,  200(3);  Israel  is  the  church  it- 
self, 247(3). 

ISRAELITES. 

With  the  Israelites  worship  was  ex- 
ternal, 109(2). 

ISRAELITISH   CHURCH 

Instituted  to  restore  the  worship  of 
one  God,  9(2);  it  was  the  third  church, 
760,  762,  786;  condition  of  the  Israelit- 
ish  Church  at  the  Lord's  first  coming, 
121(2);  the  condition  of  the  Israelitish 


,kiaiaaaa«^fci'-'^-^^'"'i'«'^*'^%tia^ 


1066 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


Church  represented  in  the  various  acts 
of  the  Lord's  passion,  130(3);  worship 
of  the  Israelitish  Church  consisted  solely 
of  correspondences  or  representatives, 
204;  see  291,  501(2);  833(2);  Israelitish 
Church  became  destroyed  by  falsifica- 
tions of  the  Word  247(4);  see  Com- 
mandments (Ten),  283;  that  which  pri- 
marily distinguished  the  Israelitish 
Church  was  circumcision,  674;  the  Jew- 
ish Church  when  it  was  wholly  devas- 
tated declared  that  it  alone  was  in 
heavenly  light,  759;  the  Israelitish 
Church  worshiped  an  invisible  God  un- 
der a  human  form,  representative  of 
the  Lord  who  was  to  come,  786. 

ITALY. 
275. 

JACOB 

Means  in  the  Word  the  natural  church 
200(3);  see  9(2). 

JASHER    (BOOK    OF), 
265,  279. 

JEHOVAH 

Signifies  the  supreme  and  only  Being, 
and  the  Creator  of  the  universe,  9(3); 
Jehovah  means  the  Divine  Esse,  81;  Je- 
hovah of  the  Old  Testament  is  called  the 
Lord  in  the  New,  81;  Jehovah  Himself 
descended  and  assumed  a  Human,  81; 
see  786;  Scripture  passages  to  show  this, 
82(2) (3),  83;  this  was  in  order  that  He 
might  redeem  and  save  men,  L (82-84); 
with  Jehovah  the  future  is  present,  101; 
Jehovah  spoke  the  Word  through  Moses 
and  the  Prophets,  190;  Jehovah  means 
the  Lord  in  respect  to  the  Divine  good 
of  the  Divine  love,  253. 

"JEHOVAH   GOD." 

The  two  terms  separately  or  together 
mean  in  the  Word,  Divine  love  or  Di- 
vine good,  and  Divine  wisdom  or  Di- 
vine truth,  85;  the  Divine  Human  of  the 
Lord  is  meant  by  the  name  Jehovah 
God,  299. 

"JEHOVAH   OF  HOSTS" 

Means  Jehovah  God  as  to  His  Human, 
101. 


JERUSALEM. 

By  "Jerusalem"  is  meant  a  church 
that  is  to  descend  from  the  Lord  out  of 
heaven,  107;  see  782  (whole  no.),  789, 
841.     See  New  Jebvsalem. 

JESUITS. 

The  zeal  of,  14& 

JESUS 

Signifies  Saviour,  111(3),  149,  150; 
see  726;  from  His  priestly  oflBce  the 
Lord  is  called  Jesus,  114;  the  name  Je- 
sus is  holy,  297;  the  name  Jesus  means 
everything  of  salvation  through  re- 
demption, 298. 

JESUS   CHRIST. 
See  Lord. 

JEWS 

Believe  in  one  God,  9(2);  Jews  durst 
not  utter  the  name  Jehovah  on  account 
of  its  holiness,  81,  297;  see  Israelites, 
109(2);  Jews  are  averse  to  Christianity 
on  account  of  its  belief  in  three  Gods, 
183;  the  Jews  in  heart  were  idolaters, 
205;  the  Jewr.  rejected  the  Lord  solely 
because  He  taught  them  of  a  heavenly 
instead  of  an  earthly  kingdom,  ib.,  246; 
the  Jews  and  the  Word,  246,  270;  why 
the  Jews  are  still  images  of  their  father 
Judah,  and  why  they  are  still  unable  to 
embrace  the  Christian  religion,  521(3); 
the  Jews  who  were  baptized  by  John 
were  merely  external  men,  690;  see 
691(4);  with  the  Jews  money  is  the  final 
love,  and  business  a  mediate  subser- 
vient love,  801;  the  position  of  the  Jewi: 
in  the  spiritual  world  previous  to  and 
after  the  last  judgment,  841;  an  angel 
sometimes  exhorts  them  to  refrain  from 
their  expectation  of  a  Messiah,  842;  see 
845;  some  are  thereby  converted,  842; 
in  the  spiritual  world  the  Jews  engage  in 
traffic,  843;  the  Jews  more  than  others 
are  unaware  that  they  are  in  the  spirit- 
ual world  (after  death)  because  they  are 
external  men.  844;  they  believe  they 
will  all  get  to  the  land  of  Canaan,  845. 

JEWISH   CHURCH. 
See  Israelitish  Church. 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1067 


JOB, 

A  book  of  the  Ancient  Church,  is  full 
of  correspondences,   201;  see  846. 

JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

510,  688;  by  the  baptism  of  John  a 
way  was  prepared  for  the  coming  of  the 
Lord,  689;  the  effect  of  this  in  heaven 
was  to  close  up  the  hells  and  guard  the 
Jews  against  total  destruction,  ib.;  see 
691(4);  the  baptism  of  John  represented 
the  cleansing  of  the  external  man,  690; 
and  is  called  the  baptism  of  repentance, 
ib.;  see  Baptism   690. 

JOVE. 

9(3),  275,  655. 

JOY    AND   GLADNESS. 

Their    meaning    in    the    Word,    252; 
heavenly  joy  and  happiness,  731-752. 

JUDAH 

Means    in    the    Word    the    celestial 
church,  200(3). 

JUDAISM. 

See  Christian  Churches,  94. 

JUDAS. 
130(3). 


JUDGES. 

Memorable  Relation  concerning  judges 
who  had  been  influenced  by  friendship 
and  bribes,  332;  see  317,  666;  conscien- 
tious judges,  422,  459(15). 

JUDGMENT 

Is  predicated  of  wisdom,  51;  by  means 
of  justice  and  judgment  God's  govern- 
ment is  carried  on,  ib.;  see  134,  459;  the 
judgment  that  is  effected  in  man  after 
death  is  in  accord  with  the  use  he  has 
made  of  freedom  of  choice  in  spiritual 
things,  497(5);  man  is  not  judged  from 
any  inherited  evil  but  from  the  actual 
evils  which  he  himself  has  committed, 
521(2);   judgment     means    jtidgment   to 
hell,  but  of  salvation  judgment  is  not 
predicated  but  resurrection  to  life,  652. 


JUDGMENT    (THE  FINAL) 

An  act  of  redemption,  95;  the  final 
judgment  of  1757,  115,  116;  see  124(3). 
388(8).  772,  820,  796,  841;  concermng 
the  popular  idea  of  the  final  judgment, 
693(4)(5)(6);  see  768,  769,  770.  846(3); 
see  Swedenborg,  771;  since  the  last 
judgment  the  state  of  all  in  the  spiritual 
world  is  so  changed  that  they  are  not 
permitted,  as  formerly,  to  congregate  m 
bodies,  818. 

JUSTICE 

Is  predicated  of  love,  51;  by  means  of 
justice  and  judgment  God's  government 
is  carried  on,  ib.;  the  laws  of  justiee  are 
truths  that  cannot  be  changed,  341;  see 
Judgment. 


JUSTIFICATION. 

What  this  means,  142. 

JUSTIFICATION  BY  FAITH  ALONE. 
This  doctrine  blinds  men  from  under- 
standing the  doctrine  of  the  true  Trinity. 
98-  see   181;  justifying  faith  treated  of 
in'  a    Memorable    Relation.     161;  also 
182(3);  see  206;  see  389;  see  505,   506; 
see  809,  810;  those  who  are  confirmed 
in  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith 
alone  are  incapable  of  self-examination, 
527;  concerning    justification     by     faith 
alone,    616;  when   justification    by    faith 
alone    is    established    by    confirmations 
man  confirms  himself  against  the  spir- 
ituality of  charity,  796(5). 

KILL. 

Meaning  of  the  commandment  "Thou 
Shalt  not  kill. "  236;  what  it  means  to 
kill  in  intention  as  well  as  in  act,  309; 
what  it  means  to  kill  in  a  spiritual  sense, 
310;  in  the  celestial  sense  to  kill  means 
to  be  rashly  angry  with  the  Lord,  311. 

KING 

Signifies  Divine  truth,  114;  see  219; 
king  of  Tyre,  260;  king  of  the  abyss, 
310;  kings  in  the  world,  422,  533(2). 

KINGDOM  (LORD'S) 

Means    the    church    throughout    the 
world,     also    heaven,    416;   what    love 


me^^^iaiu 


1068 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


towards  the  Lord's  Kingdom  is,  ib.;  the 
Lord' 8  Kingdom,  113(6)  (7);  see  also  199, 
212,  236. 

KNOWLEDGES 

Necessary  for  the  understanding  of 
God,  24;  what  these  are,  ib.;  knowledges 
open  the  lowest  degree  of  life,  42; 
thoughts  from  knowledges  open  the  next, 
ib.;  knowledge  of  the  Lord  surpasses  in 
excellence  all  other  knowledges,  81. 

KORAN  (THE). 
833. 

LABOR. 

The  six  days  of  labor,  302;  the  com- 
bats of  the  Lord  are  calle<l  labors,  ib. 

LADDER   OF   JACOB. 

24(2). 

LAITY. 

Love  of  ruling  with  the  laity,  405(4). 

LAMB 

Signifies  innocence,  200(2);  the  Lamb 
in  the  Apocalypse,  144,  311. 

"LAMB'S    BOOK    OF    LIFE" 
Means  the  Word,  107. 

LAMPS 

Signify  things  pertaining  to  faith,  199; 
see  396,  606. 

LANGUAGE    (THE) 

Of  angels,  19(2);  agrees  in  no  respect 
with  any  natural  language  on  earth,  ib.; 
see  also  280(2)(3)(4);  spiritual  language 
embraces  thousands  of  things  which 
natural  language  cannot  express.  386(4). 

LAW  (THE). 

See  Commandments  (Ten);  why  the 
Decalogue  is  called  the  law,  287;  the  law 
and  the  prophets  signify  the  whole  Word, 
ib.;  see  262;  meaning  of  the  law  in  a 
strict  sense,  in  a  broader  sense,  and  in 
the  broadest  sense,  288;  laws  of  order; 
see  Order;  what  the  spiritual  law  is, 
444;  see  411,  497;  laws  of  justice,  55, 
341,  498(2)  (3);  by  the  works  of  the  law 


Paul   meant   the  works  of   the   Mosaic 
law,  338,  506(2)  (3)  (4). 

LAZARUS. 
215(3)(4). 

LEIBNITZ. 
3.35(7),  696. 

LETTERS 

In  the  spiritual  world,  19(2),  241,  278. 

LEVIATHANS. 
74(2),  182(3). 

LIFE. 

Because  God  is  love  itself  and  wisdom 
itself  He  is  life  itself,  which  is  life  ia 
itself,  111.(39,  40);  see  362;  how  love  and 
wisdom  make  up  life  39;  man's  life,  that 
is  acting  and  thinking,  is  not  from  him- 
self, 40;  from  His  life  God  gives  life  to 
every  man,  364;  God  because  He  ia  in- 
finite is  Life  in  Himself,  470(4);  life  is 
not  creatable  nor  can  it  be  transferred 
into  •man  except  in  connection  with 
love  and  wisdom,  471;  life  from  hell  is 
inverted  life  or  spiritual  death,  471;  it 
is  God's  gift  that  man  shotild  feel  life  in 
himself  as  if  it  were  his  own,  504(5); 
if  life  were  to  act  merely,  and  man  were 
not  to  co-operate  as  if  of  himself,  he 
could  not  think,  577(3). 

LIGHT    (THE) 

That  goes  forth  from  the  sun  of  the 
spiritual  world  is  in  its  essence  wisdom, 
37(2);  see  39,  59,  269;  whenever  light 
is  mentioned  in  the  Word  it  means 
wisdom,  or  Divine  truth,  59;  see  76(5), 
85(3);  natural  light  serves  as  a  covering 
and  auxiliary  to  spiritual  light,  75(2); 
light  of  heaven,  76(3),  187(3),  215(5), 
242,  400;  spiritual  light,  365;  natural 
light,  40;  fatuous  light,  162(2),  334(4), 
335. 

LIKENESS. 

See  Image;  see  Father,  103(2). 

LIP-CONFESSION. 

Teaching  of  the  Reformed  Church  on 
lip-confession,  516;  it  is  based  on  the  be- 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1009 


lief  that  there  is  no  co-operation  on 
man's  part  with  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
act  of  justification,  ib.;  why  it  is  not 
repentance,  517,  518;  see  529;  concern- 
ing a  spirit  who  believed  that  after  lip- 
confession  evils  were  no  longer  evils  in 
the  sight  of  God,  518. 

LITERAL  SENSE 

Of  the  Word  is  the  sense  which  may 
be  construed  to  confirm  some  dogma  of 
the  church,  194;  see  Natural  Sense. 

LONDON. 
809,  811. 

LORD. 

The  name  Lord  is  used  in  the  New 
Testament,   81;  see  297;   the  Lord  had 
His   soul  and  life   from   Jehovah   God, 
82(3);  from  the  union  of  God  and  Man 
in  one  Person,  Jehovah  God  calls  both 
Himself,   and   His   Human,   Lord,    101; 
see  370(3);  how  the  Lord  was  present 
with  men  before  His  coming,  109,  109(2); 
how    since    His    coming,    109;  see    Re- 
deemer, 81;  conjunction  of    Lord  and 
man,    how  effected,    100;  the    Lord,  as 
described  in  Apoc.  xix.,  196;  see  New 
Heaven,    108;  condition   of  those  who 
do  not  believe  in  the  Lord,  108;  the  three 
essentials  called  Father,  Son  and  Holy 
Spirit,  are  one  in  the  Lord,  139;  where 
the   Lord   is   meant,    the   Word   also   is 
meant,   221;  without  the  Lord  there  is 
no  salvation,   26t;  the  Lord   is  present 
by  means  of  the  Word  throughout  the 
whole    world,    ib.;  the    first    command- 
ment means  that  no  other  God  than  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  to  be  worshiped, 
294,  296;  the  Lord  draws  near  to  every 
man  so  far  as  man  recognizes  and  ac- 
knowledges   Him,  339(3);  see  766;    ac- 
cess to  the  Lord  is  closed  to  no  man,  358; 
see  719,  720;  nothing  of  faith  or  of  char- 
ity or  of  the  life  of  either,  is  from  man, 
but  from  the  Lord  alone,  359;  see  365, 
522;  see  Faith,  362-367;  the  Lord  with 
all  of  His  Divine  love,  with  all  of  His  Di- 
vine wisdom,  thus  with  all  of  His  Di- 
vine life,  flows  into  every  man,  364;  see 
580(3);  the  Lord  is  charity  and  faith  in 
man,  and  man  is  charity  and  faith  in 
tho     Lord,    VII.(368-372);   conjunction 


with  God  the  Father  is  not  possible,  but 
only   conjunction   with   the    Lord,   and 
through  Him  with  God  the  Father.  370; 
conjunction  with  the  Lord  and  man  is  a 
reciprocal    conjunction,    371;  see    728; 
conjunction  with  the  Lord  and  Father 
is  reciprocal,    ib.;  an  essential  truth  of 
faith   is   that   the   Lord   is   the   God   of 
heaven  and  earth,  379(3);  so  far  as  any 
one  rejects  the  devil  he  is  accepted  by 
the  Lord,  437;  man  cannot  do  good  that 
in  itself  is  good  except   from  the  Lord, 
439;  how    reciprocal    conjunction    with 
the  Lord  is  effected,  484;  since  the  Lord's 
coming  every  man  has  the  ability  to  be- 
come spiritual  from  the  Lord  through  the 
Word,  501;  no  evil  can  be  removed  ex- 
cept by  the  Lord,  522;  see  662(2);  the 
Lord    God    the    Saviour    is   to    be    ap- 
proached, 538;  the  power  to  act  aright 
is    from    the    Lord,    576;  see   Combat, 
596(2);  the    Lord    is    the    church    with 
those  who  acknowledge  and  believe  in 
Him,    608;  no   man    could    endure    the 
actual  presence  of  the  Lord,  641(5);  see 
Imputation,   650;   the  Lord    could  not 
save  the  good  from  grace  and  damn  the 
evil  from  a  feeling  of  revenge,  651;  there 
I  is  a  sphere  proceeding  continually  from 
the  Lord  which  raises  all  towards  heaven 
652(3);  all  who  believe  in  the  Lord  and 
i  live   according   to    His   commandments 
enter  that  sphere  and  are  elevated,  ib.; 
see  Man,  662(3);  see  Baptism,  681;  the 
name  of    the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  means 
in  the  Word  nothing  else  than  acknowl- 
'    edgment  of  Him  and  a  life  according  to 
I   His  commandments,  682;  see  Baptism, 
684;  what  the  Lord's  universal  presence 
1   is,  719(2);  what  the  Lord's  universal  and 
particular  presence  together  is,  719(3); 
i   the  Lord  is  called  the  morning,  764(2); 
,  all  truth  and  all  good  are  from  the  Lord, 
and    are    the    Lord's    in    man,    767;  the 
Lord's  presence  is  with  every  man,  but 
His  coming  is  only  to  those  who  receive 
Him,  774;  see  Marriage,  783. 

LOVE 

Of  God  the  center  of  all  loves  of  goods, 
15;  see  38;  who  those  are  who  love  God, 
22(2);  love  and  wisdom  the  two  essen- 
tials of  God,  37;  see  778;  love  abstracted 


1070 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1071 


from  a  form  is  impossible,  37;  what  the 
essence    of    love    is,    V.  (43-45);  God's 
love    consists    of    these    essentials,    43; 
these  essentials  were  the  cause  of  crea- 
tion, and  the  cause  of  its  preservation, 
VI.  (46,  47);  love  is  an  endeavor  towards 
conjunction,  43(3);  love  affects  not  only 
the  good  but  also  the  evil,  44;  in  every 
love  there  is  an  end,  47;  the  reciprocal 
of  conjunction  with  God  is  man's  loving 
God,  48(6);    where    knowledge    is    not 
love  is  not,  48(12);  how  love  flows  into 
wisdom    and    is   guided    by    it,  50;   see 
UsKS,   07;  all  things  belonging  to  doc- 
trine and  life  have  reference  to  love  to 
God  and  love  towards  the  neighbor,  287; 
the  sphere  of  love  which  goes  forth  from 
the  Lord,  308;   the  two  opposite  loves, 
329(2);  love   and    charity    follow    when 
by  shunning  evils  what  is  commanded 
in   the   Decalogue   is  done.  329(4);  love 
is  conjunction  with  God  by  means  of  the 
goods  that  belong  to  the  will,   369(3); 
love  is  the  esse  of  man's  life,  386(2);  love 
of  heaven  means  both  love  to  the  Lord 
and  love  toward  the  neighbor  thus  love 
of  uses,    394;  see   399(6);  what   love  of 
the  world  is,  394;  see  399(6);  what  love 
of  self  is,  394;  see  399(6),  822;  see  Char- 
ity, 394;  how  these  three  loves  should  be 
related  to  each  other,  395  (whole  no.); 
see    403,    507(2)(3)(4)(5)(6);  the    very 
life  of  man  is  his  love,  399;  what  belongs 
to  the  dominant  love   is  what   is  loved 
above  all  things,   399(2);  it  is  his  end, 
399(3);  according  to  it  his   heaven  or 
his  hell  is  formed,  399(4);  it  is  the  de- 
light of  his  life,  399(5);  heavenly  love  is 
loving  uses  for  the  sake  of  uses,  400(5); 
in  this  way  he  is  led  by  the  Lord,  400(6); 
what   love   to   the   neighbor   is,    400(8); 
love  of  dominion   continues    with    man 
after  death,  but  in  accordance  with  the 
end  which  it  sought,  4(X)(9);  the  char- 
acter of  every  love  is  determined  by  the 
end  which  it  regards  and  intends,  404; 
see  Man,  457(2);  when  there  is  conjunc- 
tion with  God  through  charity  God's  love 
is  within  man's  love  towards  the  neigh- 
bor, 457(3);  the  difficulty  of  examining 
the  love  of  ruling  and  the  love  of  possess- 
ing, 533;  see  Will,  533(3);  every  lovein 
man  breathes  forth  a  delight  by  which 


it  makes  itself  felt,  569;  see  570(5); 
whatever  proceeds-  from  the  love  is  called 
good,  even  if  it  be  evil,  this  being  the 
resu't  of  delight,  which  constitutes  the 
life  of  the  love,  658(2);  love  in  the  will 
is  the  end,  and  in  the  understanding 
seeks  and  finds  the  causes  whereby  it 
advances  into  effect,  658(4);  in  every 
man  of  sound  mind  there  is  an  ability 
to  receive  love  from  the  Lord,  718;  the 
sole  end  of  God's  Divine  love  was  to  con- 
join man  to  Himself  and  Himself  to 
man,  786;  the  final  love  has  its  seat  in 
the  highest  or  inmost  parts  of  the  mind, 
801. 

LUCIFER. 

Concerning  a  spirit  who  imagined 
himself  to  be  Lucifer,  507 (4) (5);  those 
who  are  meant  by  Lucifer,  146;  see  41 
(2),  276. 

LUNGS  (THE) 

Correspond  to  wisdom,  37(2);  or  un- 
derstanding, 87;  what  societies  in  heav- 
en are  in  the  province  of  the  heart  and 
lungs,  269;  their  effect  on  other  socie- 
ties, ib. 

LUST. 

He  who  refrains  from  doing  evils  and 
yet  lusts  to  do  them  still  does  them,  313, 
326;  unless  lusts  are  subdued  the  flesh 
let  loose  would  rush  into  every  wicked- 
ness, 327;  difference  between  lusts  and 
affections,  328;  what  makes  him  a 
man,  ib.;  how  lusts  have  their  dwelling 
place  in  man,  611;  every  evil  is  com- 
posed of  innumerable  lusts,  ib.;  by  birth 
every  one  is  interiorly  in  lust,  662(2). 

LUTHER. 

A  statement  concerning  Luther,  137 
(8);  Luther  in  the  spiritual  world,  796 
(whole  no.). 

MACHIAVELIANS. 
462(5)(11). 

MAMMONS. 
404. 


MAN. 

When  man  is  inwardly  like  an  angel, 
1;  see  also   14,    15;  man  perceives  God 
according  to  the  state  of  his  mind,  6(2); 
there  is  in  every  man  an  internal  dictate 
that  there  is  one  God,  9;  but  see  24;  in 
man   love   and   wisdom   are   separated, 
41(2);  God    is    continually    working    to 
conjoin  them,  ib.;  see  Memorable  Rela- 
tion, 48(5);  why  man  is  not  born  into 
the  knowledge  proper  to  any  love,  48(8) 
(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15);   man  with- 
out instruction  knows  nothing  whatever 
of  the  modes  of  loving  the  sex,  (48)8; 
man  was  created    into  his    own   order, 
54;  man  was  created  a  form  of  Divine 
order,  VI.  (65-67);  that  is,  a  receptacle 
of  Divine  love  and  wisdom,  65;  see  481; 
see  Heaven,  65;  all  things  that  proceed 
from    the    sun    of    the    spiritual   world 
have  relation    to   man,    66;    all   objects 
in  the    spiritual   world  are    representa- 
tive of  m,an,  ib.;  man  is  the  chief  end 
of    creation,    67;    every    man   is    in    an 
equilibrium,    and    thus    in   freedom    of 
choice,  between  heaven  and  hell,  69(2); 
see  477,  478,  497(3);  God  is  in  man  to 
the   extent   that    man  is    living  in    ac- 
cordance with  Divine  order,  70;   never- 
theless God  is  in  the  evil  man   but  he 
is  not  in  God,  ib.;  man  should  govern 
his  little  cosmos    just  as  God  governs 
the  great  cosmos,   71(2);  in  proportion 
as  man  prepares  himself  God  enters  in- 
to him,  89;  how  He  enters  into  him,  96; 
see    also    100;  what  it  is  necessary   for 
m^n  to  do    to    thereby    acquire    right- 
eousness, 96;    subsequent  statement  in 
regard  to   relations  with  the  neighbor, 
ib.;  what  man  retains  after  death,  103; 
in  every  7nan  there   is   soul,  body,  and 
operation,  109;  the  three  degrees  of  life 
in  Tmzn,  239;  see  498;  each  m^n  is  his 
own  love  and  his  own  wisdom,  263;  see 
778;  what  m,an  is  of    himself  is  made 
clear  from  those  who   are   in   hell,  274; 
nature  of  doctrines  he  could  hatch  from 
himself,  ib.;  m,an  by  the  freedom  he  has 
from  the  Lord  opens  to  Him,  285;  noth- 
ing is  connate  with  m,an  except  a  capac- 
ity to  know,  to  understand,  and  to  be 
wise,  as  also  an  inclination  to  love,  335 
(7);  man  obtains  life    by  going  to  the 


Lord,  358;  man  is  a  form  of  life,  364;  see 
461(2),  470,  470(3);  what  flows  in  from 
the  Lord  is  received  by  man  according 
to  his  form,  366;  the  life  of  God  in  its 
fulness  is  in  wicked  men  as  well  as  in 
good   men,    366(2);  how   it   differs,    ib.; 
the  man  whc  divides  the  Lord,  charity 
and  faith  is  not  a  form  that  receives 
but  a  form  that   destroys   them,   367; 
see  Lord,  308-372;  man  himself  cannot 
be   in   the   Lord,    but   the   charity   and 
faith   that  are  in  him  from  the  Lord, 
368;    see    Salvation,   369;    when  con- 
junction of  m^n  and  God  is  not  recipro- 
cal,   369(3);  in    every    work    that    pro- 
ceeds from  m^n  there  is  the  whole  man 
such  as  he  is  in  his  disposition  or  essen- 
tially, 373;  all  things  in  man  have  rela- 
tion to  the  will  and  understanding,  397; 
see  417;  it   is  the  dominant  love  that 
makes  the  man,  399;  man  was  created 
so  as  to  be  at  the  same  time  in  the  spirit- 
ual   world    and    in    the    natural    world; 
thus  there  was  given  him  an  internal 
and  an  external,  401;  see  420,  454;  thus 
he   can   be  affiliated   both   with   angels 
and    devils,    454;  see    4e2(7)(8)(9)(10), 
472   (3),  475,  475  (2)  (3),  476;   a  com- 
munity is  like  a  single  man,  412;  differ- 
ence between  m,an  and  beast,  417;  see 
454.  473.   481,    574,  092;     see     Under- 
standing,   443(2);    see    Will,    443(2); 
God  flows  into  man's  knowledge  of  Him 
with    acknowledgment  of  Him,  and  at 
the  same  time  flows  in  with  His  love  to- 
wards men  457(2);   when  man  receives 
only  in  the  former  way  he  has  no  in- 
terior acknowledgment  of  Him,  ib.;  but 
he  who  receives  in  both  ways  has  such 
an    acknowledgment,     ib.;     man     lives 
wholly  as  if  from  himself,  470;  see  473; 
so  far  as  m^n  receives  from  God  good 
of  love  and  truth    of   wisdom  he  lives 
from  God,  471;  every  m^n  is  born  with 
an  inclination  to  evils,  520,  521(2),  612; 
man  is  born  for  heaven,  574;  every  man 
is  in  communion  either  with  angels  or 
devils  though  both  sides  are  unaware  of 
this.  607;  every  man  who  is  not  interi- 
orly led  by  the  Lord  is  a  m^n  in  appear- 
ance only,  662(3);  why  man  was  created 
an  image  and  likeness  of  God,  712;  from 
spiritual    heat    which    is    charity,    and 


rioritiiiii»nniHfanii 


m^&mii 


1072 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


from  spiritual  light  which  is  the  truth 
of  faith,  every  man  has  Ufe,  722(4); 
every  man  runs  through  the  circle  of 
nature,  756;  the  interior  and  exterior 
m,an,  839. 

MAN   (AS  APPLIED  TO  GOD). 

The  Lord  within  the  spiritual  sun  is 
a  Man,  25(4);  Jehovah  is  Man  as  in 
things  first  so  also  in  things  last,  102(3); 
unless  in  thought  God  is  approached 
as  a  Man  every  idea  of  God  perishes, 
538;  the  faith  of  the  New  Church  is 
that  God  is  a  Man,  because  the  one 
God  who  was  from  eternity  became 
Man  in  time,  647(2);  conjunction  with 
God  is  possible  when  God  is  thought  of 
as  a  Man,  787;  all  among  the  Gentiles 
who  acknowledge  and  worship  one  God, 
the  Creator  of  the  universe,  cherish  an 
idea  of  God  as  being  a  Man,  836. 

MARRIAGE 

Of  good  and  truth  in  the  Word,  how 
effected,  248;  see  398  (3),  624  (4);  how 
there  is  a  marriage  of  the  understanding 
and  will,  249;  see  737(5);  marriage  love 
431;  all  things  are  by  creation  nothing 
but  a  marriage  of  good  and  truth,  624 
(2)  (3)  (4);  concerning  a  marriage  in 
heaven,  746  (4),  747  (whole  no.),  748 
(whole  no.);  marriages  in  heaven  repre- 
sent the  marriage  of  the  Lord  with  the 
church,  748,  748(2);  from  the  spiritual 
marriage  which  is  that  of  good  and 
truth  the  Lord  is  called  the  Bridegroom 
and  the  church  the  bride,  783;  see  199; 
see  CoNJUGiAL,  847. 

MARY  (THE    MOTHER). 

Absurd  to  say  that  the  soul  of  the 
Lord  was  from  His  mother  Mary,  82(3); 
see  92,  94,  140,  342;  the  Lord  Himself 
never  called  Mary  His  mother.  102; 
what  this  shows,  ih.;  an  interview  with 
Mary  the  mother,  in  heaven,  102(3); 
a  statement  by  Mary  the  mother,  827. 

MATERIAL. 

All  the  material  that  man  has  is  from 
the  mother,  92;  substantial  things  are 
the  beginnings  of  material  things,  280 
(8);  see  624,  694. 


MATERIALISM. 

The  difference  between  thinking  spir- 
itually and  thinking  maierially,  623(3) 
(4) ;  the  material  does  not  enter  into  the 
spiritual, but  the  spiritual  enters  into  the 
m,aterial,  623(5). 

MEDIATION. 

Memorable  Relation  concerning  me- 
diation, 135;  see  518. 

MEDITATION. 

Difference  between  spiritual  and  ma- 
terial meditation  about  the  Word,   623 

(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). 

MELANCTHON 

In  the  spiritual  world,  797(whole  no.). 

MELCHIZEDEK. 
715. 

MEMORABLE    RELATIONS. 

Why  they  were  written,  188;  see  851. 

MEMORY 

Is  the  soil  of  intelligence  in  man,  32 
(4) ;  it  is  from  the  things  contained  in  the 
memory  that  every  one  thinks,  173;  faith 
of  the  memory,  344;  memory  and  the 
understanding,  621(4). 
i 

j   MERIT. 

i  Why  it  is  harmful  to  ascribe  m^rU  to 
1  works  that  are  done  for  the  sake  of  sal- 
\  vation,  439;  see  441;  see  536(3);  those 
who  are  in  the  delight  of  doing  good 
are  unwilling  to  hear  of  m^rit,  440; 
when  a  man  believes  that  all  good  that 
is  good  in  itself  is  from  the  Lord  he  does 
not  ascribe  merit  to  works,  442;  sense 
of  m^rit  is  removed  with  difficulty  from 
those  who  do  not  understand  true  char- 
ity, ib.;  the  faith  of  the  present  church 
concerning  merit,  582;  in  the  present 
church,  faith,  imputation,  and  Christ's 
merit  make  one,  627;  the  merit  of  the 
Lord  our  Saviour  is  redemption,  640; 
see  649;  the  Lord's  merit  cannot  be 
imputed  to  any  one,  640,  641  (3). 

"MESSIAH" 

In  the  Word  means  the  Divine  truth, 
,  85(2);  see  691;  the  Jews  and  the  Mes- 
\   8iah,  205,  246. 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1073 


MICHAEL. 
113(6),  300. 

MICROCOSM. 

Why  man  was  called  by  the  ancients 
a  microcosm,  604. 

MIND. 

How  the  human  mind  is  constituted, 
34,  224(2);  man's  mind  consists  of  un- 
derstanding and  will,  151;  see  397;  the 
exaltation  of  the  mind  is  effected  as 
man  acquires  for  himself  truth  and  con- 
joins them  with  good,  152;  the  spirit 
of  man  is  his  mind  and  whatever  pro- 
ceeds from  it,  VI.  (156,  157);  see  816; 
the  human  mind  is  a  spiritual  organism 
terminating  in  a  natural  organism, 
351(2);  there  can  be  nothing  in  the 
mind  that  does  not  have  some  corre- 
spondent or  embodiment  in  the  body, 
375;  the  three  regions  of  the  human 
mind,  395,  395(2) (3),  603,  608;  internal 
and  external  m,ind,  420. 

MIRACLES. 

The  Divine  miracles  have  been 
wrought  in  accordance  with  Divine 
order,  91;  see  Glorification,  104;  mir- 
acles to-day  would  make  man  natural 
instead  of  spiritual,  501;  see  501(3); 
why  they  were  wrought  before  the 
Lord's  coming,  501(2);  men  cannot  be 
made  to  believe  by  miracles,  849. 

MOAB 

Signifies  the  adulteration  of  good, 
200(3). 

MOHAMMEDANS 

Believe  in  one  God,  9(2);  Moham- 
medans are  averse  to  Christianity  solely 
on  account  of  its  belief  in  three  Gods, 
183;  see  831;  position  of  Mohammedans 
in  the  church,  268;  see  342(3);  Moham- 
med was  permitted  to  establish  a  relig- 
ion in  many  respects  not  conformable 
to  Sacred  Scripture,  479;  the  Moham- 
medans in  the  spiritual  world  appear 
behind  the  Papists,  828;  they  acknowl- 
edge the  Lord  to  be  the  greatest  prophet, 
ib.;  some  Mohammed  is  always  kept 
before  their  sight,  829;  the  Mohammed 

68 


who  wrote  the  Koran  is  not  seen  at  the 
present  day,  830;  the  Mohammedans 
call  the  Roman  Catholics  idolaters,  831; 
the  Mohammedan  heaven.  832,  it  is 
possible  for  them  to  believe  that  the 
Lord  rules  over  the  heavens  and  the 
hells  because  He  is  the  Son  of  God  the 
Father,  ib.;  the  Mohammedan  religion 
was  raised  up  by  the  Divine  Provi- 
dence to  blot  out  the  idolatry  of  many 
nations,  833  (whole  no.). 

MOON    (THE) 

{Matt,  xxiv.)  means  the  Lord  in  re- 
spect to  faith,  271. 

MORAL. 

Relative  position  of  moral  subjects  in 
a  man's  mind,  186;  in  children,  even  to 
early  youth,  moral  life  is  natural,  and 
becomes  afterwards  more  and  more 
rational,  443;  in  the  first  period  of  life 
a  moral  life  is  a  life  of  charity  in  outer- 
mosts,  ib.;  from  the  morality  of  the  ex- 
ternal man  no  one  can  form  any  con- 
clusion as  to  the  morality  of  the  internal, 
443(3);  moral  life  when  it  is  also  spirit- 
ual is  a  life  of  charity  because  the  laws 
are  the  same,  444;  see  Commandments, 
444;  from  the  external  moral  life  may 
be  seen  charity  in  its  true  image,  445. 

MORNING 

Likened  to  the  state  of  the  church 
after  the  Lord's  coming,  109;  see  764; 
this  explained,  109(2);  morning  signi- 
fies the  first  time  of  a  church,  764. 

MOSES 

Means  the  historical  Word,  261; 
Moses  and  the  ten  commandments, 
283;  in  a  broad  sense  the  law  means  the 
statutes  given  by  Moses,  thus  the  whole 
book  of  Moses  is  called  the  law,  288. 

MOTHER. 

See  Church,  306,  307. 

MOTION. 

In  all  motion  there  is  an  active  and  a 
passive,  576. 

MURDER. 
See  Kill. 


tfate'Swi 


1074 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


MUTUAL   RECIPROCATION. 

See  Reciprocal.,  371(4);  see  Conjunc- 
tion, 371(0);  examples  of,  371(7). 

MYRRH 

Signifies  natural  good,  205. 

NAME 

Of  any  one  means  not  his  name  alone, 
but  his  every  quality,  300;  see  683;  in 
the  spiritual  world  every  one  is  named 
according  to  his  character,  300;  see 
682(2);  names  in  the  Word  mean  things 
of  the  church.  300;  see  298;  the  Lord's 
Divine  Human  is  the  Father's  name, 
112(6),  113(6);  see  682. 

NATIONS   AND   PEOPLES. 

Their  meaning  in  the  Word,  251;  con- 
cerning nations  which  are  free  and  na- 
tions which  are  not  free,  815. 

NATURAL. 

What  natural  things  are,  75(3);  the 
condition  of  those  who  think  from  the 
natural  without  regard  to  the  spiritual, 
147,  148;  the  distinction  between  nat- 
ural things  and  spiritual  things,  78,  280 
(8);  see  Spiritual,  339;  the  natural 
viewed  in  itself  is  passive,  607(2). 

NATURAL    (DIVINE), 
What  it  is,  195. 

NATURALISM. 

4(2),  75(7),  173,  342,  771;  see  Chris- 
tian Churches,  94;  faith  in  an  invisi- 
ble God  is  the  origin  of  the  prevailing 
naturalism  of  the  day,  339(2). 

NATURAL   MAN    (THE) 

Is  opposed  to  the  spiritual  man,  11, 
276;  the  knowledges  of  the  natural  man 
comprise  within  them  the  perceptions 
and  affections  of  a  spiritual  truth,  215; 
natural  man  desires  to  extirpate  the 
spiritual  things  that  enter,  or  to  involve 
them  in  fallacies,  276;  the  merely  nat- 
ural man  thinks  of  Divine  truths  only 
from  things  of  the  world,  296(3);  see 
Conjunction,  369(3);  the  natural  man 
can  talk  about  faith  but  not  from  faith, 
384;  he  is  a,  sensual  m^n  who  judges  of 


all  things  by  the  bodily  senses,  402; 
the  interiors  of  his  mind  are  closed, 
402(2);  he  is  inwardly  opposed  to  the 
things  of  heaven  and  the  church,  402(3); 
why  he  reasons  keenly  and  ingeniously, 
402(4) (5) (G);  he  does  not  see  any  gen- 
uine truth  in  light,  402(9);  see  754; 
heretical  doctrines  have  been  introduced 
chiefly  by  sensual  m^n,  402(10);  various 
kinds  of  sensual  m.en,  402(11);  most  men 
at  the  present  day  are  natural,  470;  the 
natural  man  judges  from  appearances 
ib.;  everything  that  is  compulsory  be- 
takes itself  to  the  natural  m,an  and  closes 
the  door  to  the  spiritual  man,  501;  the 
natural  man  can  see  good  and  evil  in 
others,  but  not  having  examined  him- 
self he  does  not  see  any  evil  in  himself, 
564(3);  a  brief  description  of  the  merely 
natural  rational  and  moral  man,  565; 
the  natural  man  must  be  subdued  be- 
fore man  can  advance  a  single  step 
toward  heaven,  574;  before  regenera- 
tion the  internal  and  the  external  con- 
stitute the  natural  man,  592. 

NATURAL   SENSE. 

In  the  natural  sense  of  the  Word,  Di- 
vine truth  is  seen  obscurely,  85(2);  the 
Word's  holiness  is  not  apparent  in  the 
inner  sense  of  the  letter,  200;  when  Di- 
vine truths  are  in  man  the  sense  of  the 
letter  of  the  Word  cannot  be  perverted, 
207;  the  doctrines  of  the  N«w  Church 
are  derived  from  the  sense  of  the  letter 
of  the  Word,   209(5),   217;  the  sense  of 
the  letter  is  the  containant,   basis,   and 
support   of   the   two   interior   senses   of 
the  Word,  212,  213;    in  the  sense  of  the 
letter  of  the  Word  Divine  truth  is  in  its 
fulness,    holiness,    and  power,  214,  223; 
the  truths  of  the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the 
Word  are  appearances  of  truth,  215;  see 
226,  650;  the  externals  of  the  Word  are 
the  holy  things  of  the  sense  of  its  letter, 
I    221;    the  Word   in  the  sense  of   the  let- 
i   ter  consists  purely  of   correspondences, 
I    226;  genuine  truth  can  be  seen  in  the 
I   sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word  only  by 
I   those   who   are   in   enlightenment   from 
!   the    Lord,     III.  (231-233);  conjunction 
with  the  Lord  is  effected  by  means  of 
the  sense  of  the  letter  of  the  Word,  234; 
also  affiliation  with  the  angels,  ib.,  235; 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1075 


the  sense  of  the  Utter  is  a  guard  for 
the  genuine  truths  concealed  within  it, 
260;  Memorable  Relation  concerning  the 
naiiral  sense  of  the  Word,  277;  the 
Word  in  its  letter  makes  mention  only 
of  the  outer  things  of  worship,  427. 

NATURE 

Is  not  of  itself  the  operative  power, 
12;  the  reason,  12(2)(8)(9):  all  in  hell 
worship  nature,  77(4);  see  79;  nature 
does  nothing  of  itself,  77(6);  all  things 
in  nature  correspond  to  spiritual  things, 
201;  nature  is  the  receptacle  by  which 
love  and  wisdom  may  accomplish  their 
uses,  35(6);  consequences  of  believing 
that  nature  is  the  creator  of  the  universe, 
178;  see  9;  nature  is  from  God,  280(10); 
see  695. 

NAZARITES. 

The  power  of  the  Word  in  its  out- 
mosts  was  represented  by  the  Nazarites, 
VII.  (223). 

NEIGHBOR. 

Order  must  be  practised  toward  the 
neighbor,  55;  see  Man,  96;  man  is  born 
not  for  the  sake  of  himself  but  for  the 
sake  of  others,  406;  every  man  is  neigh- 
bor to  himself,  ib.;  but  the  end  should 
be  society,  ib.;  what  love  to  the  neigh- 
bor is,  407;  brotherly  love  constitutes  the 
distinction  between   the  Old  and   New 
Testament,    409;  good    itself    is    essen- 
tially the  neighbor,  410;  degrees  of  love 
toward  the  neighbor  are  to  be  measured 
by  love  to  the  Lord,  410(2);  it  is  suffi- 
cient that  the  neighbor  be  loved  accord- 
ing to  the  degrees  that    are  known,  410 
(3);  what  it  means  to  love  the  neighbor 
as   oneself,    411;  a    community    smaller 
or  greater  is  the  neighbor,  412;  he  who 
wills  and  acts  rightly  towards  a  com- 
munity consults  the  good  of  each  indi- 
vidual, ib.;  love  towards  a  community 
is  a  fuller  love  to  the  neighbor,  412(2); 
love  to  the  neighbor  ascends  more  and 
more  interiorly,  413;  one's  country  is  the 
neighbor,  414;  the  church  is  to  be  loved 
as  the  neighbor  in  a  higher  degree,  415; 
distinction  between   church  and   coun- 
try,   ib.;   the    Lord's    kingdom    is    the 
neighbor  ih&t  is  io  he  loved  in  the  high- 


est degree,  416;  good  is  the  neighbor, 
418;  see  Charity,  435;  love  towards  the 
neighbor  is  man's  reception  of  his  con- 
junction with  God,  458;  see  Evil,  525; 
man  as  first  created  was  imbued  with 
wisdom  and  its  love,  not  for  his  own 
sake,  but  that  he  might  communicate  it 
from  himself  to  others   746. 

NEW   CHURCH. 

The  faith  of,  2-3;  see  647  (whole  no.); 
a  new   church   could   have   been  estab- 
lished only  through  Divine  truth  from 
the  Word,   86;   the  establishment  of  a 
new    church    an  act  of   redemption,  95; 
a  new  cfiarch  is  now  to  be  established, 
115;   unless  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
church  were  established  there  could  no 
flesh  be  saved,  VIII.  (182);  see  758;  to 
work    redemption    means    to    found    a 
new  heaven  and  a  new  church,  182;  why 
the  New  Church  was  established,   271; 
see  699,   700;    those   who  are  received 
into  the  New  Church  will  come  into  the 
state  of  peace  into  which  men  are  to 
come  from  the  Lord,   303;   see   Faith, 
344;    how   truths   will    be    received   by 
those   of    the   New   Church,    354(3) (4); 
why  it  is  permitted  in  the  New  Church 
to   enter   with   the   understanding   into 
truths,  508(5);  see  Good   536;  the  need 
of  a  new  church,  598;  the  faith  and  im- 
putation   of    the    New    Church    cannot 
exist  together  with  the  faith  and  impu- 
tation of  the  existing  church,  647,  649; 
see  Baptism,  669;  the  morning  that  is 
the  beginning  of  a  new  church  is  now  at 
hand,  764;  see  Second  Coming,  773;  the 
New   Jerusalem    means   a   new    church, 
782;   see  Neav  Heaven.   784;   the  New 
Church  is  the  crown  of  all  churches  be- 
cause it  is  to  worship  one  visible  God, 
787,    788;    predictions    concerning    the 
New  Church,  788.  789;  revelations  made 
by  the  Lord  at  the  establishment  of  the 
New  Church,  846  (whole  no.);  these  are 
now   regarded   on   the   earth    as   of   no 
value,  848. 

NEW    HEAVEN 

Could  have  been  built  up  only  through 
Divine  truth  from  the  Word,  80;  how  the 
new  heaven  is  being  formed,  108;  see 
781;  why  a  new  heaven  should  be  formed 


1076 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1077 


before  a  new  church  is  established  on 
earth,  784;  this  new  heaven  constitutes 
the  internal  of  the  church  with  man, 
ib.;  it  is  formed  to  the  extent  that  the 
falsities  of  the  former  church  are  set 
aside,  ib.;  see  796(3). 

NEW   JERUSALEM 

Mentioned  in  Apocalypse  xxi.  means 
a  new  church,  197,  217,  307,  782, 
784,  790;  without  the  spiritual  sense 
nothing  relating  to  the  Neiv  Jerusalem 
could  be  seen,  197.    See  New  Church. 

NICENE   COUNCIL. 

94;  a  Trinity  of  persons  was  hatched 
by  the  Nicene  Council,  V.  (174-176); 
see  632.  634,  636,  786;  from  the  Nicene 
trinity  and  Athanasian  trinity  together 
a  faith  arose  by  which  the  whole  Chris- 
tian Church  has  been  perverted,  VL 
(177,  178);  the  Nicene  Couvcil  pre- 
vented a  disclosure  of  the  knowledge  of 
correspondences,  206;  Nicene  Council 
and  faith,  338;  the  Nicene  Council 
hatched  the  belief  that  God  is  the  cause 
of  evil,  489;  the  Nicene  Council  marks 
the  second  epoch  of  the  Christian 
Church,  760. 

NUNC  LICET. 
508(3)  (4). 

NIGHT 

Is  the  last  time  of  the  church,  761. 

OATHS. 

Those  which  are  vain,  and  tliose 
which    are    not,    297. 

OBEDIENCE 

To  ecclesiastics,  840. 

OCCUPATIONS 

Of  the  minds  of  angels,  695. 

ODORS. 

Concerning  odors  in  the  spiritual 
world,  569,  (2)  (3)  (4)  (5). 

OLD   MEN 

Signify  wisdom,  205;  old  men  in  heav- 
en, 766. 


'   OLD   TESTAMENT. 

Why  nowhere  in  the  Old  Testament  is 
it  said  that  the  prophets  spoke  from 
the  Holy  Spirit,  158. 

OLIVE    TREE 

Signifies  the  heavenly  good  and  truth 
of  the  church,  200(2);  see  205,  609. 

OMNIPOTENCE 

Pertains  to  the  Divine  essence,  49; 
it  proceeds  from  the  Divine  love  and 
wisdom,  ib.;  omnipotence  pertains  to 
the  Divine  wisdom  from  the  Divine 
love,  I.  (50,  51);  omnipotence  proceeds 
and  operates  in  accordance  with  the 
laws  of  Divine  order  III.  (56-58);  see 
also  74(4)  (5);  God    is    omnipotent    be- 

i  cause  He  alone  has  from  Himself  all 
power,  56;  God's  power  and  Ilis  will  are 
one,  ib.;  God's  omnipotence  cannot  do 
evil,   57,   58;   from  the  Divine  omnipo- 

t  tence  man  has  power  over  evil  and  fal- 
sity, VII.  (68);  God  had  omnipotence 
in  the  work  of  redemption  by  means  of 
His  Human,  84;  see  Order,  90;  the  in- 
sane thoughts  which  follow  a  belief  in 
omnipotence  as  superior   to  order,  502. 

OMNIPRESENCE. 

See  Holy  Spirit,  16(2);  God  is  omni- 
present in  nature  and  yet  separate  from 
it,  30(2);  omnipresence  pertains  to  the 
Divine  essence,  49;  it  proceeds  from  the 
Divine  love  and  wisdom,  ib.;  omnipre- 
sence pertains  to  the  Divine  wisdom 
from  the  Divine  love,  I.  (50,  51);  God 
is  omnipresent  from  the  firsts  to  the 
lasts  of  His  order,  V.  (63,  64);  from  the 
Divine  omnipresence  man  is  in  God, 
VII.  (70);  how  God  is  omnipresent  in 
those  things  contrary  to  order,  70(2); 
where  the  Lord  is  present  there  He  is 
with  His  whole  essence,  364(3). 

OMNISCIENCE 

Pertains  to  the  Divine  essence,  49; 
it  proceeds  from  the  Divine  love  and 
wisdom,  ib.;  omniscience  pertains  to 
the  Divine  wisdom  from  the  Divine 
love,  I.  (50,  51);  the  omniscience  of  God, 
IV.  (59—62);  from  the  Divine  omnis- 
cience man  has  wisdom  respecting  what 


is    good    and    true,    VII.  (69);    omnis- 
cience is  infinite  wisdom,  69. 

ONE. 

If  God  were  not  one,  the  universe 
could  not  have  been  created  and  pre- 
served, VI.  (13);  love  and  wisdom  in 
God  make  one,  IV.  (41,  42),  the  condi- 
tion of  man  when  love  and  wisdom  are 
not  conjoined  in  one,  41(2)  (3);  see 
Universal,  54;  the  internal  and  ex- 
ternal man  should  act  as  one,  340(2). 

ONENESS. 

The  necessity  of  oneness  in  every 
thing,  10;  the  oneness  of  God  confirmed 
by  many  things   in  the  world,  V.  (12). 

OPERATION. 

How  God  operates  in  man,  105;  the 
Divine  operation  is  effected  by  means 
of  the  Divine  truth  which  goes  forth 
from  the  Lord,  139;  operation  of  the 
Holy  Spirit;  what  it  is,  II.  (142-145); 
the  Divine  operations  are  the  mediate 
ends,  142;  the  Divine  energy  and  oper- 
ation are  enlightenment  and  instruction, 
III.  (146-148);  the  Lord  makes  these 
energies  operative  in  those  who  believe 
in  Him,  IV.  (149-152);  the  Lord  oper- 
ates of  Himself  from  the  Father,  V. 
(153-155);  operations  constitute  the 
third  essential,  167. 

OPPOSITES 

Are  things  without,  and  are  opposed 
to  things  within,  62;  there  are  relatives 
in  each  opposite,  ib.;  the  relatives  in 
hell  are  opposite  to  the  relatives  in 
heaven,  ib.;  see  78(5),  435;  the  neces- 
sity of  opposites,  763. 

ORDER. 

Definition  of,  52;  see  65;  Divine  qual- 
ities can  be  understood  when  it  is  known 
what  order  is,  and  that  God  is  order,  II. 
(52-55);  see  89;  God  is  order  because  He 
is  substance  itself  and  form  itself,  53; 
see  500;  consequently  God  introduced 
order  into  the  universe,  53;  also  54,  106; 
see  Omnipotence,  III.  (56-58);  what 
are  contrary  to  the  laws  of  Divine  order, 
58;  see  90;  see  341;  an  image  of  God  is  a 
form  of  Divine  order,  65;  some  of  the 


laws  of  order,  71(2);  also  74(8);  devel- 
opment of  the  Human  was  in  accord- 
ance with  the  laws  of  Divine  order,  89; 
Divine  order  requires  that  man  should 
prepare  himself  for  the  reception  of 
God,  89<  see  Man,  96;  Miracles  91; 
what  follows  if  it  is  believed  that  the 
Divine  omnipotence  does  not  operate 
in  accordance  with  order,  90;  Ric.ht- 
EOUSNESS,  95;  it  is  according  to  Divine 
order  for  good  and  truth  to  be  con- 
joined, 398(3);  all  things  contrary  to 
Divine  order  have  relation  to  evil  and 
falsity,  398(7);  the  primary  thing  of 
order  is  for  man  to  be  an  image  of  God, 
500;  God  cannot  act  contrary  to  His 
own  Divine  order,  ib.;  God  leads  every 
man  according  to  that  order  which  is 
Himself,  ib.;  the  necessity  of  order,  679; 
it  must  center  on  God,  ib.;  order  must 
have  distinction,  680;  it  is  according  to 
order  that  a  first  should  go  forth  to  its 
last  both  in  general  and  in  particular, 
763;  see  775. 

ORGAN. 

Man  is  an  organic  form  recipient  of 
God,  34;  see  504;  organism  of  the  mind, 
351,    461,    577,    578;    organs    of    sense, 

577(3). 

ORIENTALS. 

The  knowledge  of  correspondences 
remained  with  many  of  the  people  of 
the  East  even  until  the  advent  of  the 
Lord,  205;  to  uproot  idolatries  a  new 
religion  adapted  to  the  genius  of  the 
Orientals    was    introduced,    83.3(4). 

OUTMOSTS. 

No  announcements  are  made  from 
heaven  except  through  outmosts,  222. 

OWN. 

See  Self  and  Proprium. 

OX 

Means  natural  affection,  200(2),  205c 

PAGANS. 

See  Good,  536. 

PALLADIUM. 

177(4)  692,  693.  694.  759. 


!L.A*:^^*>A«r--'"--^-^----''-J^^«'-Mfea**'aaiA^^ 


1078 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


PAPISTS. 

See  Roman  Catholics. 

PARABLES. 

In  each  word  of  the  parables  there  is 
a  spiritual  meaning,  199. 

PARADISE. 
74(3).  461,  661. 

PARENTS. 

Their  love  for  thejr  children,  44,  305, 
308;  love  to  parents,  305;  see  431(3). 

PARISIANS. 

To  the  Parisians  in  the  spiritual  world 
there  sometimes  appears  a  woman  who 
is  worshiped  as  a  saint,  826. 

PARTICULARS. 

To  retain  particulars  in  their  order 
there  must  be  universals  from  which 
they  spring,  714;  see  775;  particulars 
taken  together  are  called  the  general,  (iO; 
they  emulate  the  general,  32(8);  see  47. 
See  General. 

PASSION   OF   THE   CROSS 

Not  an  act  of  redemption  but  of 
glorification,  95;  see  581,  706;  it  was 
the  last  temptation  which  the  Lord 
endured,  VI.  (126-131);  the  belief  that 
the  passion  of  the  cross  was  redemption 
itself  is  the  fundamental  error  of  the 
church,  VII.  (132,  133);  see  378,  518, 
581,  582. 

PASSIVE  (THE) 

Force  must  be  impelled  by  the  active 
force,  607(2);  man  cannot  effectively 
think,  trust,  and  pray,  passively, 
505(3). 

PAUL. 

What  kind  of  faith  is  meant  by  Paul, 
338;  see  506(2);  an  epistle  of  Paul  not 
published  during  his  life,  701(4);  what 
Paul  meant  by  the  works  of  the  law, 
338,  506(2)  (3)  (4);  Paul  sets  charity  be- 
fore faith,  796(5). 

PEACE. 

What  heavenly  peace  is,  303,  304;  the 
Lord  gives  to  man  after  temptation  a 
sense  of  peace,  599. 


PEGASUS. 
276,  693(2). 

PERCEPTIONS 

Of  moral  and  spiritual  truths  open 
the  highest  degree  of  life,  42;  perception 
pertains  to  man,  how  attained,  155; 
see  62;  perception  comes  from  affection, 
and  thought  from  perception,  231;  see 
386,  697;  in  wise  men  internal  and  ex- 
ternal, or  spiritual  and  natural,  per- 
ception make  one,  461(8);  there  is  an 
interior  thought  called  perception  which 
looks  down  into  the  lower  which  is 
called  thought,  603;  perception  and 
reception,  339. 

PERFECTION 
Of  life,  42. 

PERMISSION   OF   EVIL. 

From  permission  of  evil  man  has 
spiritual  freedom,  479. 

PERSON. 

God  became  Man,  and  Man  became 
God  in  one  Person,  VII.  (101-103);  see 
700;  definition  of  person,  17(3);  see  110, 
188(8). 

PERSUASION. 

The  power  of  persuasion  flows  from 
the  love  of  self,  796(2);  in  externals  per- 
suasion emulates  faith,  339;  see  759. 

PHILISTINES 

Signify  faith  separate  from  charity, 
200(3),  203. 

PLACE 

In  the  spiritual  world,  157,  739(5)(7) 
(8). 

PLAGUES    OF   EGYPT. 
635. 

PLANTS. 

Concerning  the  processes  of  plant 
growth,  585;  see  12(2);  the  vegetative 
soul  is  from  no  other  source  than  the 
heat  of  the  spiritual  world,  585(2). 

PLATO. 

His  contribution  to  theology,  9(3): 
see  also  692,  693. 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1079 


PLURALITY  OF  GODS. 

Whence  it  arose,    V.    (24);    see    275, 
623(5). 

POLITICS. 

Relative    position    of    political    sub- 
jects in  a  man's  mind,  186;  see  661(6). 

POLYGAMY. 

Why  polygamy  was  permitted  to  the 
Orientals,  833(4);  the  nature  of  the 
heat  of  polygamic  love  in  the  spiritual 
world,  834. 

POOR    (THE) 

In  the  Word  mean  those  who  are 
without  knowledges  of  truth  and  good, 
427;  alms  to  the  poor,  ib.;  see  442, 
459(7). 

POPE. 

To  imputation,  application,  and  as- 
cription, add  transcription  only,  and 
you  will  be  a  vicarious  pope,  640(3); 
see  Roman  Catholics,  820. 

POSTERIOR. 

All  things  posterior  are  made  recep- 
tacles of  things  prior,  33;  see  21,  35(9); 

280(2). 

POSTHUMOUS. 

Man's  mind  is  the  posthumous  man, 
816. 

POWER. 

All  the  strength,  energy,  and  power 
of  God  belong  to  Divine  truth  from  the 
Divine  good,  86;  see  also  56,  87,  124; 
the  will's  power  is  by  means  of  the  under- 
standing, 87;  "all  power  in  heaven  and 
on  earth"  means  that  the  union  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son  in  one  Person  is 
complete,  104;  power  {Matt.  xxiv.  30), 
means  the  Lord's  power  through  the 
Word,  776;  man's  power  through  the 
Lord,  68.  71(3),  438,  481,  576. 

"POWER    OF    THE    MOST    HIGH" 
Means  the  Divine  good,  88;  also  the 
Divine  truth,  140. 

PRACTICE. 

What  charity  and  faith  are  when  not 
put  into  practice  375,  376;  see  387(6). 


PRAYER. 

When  man's  asking  is  from  the  Lord 
what  he  asks  is  given  him,  226(3);  be- 
fore washing  or  purification  from  evils 
prayer  to  God  is  not  heard,  329(4); 
supplication  should  come  after  exami- 
nation, 539;  man  cannot  effectively  pray 
passively,  505,  505(2)  (3). 

PRAYER  (THE  LORD'S). 

A  discussion  concerning  same,  112,  113 

(5)(6)(7)(8)(9). 

PRECIOUS   STONES 

Of  which  the  foundations  of  the  New 
Jerusalem  consisted  (Apoc.  xxi.)  mean 
the  truths  of  the  sense  of  the  letter  of 
the  Word,  I.  (217);  meaning  of  the  pre- 
cious stones  in  the  garden  of  Eden, 
III.  (219);  see  467;  precious  stones  sig- 
nify truths  translucent  because  of  good, 
such  as  are  in  the  sense  of  the  letter  of 
the  Word,  219;  see  353,  209(5),  843. 

PREDESTINATION. 

Memorable  Relation  concerning  pre- 
destination, 72,  73;  see  177(4).  664,  798 
(2)  (3)  (4)  (8)  (9)  (10)  (11);  predestination 
is   born  from  a  belief   in  man's  abso- 
lute impotence,  486;  see  628;  the  teach- 
ing  of   the   present   church   concerning 
predestination,  486(2)  (3),  487,  488,  489; 
see  803;  every  man  was  predestined  to 
heaven,  490;  but  man  may  give  himself 
over  to  hell  by  the  abuse  of  his  freedom 
of  choice,  ib. 

PRESENCE. 

How  angels  or  spirits  may  instantly 
become  present  with  another,  64;  bodily 
vision  emulates  presence,  ib.;  the  Lord's 
presence  with  man,  225,  229,  364,  365, 
719,  766,  774,  780. 


PRESERVATION 

Is  perpetual  creation,  46,  224;  see  679. 

PRIESTS. 

The  power  of  priestt  over  those  who 
think  of  three  Gods,  7;  see  134;  priest 
signifies  the  Divine  good,  114;  the 
good  and  truth  of  the  church  should  be 
loved,  and  the  priesthood  for  the  sake 
of  these,  415;  priesthood  of  Aaron,  218; 


i/jaiaifiriai»«!ia^isuai. 


1080 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1081 


priests  who  are  spiritual  thieves,  318, 
320;  other  kinds  of  priests,  380(2),  382, 
422,  666,  751. 

PRIMARY. 
388(6). 

PRINCIPAL 

And  instrumental,  35(6). 

PRINCIPLES 

And  derivatives,  37(3),  156,  177(2), 
280(8),  403(2). 

PRIOR  AND  POSTERIOR. 
21,  33,  35(9),  280(2). 

PROPHECY. 

See  Decree,  101;  see  149. 

PROPHET. 

The  prophets  formerly  signified  the 
doctrine  of  the  church  from  the  Word, 
129,  130;  the  Lord  was  the  essential 
Prophet,  129;  thus  He  represented  the 
Jewish  church  as  to  the  Word,  ib.;  see 
also  130(3);  prophecy  signifies  doctrine, 
149;  when  the  prophets  were  in  a  state 
like  that  of  spirits,  157. 

PROPITIATION. 

135(5). 

PROPRIUM. 

Man's  will  is  his  selfhood  (proprium), 
233,  273,  382,  399(4),  400(6),  439,  493, 
658(5).   See  Self. 

PROVIDENCE 

Is  the  government  of  the  Divine  om- 
nipotence in  accordance  with  order, 
73(3);  laws  of  Divine  Providence,  479. 

PUNISHMENT, 
Eternal,  79(8). 

PURGATORY 

Is  a  fiction  invented  by  the  Roman 
Catholics,  475(4). 

PURPLE, 

Meaning  of,  215(3),  220;  see  also  439, 
68a 


PYTHAGORAS. 
692. 

PYTHONS. 
324. 

QUALITY 

Is  perfected  by  means  of  diff  irences 
relating  to  what  is  more  or  less  oppo- 
site, 763;  quality  in  relation  to  the  Itself, 
25(3);  quality  is  from  form,  53. 

QUARTERS 

In  the  spiritual  world,  476. 

RAPHAEL. 
233. 

RATIONAL. 

By  means  of  things  rational  above  the 
sensual  man  communicates  with  heaven, 
402(13);  see  565(3);  there  are  two  ways 
to  rationality,  564(2);  the  natural  ra- 
tional faculty  is  able  to  confirm  what- 
ever it  pleases,  758;  the  spiritual  ration- 
al faculty  is  wholly  different,  ib.;  see 
also  215(4),  334(6),  384,  507. 

REACTION 

Of  evil  and  falsity  against  the  Lord's 
good  and  truth,  61. 

REASON. 

Why  it  should  not  be  neglected,  178, 
183(2);  see  also  186;  see  Ingenuity, 
621(12);  sound  reason  must  see  the 
unity  of  God,  10,  12;  see  23,  169;  human 
reason  and  the  infinity  of  God,  32,  33; 
false  ideas  of  faith  and  omnipotence 
banish  reason,  57,  770;  see  New  Chukch, 
508(5). 

REASONERS. 

Memorable  Relation  concerning  rea- 
soners  who  merely  dispute,  333. 

RECEPTACLE. 

How  man  may  become  a  receptacle 
of  the  Divine  omnipotence,  74(3);  see 
05,  362,  470,  474;  whatever  proceeds 
from  the  sun  of  the  world  is  a  receptacle 
of  life,  35(11). 


RECEPTION 

Of  God  in  man,  105;  what  man  must 
do  towards  this,  ib.;  it  is  the  only  way 
by  which  he  progresses,  ib.;  see  33,  35 
(11),  339,  366,  457. 

RECIPROCAL. 

Without  a  reciprocal  no  conjunction 
is  possible.  48(6);  see  457.  588,  786,  787; 
see  Union.  98,  and  99;  see  Conjunction, 
100;  see  287.  485,  504;  there  are  two 
kinds  of  reciprocation  by  which  conjunc- 
tion is  effected,  alternate  and  mutual, 
371(4),  372. 

RECREATIONS 
Of  charity,  433.  434. 

REDEEMER. 

By  the  Lord  the  Redeemer  is  meant 
Jehovah  in  the  Human,  81;  see  127, 
599:  the  Lord  by  glorifying  His  Human 
became  the  Redeemer,  Regenerator,  and 
SavioLir  for  ever.  579(3);  see  647(7); 
see  HuiviAN,  717. 

REDEMPTION. 

Jehovah  assumed  a  Human  in  order 
that   He   might   effect   redemption,    81; 
see  599.  838;  why  this  was  necessary, 
84-    see   182;    in   what   redemption   con- 
sisted,  84;    see    I.   (115-117);    see    also 
224(3).  579.  717,  684.  134;  what  the  acts 
of  redemption,  whereby  the  Lord  made 
Himself  righteousness,  were,  95;  by  the 
acts  of  redemption  the  Lord  put  off  the 
human  from  the  mother,  and  put  on  a 
Human  from  the  Father,  102;  see  Pas- 
sion or  THE  Cross,  95;  at  this  day  the 
Lord  is  effecting  a  redemption,   115;  to 
redeem  means  to  liberate  from  damna- 
tion,   118;    redemption   was   effected    in 
the     spiritual     world,     ib.;    redemption 
was  a  work  purely   Divine.    IV.  (123); 
the  idea  of   redemption   at  the  present 
day,  133;  in  the  conflicts  or  temptations 
of   men   the    Lord   works   a   particular 
redemption,  599;  the  Lord  by  means  of 
redemption  took  to  Himself  the  power 
to  regenerate  and  save  those  who  be- 
lieve  on   Him   and   do   His   command- 
ments,   640;  all   nations  have   been   re- 
deemed by  the  Lord,  and  hence  they  can 
be  saved,  729. 


RED   SEA 

Signifies  hell.  635. 

REFORMATION. 

In  the  state  of  reformation  man  acts 
in  freedom.  105;  the  understanding  takes 
the  chief    part,  ib.;  see    571,  587;  why 
this  must  be,   587;    the    Lord   reforms 
I   and  regenerates  man  in  the  same  man- 
'    ner  in  which  He    glorified   His  Human 
:    and    made    it    Divine.     302;     reforma- 
tion is  the  first  state  which  man  must 
pass  through  when  from  being  natural 
1   he  is  becoming  spiritual,  571;  he  looks 
towards    and    longs    for    the    spiritual 
state,  ib.;  he  who  has  not  entered  into 
the  first  state  in  the  world  cannot  after 
death  be   introduced   into   the   second. 
ib.;  the  commandments  are  the  start- 
ing point  of  reformation,  582;  reforma- 
tion  means   an   affection   for   truth   for 
the  sake  of  truth.  589;  man  is  reformed 
by    means    of    conflicts    with    and    vic- 
tories over  the  evils  of  his  flesh,  610. 

• 

REFORMED   CHURCH. 

82(3);     why    the    Reformation    took 
plac'^e.    270;    to  the  Reformed   Christian 
world  actual  repentance  is  a  very  diffi- 
cult task.  501.  502;  see  507(7);  in  the 
Reformed  Church  it  is  declared  that  God 
justifies  the  wicked  man  by  means  of 
!   the  merit   of  Christ   infused  into  him, 
:    642;  the  Reformed  Church  the  last  stage 
i   of   the   present   Christian   Church.  760; 
position  of  the  Reformed  churches  in  the 
spiritual  world,  800;  tlie  Reformed  look 
'   at  the  Word  from  their  own  doctrine, 
!    227;  the  Reformed  and  confession,  510. 

i   REGENERATION. 

j        See  Glorification.  105;  in  the  state 

'   of    regeneration    man    acts    in    freedom, 

'   but  from  love  and  intelligence,   which 

:   are  from  the  Lord,  105;  see  021(9);  the 

1   will  takes  the  chief  part,  105;  see  571; 

see  Fruit,  106;  see  Reformation,  302; 

I   see     Church,     510;     until     repentance 

takes  place  man  stands  outside  of  re- 

'  generation,  blO;  see  Hereditary  Evil, 

521(3)-  regeneration  is  the  second  state 

man    must    pass    through    when    from 

being  natural  he  is  becoming  spiritual, 

571;    in   the   Word   regeneration   is   de- 


1 

i 


1082 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


scribed  by  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit, 
572;  see  583;  to  be  born  again  is  to  be 
regenerated,  573;  regeneration  is  effected 
by  the  Lord  through  charity  and  faith, 
576;  see  618,   620;   the  Lord  is  unceas- 
ingly in   the  act  of    regenerating  man, 
577;  since  all  have  been  redeemed  they 
may  be  regenerated,   579(2);   each  man 
is    regenerated    according    to    his    state, 
580;  regeneration  is  effected  in  a  manner 
similar  to  conception,   gestation,   birth 
and  education,  583,  584;  man  can  only 
be  regenerated  gradually,  586;  regenera- 
tion is  effected  by  means  of  the  under- 
standing   as    the    mediate    cause,    587; 
when  man's  will  leads  him  to  shun  evil 
and  do  good   the  state  of  regeneration 
begins,  ib.;  the  internal  man  must  first 
be  regenerated  and  by  means  of  it  the 
external,  591;  it  is  the  internal  natural 
man  that  is  first  to  be  regenerated,  593; 
man's  regeneration  is  described  in    Eze- 
kiel  by  the  "dry  bones, "  etc.,  594;  the 
internal   and   external   of     a   regenerate 
man,  595(3);  the  regenerated  man  has  a 
new  will  and  a  new  understanding,  (501; 
regeneration  and  the  three  regions  of  the 
mind,  (503;  see  Heaven,  (>05;  by  regener- 
ation   man    becomes    spiritual    natural, 
607(2);  a  regenerate  man  is  in  commun- 
ion with  angels,   607(3);  regeneration  is 
effected  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  man's  life  in  the  world,  and  is  after- 
ward continued  and  perfected,  610;  see 
611;    so   far   as   man    is   regenerated   he 
attributes   notliing   of  good   and    truth 
to  himself  but  to  the  Lord,  610;  so  far 
as  man  is  regenerated  sins  are  removed, 
611;  that  is  forgiven,  614;  without  free- 
dom of  choice  in  spiritual  things  man 
could    not    be    regenerated,    615;    some 
natural  representations  of  regeneration, 
687(2)(3);  those  who  confess  the  Lord 
and  who  do  good  to  the  neighbor  are 
not  regenerated  unless  this  is  clone  from 
love  to  the  neighbor,  and  from  faith  in 
the  Lord,  726. 

RELATIVES 

Pertain  to  the  harmonious  arrange- 
ment of  many  parts,  62;  there  are  rela- 
tives in  each  opposite,  ib.;  the  relatives 
in  hell  are  opposite  to  the  relatives  in 
heaven,  ib. 


RELIGION 

Occupies  the  highest  seat  in  the  hu- 
man mind,  and  sees  beneath  it  the  civil 
matters  pertaining  to  the  world,  601; 
see  829;  God  must  be  acknowledged  in 
order  that  man  may  have  religion,  722; 
religion  is  to  shun  evil  and  do  good, 
389(3);  whence  have  sprung  the  dif- 
ferent religions  in  the  world,  275;  by 
the  things  of  religion  there  is  conjunc- 
tion between  God  and  man,  283;  see  536. 

REMAINS. 

See  Freedom  of  Choice,  493;  every 
evil  that  a  man  has  actually  appropri- 
ated to  himself  remains,  614;  the  sub- 
stance of  anything  that  is  not  received 
in  the  understanding  does  not  remain 
in  the  memory,  621(4). 

REMISSION    OF    SINS. 

The  arbitrary  remission  of  sins  would 
be  contrary  to  Divine  order,  90;  what 
remission  of  sins  is,  142;  see  409,  510, 
559,  614,  621. 

RENOVATION. 
142. 

REPENTANCE. 

Sins  can  be  washed  away  only  by  re- 
pentance, 409;  without  repentance  true 
faith  and  genuine  charity  are  impossible, 
509;  the  means  whereby  the  church  is 
established  in  man  are  acts  of  repent- 
ance, 510;  acts  of  repentance  are  all 
such  things  as  cause  man  not  to  will 
and  not  to  commit  evils  which  are  sins 
against  Go<l,  ib.;  the  first  thing  of  the 
church  in  man  is  repentance,  ib.;  man 
cannot  enter  into  conjunction  with  the 
Lord  unless  to  some  extent  he  removes 
his  evils  by  repentance,  522;  those  who 
are  unwilling  to  hear  anything  about 
repentance  reject  the  idea  of  sin,  523; 
to  actually  repent  man  must  examine 
himself,  recognize  and  acknowledge  his 
sins,  pray  to  the  Lord,  and  begin  a 
new  life,  530;  see  561,  567(5),  621(6); 
what  is  sufficient  to  initiate  man  into 
the  actuality  of  repentance,  530;  true 
repentance  is  the  examination  not  only 
of   the   actions   but   also   of  the  inten- 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1083 


tions  of  one's  wiU,  532;  see  533(3);  man 
can  repent  of  evils  he  has  done  in  the 
body  and  still  think  and  will  evU,  532; 
if  after  scrutiny  man  determines  that 
he  will  not  wiU  to  do  sins  because  they 
are  sins  he  truly  and  interiorly  repents 
ib.;  how  repentance  may  be  performed 
without    self-examination,    535;    actual 
repentance  is  easy  to  those  who  at  times 
practise   it.    but   is   extremely   difficult 
to   those    who    have    not    practised    it, 
562(3);  man  is  held  constantly  in  a  state 
of  possible  repentance,  720. 

REPRESENTATIVE. 

See  Man,  66;  all  churches  before 
the  Lord's  coming  were  representative 
churches,  109;  see  201.  670,  786;  repre- 
sentative things  of  the  church  vanished 
after  the  Lord's  coming,  109(2);  repre- 
sentations are  such  things  in  the  wor  d 
as  correspond  to  and  signify  heavenly 
things,  275. 

RESISTANCE. 

When  one  who  has  charity  resists  an 
enemy  he  does  it  by  means  of  the  ex- 
ternal man,  408;  how  man  should  resist 
evils,  438;  see  also  68. 

REST. 

When  man  is  regenerated  he  has  rest, 

302. 

RESURRECTION. 

See  Divine  Natural,  109;  the  Lord's 
resurrection  signified  His  glorification, 
130(3);  resurrection  to  life  signifies  sal- 
vation, 652. 

REVELATION. 

Knowledge  of  God  is  not  possible 
without  revelation,  11;  the  primeval 
revelation  has  been  perverted,  ib.;  the 
Word  is  the  crown  of  revelation,  ib.; 
through  revelation  man  is  able  to  re- 
ceive influx  from  God,  ib.;  see  22(2). 

REWARD. 
439,  440,  441. 

RICH    MAN 

In  Luke   xvi..  215(4).  246.  595. 


RICHES. 
404. 


RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

God  cannot  impute  to  man  the  right- 
eousness of  the  Son,  58;  see  640(2) (3), 
641   641(3);  through  the  acts  of  redemp- 
tion the  Lord  made  Himself  righteous- 
ness, V.  95.  96;  righteousness  is   doing 
and  restoring  all  things  in    accordance 
with  Divine  order,  95;  the  righteous  are 
those  who  have  lived  in  accordance  with 
Divine  order,  96;  see  Man,  96;  see  Re- 
demption. 95:  to  claim  merit  to  oneself 
is  to  deny  the  righteousness  of  the  Lord, 
439. 

RITES. 

Representative    rites    of    the    church 
were  turned  into  idolatries,  204. 

ROCK 

Means  the  Lord  in  respect  to  Divine 
truth,  224(4);  see  342(2);  379(2),  788. 

ROMAN   CATHOLICS. 

82(3).  174-176.  177  (4).  268.  270.  489. 
415.    562(2)(3).    567(7).    634.    760;    the 
Papists   in   the   spiritual   world   appear 
round  about  and  beneath  the  Protes- 
tants, 817;  the  place  of  council  of  the 
Papist   leaders   in   the   spiritual   world, 
819-  no  one  who  had  been  a  pope  is  ad- 
mitted to  this  assembly,  ib.;  the  wor- 
ship  is  nearly  the  same  as  their  worship 
in  the  world,  ib.;  the  Papists  in  the  spir- 
itual world  have  a  representative  of  a 
pope  placed  over  them,  820;   after  in- 
struction   they  are   introduced    into   a 
society    composed   of  those   who  have 
withdrawn    from    the    worship    of    the 
pope  and  the   saints,   ib.;    Catholics   m 
this  world   who   had  thought    more  of 
God  than  of  tVie  papacy,   and  from  a 
simple  heart  had  done  works  of  charity 
are   easily  led    away  in    the   spiritual 
world  from  the   superstitions  of   their 
religion,  821;  those  who  have  been  made 
saints  by  papal  bulls  are  removed  from 
the    sight   of    otners   in    the    spiritual 
world,  823,  824,  825. 

ROYALTY. 

Signifies  Divine  truth,  114. 


1084 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


RUBY 

Signifies  heavenly  good,  609. 

RULERS. 

Those  who  have  promoted  uses  from 
love  to  the  neighbor  are  placed  as  rulers 
over  heavenly  coramunities,  412(3). 

SABBATH 

Means  rest,  301,  303;  with  the  Jews 
it  was  the  sanctity  of  sanctities,  301;  it 
became  a  day  of  instruction  in  Divine 
things,   ib.;  see  738,    750. 

SACRAMENT. 

See  Baptism  and  Holy  Supper. 

SACRED   SCRIPTURE. 
See  Word. 

SACRIFICES. 

Why  the  worship  of  the  Israelites  con- 
sisted chiefly  of  sacrifices,  495. 

SAINTS. 

Concerning  the  worship  of  saints,  824; 
the  invocation  of  saints  is  a  mere  mock- 
ery, and  is  not  heard  by  them,  825;  see 
Roman  Catholics,  823;  see  also  292. 

SALVATION. 

How  salvation  is  possible,  2;  how  im- 
possible, 2(2);  see  457,  726;  see  also  3; 
the  righteousness  of  the  Lord's  redemp- 
tion cannot  directly  effect  salvation,  96; 
what  can  effect  it,  ib.;  why  salvation 
depends  upon  a  knowledge  and  acknowl- 
edgment of  God,  98;  upon  a  belief  in 
Him  as  visible,  159(7);  how  those  may 
be  saved  who  know  nothing  about  the 
Lord,  107(3);  hereafter  no  one  from 
among  Christians  enters  heaven  unless 
he  believes  in  the  Lord  God  the  Saviour 
and  approaches  Him  alone,  107,  108; 
without  the  redemption  no  man  could 
have  been  saved,  II.  (118-120).  294;  in 
reference  to  salvation,  redemption  and 
the  passion  of  the  cross  make  one, 
127;  the  salvation  of  all  is  the  Lord's 
end,  142;  the  Lord  is  all  that  whereby 
salvation  is  obtained,  150;  see  766;  un- 
less a  new  heaven  and  a  new  church 
were  established  there  could  no  flesh  be 


saved,  VIII.  (182);  whatever  Jehovah 
commands  is  something  to  be  done  for 
the  sake  of  salvation,  282;  God  never 
ceases  to  look  to  man  and  to  make  oper- 
ative such  things  as  relate  to  man's  sal- 
vation, 287;  the  two  general  means  of 
salvation,  340;  he  who  conjoins  the  in- 
ternal and  external  man  in  good  be- 
comes kappy  to  eternity,  340(3);  see 
361(2);  see  God,  341;  by  conjunction 
with  God  man  has  salvation,  369;  see 
484,  787;  for  a  man  to  have  salvation 
faith  and  charity  must  not  be  separated, 
393;  see  450;  see  Freedom  of  Choice, 
485;  until  repentance  takes  place  salva- 
tion enters  no  further  than  into  the 
ideas  of  man's  thought,  510;  see  528, 
655;  see  Good,  536;  unless  a  man  is 
born  again  he  cannot  ejiter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God,  572,  577;  since  all  may 
be  regenerated  all  may  be  saved,  579(2); 
see  Lord,  651;  see  Judgment,  652;  see 
Second  Coming,  772;  the  salvation  of 
men  is  the  continuation  of  creation,  773. 

SAMSON. 
223. 

SANCTIFICATION 

Of  man,  how  it  is  accomplished,  142; 
see  150. 

SATANS 

Are  those  who  have  confirmed  in 
themselves  falsities,  80(4);  see  35,  76, 
151,  401(4);  see  Devils,  80(4);  how 
novitiate  spirits  become  satans,  281 
(whole  no.);  difference  between  devils 
and  satans,  281(12);  no  satan  can  bear 
to  hear  any  truth  from  the  Word  or  to 
hear  Jesus  named,  380(3). 

SAVING    FAITH. 

Why  it  is  impossible  to  make  faith 
alone  a  saving  faith,  96. 

SAVIOUR. 

A  Christian  cannot  enter  heaven  un- 
less he  believes  in  the  Lord  God  the 
Saviour  and  approaches  Him  alone,  IX. 
(107,  108);  see  150,  538;  those  who  go 
to  God  the  Saviour,  at  the  same  time  go 
to  the  Father  also,  337;  see  Heaven, 
621(7). 


INDEX  OE  WORDS 


1085 


"SCEPTER  (THE)" 

Means  the  Lord's  government,  16(2). 

SCIENCE. 

Relative  position  of  scientific  subjects 
in  a  man's  mind,  186. 

SCOTLAND. 
812. 

SECOND   COMING. 

At  this  day  is  the  second  coming  of  the 
Lord,  115;  concerning  a  glorification  of 
the  Lord  on  account  of  His  second  com-  \ 
ing,  625;  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord   j 
marks  the  consummation  of  the  present   | 
church,  764(3) (4);  the  second  coming  of  . 
the  Lord  is  for  the  purpose  of  saving 
those  who  believe  in  Him,  772;  it  is  for 
the  purpose  of  forming  a  new  heaven 
and  a  new  church,  773;  the  second  com- 
ing of  the  Lord  is  not  a  coming  in  Per- 
son but  in  the  W^ord,  777. 

SEED  (THE) 

Of  man,  means  the  truth  of  the  Word, 
761(2);  see  350;  in  all  seed  there  is  in- 
herent a  certain  immensity  and  eter- 
nity, 32(3);  see  32(4);  see  also  374,  499, 
585,  794. 

SELF. 

Love  of  self,  and  the  conceit  of  one's 
own  intelligence  are  signified  by  eating 
of  the  tree  of    the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil,  48(18);  condition  of  those  with 
whom  self  and  the  world  are  ends,  233; 
man  has  no  wish   to  understand  any- 
thing except  what  is  from  the  selfhood 
of  his  will,  273;  from  the  selfhood  could 
spring  no  other  worship  than  the  wor- 
ship of  self,  274;  to  one  who  loves  him- 
self or  the  world  above  all  things,  him- 
self or   the  world  is  his    God,  293;  to 
claim  for  oneself  the  Lord's  merit  and 
righteousness  is  stealing  in  the  celestial 
sense,  319;  in  natural  faith  and  charity 
there  is  what  is  man's  own,  359;  what 
man  himself  does  from  himself  has  no 
real  life  in  it,  ib.;  so  far  as   faith   and 
charity  in  man  become  spiritual  he  is 
withdrawn  from  his  own,  361(2);   it  is 
provided  by  the  Lord  that  man  should 


feel  in  himself  as  his  own  whatever  flows 
in  from  without,  362(2);  see  461(4)(5) 
(6)(7),  727(3);  see  Evil,  382;  see  Love 
and  Charity,  394;  how  love  of  self  is  of 
use  in  good  works,  395;  what  love  of 
self  is,  400;  man  is  in  the  love  of  self 
when   he  has   no   regard  for   anything 
else,  400(2);  he  loves  others,  but  for  the 
sake  of  himself,  400(3);  he  despises  his 
neighbor    in  comparison  with  himself, 
400(4);  he  washes  the  church,  his  coun- 
try, society,  and  his   fellow-citizens  to 
serve  him,  400(5);  so  far  as  any  one  is 
in  the  love  of  self,  so  far  he  is  led  by 
himself,  400(6);  until  he  desires  to  rule 
even   over   God    Himself,    400(7);    the 
evils  that  prevail  with   those  who  are 
in  the  love  of  self,  400(10);  see  405(3)^ 
when   the   love  of   self   constitutes  the 
head,  the  love  of  heaven  passes  down 
to  the  feet    405;  rulers  are  not  neces- 
sarily in  the  love  of  self,  405(2);  con- 
cerning   the    power    to    fight     against 
evils,  which  seems  to  man  to  come  from 
himself,   438;   see  457(4),  596(2);   those 
who   value   salvation   immerse   the   in- 
terior desires  of  the  mind  in  what  is 
their  own,  439;   see  Man,  470;  man  is 
composed  of  the  love  of  use,  of  the  world, 
and  of  self  in  order  that  he  may  think 
from  God,  yet  wholly  as  if  of  himself, 
507(6);  man  exercises  thought  and  will 
as  if  of  himself,   588;   a  man  becomes 
guilty  when  he  believes  that  he  acts 
from  himself,  whether  in  doing  good  or 
evil,    621(10);    concerning    the    love    of 
ruling  from  the  love  of  self,  661  (4) (5)  (6) 
(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12);  man  has  no  other 
feeling  or  perception    than  that  intelli- 
gence and  wisdom  are  in  himself,  663; 
the  love  of  self  is  the  opposite  of  love  to 
God,  754.    See  Proprium. 

SEMEN. 

How  it  is  conceived  and  given  form, 
584;  see  103(2) (3). 

SENECA. 
273. 

SENSATION. 

From  what  sensation  results,  577(3); 
see  35(6). 


1086 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


SENSE   OF   THE    LETTER. 
See  Natural  Sense. 

SENSUAL-CORPOREAL. 

When  spiritual  light  becomes  aenaual- 
corporeal,  94;  the  sensual  and  corpor- 
eal man  is  merely  natural  and  differs 
from  an  animal  only  in  being  able  to 
talk  and  reason,  296(2);  by" means  of 
sensual  things  man  communicates  with 
the  world,  402(13);  see  35(6);  may  be 
of  service  to  the  internal  spiritual,  402 
(14)  (15)  (16)  (17)  (18)  (19)  (20);  the  sen- 
sual is  the  outmost  of  the  life  of  man's 
mind,  adherent  to  and  coherent  with 
hia  five  bodily  senses,  565;  sensual 
things  ought  to  occupy  the  last  place, 
565(3). 

SENSUAL   MAN. 
See  Natural.  Man. 

SERIES. 

Arrangement  into  series,  351,  352; 
see  32(8). 

"SERPENT  (THE)" 

Means  the  devil  in  respect  to  self 
love  and  pride,  48(18);  see  205,  324,  380, 
402;  serpents  of  the  tree  of  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil  are  those  who  reason 
only  from  sensual  things,  565(2). 

SERVANTS 

May  be  said  to  be  like  those  who  are 
not  conjoined  to  the  Lord,  105,  306. 

SEVENTH    DAY 

Was  a  representative  of  the  close  of 
the  whole  of  the  Lord's  work  of  redemp- 
tion, 301;  it  also  signifies  man's  conjunc- 
tion with  the  Lord,  and  regeneration 
thereby,  302. 

SHADES  OF   NIGHT. 

Who  those  are,  who  are  in  the  shades 
of  night;  and  how  they  try  to  pervert 
Divine  declarations,  83;  see  109(2) (3). 

SHADOW. 

When  only  the  internal  man  is  en- 
lightened and  not  the  natural  as  well, 
and  vice  versa,  there  is  shadow,  109(3). 


SHEBA- 
706(5). 

SHEEP. 

200(2). 

SIGHT. 

Spiritual  and  natural  sight,  346;  see 
395,  504,  767;  see  also  334(8). 

SILVER 

Signifies  spiritual  good,  609. 

SIMPLE. 

Who  are  meant  by  the  simple  in  the 
Word,   147;   "simple  in  spirit,"  443(2). 

"SIMPLE    SUBSTANCE" 
Of  Wolff,  see  Order,  90. 

SIMULTANEOUS    ORDER, 

What  it  is,  214;  its  relation  to  the  vari- 
ous senses  of  the  Word,  214(2). 

SIN. 

See  Evil. 

SIRENS. 
80. 

"SITTING  AT  THE  RIGHT  HAND" 
Means  God's  omnipotence  through  His 
Humanity,  16(2);  see  136  (whole  no.). 

SIX  DAYS  OF  LABOR 

Signify    man's    warfare    against    the 
flesh  and  its  lusts,  302. 

SLEEP. 
199.  606. 

SOCINIANISM. 

See    Christian    Churchi':8,    94;    see 
339,  380. 

SOCINUS. 
159(6). 

SOCRATES. 
692. 

SOLDIER. 

It  is  glorious  for  a  soldier  to  shed  his 
blood  for  his  country,  414. 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1087 


SON  (AS  APPLIED  TO  GOD) 

Imaginary  description  of  the  Son  as  a 
separate    God,    15.    16;    why    Jehovah 
called  the  Lord  His  Son,  82(3);  whoso- 
ever believes  in  the  Son  believes  in  the 
Father,  107(3);  approach  to  the  Father 
is   through    the    Son   and  in   the   Son, 
113(6);  the  Son  operates  these  energies 
(pertaining  to  the  Holy  Spirit)  of  Him- 
self from    the    Father,   153(2);  by    the 
Son  should  be  understood  the    Divme 
Human  from  the    Father,   172(3);  the 
first   principle  of   faith    in  the  Lord  is 
the    acknowledgment  that    He    is    the 
Son  of  God,  that  is  God  from  God,  342; 
those  who  believe  the  Lord  to  be  the 
Son  of  God  also  have  the  true  faith,  be- 
cause  such    believe   Him   to    be   God, 
379(2);  the  Human  whereby  God  sent 
Himself    into  the  world  is  the   Son  of 
God,  IV.  (92-94);  -Son  of  God  means  Je- 
hovah God    in    His  Human,  92;  these 
two  (the  Divine  from  Jehovah  and  the 
human  from  Mary)  united  are  the  Son 
of  God,  92. 

SON    OF    DAVID. 

The  Lord  did  not  acknowledge  Him- 
self to  be  the  Son  of  David,  102(2). 

SON    OF    MAN 

Means  the  Lord  in  respect  to  the 
Word,  92,  271;  or  Divine  truth,  85(2); 
see  198. 

SON    OF   MARY 

Means  strictly  the  human  the  Lord 
took  on,  92;  explanation  of  why  this 
means  the  human,  it.;  see  94;  it  is  true 
that  the  Lord  was  the  -Son  of  Mary,  but 
not  true  that  He  still  is,  102;  see  also 
342(3). 

SOOTHSAYER. 

When  a  man  thinks  about  spiritual 
things  as  a  soothsayer  thinks  of  them, 
94. 

SOPHI. 

692,  693,  695. 

SOUL  (THE) 

Is  woven  of  such  things  as  exist  in 
the   spiritual   world,    103;    the   soul   is 


from  the  father,  ib.;  see  82(3).  92;  the 
soul  acts  in  and  into  the  body,  154(6); 
the  body  is  conceived  and  derived  from 
the  soul,  166,  167;  Memorable  Relation 
concerning  the  soul,  697;  soul  is  the  in- 
most and  highest  part  of  man,  and  the 
influx  from  God  enters  into  that,  8;  see 
25(4),  111(7),  112(5). 

SPACE 

A  property  of  the  natural  world  which 
causes  all  things  of  it  to  be  finite,  27; 
see  29,   35(11);   in  the    spiritual  world 
space  exists  only  apparently,   29;  God 
is    in    space    without    space,    III.  (30); 
affection    of   love   and   thought   of   the 
understanding    are    in    space    without 
space,    64;    see   Spiritual,    103(3);    see 
also  280(9)(10). 

SPEARS 

Mean  truths  combating,  86. 

SPEECH. 

In  the  natural  world  man's  speech  is 
twofold,  but  not  in  the  spiritual  world, 
HI;  see  386(2) (3) (4).     See  Language. 

SPHERES. 

See  Spiritual  World,  331. 


SPIRITS 

Could   not  continue  to  exist  if  men 
were  taken  away  from  under  them,  118; 
man's   spirit   means   simply   his   mmd; 
for  this  it  is  that  lives  after  death,  and 
it  is  then  called  a  spirit,  156;  "being  in 
the  spirit "  means  a  state  of  mind  sepa- 
rate from  the  body,   157;    some  spirits 
below  the  heavens  abuse  man's  shanng 
of  the  Word  with  angels,   235;   spirits 
are  like  men,  240;  see  792,  793;  difference 
between   them.    240.   793.   798.   280(8), 
694(5);    spirits    can    comprehend    such 
things  as  transcend  man's  natural  ideas, 
280(9);    with    every   man   there   is   an 
associate  spirit,  380(3);  why  spirits  can- 
not be  seen.  475;  by  means    of    his  m- 
teriors  man  communicates  with  spirits, 
ib.;  if   all   connection  with   spirits  were 
taken  from  him  man  would   instantly 
die.  ib.;  man's  spirit  is   in   every  least 
thing  that  takes  place  in  the  body,  607 
(2);  it  is  peculiar  to  the  spiritual  world 


1088 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


that  a  spirit  thinks  himself  to  be  such 
as  his  dress  is,  663(3). 

SPIRIT   OF   TRUTH. 

The  meaning  of  this  term  as  applied 
to  the  Lord,  139(3). 

SPIRITUAL. 

Man  becomes  spiritual  in  accordance 
with  faith  from  God,  together  with  life 
from  God,  8(4);  he  was  so  created  as  to 
be  spiritual  as  well  as  natural,  22;  what 
spiritual  things  are,  75(3);  all  the  spirit- 
uoL  that  man  has  is    from  the  father, 
92;  the  spiritual  has  nothing  in  common 
with  space,  103(3);  whatever  goes  forth 
from  the  Lord's  Divine  wisdom  is  called 
the    Divine    Spiritual,    195;    spiritual 
thoughts   are    the    beginnings    of    nat- 
ural thoughts.  280(5);  relation  of  celes- 
tial wisdom    to    spiritual   wisdom;  280 
(7);  spiritual  or  substantial  things  are 
the  beginnings  of  material  things,  280 
(8);  see  208  (9)  (10);  anything    spirUual 
in    order    to    be    anything    with    man 
must  have  a  recipient  in  the  natural, 
339;  by  the  life  in  faith  and  charity  is 
meant  spiritual  life,  358;  spiritual  heat 
and  light  are  inwardly  in  natural  heat 
and  light,  360(2);  the  Lord  enters  into 
man  through  spiritual  things,  482;  it  is 
the  spiritual  which  is  the  living  force, 
607(2);  what  it  is  to  think  spiritually, 
623(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). 

SPIRITUAL  SENSE. 

In  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word 
Divine  truth  is  seen  in  clear  light,  85(2); 
what  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word  is, 
and   its   value,  192;    I.  (194,    195);    see 
846    846(2);   where  this  spiritual  sense 
is  hidden  in  the  Word,   193;   II.  (196- 
199);   by  means  of  the  spiritual  sense 
the  Word  has  communication  with  the 
heavens,  194;  no  one  can  see  the  spiHt- 
ual  sense  except  from  a  knowledge  of 
correspondences,  196;  the  spiritual  sense 
of  the  Word  is  to  be  opened  at  the  end 
of    the    church   (mentioned    in    Apoca- 
lypse xix.  11-18),  196(3):  it  is  because  of 
the   spirUual   sense   that   the   Word    is 
Divinely    inspired    and    holy    in    every 
word.     III.  (200);     why    the    spiritual 
tense  is  now  revealed,  200,   271,   700; 


heretofore  the  spiritruil  sense  has  beea 
unknown,    IV.  (201-207);    the  spirUuc.l 
sense  will  not  for  a  long  time  be  ao 
knowledged,   207;   henceforth  the  spir- 
itual sense  of  the  Word  will  be  given 
only  to  such  as  are  in  genuine  truths 
from  the   Lord,   V.  (208);   the  spiritual 
sense  can  be  seen  by  no  one  except  from 
the  Lord  alone,  208.  230;  the  spiritwil 
sense  treats  of  the  Lord  alone  and  His 
Kingdom,  208;  wonderful  things  in  re- 
gard to  the  Word  arising  from  its  spirii- 
ual  sense,   VI.  (209);    the  celestial  and 
spiritual  senses  separated  from  the  nat- 
ural sense  are  not   the  Word,   214(2); 
naked  truths  are  in  tlie  spiritual  sense 
of  the  Word,   215;  doctrine  is  not  ac- 
quired by  means  of  the  spiritual  sense, 
but  only  illustrated   and   corroborated 
by  it,  230;  by  means  of  it  the  Lord  in- 
flows into  the  natural  sense  of  the  Word, 
231;  to  whom  the  things  that  lie  hidden 
in  the  spiritual  sense  are  apparent,  244; 
the  spiritual  sense  has  relation  chiefly 
to  the  church,  248;  and  again  to  Divine 
truth,  ib.;  in  the  spiritual  and  celestial 
senses  the  Decalogue  contains  all  things 
of  faith   and   charity,    289;    the   Lord's 
presence  in  the  Word  is  by  means  of 
the  spirUual  sense,  780;  by  means  of  the 
spiritual    sense  the  Word  conjoins    the 
men  of  the  church  with  the  Lord,  and 
associates   them   with   angels,    846;    by 
the  opening  of  the  spiritual  sense   the 
Christian  Church  is  revived,  846(2^ 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1089 


SPIRITUAL   WORLD 

As  to  time  and  space,  29(2);  in  the 
spiritual  world  creation  is  a  continuous 
process,  78(4);  heretofore  no  one  has 
known  anything  about  the  spiritual 
world,  91;  the  connection  between  the 
spiritual  world  and  the  natural  world, 
118;  the  distinction  is  like  that  be- 
tweeen  the  prior  and  the  posterior,  or 
cause  and  effect,  or  particulars  and 
generals.  280(2) (8);  the  spiritual  world 
enters  into  the  natural  and  perceives 
the  thoughts  of  men  there,  137(8); 
nothing  exists  in  this  world  that  does 
not  also  exist  in  the  spiritual  world. 
yet  in  origin  they  differ,  185.  20€'(5); 
see  693(3),  694(5),  794;  in  the  spirUual 


I 


world  wonderful  things  from  the  Word 
appear,    209;    a    man   of   the    spiritual 
^orld  does  not  see  a  man  of  the  natural 
world,    280,  280(7);    there  exhales  from 
every  one  in  the  spiritual  world  a  sphere 
of   his  love,  and   by  these  spheres  the 
good  are  separated  from  the  evil,  331 ; 
in  the   spiritual  world  all  conjunctions 
and  consociations  are  effected  by  simili- 
tudes, 365(4);  in  the  spiritual  world  all 
things  appear  at  a  distance  in  accord- 
ance with  correspondences,  388(3);    the 
intermediate  state  in  the  spiritua  world 
447;  friendship  in   the   spiritual  world 
ih  •  also  448;  arrangement  of  the  spiri- 
uaiti;orW.475(2)(3)(4);  from  infancy  to 
old  age  the  natural  man  is  changing  his 
l^camy  or    situation   in    the    spiritual 
world,  476;    man  does  this  himself  t6.. 
all  in  the  spiritual  world     have    their 
abodes   according   to  the  quarters,  ib  ; 
see  661.  800;  all  in  the  spiritual  world 
are  affiliated  according  to  their  loves, 
569;  when  this  body  is  laid  aside  man 
enters    a    world    where    all  things    are 
spiritual,  583;  see  607(3);  see  Combat 
596(2);  see  Christian  Church,  619;  it 
is   by   their   religions  that   peoples  and 
nations  in  the  spiritual  world  are  distin- 
guished from  each  other,  678;  upon  the 
distinct    arrangement   of   the   spiritual 
world    the    preservation    of    the  whole 
universe  depends,  ib.;  in    the  spiritual 
world   the  variety  and  comminghng  of 
affections  is  distinctly  perceived  in  the 
tone  of  the  voice,  694;  concerning  clouds 
in  the  spiritual  world,  776(3);  the  state 
of  every  one  in   the   spiritual  world  is 
in  accordance  with  his  acknowledgment 
and  worship  of    God,   795;   the   Chris- 
tians  are  in  the  center  of  the  spiritual 
world,  800;  see  828;  in  the  interna    of 
man's  thought  man  is  in  the  spiritual 
world,  806;  such  as  the  state  of  man  s 
mind  is  in  the  natural  world,  such  it  is 
in  the  spiritual  world,  816;  all  who  go 
to  the  spiritual  world  are  kept  at  first  in 
the  confession  of  faith  and  religion  of 
their  own  country.  820;  -velat^«^^  °^ 
the  spiritual  world  as  described  m  the 
Word,  851  (whole  no.). 

STARS. 
32(5),  160. 
69 


STARS    (THE) 

iMatt.  xxrv.)  mean  the  Lord  m  re- 
spect to  knowledges  of  truth  and  good. 
271;  see  176,  198. 


STATE    (SPIRITUAL) 

Is  predicated  in  general  of  good  and 
truth,  30;  see  35(11);  see  Reforma- 
tion,   Regeneration,    Internal,    t.x- 

TERNAli. 

STEAL. 

Meaning  of  the  commandment  '' Thou 
Shalt  not  steal,"  236(3);  317-320. 

SUBJUGATION   OF    THE   HELLS. 
115-117. 

SUBSISTENCE 

Is  perpetual  existence,  35(8),  46.  224. 

SUBSTANCE. 

God  is  Substance  itself  and  Form 
itself,  II.  (20);  see  33,  37;  unless  ^sub- 
stance is  a  form  it  is  a  figment  of  the 
reason,  20;  see  also  21,  28;  concerning 
substance  and  form.  52;  see  Ouder,  53, 
love  and  wisdom  are  in  God  as  sub- 
stance, 76(4);  matter  originates  in  sub- 
stance, 694(5);  see  470(2)(3). 


SUBSTANTIAL. 


Spiritual    atmospheres    are    substan- 
tial, 76(3);  the  substantial  is  the  primi- 
tive of  the  material,  79(7);   see  30(2) 
see  Spiritual,  280(8).  See  Spirit  and 
Spiritual  World. 

SUCCESSIVE   ORDER. 
What  it  is,  214. 

SUN  (THE) 

In  the  spiritual  world  is  pure  love 
from  Jehovah  God.  24;  see  661.  691. 
846(5);  consequences  of  this,  24;  see 
691(2);  from  this  sun  is  the  first  of  the 

.  .  ^ca  ooriV  see  33;  by  means 

finiting  process,  29(3).  see  ao,  "> 

of  the  spiritual  sur.  order  was  produced. 
•63-  how  the  spiritual  sun  affects  man, 
75'(2)nee  364(2),   618(3).  641(2).  774; 

by  the  sun  is  meant  the  ^or^XT^l 
to  love.  271;  the  heat  and  light  from 

the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world  have  We 


Miusm^Si^latMMUHliSimAt 


t^^U 


lilt  iwi-iirnif  I'rTiiliiiiirtifiitiiiS^  J 


1090 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


within  them,  but  not  so  with  the  heat 
and  light  from  the  sun  of  the  natural 
world,  360;  see  365(2),  366(3),  392,  622; 
8un  of  this  world  consists  of  created 
substances,  472(3);  the  sun  from  which 
the  light  of  truths  flows  forth  is  the 
Lord  in  the  spiritual  world,  620;  the  sun 
of  the  spiritual  world  after  Jehovah 
God  assumed  the  Human,  641(4);  effect 
Upon  the  wicked  when  the  Lord  ren- 
ders Himself  more  immediately  present 
in  heaven  than  its  sun,  691(2);  this  is 
done  by  an  angel  with  a  sphere  of  love 
from  the  Lord  encompassing  him,  i6.,- 
every  angel  sees  the  Lord  in  front  of 
him,  the  Lord  being  the  sun  of  heaven, 
767. 

SUPPERS. 

Concerning  suppers  which  are  diver- 
sions of  charity,  and  their  spiritual 
meaning,  433. 

SUPPLICATION. 

See  Confession  and  Prayer. 

SUPRA  LAPSARIANS. 

72,   183(3),   486(2). 

SWAMMERDAM. 

585(3). 

SWEDENBORG. 

His  statement  as  to  being  in  the 
spirit,  14(4),  64.  123,  157.  188.  233.  240, 
277,  280.  280(7).  281.  608.  613.  625(4), 
695(2),  774.  779.  795,  806.  851;  his  per- 
ceptions while  reading  the  Word.  272; 
an  experience  of  Swedenborg's  while  al- 
most dead.  567;  he  has  observed  the 
changing  of  appearances  of  truths  into 
genuine  truth,  650;  he  has  seen  the 
wicked  terrified  by  an  angel  encom- 
passed with  a  sphere  of  love  from  the 
Lord.  691(2);  he  has  been  commanded 
by  the  Lord  to  make  known  various 
things  concerning  the  last  judgment. 
etc.,  771;  Swedenborg  saw  the  last  judg- 
ment which  took  place  in  the  spiritual 
world  in  the  year  1757,  772;  the  Lord 
has  opened  the  spiritual  sense  of  the 
Word  to  Swedenborg,  776,  780;  the 
Lord  manifested  Himself  before  me 
{Swedenborg)  His  servant,  779;  see  851; 


Swedenborg  has  not  received  anything 
!    whatever    pertaining    to    the   doctrines 
I   of  the  New  Church  from  any  angel  but 
from  the  Lord  alone  while  he  has  read 
!    the    Word,    ib.;   Swedenborg    conversed 
!    with   Luther.   796(3) (4);    with    Melanc- 
.    thon,  797,  797(4)  (5);  with  Calvin.  798 
j    (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10);  with   followers   and 
opponents  of  these  three  men.  799;  with 
one   who  had   been   a  pope,   820;  with 
those  who  had  been  made  popish  saints, 
824;    Swedenborg  saw  Mohammed.  830; 
it  was  granted  to  Swedenborg  to  perceive 
the   nature    of   the    heat   of   polygamic 
love,    834;    Swedenborg    conversed    with 
some   Africans    in   the    spiritual    world, 
837;   Swedenborg  prepared  for  his  office 
by  the  Lord  from   earliest  youth,  850; 
Swedenborg's  statement  concerning  the 
Memorable  Relations.  851;  from  infancy 
Swedenborg  has  had  the  idea  of  one  God, 
16(2);   his  meditation    concerning  crea- 
tion. 76;  also  about  God  from  eternity, 
31    (3),   280    (10);   Swedenborg   sees  the 
Temple  of  Wisdom,  387(2);   the  twelve 
Apostles  were  present  with  Swedenborg 
while    he  was    writing  on    the   subject 
of  the  Lord  God    the   Saviour,  339(3); 
Swedenborg   has  seen    the  omnipotence 
of    the  Lord    in    reducing    heaven    and 
hell  to  order,    123(2);    Swedenborg   fell 
into    profound    meditation    concerning 
God,  25;  see  also  26. 

SWORDS 

Mean  truths  combating,  86. 

SYNONYMS. 

Explanation  of  many  expressions  in 
the  Word  which  appear  to  be  synony- 
mous, 250. 

SYMPATHIES. 

Origin  of,  44;  see  also  99,  331. 

TABERNACLE. 

Meaning  of  the  curtains,  veils,  and 
pillars  of  the  tabernacle,  IV.  (220);  also 
meaning  of  the  tabernacle  itself,  220; 
the  holiness  of  the  tabernacle,  283;  see 
also  187(4). 

TABLE 

Upon  which  was  the  bread  of  faces, 
220. 


t^j^t^ui^aggt 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1091 


TABLES. 

Why  there  were  two  tables  for  the 
ten  commandments,  285,  287;  see  456; 
one  table  contained  in  the  complex  all 
things  that  look  to  God,  and  the  other 
in  the  complex  all  things  that  look  to 
man.  286,  287;  see  456;  the  two  tables 
united  exhibit  the  conjunction  of  love 
to  God  with  love  to  the  neighbor,  456; 
the  holiness  of  Jehovah  in  the  two 
tables,  691(3). 

TARES. 

784. 


TARTARY. 

See  Word,  266,  279(3) (4). 

TEACHER 

In    natural    sense    and    in    spiritual 
sense,  226(6). 

TEETH. 

402(9);  gnashing  of  teeth,  ib, 

TEMPLE. 

Meaning  of  the  externals  of  the  tem- 
ple at  Jerusalem,  V.  (221);  also  the  mean- 
ing of  the  temple   itself,   221;   see  also   j 
126,  134,  175,  508,  660,  750;  how  man 
becomes  a  temple  of  God,  374(4). 

TEMPTATION. 

It  is  by  means  of  temptations  that 
conjunction  with  the  Lord  is  effected, 
126;  spiritual  temptation  is  a  conflict 
between  the  truths  of  good  and  the  fal- 
sities of  evil,  596;  no  one  has  been  ad- 
mitted into  spiritual  temptation  since 
the  Nicene  Council,  597;  the  contrition 
which  is  said  to  precede  the  present 
faith  is  not  temptation,  ib.;  by  means  of 
temptations  there  is  a  conjunction  of 
heaven  and  the  world  effected  in  men. 
598;  see  Redemption,  599;  see  Con- 
science, 666;  the  passion  of  the  cross 
was  the  last  temptation  of  the  Lord,  126. 

TEN   WORDS. 

Why   the    ten    commandments   were 
called  ten  words,  286. 

TESTAMENT. 

The  New  and  Old  Testament,  409,  730. 


TESTIMONY 

Of  Jesus  means  confession  from  faith 
in  Him,  149;  why  the  ten  conunand- 
raents  are  called  the  testimony,  285;  see 
323,  456;  testimony  means  the  truth 
itself,  323. 

THAT    DAY 

Twice  mentioned,  means  the  first  and 
the  second  coming  of  the  Lord,  200(4). 

THEOLOGY. 

Relative  position  of  theological  mat- 
ters in  a  man's  mind,  186;  see  147,  482; 
what  the  very  essence  of  theology  is, 
5;  see  133,  181,  619,  620,  644. 

THIEVES. 

Spiritual  thieves,   318,   319,   320. 

THIS    DAY 

In  Psalm  ii.  7,  does  not    mean  from 
eternity,    but   in   time,    101. 

THOUGHT 

Is  so  far  the  man,   in  quantity  and 
quality,  as  it  adjoins  the  will  to  itself, 
347(3);  see  64;  thought  is  a  form  of  affec- 
tion,   386(2);    see   231,   570(6),    160(8); 
every  word  of    man  is  from  his  thought 
593;  the  two  kinds  of  thought  in  the  nat- 
ural man,  ib.;   see  Perception,  603;  no 
evil   that  a  man  thinks  is    imputed  to 
him,  659;  thought  is  the  seat  of  purifica- 
tion and  excretion  of  the  evils  resident 
in  man  from  his  parents,  ib.;  there  are 
two  states  of  thought  in  man,  an  exter- 
nal and  an  internal  806;  see  HI;  see  also 
280(5),  335(7),  461(3). 

THREE 

In  the  Word  means  what  is  complete 
and  perfect,  211;  see  212,  387(5). 

"THRONE    (THE)" 

Means  the  Lord's  Kingdom,  16(2). 

THUNDER. 

77. 

TIGERS 

And  diabolical  love,  45. 

TIME 

Is  not  applicable  to  the  Infinite,  21; 
see  27;  in  the  spiritual  world  time  exists 


1092 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


only  apparently,  29;  God  is  in  time 
without  time,  III.  (30);  there  was  no 
time  before  the  world  was  created,  31(2); 
affection  of  love  and  thought  of  the  un- 
derstanding are  in  tim,e  without  tim^, 
64.     See  Space. 

TORMENT. 

The  prohibition  and  withdrawal  of 
evil  delights  with  those  in  hell  is  what 
is  called  the  torment  of  hell,  570(7). 

TORTOISES. 
462. 

TOWER. 

Meaning  of  the  tower  built  in  Shinar, 
121. 

TRANSFIGURATION. 

See  Glorification,  104;  the  Word  in 
its  glory  was  represented  in  the  Lord 
when  He  was  transfigured,  VI.  (222); 
see  157(3),  261. 

TREE 

Signifies  man,  48(16),  374(3),  467, 
468;  see  41(2),  106,584. 

"TREE   OF   LIFE" 

Signifies  man  living  from  God,  48(16); 
see  also  260(2),  466,  467,  663;  eating  of 
this  tree  signifies  reception  of  eternal 
life,  48(18);  see  606;  see  also  469,  489. 

TREE  OF  THE  KNOWLEDGE  OF 
GOOD  AND  EVIL 

Signifies  a  man  who  believes  that  he 
lives  from  himself,  48(17);  see  324,  466, 
663;  eating  of  this  tree  signifies  recep- 
tion of  damnation,  48(18);  see  466,  606; 
see  also  469,  489. 

TRENT   (COUNCIL   OF). 
640(2). 

TRINE. 

In  every  complete  thing  there  is  a 
trine,  210;  see  387(5). 

TRINITY. 

What  the  Trinity  is,  2(2);  188(12);  to 
show  that  the  Divine  Trinity  is  united 
in  the  Lord  ia  the  chief  object  of  this 


work,  108;  there  is  a  Divine  Trinity, 
which  is  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit, 

I.  (164,  165);  these  three  are  the  three 
essentials  of  the  one  God,  II.  (166-169); 
before  the  world  was  created  this  Trin- 
ity was  not;  but  after  creation,  when 
God  became  incarnate,  it  was  provided 
and  brought  about,   III.  (170,  171). 

TRINITY   OF   PERSONS. 

The  idea  of  a  Trinity  of  Persons  in- 
volves no  knowledge  of  God,  4(2);  it 
makes  God  merely  a  word  on  the  lips, 
7;  see  15(2),  16,  17,  23;  the  idea  of  the 
Trinity,  which  prevails  in  the  Christian 
Church,  170,  171,  177,  180,  619(2),  633; 
a  Trinity  of  Divine  persons  from  eter- 
nity is  a  trinity  of  God.s,  IV.  (172,  173); 
in  heaven  no  one  can  utter  the  words, 
a  Trinity  of  Persons,  173(2);  from  a 
Trinity  of  Persons  have  arisen  many 
phantasies  and  abortions,  IX.  (183, 
184);  discussion  concerning  the  Trinity 
of  Persons  and  Trinity  of  Person,  188; 
those  who  persuade  themselves  of  the 
existence  of  three  Divine  persons  sin 
against  the  first  commandment,  296; 
as  they  confirm  themselves  in  that  error 
they  become  miable  to  comprehend 
interiorly  any  Divine  truth,  ib.;  mon- 
strosity of  such  a  belief  would  be  shown 
by  a  picture  of  three  Divine  persons, 
296(4);  the  separation  of  faith  and  char- 
ity was  introduced  when  the  church 
divided  God  into  three  Persons,  355;  see 
634,  656;  there  is  no  conjunction  with 
God  with  those  who  divide  God  into 
three,  457. 

TRUST. 

Love  is  not  love  without  trust,  727(3). 

TRUTHS 

That  man  learns  from  the  Word  are 
like  a  mirror  wherein  he  sees  God,  6(2); 
by  means  of  truths  man  is  made  ready 
to  receive  influx  from  God,  8;  what  it  is 
which  gives  life  to  truths,  38;  God  is 
truth  itself  because  truth  is  of  wisdom, 

II.  (38);  see  231,  354(3);  Jehovah  de- 
scended as  Divine  truth,  II.  (85-88); 
see  624(3);  Scripture  passages  to  show 
this,  85(3);  man  may  wander  away 
from  Divine    truths,  90;   see   Jehovah 


iiiiiiiilTii&rttfMliriniiiiifiiin  inilifl1iliriililiinii'i%fi  j 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1093 


God,  85;   Power,  86;   truth  derives  its 
quality   from   good,    163;    Divine   truth 
has  relation  to  the  kingly  office,    114; 
light  of  truth  illuminates  from  the  higli- 
est   region,    186;    power   of   truth,    224; 
living  in  accordance  with  Divine  truths, 
231;  how  truths  are  acquired,  ib.:  man 
is  in  the  spiritual  degree  so  far  as  he  is 
in   truths,  and  in  the  celestial  degree  so 
far  as  he  is  in  a  life  according  to  those 
truths,  239;  how   the    Lord    flows    into 
truths,  249;  he  who  thinks  and   speaks 
nothing  but  truth  becomes  that    truth, 
263;  Divine  truth  in  the  interior  senses 
of    the.  Word,  280;    spiritual  life   and 
truths  which  actually  live,   347(3);   see 
Faith,  348,  349;  the  truths  of  faith  may 
be  multiplied  to  infinity,  350;  they  are 
disposed     into     series,     351;     however 
numerous  the   truths  of  faith  are  they 
make    one    from   the    Lord,    354;     the 
truths  of  faith  determine  the  quality  of 
charity,  377;   truth  desires   to   be  con- 
joined   to    goo<i,    398(5);    the    various 
things     truths     teach    man,     587;     see 
Reformation,  589;  the  internal  man  is 
reformed  by  truths   and  from  truths  he 
sees  what  is  evil  and  false,  596;  good 
cannot  fight  from  itself  but   fights  by 
means  of  truths,  ib.;  no  man  is  in  truths 
unless   he    approaches    the    Lord,  597; 
those  who  are  not  in  truths  cannot  see 
the  declaration  that  the  Lord  and  the 
Father  are  one,  618,  619;  without  truths 
the   first   thing  in  regeneration  cannot 
be  seen,  618;  concerning  spheres  in  the 
spiritual  world  which  pervert  spiritual 
truth,    619,   619(2)(3)(4)(5)(6);   truth    \s 
the  form  of  good,  753;  truth  takes  on  its 
quality  through  the  existence  of  falsity, 
763.  • 

TWELVE 

Signifies    all    things    of    truth    from 
good,  217;  see  218. 

TYRE   AND  SIDON 

Signify  knowledges  of  good  and  truth, 
200(3);  see  219.  260(3),  467. 

UNANIMITY. 

25(2). 


UNDERSTANDING    (THE). 

How  man's  understanding  arrives  at 
a   knowledge  of  and   faith   in  God,  11 
(3);  the    understanding    cannot    be    en- 
tirely closed  up  in  respect  to  the  inter- 
nal man,   14(2);  man's  understaiuiinij  is 
where  his  intelligence  and  wisdom  ger- 
minate, 32(4);  see  37(2),  658;  life  of  man 
dwells    in    his    understanding,    39;    see 
658(3);  all  truth  in  man  has  its  seat  in 
his  understanding,  87;  see  249,  397,  620; 
see  Reformation,  105;  the  bare  knowl- 
edge which  enters  the  under staiuiing  has 
no    authority    over    the  will,   255,   273; 
why  some  who  understand  better  than 
otliers   do  not   live   better,   ib.;   allure- 
ment enters  into  the  understanding  only, 
313;    the   ability    to    see   that    truth  is 
truth,  and  that  falsehood  is  falsehood, 
and  to  confirm  it,   is  an  indication  of 
understanding,    334(8);    spiritual    sight 
is  the  sight  of  the  understanding,   346; 
the  understa7uiin{/   is   the  receptacle  of 
wisdom,  also  of  faith,  362;  the  will  and 
the  understanding  cannot  be  separated, 
367(2);    the    will    searches    the    under- 
standing for  the  means  of  attaining  its 
ends,   thus  seeing  the   reasons  and  op- 
portunities   for    determining    itself    to 
action,    374(2);    see    377;    the    second 
period   of   man's   life   is   when   he   acts 
from    himself    under    the    guidance    of 
the  understanding,  443(2);  see  Will,  443 
(2);  see  657;  the  fourth  period  is  when 
he  acts  from    confirmed  principle  and 
deliberate  purpose,  443(2);  he  who  re- 
ceives the    influx    of    God   only  as  ac- 
knowledgment of  Him  receives  that  in- 
flux only  in  the  understanding,  457(2); 
see  Will,  457(2);  perception  of  what  is 
good  and  true  is  the  understanding  it- 
self in  its  essence,  482;  the  understand- 
ing is  the  form  whereby  the  will  renders 
its  love  visible,  493;   the    will  and  the 
understanding  are  the  two  receptacles  of 
the  Lord,  497(4);  the  understanding  in 
every  man  is  capable  of  elevation  ac- 
cording to  his  knowledges,  507(6);  the 
thought  of  the  understanding  possesses 
the  external  man,  ib.;  it  is  dangerous  to 
enter  with  the  understanding  into  dog- 
mas of  faith  that  are  concocted  out  of 
self-intelligence,  508(3)  (5);  in  the  New 


1094 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


Church  it  is  permitted  to  enter  with 
the  understanding  into  the  mysteries  of 
faith,  508  (3)  (5)  (6);  the  outmost  of  the 
understanding  is  the  natural  knowing 
faculty,  565(3);  see  Will,  570(6);  it  is 
in  his  understanding  that  man  differs 
from  beasts,  574;  see  Regeneration, 
587;  the  understanding  can  be  elevated 
almost  into  the  light  in  which  the 
angels  of  heaven  are,  588,  605;  see  602; 
this  ability  is  inherent  in  every  one, 
589;  man  becomes  unhappy  if  he  makes 
his  understanding  subservient  to  his 
will,  588;  and  would  rush  into  great 
wickedness,  ib.;  regeneration  is  predi- 
cated secondarily  of  the  understanding, 
602;  the  new  understanding  which  is 
formed  by  regeneration,  604;  when  the 
Lord  is  enlightening  the  understanding 
He  withdraws  it  from  the  world,  621(4); 
what  is  not  received  in  the  understand- 
ing does  not  remain  in  the  memory,  76., • 
the  will  through  its  delight  enters  the 
understanding  and  produces  consent, 
658(2);  when  man  acknowledges  the 
Lord  his  understanding  begins  to  be 
enlightened  in  spiritual  things,  766. 

UNION 

Of  the  Father  and  Son  was  effected 
by  the  acts  of  redemption,  97;  it  is  like 
the  union  of  soul  and  body,  98;  this 
union  is  afterwards  reciprocal,  ib.;  see 
also  99;  this  is  taught  in  the  Word,  98; 
only  by  means  of  this  union  that  a  con- 
junction of  man  with  God  is  possible, 
and  by  conjunction  salvation,  98;  how 
the  union  of  the  Father  and  Son  was 
effected,  and  what  this  union  is,  VI IL 
(104-106);  see  also  97;  only  possible 
through  exinanition  and  glorification, 
105;  see  126,  127,  128. 

UNITY   OF   GOD 

Is  inscribed  on  the  mind  of  every  man, 
24;  see  379. 

UNIVERSAL. 

Each  particular  order  has  subsistence 
in  the  universal  and  thus  all  make,  one, 
54;  see  60,  661,  711,  714;  universals  of 
the  world,  32(8);  see  Holy  Supper,  711; 
universals  of  the  church,  722;  the  faith 


of  the  New  Church  in  its  universal  form, 
1,2. 

UNIVERSE 

Like  a  stage  upon  which  are  exhibited 
evidences  that  God  is  one,  12;  the  uni- 
verse is  a  work  coherent  as  a  unit,  13; 
see  47;  it  was  created  that  God  might  be 
omnipresent,  ib.;  it  is  outside  of  God, 
46;  see  Order,  53,  54;  all  things  in  the 
universe  which  are  according  to  order, 
have  relation  to  good  and  truth,  397, 
398;  see  714. 

URIM  AND  THUMMIM 

On   Aaron's   ephod,    meaning   of,    II. 

(218). 

USES. 

The  universe  consists  of  perpetual 
uses,  47;  love  and  wisdom  apart  from 
use  are  only  fleeting  matters  of  reason, 
67;  the  universe  was  created  by  God  to 
give  existence  to  uses,  ib.;  use  is  the  end 
which  love  purposes,  and  through  the 
cause  accomplishes,  ib.;  righteousness 
has  its  abode  in  the  good  itself  or  use 
itself  which  man  performs,  96;  men  live 
in  accordance  with  Divine  truths  when 
from  those  truths  they  perform  uses, 
231;  condition  of  those  who  have  re- 
gard to  uses,  233;  condition  of  a  man 
who  reads  the  Word  for  the  sake  of  the 
uses  of  life,  238;  how  there  comes  a 
determination  to  uses,  374(4);  love  and 
wisdom  apart  from  use  are  not  any- 
thing, 387(3);  see  Love,  394,  400(5); 
love  of  heaven,  world  and  self,  when 
properly  subordinated,  by  the  influx  of 
one  into  the  other,  breathe  forth  u«c«, 
403;  rulers  can  perform  uses  and  not 
love  the  neighbor,  412(3);  concerning 
those  who  perform  uses  from  love  to  the 
neighbor,  ib.;  concerning  the  love  of 
ruling  from  the  love  of  u^es,  661(4) 
(5)(13)(14);  all  heaven  is  nothing  but 
a  containant  of  uses  from  things  first 
to  things  last,  661(14);  see  736(3),  737 
(5),  739(7);  man  is  unable  to  distin- 
guish between  love  of  uses  for  the  sake 
of  uses  and  for  the  sake  of  self,  661 
(14);  love  of  use,  735(6),  741(3);  it  is  a 
matter  of  public  welfare  that  every  one 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1095 


should  be  of  some  use  in  society  as  in 
the  common  body,  736(4);  all  use  is 
from  the  Lord,  and  is  effected  through 
angels  and  men  as  if  it  were  done  by 
them,  ib.;  love  and  wisdom  have  a  real 
existence  in  use,  744(3),  746,  746(2)(3); 
see  Business,  801. 

VARIATIONS. 
366. 

VARIETY. 

A  first  must  go  forth  to  its  last  both   j 
in   general  and  in   particular    in   order   j 
that  variety  may  exist  in  all  things,  763; 
variety  tends  to  things  opposite,  ib. 

VEGETABLE  KINGDOM. 
78,  145,  308,  584.  585,  586,  620. 

VEILS 

Of  the  Tabernacle,   220. 

VINE. 

200(2),  205,  708. 

VIRGINS 

In  the  Word  signify  those  who  consti- 
tute the  church,  199;  see  748;  also  they 
signify  affections  for  truth,  205;  the  un- 
regenerate  man  is  meant  by  the  foolish 
virgins  who  had  lamps  but  no  oil,  606; 
see  also  719. 

VIVIFICATION 

Of  man,  how  it  is  accomplished,  142. 

VOWELS. 

Use  of  vowels  in  the  writings  in  heav- 
en, 278;  see  19(2). 

WAKEFULNESS.  ^ 

In  the  Word  spiritual  life  is  compared 
to  wakefulness,  606. 

WARS 

For  the  defence  of  the  country  are  not 
contrary  to  charity,  407;  see  414;  wars 
are  permissions,  479. 

WARS   OF   JEHOVAH. 
265,  279  279(3). 


WASHINGS 

Were  commanded  the  Children  of  Is- 
rael, 670,  671;  this  signified  purification 
from  evils  and  falsities,  and  thus  re- 
generation, 670,  671;  the  washing  called 
baptism  means  spiritual  washing,  671, 
672,  673;  see  Baptism;  before  washing, 
or  purification  from  evils  prayer  to  God 
is  not  heard,  329(4). 

WATER 

Signifies  truth,  572;  see  190;  water 
signifies  truth  in  the  natural  or  external 
man,  144;  see  also  567(3). 

WEALTH. 

No  man  of  sound  reason  can  condemn 
wealth,  403(3);  it  can  be  condemned 
when  it  is  the  ruling  love,  404. 

WEDDING. 

See  Marriage.  Meaning  of  the  wed- 
ding garment  in  Matthew,  xxii.,  380(4). 

WHEAT. 

784. 

WHOREDOM 

Signifies  falsification  of  truth,  247(4). 

WICKED. 
See  Evil. 

WIDOWS. 
427. 

WIFE. 

277,  307,  377. 

WILL. 

When  the  will  may  be  closed  up  in 
respect  to  the  internal  man,  14(2);  the 
will  is  where  man's  intelligence  and 
wisdom  fructify,  32(4);  the  will  is  the 
receptacle  of  love,  37(2);  see  87,  249;  also 
of  charity,  362;  see  397,  658;  the  love 
of  the  will  modifies  man's  life  dwelling 
in  his  understanding,  39;  in  the  spirit- 
ual world  no  one  is  able  to  do  any- 
thing contrary  to  his  vnll,  56;  see  Re- 
generation, 105;  the  will  is  the  man 
himself,  255;  see  347(3);  that  is,  the 
interior  will,  494;   and  not  the  under- 


AjgU^^bM 


1096 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


1097 


standing,  507(5),  510;  the  understand- 
ing is  subject  to  the  unll,  273;  whatever 
pertains  to  the  intention  pertains  also 
to  the  will,  309;  when  lust  enters  the 
will  it  becomes,  as  it  were,  a  deed,  313; 
so  far  as  man  shuns  evils  as  sins,  so  far 
does  he  will  the  goods  that  pertain  to 
(ove  and  charity,  329;  if  the  will  and 
the  understanding  are  separated  they 
eome  to  nothing,  367(2);  see  Under- 
standing, 374(2);  the  will  by  itself  can 
have  no  existence,  377;  as  good  is  the 
very  being  of  a  thing,  so  is  the  will  in 
man  the  very  being  of  his  life,  397; 
see  482(2),  658(3);  the  third  period  of 
man's  life  is  when  the  will  acts  upon 
the  understanding,  and  the  understand- 
ing regulates  the  will,  443(2);  see  571, 
657;  the  fourth  period  is  when  he  acts 
from  confirmed  principle  and  deliberate 
purpose,  443(2);  he  who  receives  the  in- 
flux of  God  as  acknowledgment  of  Him 
and  with  God's  love  to  Him,  receives 
the  influx  into  the  will  and  from  that 
into  the  understanding,  457(2);  because 
freedom  belongs  to  man's  will  it  also 
belongs  to  his  love,  493;  the  will  and 
the  understanding  are  the  two  recepta- 
cles of  the  Lord,  497(4);  the  will  can  be 
elevated  only  by  a  life  according  to  the 
truths  of  the  church  and  of  reason,  507 
(6);  it  is  the  will  and  thought  that  sin 
when  the  body  sins,  532;  man  examines 
the  intentions  of  his  will  when  he  ex- 
amines his  thoughts,  ib.;  from  the  will 
every  love  breathes  out  its  delights  into 
the  perceptions  and  thoughts  of  the 
understanding,  533(3);  how  through  the 
spiritual  will  the  natural  will  and  the 
body  is  reformed  and  regenerated,  ib.; 
the  outmost  of  the  will  is  sensual  de- 
light, 565(3);  since  the  will  moves  the 
understanding  to  think,  not  the  least 
thought  is  possible  except  from  an  in- 
fluent delight  of  the  will,  570(6);  see 
Regeneration,  587;  see  Understand- 
ing, 588;  the  will  by  birth  inclines  to 
evils,  588;  see  593,  658(5);  two  unlls  are 
formed  in  the  natural  man,  593;  see 
659;  the  conflict  between  them,  596;  the 
vrill  cannot  fight  from  itself  but  by 
means  of  the  understanding,  ib.;  regen- 
eration   is    predicated  primarily  of   the 


I  xvill,  602;  the  new  will  which  is  formed 

I  by  regeneration,  604;   see  659;  all  good 

j  as  well  as  all  evil   belong  to  the  will, 

'  658(2). 

WINE 

Means  Divine  truth,  372;  see  Holt 
Supper,  705,  706. 

WISDOM 

And  love  the  two  essentials  of  God, 
37;  see  778;  wisdom  is  the  complex  of 
all  varieties  of  truth,  38;  wisdom  brings 
forth  the  desires  of  love,  43;  wisdom  itself 
perceives  all  things,  59;  through  wis- 
dom, man  is  prepared  for  conjunction 
with  God,  89;  wisdom  of  those  who  are 
in  faith  and  charity,  361;  wisdom,  in  its 
origin  is  love,  386(2);  see  387;  see  Self, 
663;  in  every  man  of  sound  mind  there 
is  an  ability  to  receive  wisdom  from  the 
Lord,  718;  man  is  in  wisdom  concerning 
good  and  truth  from  the  Divine  omnis- 
cience, 69;  therefore  from  God  man  is  in 
wisdom,,  ib.;  see  350;  elevation  of  vns- 
dom  to  various  degrees,  69;  see  280(5) 
(6),  290,  350,  505;  all  angelic  wisdom 
is  from  the  Word,  350;  see  242;  where 
the  good  of  love  is  there  wisdom,  dwells 
at  the  same  time,  242;  wisdom  is  for 
the  sake  of  use,  746. 

WISE  MEN  (THE) 
Of  the  East,  205. 

WOLFF. 

90,  335(7),  696. 

WOLVES 

And  diabolical  love,  45. 

WORD    (THE) 

Is*  Divine  truth,  3;  see  50;  I.  (189- 
192),  224(3),  777;  the  second  coming  is 
the  opening  of  the  Word,  3;  the  Word 
in  its  inmosts  nothing  but  God,  6;  see 
also  225,  234.  263;  it  was  dictated  by 
God,  6;  in  its  derivatives  it  is  adapted 
to  the  perception  of  men,  ib.;  the  Word 
is  like  a  mirror  wherein  man  sees  God, 
each  in  his  own  way,  6(2);  the  Word 
teaches  that  there  is  one  God,  6(3); 
references  made  to  Scripture  passages, 


ib.;  no  light  perceived  in  the  Word  by 
a  man  who  thinks  of  three  Gods,  7;  the 
Word  is  the  crown  of  revelations,  conse- 
quently the  means  of  a  knowledge  of 
God,  11;  how  the  man  who  denies  God 
thinks  of  the  Word,  14(3);  God  has  pro- 
vided the  Word  for  the  instruction  of 
man,  22;  the  Word  teaches  that  Jehovah 
Himself    descended   and   became  Man, 
and  also  Redeemer,  82;  what   those  be- 
lieve who  are  not  yet  awakened  by  the 
Word,  82(3);  Jehovah  descended  as  the 
Divine  truth,  which  is   the  Word,   85; 
see   730;    explanation    of    the   passage, 
"  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  "etc., 
85,  224(4);  the  Word  is  the  sole  medium 
through  which  man  draws  near  to  the 
Lord,  142;  how  man  may  speak  and  act 
of  himself  from  the  Word,  154(5);  how 
the  Word  is  to  be  read  in  order  to  under- 
stand the  Divine  Trinity,  165;   from  the 
faith  of  a  church  it  can   be  seen  how 
tlie  Word  is  understood  in  that  church, 
177(3);  how  those  who  worship  nature 
look  upon  the  Word,  189,  191;  the  Word 
means  the  Lord   in  respect   to  Divine 
truth,  190;  see  354(2),  751;  style  of  the 
Word  is  such  that  there  is  a  holiness  in 
every  sentence  and  in  every  word,  191; 
by  means   of   the   Word  man  has  life, 
ib.;  such  as  heaven  is  such   also  is  the 
Word,  195;  the  Word  t/cats  of  nothing 
but  heavenly  things,  200(3);   the  Lord 
teaches  every  one  by  mc  ^ns  of  the  Word, 
208;  some  of  the  wonderful  things  which 
appear  in  the  spiritual  world  from  the 
Word,  209;  see  776(3);  when  the  read- 
ing  of    the    Word    effects    conjunction 
with  the  angels,  209(4);  the  power  of  the 
Lord  proceeding  from  the  Word  is  infi- 
nite, 209(5);   there  are  three  senses  of 
the  Word,  celestial,  spiritual^  and  nat; 
ural,  212;  effect  upon  those-*  wtia' r«ac> 
the   Word   in   the  belief  tha*  .it  w.^fhe 
holy  Divine,  215(5);  the  exteriors  of  the 
Word  represent  the  exteriots  of  heave© 
and  the  church,  221;  the  i5ierp:r9s|si61e'. 
power  of  the   Word,  VIII.  7^i2^');*  God 
came  into  the  world  as  the  Word,  224 
(3);  in  the  Word  alone  there*  is  spiri^  - 
and  life,   239;   there  is  a  Woi'd  alse  ii  • 
the  heavens,   240;    how    it    iv  writien-  • 
241,  278;  written  differently  in  celestial 


kingdom  than  in  spiritual  kingdom,  242; 
in  the  Word  which  is  in   the  world  is 
concealed  all    angelic  wisdom,  ib.;  the 
church  is  from  the  Word,  243;  that  it  is 
in  accordance  with  the  understanding 
of  the  Word,   244;   truths  of  faith  and 
goods    of    charity    pervade    the    whole 
Word,  ib.;  not  the  Word  that  establishes 
the  church  but  faith  and  life  derived 
from  the  Word,  245;  in  every  particular 
of  the  Word  there  is  a  marriage  of  the 
Lord   and   the    church,   and    good    and 
truth,  248;  see  700;  the  Lord  when  in 
the  world  fulfilled  all  things  of  the  Word 
and    thereby  became    Divine    truth   or 
the  Word,  261;  the  whole  Word  was  writ- 
ten concerning  the  Lord,  262;  before  the 
Israelitish     Word     there     was     another 
Word,   264;   this   Word  is  preserved   in 
heaven  among  the  angels  who  lived  in 
those  times,  266,  279;  it  is  still  in  exis- 
tence among  the  nations  of  Great  Tar- 
tary,  266,  279(3)(4);  no  conjunction  with 
heaven    is    possible    unless    somewhere 
on  the  earth  there  is  a  church  that  has 
the  Word,  267;   knowledge  of  God  has 
existed    first    from    the   ancient    Word, 
then  from  the  Israelitish  Word,  275;  in 
the  broadest  sense  the  law  means  the 
whole  Word,  288;  there  is  an  infinity  in 
every  least  particular  of  the  Word,  290; 
the  Word  is  profaned  by  those  who  in 
heart  ridicule  all  things  of  the  church 
and  of  religion,  315;  the  essence  of  the 
faith  of  the  New  Church   is   truth  from 
the  Word,  344;  truths  ought  to  be  taken 
from   the  Word,    347(2);  see  350,  351; 
faith  is  from  the  Word,  384;  those  who 
reject  the  Word   reject    the  Lord  also, 
and  the  church,  ib.;  see  Freedom   of 
Choice,  483;  if  the  faith  of  the  present 
church   were    to    continue     the     whole 
Word     would,   be.   rejected,     582;      see 
S*:c^NDXbMiNG,  .771';'.how  some    idea 
-may  be  frvrmocX  o{  liow.the  Lord  is  the 
Word,  778. 


»    »   • » •  %     « 
*  >      •      *  « 


The* Lord's'  words  are  truths,  349. 

•  Man .'is  'knpwn   fwom   his  works,    96; 
works    belong    essentially    to    the    will, 


1098 


INDEX  OF  WORDS 


formally  to  the  understanding,  and  ac- 
tually to  the  body,  374(2);  see  373; 
see  Faith,  375,  376;  see  387(4);  merely 
natural  works,  726.  See  Charity,  and 
Good  Works. 

WORLD. 

Owing  to  his  worldly  occupations  man 
can  acquire  for  himself  only  a  few  of 
the  truths  of  faith,  354(3);  the  things 
which  belong  to  the  world  do  not  re- 
main with  man,  494. 

WORLD   OF   SPIRITS 

Is  the  great  interspace  between  heav- 
en and  hell.  475(3)(4);  see  795;  every 
man  after  death  first  goes  there,  475 
(4);  see  646.  797(2)  (3);  the  condition 
of  the  world  of  spirits  since  the  last 
judgment,  818. 

WORLD  (LOVE  OF  THE), 

What  it  is,  4(X)(11);  not  opposed  to 
heavenly  love  to  such  a  degree  as  the 
love  of  self  is,  400(12);  its  various  forms, 
400(13);  see  662  (whole  no.);  love  of 
the  world  is  the  opposite  of  love  to  the 
neighbor,  754. 

WORSHIP. 

From  the  faith  of  any  church  flows 
forth  all  its  worship,  177(2);  every  true 
worshiper  of  God  as  soon  as  he  hears  any 


truth  of  faith  he  has  not  known  before, 
accepts  it,  354(3);  there  is  not  conjunc- 
tion with  God  with  those  who  merely 
worship  God,  457;  worship  from  freedom 
is  truly  worship,  495;  worship  by  sacri- 
fices, 264;  representative  worship,  109 
(2),  188(6),  201,  670,  674;  a  description 
of  how  the  angels  worship  God,  750, 
751;  a  false  idea  of  this  juorship,  738; 
worship  of  self,  274. 

WRITINGS 

In  the  spiritual  world    241,  278,  280 
(4).  794. 

XENOPHON. 
692. 

Y. 

Angels  in  the  third  heaven  cannot 
utter  i  but  instead  of  it  y,  278. 

YOUTH. 
476. 

ZEAL 

In  itself  considered,  is  a  glow  of  the 
natural  man,  146;  when  it  may  be  in- 
ternal, ib.;  see  155;  zeal  may  appear  in 
the  external  man  like  anger,  408. 

ZION 

Means  the  church,  467(3). 


'9         *  5 


I 


,  'A;i''mWj!Si^'~fS'S^K^Wf''9^^f?l'^^'^SX^ 


I 


«fieC}i|«pfRSf^fJH!5^|i»S»P^|^^SpfgfS^ 


COLUMB  A  UNIVERSITY 


0025978560 


o-is.s^,  "Sv^a??!! 


U  OD 

^  • 


NOV  2  7  193S 


iLl;»*aJi 


